Assessing direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline of invertebrates

Horizon Europe call HORIZON-NATURE funds Research and Innovation Actions to assess and rank direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline in invertebrates (Area A: insects or Area B: molluscs and crustaceans) across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. The topic has an indicative total budget of €15,000,000 with two expected lump-sum grants (around €7,500,000 per project), a single-stage submission and a deadline of 14 January 2027 (opening 13 October 2026). Eligible consortia must include natural sciences, modelling and SSH expertise, deliver FAIR-by-design data (consider EOSC), co-develop decision-support tools for authorities and primary producers, and commit to cluster activities. Projects will cooperate with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity and its Science Service and must clearly indicate whether they address Area A or Area B in the proposal.

What it funds

Scope summary

Research and innovation actions to assess and rank direct and indirect drivers of invertebrate biodiversity decline (insects, molluscs, crustaceans and understudied groups) across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems; develop methods, decision-support tools (including predictive/early-warning components) for authorities and primary producers; ensure FAIR-by-design data and include Social Sciences and Humanities contributions.

Who can apply

Consortia of legal entities from eligible Member States and Horizon-associated countries (see Work Programme Annex B). Proposals must include relevant SSH expertise and involve stakeholders (competent authorities, primary producers, SMEs, research organisations). International cooperation is encouraged.

Money available

Indicative total topic budget €15,000,000. Around 2 grants expected, each with an indicative EU contribution of around €7,500,000 (lump-sum).

Footnotes

1. 1EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) — cooperation and science-to-policy requests: KCBD.

Call and Administrative Details

Core administrative facts

Proposals must assess and rank drivers (direct and indirect) of invertebrate biodiversity decline using case studies across representative European ecosystems, analyse cumulative impacts across spatial and temporal scales, attribute causality where possible using spatial and temporal analyses and modelling, develop methods for replication in other places, co-develop decision-support tools for authorities and stakeholders, build anticipatory/predictive capacity (early-warning systems, stress-testing of trajectories under land-use scenarios), and ensure outputs feed into decision-support tools for primary producers (for example AKIS and relevant projects/missions). Proposals must indicate clearly whether they address Area A (insects) or Area B (molluscs and crustaceans).

The topic requires strong contributions from Social Sciences and Humanities to enhance societal impact, encourages international cooperation, and mandates that all selected projects form a funded cluster and participate in joint networking and common activities (dedicated work package and budget). Projects will cooperate closely with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity and its Science Service KCBD 1.

Funding, size and budgetary information

Eligibility, applicants and consortium requirements

General eligibility rules apply as described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (Annex B and related sections). Eligible countries are those listed in Annex B; standard rules for participation in Horizon Europe apply (EU Member States, Horizon-associated countries, and certain third countries under specific conditions). A number of non-EU/non-Associated countries may provide funding for their participants through national arrangements; consult the Horizon Europe Programme Guide and country-specific provisions.

Scope, scientific and technical requirements

Project stage, expected maturity and deliverables

Application, evaluation and award process

Submission must follow the single-stage procedure through the Funding & Tenders Portal using the application form in the Submission System (Part A and Part B). Proposal page limits and layout and admissibility rules are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Work Programme General Annexes; Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System contains the specific page limits. Evaluation criteria follow General Annex D award criteria for Horizon Research and Innovation Actions (excellence, impact, quality and efficiency of implementation) with thresholds and scoring as per standard Horizon rules. Specific award rule: to ensure portfolio balance, grants will be awarded not only by ranking but at least one highest-ranked application in research field A and one in research field B will be funded provided they reach thresholds.

Legal, financial and contractual aspects

Grants are lump sum contributions under the Decision authorising use of lump sums in Horizon Europe. Eligible costs and lump-sum rules are detailed in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and in the Horizon Lump Sum Grant guidance. Applicants must follow Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR appointment, and may be subject to financial capacity assessments as described in General Annex C. Model Grant Agreement follows the Lump Sum MGA (HORIZON-AG-LS) and related annotated MGA guidance. Beneficiaries must comply with data management obligations (FAIR) and are expected to allocate budget to cluster-level common activities (dedicated work package).

Application templates, structure and required documents

Use the application form available in the Submission System. Standard HE application templates apply (HE RIA). Part A includes administrative data and declarations. Part B captures the scientific and technical proposal, work plan, impact, implementation, consortium description and budget information adapted for lump sums. Proposal page limits and layout are in Part B of the Application Form and Annex A/E of the General Annexes. Applicants should consult: HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum MGA), Standard evaluation forms, Guidance on lump sums, and the Detailed budget table (HE LS) as listed in the reference documents on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Support, Q&A and partner search

Geographic eligibility and countries mentioned

Geographic eligibility follows Horizon Europe Annex B (EU Member States and Horizon-associated countries are generally eligible; certain third countries may participate under defined provisions). The call text does not restrict to specific Member States; it references European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Specific legal references in the topic include Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 on Nature Restoration (NRR) and links to KBSD/IPBES resources. International cooperation is encouraged subject to eligibility rules.

Evaluation probabilities, stages, co-funding and success considerations

Nature of support and types of outputs beneficiaries will receive

Success factors and evaluation advice

Templates and application form structure (practical guidance)

Use the Submission System application form (standard HE RIA template). Part B structure and page limits are available in the application form in the Submission System. Applicants should consult reference documents: Standard application form (HE RIA), Guidance: Lump sums - what do I need to know, HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (Lump Sum MGA), and the detailed budget table (HE LS) where relevant. Evaluation form templates (standard HE RIA) will be used with necessary adaptations.

Full list of topic-specific deliverables and expected activities (indicative, non-exhaustive)

This topic explicitly requests that all selected proposals form a cluster and dedicate a work package with budget for joint networking, data exchange and coordination with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity and its Science Service, including participating in answering science-to-policy requests.

Summary — What is this opportunity about and how to explain it

This Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action topic HORIZON-NATURE funds multi-partner research projects focused on diagnosing, attributing and prioritising direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline for invertebrates (insects or molluscs and crustaceans) across representative European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. The objective is to produce robust scientific evidence, predictive and anticipatory modelling, FAIR datasets, and operational decision-support tools for authorities and primary producers that will improve implementation of EU biodiversity policy (including the Nature Restoration Regulation), enable prioritisation of restoration actions, and support resilient, biodiversity-aware business decisions. Projects must integrate natural sciences, modelling, digital and data capabilities, and Social Sciences and Humanities expertise; ensure data are FAIR (consider EOSC); co-design tools with stakeholders; and agree to participate in a funded cluster with common dissemination, data and policy strategies. The call uses lump sum grants, has an indicative budget of €15 million for the topic (approx. €7.5 million per project; expected two grants), a single-stage submission with deadline 14 January 2027, and standard Horizon Europe eligibility, evaluation and contractual rules apply. Applicants should prepare a strong interdisciplinary consortium, clearly state whether they target Area A or B, embed FAIR-by-design practices, include a dedicated cluster WP and budget, and align outputs to policy uptake and stakeholder needs to maximise impact.

Footnotes

1. 1EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) home page: knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu

This Horizon Europe topic is a Research and Innovation Action under the call Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society. It focuses on assessing the direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline in invertebrates and is intended to strengthen evidence for biodiversity conservation, restoration policy and nature-positive economic decision making.1

Topic at a glance

What the funding is about

The topic seeks to improve understanding of how biodiversity decline in invertebrates is driven by both direct and indirect pressures across spatial and temporal scales. The work should use representative case studies from European terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems, with particular emphasis on understudied taxonomic groups, and should support implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and related biodiversity policy objectives.1

Applicants are expected to go beyond diagnosis and produce practical outputs. These include ranking the most important drivers of decline, improving causal attribution, developing transferable methods, and creating decision support tools that help competent authorities and stakeholders prioritise actions for protection and restoration. The topic also asks for an anticipatory and predictive dimension, including early warning systems and stress testing under different land use scenarios, and for results that can feed into tools used by primary producers to improve resilience and competitiveness.1

Who can apply

The topic follows the general Horizon Europe eligibility framework, so applicants should be legal entities established in eligible countries under the Work Programme general annexes. The call is open to consortia rather than single applicants in practice, and the subject matter strongly suggests the need for research organisations, universities, environmental and biodiversity experts, data and modelling specialists, policy actors, and stakeholder organisations with direct knowledge of terrestrial, freshwater or marine invertebrate systems.

Funding, size and timeline

The topic opens on 13 October 2026 and closes on 14 January 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. The topic budget is €15 million in total, with approximately €7.5 million expected per grant and 2 grants planned. The official topic page indicates a single-stage procedure and the use of lump sum grants, which means applicants should focus on a credible work plan and deliverable structure rather than a cost reimbursement model.27

Main requirements and assessment priorities

Key applicant implications

Applicants should design the consortium around comparative biodiversity research, policy uptake and practical use of results. Strong proposals will usually combine field and/or monitoring expertise, advanced analytics, ecosystem modelling, stakeholder co creation, and a clear route to decision support products for public authorities and economic actors. Because the portfolio rule requires funding of the best ranked proposal in each research field, competition will likely be shaped not only by overall quality but also by how convincingly the proposal fits Area A or Area B and the topic scope as a whole.17