Bioremediation of Ukraine’s ecosystems contaminated by conflicts

The EU is offering a funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe Programme titled HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-02, which focuses on the bioremediation of ecosystems in Ukraine contaminated by conflicts. This call is specifically for Horizon Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and will provide a lump sum grant. The application process will open on April 17, 2026, and close on September 17, 2026.

The project aims to develop and make available innovative biotechnology and nature-based solutions for communities, land managers, local administrators, and policymakers in Ukraine. These solutions will contribute to biodiversity protection, environmental health, and the broader zero-pollution ambition of the EU. Projects should specifically combat the severe pollution of ecosystems caused by conflicts and facilitate the reconstruction and upgrading of Ukraine's economy and environment.

Key areas of focus include assessing soil contamination levels due to conflicts, developing and testing innovative bioremediation techniques such as phytoremediation, and demonstrating these solutions in targeted areas of Ukraine. Successful projects will also monitor the effectiveness of remediation activities and evaluate their impacts on vulnerable populations. Recommendations will be made for policymakers to support broader implementation efforts.

Consortium formation is essential, embodying a multi-actor approach, which must include Ukrainian stakeholders such as local land managers, administrators, and researchers. While SMEs are encouraged to participate, proposals should leverage social sciences to evaluate community impacts and collaborate with ongoing projects on soil pollution.

The total funding available for this call is €11 million, expected to be distributed between two project grants, with minimum contributions of €5 million and maximum contributions of €6 million per project. Applications will be submitted electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The expected outcomes align with EU goals related to biodiversity and climate change, ensuring that the projects not only address current environmental issues in Ukraine but also contribute to future EU enlargement and international partnerships. The emphasis on local Ukrainian involvement highlights the EU's commitment to sustainable recovery efforts throughout the region.

Overall, this opportunity represents a significant investment in innovative environmental recovery solutions in Ukraine, with an urgent need for multi-disciplinary collaboration to effectively manage post-conflict ecological restoration.

The EU is offering funding opportunities under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically focusing on bioremediation of ecosystems contaminated by conflicts, particularly in Ukraine. The call, HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-02, is for HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and offers a lump sum grant. The planned opening date is April 17, 2026, with a deadline of September 17, 2026.

The expected outcomes of funded projects include the development and availability of innovative biotechnology and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) for communities, land managers, local administrators, and policymakers in Ukraine. These solutions should contribute to biodiversity protection, a clean environment, and the zero-pollution ambition. Furthermore, the projects should contribute to the reconstruction, recovery, circularity, and upgrading of Ukraine's economy and environment through the remediation of severe ecosystem pollution caused by conflicts and the restoration of ecosystem services.

The scope of the projects should address the environmental degradation caused by recent wars, which have led to high concentrations of contaminants in air, water, and soil. Proposals should focus on:

Assessing the level of soil contamination in Ukraine due to past and ongoing conflicts and selecting areas for remediation. This includes improving testing techniques, applying Earth observations, and using advanced tools like AI and autonomous systems for prioritization and monitoring.

Developing and testing innovative, cost-effective biotechnology and Nature-based Solutions, including phytoremediation, for decontaminating and bioremediating soil pollution on land and at the source, including air and water bodies.

Demonstrating the developed techniques in selected areas of Ukraine and monitoring the effectiveness of the activities, including increased resilience of the remediated ecosystems to climate change.

Evaluating the potential impacts on the population, especially vulnerable groups, and ensuring transparent engagement with stakeholders and civil society.

Collecting and providing recommendations to policymakers and EU and international relief organizations for replication actions, including in the context of EU accession.

Delivering on EU international commitments and outreach, including actions directed at future EU enlargement and EU international partnerships contributing to global commitments on biodiversity and climate change.

Consortia should be formed in the spirit of the multi-actor approach, including land managers, administrators from Ukraine, and researchers from local academia and research institutions. The participation of SMEs is encouraged. Proposals should utilize social sciences and humanities (SSH) to assess the impacts on the population and collaborate with Mission Soil projects dealing with soil pollution, the project HORIZON-MISS-2026-05-SOIL-03, the Mission Soil knowledge repository SoilWise, and the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO). Efforts should be made to ensure data is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable) and compatible with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). International cooperation is strongly encouraged.

General conditions for admissibility, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation and award, and legal and financial setup are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Entities controlled by China are not eligible. Projects using satellite data must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Eligible costs will be in the form of a lump sum.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, and evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide, and Model Grant Agreements (MGA) are available, including the Lump Sum MGA. Call-specific instructions and a detailed budget table are also provided. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme, HE Specific Programme Decision, EU Financial Regulation, and various guidance documents related to legal entity validation, financial capacity assessment, and grant agreements.

The budget overview lists several topics under the same call, each with its specific budget, opening date, deadline, and indicative number of grants. The topics cover a range of areas including biodiversity, circular bioeconomy, and zero pollution. The opening date for all listed topics is April 17, 2026, and the deadline is September 17, 2026.

This funding opportunity aims to address the urgent need for ecosystem restoration in Ukraine following recent conflicts. It seeks to support projects that develop and implement innovative, cost-effective, and nature-based solutions for bioremediation, involving local communities, researchers, and SMEs. The projects should align with EU environmental policies and contribute to Ukraine's reconstruction and integration with the EU. The call encourages international cooperation and the use of advanced technologies and data management practices to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of remediated ecosystems.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include communities, land managers, local administrators, policy makers, researchers, local academia and research institutions from Ukraine, and SMEs. The call encourages consortia formed in the spirit of the multi-actor approach. Entities directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to participate in the action.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants formed in the spirit of the multi-actor approach.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): While the primary focus is on Ukraine, the eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes of Horizon Europe. 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. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. International cooperation is strongly encouraged.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: bioeconomy, biotechnology, environment, agriculture, climate, and innovation. It focuses on bioremediation techniques, nature-based solutions, biodiversity protection, and zero pollution.

Mentioned Countries: Ukraine, China

Project Stage: The project stage includes development, testing, and demonstration of innovative techniques. It aims to deploy solutions and contribute to the reconstruction, recovery, circularity, and upgrading of the economy and environment of Ukraine.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call. Some topics have a budget of around EUR 3,000,000, while others range from EUR 5,000,000 to EUR 6,000,000, EUR 6,500,000, EUR 4,000,000, EUR 9,000,000, EUR 5,000,000, EUR 6,000,000 and EUR 10,000,000.

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

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

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, allowing for an estimation of the potential success rate based on the number of applications received. The number of grants varies between 1 and 3 depending on the topic.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call focuses on bioremediation of ecosystems in Ukraine contaminated by conflicts. It aims to support communities, land managers, policymakers, and researchers in deploying innovative biotechnology and nature-based solutions to restore degraded environments, protect biodiversity, and contribute to a clean and circular economy. The call encourages international cooperation and the involvement of Ukrainian stakeholders, including SMEs, researchers, and local authorities. Projects should assess contamination levels, develop and test bioremediation techniques, demonstrate their effectiveness, evaluate impacts on the population, and provide recommendations for policymakers. Funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and applications are submitted through a single-stage process. The call is structured around several topics related to biodiversity, circular bioeconomy, and zero pollution, each with its own budget and expected outcomes.