Grant for Farms to Test Digital Agricultural Technologies

An open call for proposals under the GUARDIANS project (Horizon Europe) aims to select up to 9 farms to test and validate innovative digital solutions developed during the previous phase (Co-Creation). The program aims to implement accessible technologies, enhance farmers’ digital maturity, and promote innovation in agriculture.

Who can apply:

• Small and medium-sized farms;
• Entities legally registered in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries;
• Applicants not subject to EU restrictive measures.

Key applicant requirements:

• A valid VAT number at the stage of Sub-Grant Agreement preparation;
• Not being under liquidation or classified as an “undertaking in difficulty” under EU regulations;
• No affiliation with the GUARDIANS consortium (with limited exceptions for certain cooperatives).

Application requirements:

• Submission before the deadline of 01 July 2026, 17:00 CET;
• Submission via the official online form only;
• Application completed in English in all sections;
• All required annexes submitted in the specified format;
• Only one application per farm;
• Confirmation of acceptance of the programme terms and conditions.

Applications submitted late or not meeting the requirements will not be evaluated.

The GUARDIANS Test-Before-Invest programme provides funding to support the implementation and testing of digital technologies in farms.

• Selected participants may receive up to €10,000 per farm;
• The total call budget is €90,000;
• Up to 9 farms will be supported;
• The funding period is 3 months (implementation and pilot testing phase).

Payments are made after milestone review, and no pre-financing is provided.

Funding is allocated within a single phase:

• Phase 1: implementation and pilot testing — up to €10,000.

Additionally, all applicants are required to submit a budget estimation using the provided Excel template.

Within the GUARDIANS Test-Before-Invest programme, supported projects focus on the testing and implementation of digital technologies in farm environments.

Types of supported activities:

• Testing, implementation, and evaluation of digital/ICT solutions;
• Data collection and participation in training activities;
• Collaboration with technology providers;
• Real-world application of solutions in farm settings.

Project scope includes:

• Installation and setup of the selected technology;
• Providing feedback on performance, usability, and impact;
• Participation in workshops or training sessions;
• Reporting results from pilot implementation.

Participant responsibilities:

• Implementing the selected technology according to provider guidelines (Milestone 1);
• Providing feedback and basic KPI data (Milestone 2);
• Sharing lessons learned and improvement suggestions (Milestone 3).

The programme includes a 3-month implementation period, during which farms test and validate innovative solutions developed within the GUARDIANS project or the Co-Creation Open Call.

The programme timeline outlines the последователь stages of application review and decision-making.

• The submission period runs from 01/05/2026 to 01/07/2026;
• The eligibility check takes place from 02/07/2026 to 09/07/2026;
• Proposal evaluation is scheduled for 10/07/2026 – 29/07/2026;
• The consensus meeting phase runs from 30/07/2026 to 06/08/2026;
• Communication of results occurs between 07/08/2026 and 26/08/2026;
• Contracting is carried out from 27/08/2026 to 30/09/2026.

The application process requires applicants to follow several mandatory steps and conditions.

• Applications must be submitted exclusively via the online form (login required);
• Applicants are expected to carefully review the Guide for Applicants, including all eligibility criteria and conditions;
• All mandatory sections must be completed in English;
• The submission deadline is 01 July 2026 at 5:00 pm CEST (Brussels time);
• After successful submission, applicants will receive a confirmation email.

Failure to comply with these requirements may result in the application not being considered.

The evaluation of applications in the programme follows a structured process based on criteria and a scoring system.

Evaluation criteria:

• Usability potential — assesses the farm’s ability to effectively apply the selected digital technology;
• Expected impact and applicability — evaluates the anticipated benefits and relevance of the solution;
• Capacity — measures the applicant’s operational ability to implement and test the technology.

Each criterion includes:

• essential requirements that must be met;
• added values that strengthen the proposal.

Scoring system:

• Proposals are scored on a 0 to 5 scale;
• Minimum threshold per criterion: 3/5;
• Overall threshold: 10 out of 15 points;
• Maximum possible score: 20 points (including bonuses).

Score interpretation:

• 0 — fails requirements;
• 1–2 — insufficient or partial compliance;
• 3 — adequate;
• 4 — very good;
• 5 — excellent.

Extra points:

• up to +3 points for selecting technologies from the Co-Creation Open Call;
• up to +2 points for applicants with prior GUARDIANS use-case experience.

Evaluation process:

• Each proposal is reviewed by two independent external evaluators;
• A third evaluator may be involved in case of significant score differences;
• The final score is calculated as an average, including bonus points;
• Proposals below thresholds are not recommended for funding.

In case of ties, additional criteria such as submission date are considered.

The application process requires submitting a set of mandatory documents via the online form.

Key requirement: the applicant must have a Google account to upload the required files.

Checklist of required documents:

• Annex 1. Financial Viability — financial information in spreadsheet format;
• Annex 2. Farm Declaration — farm declaration in PDF format;
• Annex 3. Declaration of Honour — declaration of honour in PDF format.

All documents must be uploaded using the provided templates.

Key participant obligations:

• Participants must provide KPI data, qualitative feedback, and reporting in line with the GUARDIANS methodology;
• Mandatory submissions include installation confirmation and milestone-based reporting forms;
• Compliance with deadlines is required throughout implementation.

Performance evaluation criteria:

• KPI completion — 45%;
• quality and completeness of feedback — 45%;
• deadline compliance — 10%.

Each criterion is scored on a 0–10 scale and weighted accordingly.
A minimum threshold of 7 points is required to receive funding; otherwise, participants may exit the programme without payment.

Financial and compliance framework:

• Payments are made after milestone verification;
• Participants are responsible for delivering all required outputs and documentation;
• Final decisions on payments or continuation are made by the Selection Committee.

Additional compliance provisions:

• Conflict of interest is mitigated by excluding involved experts from evaluation;
• Applicants may submit a complaint in case of procedural errors, not evaluation outcomes;
• Complaints must be submitted in English within 3 calendar days, with supporting evidence;
• Anonymous or incomplete complaints will not be reviewed.

The programme includes a formal check and grant agreement preparation phase, which is mandatory before project implementation begins.

Key legal conditions:

• Selected participants must sign a Sub-Grant Agreement with the GUARDIANS Consortium before starting activities;
• Prior to signing, applicants are required to provide documents confirming their legal status and eligibility;
• A valid VAT number is mandatory — failure to provide it leads to exclusion from the process.

Required documents include:

• Proof of legal existence (registration details, address, VAT);
• Bank account information for fund transfer;
• Signed Sub-Grant Agreement.

Important notes:

• If submitted documents do not confirm eligibility, participation will be terminated;
• Failure to submit documents on time may result in exclusion and replacement by a reserve list applicant;
• The agreement follows the rules of the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement.