Berlin, Germany, 8 July 2026 - A new Horizon Europe project, COLiBRI – Collaborative Crop Breeding Research and Innovation for a Green Europe, is bringing together key actors from across Europe to strengthen coordination in crop breeding research and innovation and develop a shared vision for future investment. The project officially launches at its kick-off meeting on 8–9 July 2026 at the Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI) in Berlin-Dahlem, Germany.
A central objective of COLiBRI is the development of a European Plant Breeding Research and Innovation Roadmap, accompanied by an implementation strategy and a framework for a future pan-European plant breeding network and funding mechanism. Together, these outputs will help align research priorities, breeding-sector needs, policy objectives and funding opportunities across Europe.
Crop breeding is essential for developing varieties that can help agriculture respond to climate change, enhance sustainability, support biodiversity and contribute to food and nutritional security. Yet Europe's crop breeding research and innovation landscape remains fragmented, with funding, infrastructure and research efforts often insufficiently coordinated.
COLiBRI was established to address this challenge. Funded under Horizon Europe Cluster 6 – Farm2Fork, the project runs from 1 June 2026 to 30 November 2028 and brings together 17 organisations representing public research institutions, plant breeders, farmers, research infrastructures, European networks and policy actors.
Over the next two and a half years, project partners will work with stakeholders across the crop breeding value chain to identify research priorities, assess technological and infrastructure needs, analyse funding gaps and explore opportunities for stronger collaboration. The project will consider a broad range of crops, traits, technologies, production systems and breeding approaches to ensure that future recommendations reflect the diversity of European agriculture
