| Topic | HORIZON-NATURE-2027-02-01 |
|---|---|
| Status | Open |
| Call | HORIZON-NATURE-2027-02 — Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society |
| Type of action | Research and Innovation Actions · lump sum |
| Opening | 13 October 2026 |
| Deadline | 14 January 2027 |
| Budget | around EUR 7.5 million per project · 2 projects expected · EUR 15 million in total |
| Part B page limit | 45 pages (standard application form; check your call) |
| Template | Work Programme 2026–2027 application form |
Expected outcomes
Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes. The topic says: “Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:”
- EO1 stakeholders involved in biodiversity conservation and restoration activities have an improved understanding of how direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline work, considering spatial and temporal scales and dynamics, and their interactions.
- EO2 the implementation at different spatial and temporal scales of the EU biodiversity policies and legislation, notably the Nature Restoration Regulation (NRR) is improved, enabling the prioritisation of actions and the identification of systemic solutions.
- EO3 stakeholders, including primary producers, whose business models rely on ecosystem services are better equipped to take strategic decisions that support biodiversity, thereby increasing opportunities while reducing their exposure to risks linked to the decline of these services.
What evaluators will look for in this topic
Expected outcomes
- Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes.
- For each outcome (EO1 to EO3), name who will use or adopt your results (a specific group, not “industry” or “society”), how they get them, and the indicator that shows the change, with baseline, target and date.
- Use the topic's own words for each outcome, so the evaluator can tick it off.
What the scope asks for
Evaluators check the proposal against these sentences of the scope. Answer each one visibly, in the call's own words.
- “Proposals should:. assess and rank the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline based on invertebrates´ cases studies across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, considering their cumulative impacts, different spatial and temporal scales and dynamics, and their interactions;. better understand the drivers of invertebrates decline and how they vary spatially and temporally, aiming to advance in the…”
- “Proposal should focus on invertebrates´ species, in particular, understudied taxonomic groups, across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, addressing Area A: Focus on insects or Area B: Focus on molluscs and crustaceans.”
- “The area (A or B) should be clearly indicated on the application.”
- “Concrete efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of the funded projects is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable), particularly in the context of real-time data feeds, exploring workflows that can provide “FAIR-by-design” data, i.e., data that is FAIR from its generation.”
- “Possibilities offered by the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) to store and give access to research data should be considered.”
- “This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.”
- “International cooperation is encouraged.”
- “In order to increase synergies and the impact of the projects, all proposals selected for funding should form a cluster and are expected to participate in common networking and joint activities, including with projects from other calls where deemed appropriate.”
- “These activities should be included in a dedicated work package, having sufficient budget allocated to it.”
Conditions that shape the proposal
- Part B, sections 1–3: 45 pages (standard application form). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
- Lump sum: the budget is fixed per work package and paid when each work package is completed. Every work package needs activities and deliverables an evaluator can verify, and the effort must match the money.
- Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds: “To ensure a balanced portfolio, grants will be awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but at least also to the highest ranked proposal within the research field A, and the highest ranked proposal within the research field B, provided that the applications attain all thresholds.”
Impact pathway and traps
- The topic asks for social sciences and humanities (SSH) expertise. Evaluators look for SSH partners with a real role in the methodology, not a token task.
- International cooperation is part of the scope. Explain what the non-EU partners add and how the cooperation is organised.
- Open science or data practices are named. Make the data management plan concrete: which data, which repository, when.
- Market uptake is part of the scope. Evaluators look for a credible route to market with named first adopters.
- Policy or regulation is in scope. Name the policy owners you will reach and what you will give them.
- Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
- Link your outcomes to the destination's expected impacts in the Work Programme. Destination impacts are long-term effects, not project deliverables.
- Name the barriers outside the project (regulation, markets, user behaviour) that could block uptake, and what you will do if they do.
- Section 2.3 (the summary canvas) is optional on this call; the old split into scientific, economic and societal impact is no longer required.
The scope, as published
Biodiversity decline has rippling effects on climate, economy, and human well-being. Focusing on representative groups of invertebrates (including insects, molluscs and crustaceans and, in particular, understudied taxonomic groups) across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, is crucial for developing effective biodiversity conservation strategies since they are the foundation for healthy ecosystems and their decline has cascading impacts on ecosystem health and services. Understanding the relative impact of the aforementioned drivers at different spatial (from local to global) and temporal (from immediate to long-term) scales and dynamics, is needed to develop effective and coherent biodiversity protection and restoration strategies to implement the EU Nature Restoration Regulation while building a resilient competitive economy. Proposals should: assess and rank the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline based on invertebrates´ cases studies across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, considering their cumulative impacts, different spatial and temporal scales and dynamics, and their interactions; better understand the drivers of invertebrates decline and how they vary spatially and temporally, aiming to advance in the attribution of causality. This could involve the use of spatial analysis techniques, temporal trend analysis, and modelling approaches as well as other modern technological approaches to anticipate future changes; develop methods and recommendations to replicate this exercise in other spatial settings; involving relevant stakeholders, develop and provide decision-support tools to competent authorities and stakeholders for effective protection and restoration strategies, enabling them to prioritise and address the most critical drivers of invertebrates´ decline, with the aim of enhancing ecosystem resilience and services; building on relevant existing ecosystem modelling frameworks, include/add an anticipatory and predictive dimension, integrating early-warning systems and stress-testing approaches able to assess future trajectories under different land-uses scenarios; ensure that results feed into decision support tools developed for primary producers to make informed choices that enhance the resilience and competitiveness of their business by restoring and protecting the ecosystems that provide the services they depend on; Proposal should focus on invertebrates´ species, in particular, understudied taxonomic groups, across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, addressing Area A: Focus on insects or Area B: Focus on molluscs and crustaceans. The area (A or B) should be clearly indicated on the application. Concrete efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of the funded projects is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable), particularly in the context of real-time data feeds, exploring workflows that can provide “FAIR-by-design” data, i.e., data that is FAIR from its generation. Possibilities offered by the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) to store and give access to research data should be considered. This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. International cooperation is encouraged. In order to increase synergies and the impact of the projects, all proposals selected for funding should form a cluster and are expected to participate in common networking and joint activities, including with projects from other calls where deemed appropriate. These activities should be included in a dedicated work package, having sufficient budget allocated to it. These activities may include: a common dissemination and communication strategy; common Data Management Strategy and Common Policy Strategy (including joint policy briefs); thematic workshops/trainings/working groups on issues of common interest (e.g. data management and exchange); close cooperation with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and its Science Service, including participating in answering science to policy requests. Direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline | IPBES secretariat Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2024 on nature restoration and amending Regulation (EU) 2022/869 (Text with EEA relevance) Notably AKIS, and projects, missions and partnerships (agroecology). https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/biodiversity-knowledge-centre_en
Source and attribution
Topic text from the official topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, retrieved 19 October 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU (CC BY 4.0). Changes: the expected outcomes and impacts are split into numbered statements, long passages are shortened, and the evaluator checklist is GrantWise's own commentary. Your call and the Work Programme always win; check them before you submit. GrantWise is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the European Commission.