Integrating a holistic perspective in microbiome research for resilient, competitive and sustainable food systems (HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-FARM2FORK-11)

Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes: 

• a better systems-level understanding through a One Health approach of the complex interactions and functional impacts of microbiomes across different hosts (plants, humans, animals...), environments (water, food matrices...), and interconnected ecosystems; 

• solutions are identified for resilient, competitive, and sustainable food systems that cover e.g. food security, agrifood systems durability and resilience, industrial applications, nutrition, health, and relevant aspects of biodiversity, climate change and the environment; 

• synergies are identified between existing European research infrastructures for sample biobanking and data-gathering/gathering/sharing to facilitate the exchange, pooling and integrated analysis of integrated microbiome (meta)-data, promoting inter and transdisciplinary collaboration among different stakeholders under the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable) principles.

Scope: Microbiomes hold immense potential for food systems applications, but microbiomes are often studied in siloes or one ecosystem at a time. Unlocking the functional diversity of food microbiomes to help develop innovative applications requires a systems approach170 . The topic is relevant to the EU policies related to the Commission communication on: Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU171 , the Life Science Strategy, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, the EU strategy on research and technology infrastructure, the R&I Food 2030 Framework and the policies related to the digital transition (e.g. AI Act, etc) and contributes to climate action and biodiversity goals