Ensuring continuous effectiveness of protected areas in conserving habitats and species while facing intensifying drivers of biodiversity loss

The HORIZON-CL6 grant opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program and is focused on the effectiveness of protected areas in conserving habitats and species amidst biodiversity loss. The call is set to open on April 17, 2026, and concludes on September 17, 2026. This initiative aims to fund two research projects, each receiving a lump sum grant of €6.5 million, for a total budget of €13 million. Eligible applicants include public and private legal entities such as universities, research institutes, public authorities, NGOs, and civil society organizations with expertise in biodiversity and environmental sciences. A consortium of multiple organizations is required, emphasizing the integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) alongside ecological expertise. The geographic eligibility covers EU and EEA countries, with potential participation from non-EU countries under specific conditions. The projects should address critical areas in nature conservation, ecosystem services, climate change adaptation, and environmental policy, applying to both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Submissions are made through a single stage without prior invitation, encouraging a broad range of proposals to address themes like analyzing biodiversity loss drivers, developing predictive management tools, and creating innovative practices for protected areas. Successful projects will need to incorporate long-term ecological monitoring strategies and involve stakeholders to align with societal needs. While specific success rates are not provided, similar calls have shown low acceptance rates, suggesting competition will be high. Co-funding is not a mandatory requirement, but leveraging additional resources is encouraged. This opportunity aligns with the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, seeking to generate knowledge that informs EU-wide biodiversity policies and enhances protected area management.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically focusing on ensuring the continuous effectiveness of protected areas in conserving habitats and species while facing intensifying drivers of biodiversity loss. The call, identified as HORIZON-CL6, falls under Call 01 - single stage (2026) (HORIZON-CL6-2026-01). It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage, with a planned opening date of 17 April 2026 and a deadline date of 17 September 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this topic are:

The effectiveness of the protection of habitats and species in protected areas is maintained even under intensifying impacts of the drivers of biodiversity loss, including climate change, thanks to an improved understanding of how they affect the conservation status of the protected habitats and species, for the benefit of society.

Managers of protected areas are able to anticipate the future impacts of drivers of biodiversity loss and can take better informed decisions for the protection of terrestrial, freshwater and/or marine habitats and species.

The scope of the call is as follows:

Protected areas are key to ensure the conservation of species and habitats. However, the intensification of the main drivers of biodiversity loss is raising questions on how their effectiveness will be maintained in the future. This topic is expected to support the EU commitment to legally protect a minimum of 30% of the EU’s land area and a minimum of 30% of the EU’s sea area of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 (target 1) and the related legislation, and the corresponding target of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (target 3). Knowledge generated under this topic is also expected to inform deliberations on EU biodiversity policy after 2030 and the design and implementation of climate policies. Proposals should seek to address some knowledge gaps identified by the relevant IPBES assessments and if appropriate provide recommendations to policy makers.

Proposals should:

Analyse trends over time of the effects of drivers of biodiversity loss and their possible cumulative impacts. Direct drivers (changing use of sea and land, direct exploitation of organisms, climate change, pollution and invasive alien species) and indirect drivers should be considered, including socio-economic related ones.

Develop predictive tools to anticipate how the intensity of impacts will develop in the medium and long terms, taking into account relevant possible cumulative impacts.

Assess expected future impacts on the conservation status of protected habitats and species in protected areas.

Assess whether novel adaptive approaches for protection are needed and if so, explore options, possibly building on results of relevant LIFE projects and on the experience of climate refugia (areas where ecosystems sustain stability and resilience despite climate change) and of bright spots (where targeted conservation actions, climate adaptation strategies, or natural resilience mechanisms mitigate biodiversity loss). Assess the opportunity to rely on (new) practices such as assisted migration.

Define best practices and test innovative management approaches of protected areas, with performance indicators. To assess the effectiveness of management approaches, projects should build on methods and indicators developed under LIFE PAME Europe[1]. Proposals should address various types of protected areas and assess how the results might be transposable.

Consider the need for long-term ecological monitoring of protected habitats and species, provide recommendations and consider possible options for such long-term monitoring.

Involve public authorities and/or entities which manage protected areas, and civil society organisations to ensure that the processes and outcomes of the R&I align with the needs, including for policy implementation, and values and expectations of society.

Proposals should address research field A:terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems or research field B: marine biodiversity and ecosystems. Both research fields may include freshwater ecosystems. The research field (A or B) should be clearly indicated on the application. This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. Proposals should foresee appropriate resources to ensure close cooperation with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD) and its Science Service, and ensure cooperation with the European partnership Biodiversa+. Proposals are encouraged to consider, where relevant, the data, expertise and services offered by European research infrastructures[2] in the environment domain. International cooperation is encouraged especially when protected areas expand over different countries and for exchange of experiences.

The general conditions for this call are:

1. Admissibility Conditions:Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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.

3. Other Eligible Conditions described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award:Award criteria, scoring and thresholds To ensure a balanced portfolio, grants will be awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but at least also to one proposal within the research field A that is the highest ranked, and one proposal highest ranked within the research field B, provided that the applications attain all thresholds. Proposals shall clearly indicate the research field they are applying to. are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

€5B. Evaluation and award:Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award:Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme].

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):

Application form templates the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System. Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)

Evaluation form templates will be used with the necessary adaptations. Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)

Guidance HE Programme Guide

Model Grant Agreements (MGA) Lump Sum MGA

Call-specific instructions Detailed budget table (HE LS) Guidance:"Lump sums - what do I need to know?"

Additional documents:

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

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

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview for the call includes several topics:

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-01 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €13,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 6500000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €10,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 5000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €18,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 9000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €13,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 6500000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-05 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €10,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 5000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-06 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €12,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 6000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-01 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of €11,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, 5000000 to 6000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-02 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of €11,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, 5000000 to 6000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €10,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 5000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-04 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of €10,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 5000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-05 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €6,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 3000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-06 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions with a budget of €3,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 3000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-07 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €12,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 4000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 3 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-08 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €8,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 4000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-09 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €12,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 6000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-10 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €8,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 4000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-CIRCBIO-11 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €10,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 5000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €10,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 10000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-02 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of €11,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, 5000000 to 6000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of €12,000,000, single-stage, opening on 2026-04-17, deadline on 2026-09-17, around 6000000 contribution, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

There are partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header. General and topic-specific Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) are available. Support is provided through various resources 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, and Partner Search.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call seeks research and innovation actions to improve the effectiveness of protected areas in the face of increasing biodiversity loss. It encourages projects that analyze trends, develop predictive tools, assess impacts, define best practices, and involve relevant stakeholders. The call supports the EU's biodiversity strategy and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, with a focus on both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Successful projects will contribute to better management and policy decisions for the protection of habitats and species.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that the funding is provided under Horizon Europe as Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA), eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The inclusion of Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) broadens this to potentially include entities focused on networking, dissemination, and stakeholder engagement. Public authorities and civil society organizations are specifically mentioned for involvement.

Funding Type:The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a lump sum grant under the Horizon Europe Programme. The actions are categorized as HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement:The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the encouragement of international cooperation and the need for a balanced portfolio suggest that consortia are preferred, especially for addressing complex challenges in biodiversity and ecosystem management. Partner search tools are available, implying that consortia are common.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The primary geographic eligibility is for EU and associated countries. However, the text mentions that non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. International cooperation is encouraged, particularly when protected areas span multiple countries.

Target Sector:The program targets the environment sector, specifically focusing on biodiversity, ecosystems, circular bioeconomy, and zero pollution. It addresses terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems. The thematic areas include conservation, climate change adaptation, sustainable resource management, and pollution reduction.

Mentioned Countries:The text does not explicitly mention specific countries. However, it refers to EU member states, associated countries, and non-EU/non-associated countries participating in Horizon Europe. It also mentions international cooperation, particularly when protected areas expand over different countries.

Project Stage:The project stages vary depending on the type of action. Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) typically support projects from research to demonstration. Innovation Actions (IA) focus on demonstration, piloting, and validation of new solutions. Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) support networking, coordination, and dissemination activities. The overall scope suggests projects ranging from development to validation and demonstration.

Funding Amount:The funding amounts vary by topic and action type, ranging from €3,000,000 to €18,000,000 per project. Specific funding ranges for different action types are:

HORIZON-RIA:typically around €3,000,000 to €10,000,000

HORIZON-IA:€5,000,000 to €6,000,000

HORIZON-CSA:around €3,000,000

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 to cover eligible costs.

Application Stages:The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

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

Summary:This Horizon Europe funding opportunity aims to enhance the effectiveness of protected areas in conserving habitats and species amidst increasing biodiversity loss. It supports research and innovation actions, innovation actions, and coordination and support actions. The focus is on analyzing trends, developing predictive tools, assessing impacts, and defining best practices for managing protected areas. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, with varying amounts depending on the action type. The program encourages international cooperation and the involvement of diverse stakeholders, including public authorities, civil society organizations, and SSH experts. The geographic scope includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries. The overall goal is to support the EU's biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework by generating knowledge and informing policy decisions.