Deadlines are approaching fast. From €6 million Horizon Europe funding to biotech investment and EIC acceleration, these five opportunities deserve attention now.

For farmers, agri-tech start-ups, researchers and food innovators, finding the right funding opportunity is often only half the challenge. The other half is finding it before the deadline.

September and early October bring several interesting opportunities for organisations working across agriculture, biotechnology, digitalisation, sustainability and the circular bioeconomy.

AgriVentures maintains a dedicated funding database designed to help agrifood innovators discover opportunities matched to their sector and ambitions.

Here are five opportunities with approaching deadlines that deserve a closer look.

1. Understanding Biomass Flows in Europe — €6 Million

Deadline: 17 September 2026

This Horizon Europe opportunity is particularly relevant for organisations working with agricultural residues, biomass, bioeconomy and circular production systems.

The call, HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-05, has a total budget of €6 million and is expected to fund around two projects, with an indicative EU contribution of approximately €3 million per project. The funding rate is 100% of eligible costs and projects are structured as Research and Innovation Actions.

The focus is on improving understanding and monitoring of biomass flows across Europe and translating better data into practical decisions.

For agrifood companies, research organisations and technology providers working with agricultural waste, biomass valorisation, bio-based products or digital monitoring, this could be highly relevant.

The catch: this is a consortium-oriented Horizon Europe opportunity, so organisations without an established European partnership should move quickly.

2. Climate and Soil Innovation — €10 Million Horizon Europe Call

Deadline: 23 September 2026

The EU Missions are offering another important opportunity for innovators working on climate adaptation, soil health and resilient food systems.

The call has an indicative budget of around €10 million and aims to support solutions that can move beyond research and demonstrate practical impact in real-world conditions.

Potential areas include technologies and approaches that improve soil resilience, help agriculture adapt to extreme weather and strengthen sustainable food production.

For farmers collaborating with researchers, agtech companies developing climate solutions and organisations working on soil health, this is an opportunity worth examining immediately.

3. Fast Track to the EIC Accelerator — Eureka Call 5

Deadline: 25 September 2026, 14:00 CEST

For innovative companies that have already completed a Eurostars-3 project, this opportunity could provide a valuable shortcut towards one of Europe's most significant scale-up funding instruments.

The Eureka Fast Track to the EIC Accelerator allows eligible companies to bypass the initial short EIC Accelerator proposal stage and move directly to the full proposal stage.

Eligible applicants include start-ups, SMEs and small mid-caps from participating countries, including Bulgaria. Applicants must have successfully completed a qualifying Eurostars-3 project, or be participating in one that will finish before the specified date.

The EIC Accelerator itself combines grant funding and investment, together with coaching, mentoring and access to investors.

For an agrifood or biotech company that already has strong R&D results and is ready to scale, this could be a particularly attractive route.

4. Biotope Ventures Fall 2026 — Up to €350,000

Deadline: 25 September 2026

Early-stage biotech founders have another opportunity to secure both capital and strategic support.

Biotope Ventures Basecamp is looking for early-stage biotech companies developing solutions related to areas such as agrifood, food technology, agtech, biomaterials and planetary health.

Selected ventures can receive an early-stage funding package of up to €350,000, combined with tailored support intended to help founders de-risk their technology, strengthen their business model and prepare for future investment rounds.

This is particularly interesting for founders working at the intersection of agriculture and biotechnology—for example biological inputs, alternative food technologies, new materials or technologies supporting a healthier planet.

With the deadline only days after the Eureka Fast Track, interested founders should not leave preparation until the last week.

5. Digital Europe — Regulatory Compliance Technologies

Deadline: 1 October 2026

Digitalisation is becoming increasingly important for agriculture, food production and environmental compliance.

The DIGITAL-2026-AI-DATA-10-COMPLIANCE call provides an opportunity for European consortia developing technologies that use AI and data to automate regulatory compliance, reduce reporting burdens and improve secure data exchange.

The call has a total budget of €8.5 million and is particularly relevant to sectors with significant reporting and regulatory requirements, including agriculture.

Projects should demonstrate practical applications rather than purely theoretical research, including real-world pilot use cases.

For companies developing farm-management software, sustainability reporting tools, AI compliance systems, environmental data platforms or secure agricultural data infrastructure, this could be an interesting opportunity.

Applicants should note that the call requires cross-border collaboration, with at least three independent organisations from three eligible countries.

Don't Wait Until the Deadline

These five opportunities demonstrate how diverse the European funding landscape has become.

There is funding for biomass and the circular bioeconomy, soil and climate resilience, biotech, deep-tech scale-ups and digital agriculture.

But there is one common factor: time.

Building a competitive European application—particularly for Horizon Europe or Digital Europe—can require partners, technical planning, budgets and a clear impact strategy. Waiting until the final days can turn a promising opportunity into a missed opportunity.

This is precisely why funding intelligence matters.

AgriVentures' funding database brings together 500+ curated funding opportunities for agrifood innovators and helps users identify opportunities according to sector, stage and country.

For entrepreneurs and organisations developing the next generation of agricultural and food solutions, the question is no longer simply “Is there funding available?”

The better question is: “Which opportunity fits my innovation—and when is the deadline?”

Explore the latest funding opportunities through AgriVentures and make sure the next deadline is one you are ready for.

Check out our guides for funding opportunities

https://projects.agriventures.co/resources

Agriventures Connect 3.0 is coming on 20th of April 2027 in Sofia, Bulgaria

https://connect.agriventures.co/

The role of Agriventures in supporting agrifood innovation

As the agritech startup ecosystem grows across Europe, initiatives such as Agriventures are helping connect entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and policymakers working in agriculture and food innovation.

Agriventures focuses on supporting agrifood startups, biotechnology innovation, and access to European funding for agriculture, while also helping entrepreneurs navigate the complex landscape of startup financing, venture capital, and research commercialization.

By strengthening connections between startups, research institutions, investors, and farmers, Agriventures contributes to building a stronger agricultural innovation ecosystem that can accelerate the transition toward sustainable agriculture and resilient food systems.

Through knowledge sharing, events, and ecosystem building, Agriventures helps ensure that promising agritech innovations can scale and reach farmers, food producers, and global markets.