One of our AcrossLimits experts presents the concept of the Multi-Actor Approach (MAA), which is required for more than 30 topics of project proposals in the 2025 Work Programme of Horizon Europe Cluster 6 (Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment). The MAA closely relates to RRI, Open Science, or the SRL, all used in other parts of the EU Research & Innovation programme.
Whether it’s the first time you are reading about the MAA or just want an update, keep reading and don’t miss the proposed further resources at the end!
Multi-actor approach in Horizon Europe: What, why, how?
The Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) was first applied under the Horizon 2020 programme (2014-2020) following the strategy established by the EU SCAR AKIS, a research advisory committee on the EU Agriculture Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS). This high-level group proposed to open European agriculture research to a wider range of actors, to ensure a more practical and implementable approach, aligned with the needs of users of project outcomes.
Therefore, the Horizon 2020 Cluster 6 Work Programme began implementing the MAA in 2014, by requiring topics involving the MAA to use a participatory, co-creation, and co-production process for optimal outcomes.
In the period 2014-2024 (including all of Horizon 2020 and the first years of Horizon Europe-HEU) a total of 437 MAA projects have been funded, increasing the total yearly of funded projects over the years. As we write, the 2025 Work Programmes of HEU Cluster 6, Mission Soils and Circular Bio-Based Europe are open for application bringing close to 50 new topics that will approve new MAA projects next spring. Other partnership programmes of Horizon Europe are also using the MAA (e.g. Agroecology Partnership and PRIMA MED). In recent annual programmes, up to 40% of call topics in Cluster 6 have required the MAA, while opening to a wider range of areas, beyond the purely agricultural of the first years.
What is exactly the MAA and how to develop it?
Since its start, the definition of the MAA has always been included, as official programme content, in the general introduction to the Agriculture, Food, and Environment Challenge, as a reference for all involved in proposals and approved projects: applicants/beneficiaries, programme, project and DGs officers and the external evaluators involved in the calls (the Horizon Europe On-line manual includes a visual on all steps and actors involved). The current definition of the MAA is available in the introduction of the 2025 Work Programme of Horizon Europe Cluster 6 (pages 14-16), or equivalent work programmes for Horizon Missions or Partnerships.
The definition states that the MAA is “a form of interactive, transdisciplinary and responsible research and innovation (R&I)” that “aims to make the R&I process more co-creative and, thereby its outcomes more co-owned, reliable, demand-driven and relevant to society”. “Building blocks for the project proposal are expected to come from science as well as from practice: it is a ‘co-creation’ process.”
Communicating and disseminating the project results or engaging stakeholders in consultation activities is not enough for a real MAA. Proposals should ensure “the genuine and sufficient involvement of a targeted array of actors in co-creation, which serves the objectives of the project proposal”, and this “should take place all over the whole course of the project: from participation in the development of the project idea, planning and experiments to implementation, communication and dissemination of results and to a possible demonstration phase”.
The official definition of the MAA also suggests possible types of actors to be involved in a project. The relevant actors will vary depending on the type of project (CSA, Thematic network, RIA, or IA) and the focus and objective addressed. Selecting the right actors with the relevant involvement from the first steps is part of designing a best quality project proposal with the highest options of being funded. It is also important here to make a clear distinction between actors (in the project consortium) and stakeholders / (end-)users (external and directly targeted by the project). Both will be essential in a MAA proposal, but only actors will be fully integrated as partners in a proposal.
Type actors suggested in the official definition
i) researchers, ii) farmers / farmers’ groups and associations, iii) foresters / foresters’ groups and associations, iv) aquaculture producers, v) fishers / fishers’ groups and associations, vi) advisors, vii) food and bioeconomy businesses, viii) other businesses, ix) consumer associations, x) local communities, xi) citizens, xii) civil society organisations including NGOs and social economy actors, and xiii) government representatives.
The central component of the MAA definition is the seven requirements for project proposals that the evaluation process will review in detail. The rationale behind these seven requirements shows that the MAA is not a stand-alone concept. The connection to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has been mentioned in the definition itself, but we can also see parallelisms with Open Science, Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) or Societal Readiness (SRL), all used in Horizon Europe.
The seven requirements for the Multi-actor Approach
(abridged text, check the official full definition on pages 14-16 of the 2025 WP)
- Demonstrate how the description of the project concept, including the proposed objectives, activities, and planning, are targeting the needs / challenges / opportunities for the (end-)users of the project results;
- Demonstrate how the composition of the consortium fits into the project concept and reflects a balanced choice of relevant actors with complementary types of knowledge and skills.
- Demonstrate how the project intends to use existing practices and tacit knowledge, with high-quality knowledge exchange activities outlining the precise and active roles of the different, relevant non-scientific actors in the co-creation and sharing of R&I contents.
- Demonstrate how the project will facilitate the multi-actor engagement process of different, relevant actors, in particular non-scientific, during the whole project lifecycle;
- Demonstrate the project’s added value for the (end-)users: how it will complement and advance the state-of-the-art, including existing knowledge and best practices;
- Demonstrate how the project will result in practical and ready-to-use knowledge, solutions, approaches, tools, products, processes, or services that are easily understandable and accessible for (end-)users;
- Demonstrate how these results ready for practice will be widely and effectively disseminated, and feed into dissemination channels most consulted and trusted by the (end-)users.
Designing the MAA to enhance the quality of proposals
The multi-actor approach can be designed with different methodologies that follow the principles of the seven requirements shown in the preceding table. The MAA will depend on many factors and specificities of the topic addressed by the project proposal and the particular solution that it plans, e.g. a wide-European approach to discussions and co-creation, particular local cases, cross-comparison between case studies throughout Europe, etc. The kind of actors and stakeholders / end-users involved will also determine the best way to address and achieve a quality MAA.
Two CSA projects (Coordination and Support Actions) of the Horizon programme have specifically focused on supporting a quality MAA:
- LIAISON (2018-2021) addressed how to reach successful partnerships for innovation, including many tools and examples for multi-actor approaches towards this aim.
- PREMIERE (2023-2027), currently ongoing, focuses on strengthening the MAA by supporting the development of more relevant, coherent, and well-prepared project proposals.
PREMIERE is clearly of high interest to anyone interested in the MAA and in project proposals that follow this methodology. Two concrete PREMIERE materials are especially interesting for approaching and improving the understanding of the MAA:
- The MAA Q&A provides detailed and clear answers to the 17 most common questions that proposal writers need to know.
- MAA Pathway Cartoons are a set of four self-training 1-page illustrated stories on how a MA proposal can be developed using different strategies of coordination and partners involvement. Each comes with educational notes that allow discussion and shared multi-actor learning conversations using the cartoons.
New resources, capacity building and training opportunities will be made available until the end of the project in December 2027.
Looking forward: quality and improvement of the MAA
The MAA is here to stay in projects of the Horizon Research area of Agri, Food, Environment, and Bioeconomy. The draft Work Programme 2026-2027 of Cluster 6 includes 36 new MAA topics and the concept continues into discussion and enhancement for the next FP10 R&I programme scheduled to start in 2028.
Many questions beyond the scope of this blog article are part of the MAA looking into the future. For example, increasing MA impact across Europe and EIP Agri Operational Groups, enlarging participation to newcomers, how AI relates to the MAA, the evolution of the MAA concept itself within and between the different DGs (Agri, Enviro, RTD) and partnerships using it, and how it relates to parallel concepts in other areas of Horizon, like RRI or Societal Readiness.
As these questions start to have answers it will be the moment for a new post on the MAA.
AcrossLimits and the MAA
AcrossLimits’ network of experts includes professionals with MAA and socio-environmental expertise who can advise you in the selection of partner types, the design of the MAA in the proposal, or regular orientation on your developments. Contact us on [email protected] for further details.
Further resources
Here are some useful links for further learning, and do not miss the different specific links included in the preceding text.
