Cluster 6 wants to achieve a transformative change of the EU economy and society by focusing on reducing environmental degradation, halt and reverse the decline of biodiversity and on better manage natural resources while meeting the EU’s climate objectives and ensuring food and water security.
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Activities under Cluster 6 will help to accelerate the ecological transition required by the European Green Deal in order to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. R&I activities will support the policy objectives of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, the circular economy action plan, the EU industrial strategy, the bio-economy strategy, the EU forest strategy, the blue growth strategy, the chemicals strategy for sustainability and the EU plastics strategy, in addition to the EU Climate policy. Cluster 6 will also steer and accelerate the transition to sustainable, healthy and inclusive food systems, to achieve effectively the objectives of the Farm to Fork Strategy.
These objectives are translated in seven destinations and impacts:
Areas of activity
As an integral part of Horizon Europe, a set of EU Missions aim to deliver solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing Europe. The mission on Ocean and Waters and the mission on Soils are two of the 5 official mission areas defined by the Commission highly related to Cluster 6.
Agro-Food, Environment EIT Missions
The EIT will launch a new Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) in the water, marine and maritime sectors and ecosystems. The new EIT KIC will develop an integrated approach across freshwater, marine and maritime sectors, supporting entrepreneurial education and skills development, innovation projects as well as the ideation, deve... read more
Culture and society Climate, Energy, Mobility Agro-Food, Environment Missions
The European Commission has launched a survey for the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility for interested parties to contribute to the content of this initiative. The NEB Facility, established in the Horizon Europe 2025-27 Strategic Plan, covers the full cycle of implementation of solutions for neighbourhoods by combining two components: a Research... read more
Health Climate, Energy, Mobility Agro-Food, Environment Enhancing EU R&I Missions
Agro-Food, Environment EIT Missions
Agro-Food, Environment EIT Missions
Agro-Food, Environment EIT Missions
RI Health Food Energy Transport
RI Health Culture and society Security Digital, Industry & Space
Health Culture and society Digital, Industry & Space Climate, Energy, Mobility Agro-Food, Environment
Health Agro-Food, Environment EIC EIT
Partnerships unite the EC and private and/or public partners to work together in a specific domain. They offer often a good ecosystem to find collaborations.
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The Miricle project, ‘Mine Risk Clearance for Europe’, obtained funding under the European Defence Industrial Development programme call ‘Underwater control contributing to resilience at sea’. The main objective of the project was to achieve a European and sovereign capacity in future mine warfare and create a path for the next generation ‘made in Europe’ countermeasure solutions. In order to realise this objective, Miricle addressed various stages: studies, design, prototyping and testing. These stages inter alia included the successful testing of an XL Unmanned Underwater Vehicle, a protototyped mine disposal system and multiple innovative systems to detect buried mines. Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), was one of the five Belgian partners in the consortium. Within the project, VLIZ was able to forward its research on the acoustic imaging of the seabed to spatially map and visualize buried structures and objects - in this case buried mines - in the highest possible detail. VLIZ also led the work on ‘Port and Offshore Testing’, building on the expertise of the institute in the field of marine operations and technology.