Networking to scale up living labs for nature restoration solutions and to address bottlenecks to implementation

What it funds:Establishment and operation of a European network connecting living labs and lighthouses on nature restoration to harmonise methods, share validated deployment and governance frameworks, consolidate science-to-policy outputs, promote cross-border exchange and facilitate alliances with buyers of certified carbon farming credits and emerging nature credits.

Who can apply:Consortia led by legal entities eligible under Horizon Europe (research organisations, NGOs, public authorities, SMEs, private actors). Proposals must apply a multi-actor approach and ensure broad participation of living lab coordinators, practitioners (farmers, foresters, fishers), local communities, competent authorities, financing actors and SSH experts.

Deadlines and modality:Single-stage call. Planned opening 13 October 2026. Deadline 14 January 2027 17:00 Brussels time. Type of action: HORIZON-CSA (Coordination and Support Action), lump sum grant 1.

Call identifier:HORIZON-NATURE. Call title: Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society. Type of action: HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA). Grant type and MGA: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant (HORIZON-AG-LS). Opening date (planned): 13 October 2026. Deadline (Brussels time): 14 January 2027 at 17:00. Submission procedure: single-stage. Indicative EU contribution for this topic: €4,000,000 (one grant expected). The topic is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 (Call: HORIZON-NATURE-2027-02). Proposers must follow the admissibility, eligibility and evaluation rules described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and use the Part A/B application form in the Submission System. More details and the official topic page are available at Topic page 1.

Expected outcomes:Proposals must contribute to all of the following: (1) Living labs and lighthouses dedicated to nature restoration are better connected, more engaged in policy development, and benefit from consolidated knowledge and experience to scale up restoration solutions and address implementation bottlenecks; (2) Increased cooperation between research, practice and policy on nature restoration, with explicit attention to practitioners (farmers, foresters, fishers, businesses), rural/local communities and traditional/local knowledge holders; (3) Public authorities, land owners/managers, water stakeholders, food and bioeconomy actors and practitioners have access to shared, validated deployment and governance frameworks that support scaling up nature restoration and provide estimates for demand for certified environmental outcomes (e.g., certified carbon farming credits and, once available, nature credits).

Scope and main required activities:The action must organise a European network of living labs and lighthouses for nature restoration to ensure cohesive development and uptake of validated deployment frameworks. Activities include development of common methodologies, standards and impact frameworks; capacity-building across Europe; mapping of current and emerging living labs and lighthouses and public dissemination of the mapping; ensuring living labs are informed on relevant legislation (notably the Nature Restoration Regulation), LIFE programme outputs and Biodiversa+ Knowledge Hubs; informing on financing opportunities including the CRCF certification framework and the Roadmap towards Nature Credits; promoting testing of CRCF and nature credit methods in living labs (agriculture, organic farming, agroforestry, peatland restoration/rewetting, afforestation); consolidating scientific results into policy- and implementation-focused outputs; encouraging shared spatial frameworks and optimisation tools for transferability; advocating ecosystem restoration and cultural knowledge exchange; facilitating alliances between living labs actors and buyers’ coalitions (Buyers’ Clubs) for carbon farming credits with biodiversity benefits; integrating coordinators from related Horizon topic HORIZON-NATURE-2027-02-02 and being open to living labs funded under Cluster 6, Mission Soil, Agroecology partnership, Restore our Ocean and Waters mission lighthouses, and national/regional programmes, provided ecosystem restoration is the main objective. Multi-actor approach, gender balance, balanced involvement of Member States and Associated Countries, and inclusion of Social Sciences and Humanities expertise are mandatory.

Eligible applicant types:The topic is open to legal entities eligible under Horizon Europe rules from Member States and Associated Countries. Typical eligible applicant types expected to participate and lead include: universities and higher education establishments, research institutes, non-profit organisations, environmental NGOs, public authorities (national, regional, local), SMEs, large enterprises (private actors), farmers' and foresters' organisations, water management authorities, financing institutions, public-private partnerships, and consortiums that include stakeholders such as local communities, traditional and local knowledge holders, and youth organisations. International organisations and entities from third countries may participate but exceptional funding rules apply (see General Annexes). Individuals cannot be direct beneficiaries; participation is by legal entity.

Funding type and financial mechanism:Primary funding mechanism: grant. Specifically, a lump sum Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) paid as a lump sum under the Lump Sum MGA (HORIZON-AG-LS). No other instruments (loans, equity) are provided by the topic itself. Eligible costs will be covered by the lump sum rules; applicants must consult the Decision authorising use of lump sum contributions and Guidance: Lump sums - what do I need to know?.

Consortium requirement:A consortium is required. The topic explicitly expects a multi-actor, multi-stakeholder network; the proposal must involve multiple organisations from different Member States and Associated Countries to ensure adequate coverage, cross-border collaboration and stakeholder representation. Single applicants are not appropriate for this CSA network function.

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility):Geographic eligibility: EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries according to Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The topic requires adequate coverage of Member States and Associated Countries so as many countries as possible can benefit. Participation of entities from non-associated third countries may be possible under specific exceptional funding rules in the General Annexes.

Target sector(s) and thematic focus:Target sectors and themes include biodiversity and ecosystem services, nature restoration, agriculture (including organic agriculture, agroforestry), forestry, freshwater and marine ecosystems, peatland restoration and rewetting, land and soil restoration, water resources, bioeconomy, carbon farming, nature credits, participatory approaches, socio-ecological systems, and socio-economic, cultural and communication dimensions (Social Sciences and Humanities). Cross-cutting priorities include digital agenda, SSH and AI where relevant.

Mentioned countries:The topic text explicitly references EU Member States and Associated Countries; no individual Member State is singled out. Where external projects or networks are named (e.g., SOILL, LIFE Programme, Biodiversa+, EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity), these are EU-level initiatives. Applicants should plan for pan-EU coverage and inclusion of Associated Countries where possible.

Project stage and expected maturity:Expected project maturity: coordination and support activities to connect and scale living labs (networking, capacity-building, methodology development, mapping, policy translation). This CSA does not fund the on-the-ground experimental TRL type development but targets dissemination, consolidation, method standardisation, governance frameworks, and enabling transferability — suitable for projects at implementation, demonstration and scale-up phases of living labs and lighthouses. The action will integrate and support living labs that are at operational stages and those emerging.

Funding amount and budget overview:Indicative total budget for this topic: €4,000,000 for the 2027 budget year. Indicative number of grants: 1. Expected EU contribution per project: around €4,000,000 (lump sum). Applicants may request different amounts but must follow the lump sum guidance and the Detailed budget table for lump sum topics available in the Reference Documents.

Application type and submission:Submission method: open single-stage call. Applicants must submit electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System using the standard HE CSA application form (Parts A and B). The Submission System is planned to open on the stated planned opening date. Use the application form template in the Submission System and follow Part B page limits and layout requirements as described in the General Annexes and the Application Form documentation.

Nature of support to beneficiaries:Beneficiaries will receive monetary support (EU grant in form of lump sum) to run coordination, networking, capacity-building, mapping, methodology development and dissemination activities. Non-monetary support in practice will include access to networks, policy connections (interaction with EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity), and capacity-building services, but the grant itself is monetary.

Application stages and evaluation:Application stages: single-stage submission and evaluation. Evaluation is based on the HE CSA standard evaluation form with three award criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and efficiency of the implementation. Scoring range 0-5 with thresholds: 3 for each criterion and overall threshold 10/15. Evaluation uses the templates described in the Reference Documents. Indicative evaluation timeline and grant agreement signature procedures are described in Annex F of the General Annexes and the Online Manual.

Success rates:No topic-specific historical success rate is published. For Horizon Europe single-stage topics the selection depends on quality of submissions and available budget; this topic expects one grant and will fund the highest-ranked proposal(s) that pass thresholds. Applicants should expect competitive evaluation; historically, success rates for Horizon calls vary widely by topic and year, often single-digit to low double-digit percent depending on number and quality of proposals. No precise success rate is provided in the topic documentation.

Co-funding requirement:Under Horizon lump sum CSAs, the EU provides the lump sum contribution; proposals are not required to provide a specific co-funding percentage but must ensure that the work proposed is feasible within the lump sum and that all resources required are available. Where third-party funding or private co-financing is planned (e.g., to implement activities or leverage deployment), this should be described in the proposal and in the business/exploitation plans for linked living labs and Buyers' Club activities. No mandatory beneficiary co-funding percentage is specified in the topic text.

Templates and application structure:Applicants must use the Part A / Part B application form available in the Submission System for HE CSA applications. The standard HE CSA application structure and the evaluation form will be used with necessary adaptations. Applicants must follow page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Submission System. Required documents and templates: Application form (Part A/B), Detailed budget table for lump sum (HE LS), Lump Sum MGA model, Standard evaluation form (HE CSA), Guidance: Lump sums - what do I need to know?, and other Reference Documents listed on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The proposal should include: clear objectives, consortium description and roles, stakeholder engagement plan (multi-actor approach), detailed work plan and deliverables, mapping and network plan, capacity-building plan, methodologies/standards development plan, plan for cooperating with EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity and Science Service, dissemination and communication plan, and an implementation timeline and risk assessment.

Application content priorities and evaluation highlights:Evaluators will assess clarity and pertinence of objectives and quality/soundness of proposed coordination/support measures (Excellence); credibility of pathways to achieve the expected outcomes and quality of measures to maximise outcomes (Impact); quality and effectiveness of the workplan, risk assessment, allocation of effort, and the capacity and role of each participant and the consortium's overall expertise (Quality and efficiency of implementation). Proposals must demonstrate stakeholder involvement (farmers, foresters, fishers, land managers, local communities, competent authorities, NGOs, financing institutions, Buyers' Clubs), inclusion of SSH expertise, gender balance, and balanced geographical coverage. The proposal should describe mechanisms to connect living labs and lighthouses, share validated frameworks, and facilitate Buyer-Club alliances and testing of CRCF/nature credit methods.

Application practical guidance:use the application form in the Submission System; follow the page limits and layout in Part B; attach required reference documents; consult the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Lump Sum guidance, and the Lump Sum Detailed budget table template. Consider partner search tools on the Portal and coordinate with living labs funded under HORIZON-NATURE-2027-02-02 and relevant Cluster 6 topics and missions (Soil Mission, Restore our Ocean and Waters mission lighthouses) for integration and maximum impact.

Success tips for applicants:Design a clear network governance structure; demonstrate existing links to living labs/lighthouses and to the SOILL experience; present a robust stakeholder engagement plan and clear mechanisms to integrate practitioners and Buyers’ Clubs; include concrete plans to translate living lab results into policy- and practice-oriented frameworks; provide detailed dissemination, exploitation and capacity-building plans; show capability to coordinate with KCBD and to respond to science-for-policy requests; include SSH expertise and a plan for gender balance and geographic coverage; ensure a credible lump sum cost justification following Lump Sum guidance.

Source and further reading:official topic page on the Funding & Tenders Portal and Work Programme documents. See the full topic description and reference documents at Topic page 1.

Key topic identity:The topic is HORIZON-NATURE, titled Networking to scale up living labs for nature restoration solutions and to address bottlenecks to implementation. It is a single-stage CSA, uses the Horizon Lump Sum Grant model, opens on 13 October 2026, and closes on 14 January 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time.511

Topic details:HORIZON-NATURE is a CSA under Horizon Europe, with a 4,000,000 euro budget, one expected grant, a single stage submission model, and a deadline of 14 January 2027.511