Accelerating the transition to a nature positive economy: Integrating biodiversity into the private sector

The EU grant opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program, titled "Accelerating the Transition to a Nature Positive Economy: Integrating Biodiversity into the Private Sector," under the reference HORIZON-CL6-2027-01-BIODIV-05. This forthcoming opportunity is classified as a Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) and involves a lump sum grant mechanism (HORIZON-AG-LS).

The call is set to open on April 20, 2027, and the submission deadline is September 22, 2027. The anticipated funding ranges from €7 million to €7 million per project, with a total budget allocation of €14 million aimed at supporting two projects.

Eligible applicants include a variety of entities such as businesses (especially start-ups and SMEs), researchers, public authorities, financial institutions, policymakers, and civil society organizations. A multi-actor consortium approach is emphasized, meaning that proposals must incorporate diverse stakeholders to enhance collaborative efforts.

The geographic scope for applications includes EU and EEA member states, as well as associated countries under Horizon Europe. The call targets sectors focusing on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and circular bioeconomy. The project stage spans research, validation, and commercialization efforts, aiming to clarify the economic value of biodiversity and improve private sector engagement in biodiversity protection.

The application process is single-stage and includes a complete proposal submission, with criteria centered on excellence, impact, and implementation. Co-funding is not explicitly mandated but is encouraged to strengthen proposals.

The overarching goal is to foster a shift in economic models that better incorporates biodiversity concerns, enhancing the sustainability of business practices and informing policy development in alignment with frameworks like the European Green Deal and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Proposals should address knowledge gaps related to biodiversity economics and develop innovative financial mechanisms while ensuring compliance with the multi-actor approach. Successful applicants will receive lump sum grants aimed at promoting impactful collaborative projects capable of enacting substantial changes in domestic and European biodiversity policy and practices.

This initiative aims to redefine how businesses approach biodiversity, integrating natural capital into economic decision-making and emphasizing environmental restoration as a core business strategy.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call, specifically Call 01 single stage (2027) (HORIZON CL6 2027 01). The topic is HORIZON CL6 2027 01 BIODIV 05, titled "Accelerating the transition to a nature positive economy Integrating biodiversity into the private sector". It is a HORIZON RIA (Research and Innovation Actions) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON AG LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The planned opening date is 20 April 2027, and the deadline is 22 September 2027 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the project are to contribute to transformative change for biodiversity and nature positive economic practices, strengthen the economic case for biodiversity protection, restoration, sustainable use, and the delivery of ecosystem services, improve businesses' ability to mainstream biodiversity considerations, enhance inclusion for biodiversity, improve knowledge for policy and decision makers to drive transformative policy, and improve measurement and reporting of economic and business impacts on biodiversity.

The scope of the project is to address the prioritization of short term profits over long term ecosystem health in current economic systems, the failure to account for environmental externalities, and the resulting exploitation of natural resources, habitat destruction, and loss of biodiversity. It aims to support the European Green Deal, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, the ‘Roadmap towards nature Credits’, EU Sustainable Finance Policy, the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), and the Task Force on Nature Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).

Proposals should support decision making for a nature positive economy, improve knowledge on effective biodiversity incentives, pilot innovative financial mechanisms and valuation approaches, carry out demonstration actions, use and build on available biodiversity data sources, and develop ways of making sustainability reporting more accessible. They should also seek to address knowledge gaps identified by IPBES assessments, create synergies with other relevant EU funded projects, ensure cooperation with the European partnership Biodiversa+, foresee close cooperation with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD), and follow a multi actor approach.

The general conditions include admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non EU/non Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions include the application of the multi actor approach as defined in Annex B. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D, while submission and evaluation processes are in Annex F and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also in Annex F. Legal and financial set up of the grants involve eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021, further detailed in Annex G. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) include application form templates available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE RIA, IA), evaluation form templates (Standard evaluation form HE RIA, IA), the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call specific instructions, a detailed budget table (HE LS), and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026 2027 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2026 2027 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, HE Main Work Programme 2026 2027 15. General Annexes, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview lists several topics, their budget in EUR for the year 2027, the stage (Single stage), opening date (2027 04 20), deadline (2027 09 22), contributions, and indicative number of grants. The topics include various BIODIV (Biodiversity) and CIRCBIO (Circular Bioeconomy) and ZEROPOLLUTION actions, with budgets ranging from 3,000,000 EUR to 24,000,000 EUR and indicative grant numbers from 1 to 3.

Partner search announcements are available for collaboration on this topic, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header. General FAQs and support are available, including the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment, and a Partner Search function.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call seeks proposals for research and innovation actions aimed at accelerating the transition to a nature positive economy by integrating biodiversity considerations into the private sector. The call encourages projects that strengthen the economic case for biodiversity, improve business decision making, inform policy development, and promote sustainable finance mechanisms. It emphasizes collaboration among researchers, businesses, policymakers, and civil society, and provides a lump sum grant for eligible costs. The call is part of a broader effort to achieve the objectives of the European Green Deal and other relevant EU strategies and frameworks related to biodiversity and sustainability.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but the call encourages a multi-actor approach, suggesting that researchers, businesses, financial institutions, public authorities, policy makers, and civil society organizations are all eligible. Start-ups, SMEs, and nature-based enterprises are specifically mentioned as relevant. The call is part of Horizon Europe, so standard Horizon Europe eligibility rules apply, which generally include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the Type of MGA (Model Grant Agreement) being HORIZON-AG-LS. The actions funded are HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a multi-actor approach, implying that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred, if not strictly required. The text specifies that proposals must follow a multi-actor approach, engaging various types of organizations.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is primarily focused on EU and associated countries, as this is a Horizon Europe program. However, the text mentions that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide should be consulted for specific details.

Target Sector: The primary target sectors are environment, climate, finance, and innovation, with a strong focus on biodiversity and nature-positive economic practices. Specific sectors mentioned include businesses (especially start-ups and SMEs), financial institutions, and nature-based enterprises. The program also targets policy and decision makers.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity focuses on the European Union, but also mentions non-EU and non-associated countries that may have specific provisions for funding.

Project Stage: The project stage varies depending on the specific action type. Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) suggest projects in the research, development, and validation stages. Innovation Actions (IA) imply projects in the demonstration, commercialization, and scale-up stages. Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) suggest projects in the research and development stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call. The budget overview provides the following ranges:
HORIZON-RIA: €6,000,000 to €24,000,000 with contributions around €4,000,000 to €8,000,000
HORIZON-CSA: €3,000,000 to €7,000,000 with contributions around €3,000,000 to €7,000,000
HORIZON-IA: €10,000,000 to €14,000,000 with contributions around €5,000,000 to €7,000,000

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly stated, but as a Horizon Europe action, some level of co-funding might be expected, especially for Innovation Actions.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call focuses on accelerating the transition to a nature-positive economy by integrating biodiversity into the private sector. It aims to strengthen the economic case for biodiversity, enable businesses to mainstream biodiversity considerations, and provide policy makers with improved knowledge for transformative policy. The call encourages projects that address knowledge gaps, improve biodiversity incentives, pilot innovative financial mechanisms, and demonstrate operational pathways for long-term change. It targets a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, businesses, financial institutions, public authorities, and civil society, and it supports various project stages from research and innovation to demonstration and commercialization. Funding is provided as lump sum grants, and the call follows a single-stage application process. The call aims to align economic incentives with nature-positive investments, promote sustainable finance mechanisms, and improve the resilience of the economy by restoring and enhancing natural systems.