Developing methods to assess the presence, functions and sensitivity of groundwater ecosystems

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity, identified as HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-02, is a call for proposals specifically targeting the research and innovation surrounding groundwater ecosystems. This initiative falls within the broader framework of the Horizon Europe program, focusing on developing innovative methodologies to assess the presence, functions, and sensitivity of groundwater ecosystems, aiming to inform EU water policies related to biodiversity and environmental protection.

Eligible applicants for this grant include universities, research institutes, research-focused SMEs, and nonprofit organizations with expertise in environmental science and biodiversity research. The application process requires a consortium structure, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration among various organization types. The grant operates on a single-stage application model, with the opening date set for April 17, 2026, and a submission deadline of September 17, 2026.

The total funding allocated for this opportunity is €10 million, with up to two projects expected to be financed at €5 million each. This budget is intended to support innovative projects that address significant knowledge gaps regarding groundwater ecosystems, which oversee a critical resource for drinking water in the EU. Activities encouraged within proposals involve the development of standardized methods for assessing ecological quality and the impact of pollutants on groundwater biodiversity. Furthermore, projects should emphasize the use of advanced sensor technology for environmental monitoring and promote data sharing principles, aligning with the European Open Science Cloud.

No specific co-funding requirement exists; however, demonstrating financial sustainability can enhance the proposal's strength. Historical success rates for similar funding calls suggest a competitive selection process with expectations of limited awards in relation to the number of proposals submitted.

Overall, this opportunity aims to improve knowledge and awareness of groundwater ecosystems, enhance the security of water resources, and equip public authorities to adopt effective measures for habitat protection and management. The initiative also encourages international cooperation, particularly with Mediterranean countries, as part of its collaborative research goals.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call, specifically Call 01 single stage (2026) (HORIZON-CL6-2026-01), focusing on "Developing methods to assess the presence, functions and sensitivity of groundwater ecosystems" under the topic HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-02. This is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 17 April 2026, and the deadline date is 17 September 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this topic are: improved knowledge of existing groundwater ecosystems to support policymakers and technical experts in assessments of their presence, functions, condition/status, and their role in climate change mitigation; enhanced societal knowledge and awareness of pollution and overexploitation risks to groundwater ecosystems and their ecosystem services, including implications for related ecosystems, human health, food and water security, disaster risk reduction, and resilience building; and support for EU water policies with new scientific evidence, equipping public authorities for effective measures to protect groundwater biodiversity and its links to groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

The scope of the call addresses significant knowledge gaps regarding groundwater ecosystems and their biodiversity in Europe, which hinder effective protection. Proposals should aim to fill these gaps, leading to better protection of drinking water resources, groundwater biodiversity and geodiversity, and groundwater-dependent ecosystems.

Specific activities to be included in proposals are: improving and developing innovative methods, including sensors (e.g., biosensors, remote sensors), for assessing and characterizing groundwater ecosystems and their sensitivity, and identifying the presence and functions of different taxonomic groups and organisms; establishing harmonized, validated, and standardized methods and generating reliable experimental data on acute and chronic effects for assessing ecotoxicity of pollutants in groundwater ecosystems, particularly sensitive/vulnerable ones, to prioritize substances and derive groundwater standards; and identifying a suite of biological and physico-chemical quality elements for a possible future assessment and classification of groundwater ecological status for inclusion in EU water legislation, including developing criteria and targets related to temporary or long-term impacts on groundwater ecosystems.

Where relevant, activities should build upon past and ongoing EU-funded projects and initiatives, such as the "Water4All" partnership, to share experiences, reach synergies, and avoid duplication. Inter-disciplinary expertise and integration of perspectives from different governance levels are encouraged. Concrete efforts should be made to ensure data is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable), exploring workflows for "FAIR-by-design" data. Possibilities offered by the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and relevant European research infrastructures (e.g., Catalogue of Life (COL), DiSSCo, LifeWatch ERIC, eLTER, MIRRI-ERIC) should be considered for data storage and access. Proposals should allocate resources for close cooperation with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and its Science Service. The JRC can provide estimates of groundwater recharge and contribution to streamflow using continental-scale hydrological modeling. International cooperation with Mediterranean countries is encouraged.

General conditions for participation include admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout (described in Annex A and E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form), eligible countries (described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide), and other eligible conditions, such as the JRC's potential participation (described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes). Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, submission and evaluation processes, and the indicative timeline are detailed in Annex D, F, and F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual, respectively. Legal and financial aspects are covered in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 (General Introduction, Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, and General Annexes), the HE Programme Guide, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the 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, the EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Statement.

The budget overview indicates that for the HORIZON-CL6-2026-01 call, there are multiple topics with varying budgets and indicative numbers of grants. For instance, HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-01 has a budget of 13,000,000 EUR and aims to award around 2 grants, while HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 has a budget of 10,000,000 EUR and aims to award 1 grant. The opening date for all topics is 17 April 2026, and the deadline is 17 September 2026.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants after logging into the portal. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

This funding opportunity aims to address critical knowledge gaps in groundwater ecosystems to improve their protection and sustainable management. It calls for research and innovation actions to develop better assessment methods, understand pollution impacts, and inform EU water policies. The focus is on enhancing the knowledge base, promoting awareness, and equipping authorities with the tools needed to safeguard groundwater resources and biodiversity for future generations. The call encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, data sharing, and international cooperation, particularly with Mediterranean countries, to achieve these goals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA), eligible applicants can include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other types of organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) can participate as a member of the consortium. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically through HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries with specific provisions as outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. International cooperation with Mediterranean countries is encouraged.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: environment, climate, agriculture/food, biotech/medtech, cleantech, innovation, and DeepTech, with a specific focus on water, biodiversity, and zero pollution.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity encourages international cooperation with Mediterranean countries. The European Environment Agency (EEA) is mentioned.

Project Stage: The project stage includes research, development, and innovation. The HORIZON-RIA actions focus on research and development, while HORIZON-IA actions focus on innovation and demonstration.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic. For the BIODIV topics, the funding ranges from €10 million to €18 million, with indicative grant amounts ranging from around €5 million to €9 million. For the CIRCBIO topics, the funding ranges from €3 million to €12 million, with indicative grant amounts ranging from around €3 million to €6 million. For the ZEROPOLLUTION topics, the funding ranges from €10 million to €12 million, with indicative grant amounts ranging from around €6 million to €10 million.

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 grants to support their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: Success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, which can be used to estimate the potential success rate based on the number of expected applications.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly mentioned, but it is common in Horizon Europe projects that beneficiaries need to cover part of the project costs through their own resources or other sources.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call focuses on addressing critical knowledge gaps related to groundwater ecosystems and their biodiversity to improve the protection of drinking water resources and dependent ecosystems. The call invites proposals for research and innovation actions to develop innovative methods for assessing groundwater ecosystems, establish harmonized methods for assessing ecotoxicity of pollutants, and identify quality elements for future assessment of groundwater ecological status. The call encourages inter-disciplinary expertise, data sharing through the European Open Science Cloud, and international cooperation, particularly with Mediterranean countries. The funding ranges from 3 million to 18 million EUR depending on the action, and the application process involves a single-stage submission. The projects are expected to contribute to improved knowledge of groundwater ecosystems, enhanced awareness of pollution risks, and better-equipped public authorities for protecting groundwater biodiversity.