AGROBOOST Open Call: Test Your Robotics and AI Solution on Real Farms

GROBOOST, a €6.5 million Horizon Europe project on agricultural robotics, AI and augmented reality, is preparing its first open call. It will fund SMEs, startups and research groups to test their technology on real European farms, with up to €60,000 per selected pilot. If you build agri-robotics, AI vision or AR/VR tools for farming, now is the time to get ready.

Funding: €480,000 in total across two open calls, up to €60,000 for each of 8 pilots. For: SMEs, startups and research groups. Status: first open call announced as coming soon; watch agro-boost.eu.

What AGROBOOST is

AGROBOOST is a five-year project, running from November 2025 to October 2030, coordinated by University College Dublin with 18 partners across Europe. Its goal is to make farm work safer, smarter and more attractive, especially for women, young people and workers with disabilities. It targets a 30% reduction in workplace accidents.

The project already runs six pilots in six countries, for example:

1. Autonomous, vision-guided mushroom harvesting in Ireland.

2. Robotic strawberry harvesting with VR training and telepresence in the UK.

3. AI-based orchard pruning and flower thinning in Portugal.

4. Autonomous selective weeding in organic vegetables in Greece.

What the open calls will fund

Through its open calls, AGROBOOST will bring in external innovators to test and validate their technology in this pilot network. Selected teams receive up to €60,000 each, which works as an equity-free grant to prove your solution in real farm conditions. Labour shortages, worker safety and livestock management are the challenges the project focuses on.

How to prepare before the call opens

1. Define your pilot. What will you test, on which crop or livestock system, and which result proves it works?

2. Show the social side. AGROBOOST scores safety and inclusion, not only productivity. Explain who your solution helps on the farm.

3. Gather evidence. Field data, demos and early users make a short application much stronger.

4. Register on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal and keep your company documents ready.

Why it matters for agritech

Cascade funding like this is often the first public money a young agritech company wins, and it opens doors to larger grants. Bulgarian robotics and precision farming companies are already on this path: see how Smart Farm Robotix earned international recognition and how Osirix is transforming precision spraying. Our article on the EU's Apply AI push in agriculture explains why this field is now a Brussels priority.

Be first when the call opens

Open calls like AGROBOOST are short and easy to miss. Save it to your favourites on agriventures.co and get a deadline reminder with the Standard membership, or receive every robotics and AI call matched to your profile with the Tailored membership. Both start with a 7-day free trial.

Not sure what else you qualify for? Run the free funding match in seconds, and download our free guide Digital Solutions and Robotics (in Bulgarian).

Sources: CORDIS project page, UCD launch announcement, UCD news. Checked 1 November 2026.

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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.