We are proud to announce that REACtOE – Reforms and Empowerment for Agri-food Competitiveness and Open Excellence has been selected for funding under the Horizon Europe European Excellence Initiative. In a highly competitive call with an approximately 5.6% success rate, the proposal received a full evaluation score and ranked second overall. With a total budget of approximately €5 million, the five-year project will begin on 1 January 2027.
Coordinated by Middle East Technical University (METU) under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Mecit Halil Öztop, REACtOE is an institutional transformation project focused on strengthening research excellence in the agri-food bioeconomy. It will support research-performing organisations in Widening countries in modernising their governance and research assessment systems, professionalising research management, developing staff skills and expanding their digital and open-science capacities.
The project brings together 15 partners, including six Widening higher education institutions, three mentoring universities and six non-academic organisations. By connecting universities with innovation organisations, businesses, civil society and science-engagement networks, REACtOE will encourage stronger cooperation between research, industry, policymakers and society.
REACtOE is structured around five interconnected areas: institutional reform, skills and talent development, applied agri-food pilots, digital transformation, and ecosystem and citizen engagement. Alongside institutional reforms and training activities, the project will implement applied research pilots in areas such as waste-to-value approaches, industrial biotechnology, alternative proteins, and food quality and safety. These pilots will provide real-world environments in which new research-management practices, digital tools and open-science approaches can be tested and improved.
Through its training programmes, staff exchanges, digital infrastructure and institutional-development activities, REACtOE will create resources and models that can continue to support participating organisations beyond the project’s lifetime. The project will strengthen the position of Widening institutions within the European Research Area and help prepare participating universities for deeper cooperation through future European University Alliances.
