Cost-effective biodiversity monitoring for EU policies

Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action HORIZON-NATURE funds cost-effective, scalable biodiversity monitoring to support implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation (pollinators), the Soil Monitoring Law (soil biodiversity) or the Water Framework Directive (freshwater biological elements). The single-stage lump-sum call opens 13 October 2026 with deadline 14 January 2027, has an indicative budget of €16 million and expects to fund around three projects with €5–€6 millioneach. Proposals must select one area (A, B or C), demonstrate operational pilots with end-user engagement, advance DNA/genomic reference libraries and markers, ensure FAIR-by-design data and plan cluster-level joint activities and policy engagement. Eligible applicants follow Horizon Europe rules and consortia should combine ecology, genomics, bioinformatics, data stewardship, AI and competent authorities to deliver operational monitoring tools.

What it funds

Scope summary

Research and innovation actions to develop, test and pilot scalable, cost-effective biodiversity monitoring approaches that support implementation of EU environmental legislation (Nature Restoration Regulation, Soil Monitoring Law, Water Framework Directive). Projects must demonstrate operational monitoring cases, advance genomic/DNA methods and libraries, ensure FAIR data and plan cluster-level joint activities.

Type of action HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA). Single-stage call; submission opens 13 October 2026; deadline 14 January 2027 17:00 Brussels time. Lump-sum grants apply.

Footnotes

1. 1Full topic text and submission details are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal Topic page.

Call summary and objectives

This is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) call under the destination Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society. The topic title is Cost-effective biodiversity monitoring for EU policies HORIZON-NATURE. The call opens on 13 October 2026 and the deadline is 14 January 2027, single-stage, with submission through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. The action will be implemented under a lump-sum model (HORIZON-AG-LS).

Scope and required focus areas

Administrative and procedural conditions

Eligibility and participation

Eligible countries follow Horizon Europe Annex B (Member States and Associated Countries). Some non-associated third countries may participate under specific national arrangements as described in Annex B and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. General eligibility conditions, financial and operational capacity and exclusion rules are described in General Annexes B and C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme. If projects use satellite-based Earth observation or GNSS services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Proposers must follow any restrictions on participation described in General Annex B (including ownership/control restrictions for certain critical technology areas as specified in related topics).

Funding modality, co-funding and financial setup

Evaluation, award and selection specificities

Evaluation criteria and scoring follow Horizon Europe General Annex D and the standard evaluation form for HE RIA/IA, with topic-specific adaptations. Thresholds for individual criteria and overall pass thresholds are applied as in General Annex D. To ensure balanced coverage, the granting authority will allocate grants not only by ranking but also to the highest ranked proposals per area (A, B or C) subject to budget availability and attainment of thresholds. Evaluation and award processes and indicative timeline follow General Annex F and the Online Manual.

Number of application stages

1 stage (single-stage call).

Success rates

The call text does not provide explicit historical success rates. Three grants are indicative for this topic with an expected EU contribution of €5-€6 millioneach and a topic budget of €16 million. Actual success rates will depend on the number and quality of proposals received.

Technical and scientific expectations

Target project maturity and TRL

Projects are expected to operate at applied research and development TRLs suitable for demonstration and piloting within the legislative context. As an RIA, work can range from development and validation of novel methods up to demonstration in operational contexts; proposals should explain TRL progression and the pathway to integration in monitoring frameworks.

Administrative templates, forms and supporting documents

Applicants must use the application form available in the Submission System (standard HE RIA/IA templates). Evaluation form templates (HE RIA/IA) will be used with necessary adaptations. Key reference documents: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, General Annexes (A to G), Guidance on Lump Sums, Model Lump Sum MGA, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual and Terms and Conditions. Call-specific instructions include the Detailed Budget Table for lump-sum grants and guidance 'Lump sums - what do I need to know?'.

Consortium recommendations

While the topic does not prescribe a minimum number of partners beyond general Horizon Europe rules, consortia should include multidisciplinary partners: taxonomy/systematics specialists, molecular ecology/genomics labs, bioinformatics and AI specialists, sensor and remote sensing experts, data managers familiar with FAIR and EOSC integration, national monitoring bodies or competent authorities (end-users), and stakeholders for piloting (e.g., river basin authorities, agricultural authorities, conservation agencies). The consortium must demonstrate the ability to collaborate with existing initiatives (e.g., EBOCC, eLTER) and to contribute to the project cluster activities.

Beneficiary geographic scope

Mentioned countries and regions

No specific Member State list is named in the topic text; eligibility defaults to EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries as per Annex B. The topic references EU legislation and EU-level bodies and infrastructures (e.g., NRR, SML, WFD, CAP, EOSC, eLTER, KCBD).

Support, help and partner search

Risk factors and assessment criteria applicants should address

Practical recommendations for applicants

Demonstrate strong end-user engagement and co-design with competent authorities; allocate sufficient resources to build/complete DNA reference libraries and marker development; provide clear demonstration and piloting protocols and sites; include a robust Data Management Plan ensuring FAIR-by-design; plan for cluster participation and joint activities; explain how outputs will be integrated into policy-relevant monitoring frameworks and provide a realistic timeline with go/no-go decision points for operational pilots.

Footnotes

1. 1Lump-sum decision and related guidance available on Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

This topic is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action under the call Transformative change towards a nature positive economy and society, and it supports the work programme ambition to strengthen biodiversity evidence, policy implementation, and the EU biodiversity agenda through more actionable monitoring data.315 The call is designed to move promising biodiversity monitoring methods from pilot stage into operational use for EU law, with a strong emphasis on scalable, cost effective, FAIR by design data generation and better tools for policymakers and competent authorities.3

What the funding is about

The topic addresses the gap between advanced biodiversity monitoring technologies and their use in binding EU monitoring schemes. It focuses on the Nature Restoration Regulation and the EU Pollinators Monitoring Scheme, the Soil Monitoring Law and soil biodiversity monitoring, and the Water Framework Directive and freshwater biodiversity monitoring.3 Proposals are expected to improve the cost effectiveness of legally binding monitoring, test demonstration cases in real implementation settings, assess the scalability and limitations of approaches, and advance species identification and quantification methods including DNA based and genomic techniques.3

Topic areas and required focus

Who can apply and what a strong consortium looks like

Eligibility follows the general Horizon Europe rules in the work programme annexes, and the topic is best suited to consortia that can combine ecology, genomics, bioinformatics, data stewardship, AI, and policy implementation expertise.3 In practice, successful applicants are likely to include research organisations, universities, public authorities, environmental agencies, specialist SMEs, data and technology providers, and end users who can validate the methods in operational monitoring contexts.3

Funding, format, and timeline

The call is currently forthcoming, with the submission system planned to open on 13 October 2026 and the deadline set for 14 January 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.39 The budget envelope for this topic is €16 million, and the Commission expects about 3 grants, with each project typically receiving between €5 million and €6 million under the lump sum model.34 Because it is a lump sum grant, applicants should make sure that work packages, outputs, and internal milestones are clearly structured and internally consistent with the proposed lump sum budget.3

Evaluation and selection points applicants should note

Practical applicant takeaway

This opportunity is most attractive for consortia that can turn frontier biodiversity monitoring science into operational public policy tools. The strongest proposals will show a credible route to real world use, robust data governance, clear collaboration with policy and monitoring authorities, and a convincing plan to deliver better biodiversity evidence at lower cost.315