Strengthening the capacity of citizen science in biodiversity observation

The grant opportunity titled "Strengthening the capacity of citizen science in biodiversity observation" is part of the Horizon Europe initiative, specifically focused on enhancing public participation in biodiversity monitoring through citizen science. The grant aims to support the European Green Deal, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the Nature Restoration Regulation by improving tools, knowledge, and methods for protecting ecosystems and enhancing their services.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities such as research institutions, NGOs, public bodies, and organizations that engage with citizens in biodiversity conservation. The funding type primarily involves grants, particularly HORIZON Lump Sum Grants. While there is a strong emphasis on collaboration, the specific requirement for consortia is not explicitly mentioned, suggesting that both individual entities and collaborative groups may apply.

The grant targets EU member states and associated countries, potentially allowing participation from non-EU countries under certain provisions. Its thematic focus is on the environment and biodiversity within the realms of climate adaptation, nature restoration, and citizen science. The expected outcomes include increased citizen engagement in biodiversity monitoring, better integration of citizen-generated data into scientific and policy frameworks, and development of systematic observations that address gaps in taxonomic research.

The funding amount for this opportunity is set at around 4 million euros for the project. It features a single-stage application process, with a deadline for submission on September 17, 2025. The support provided will be in the form of lump sum grants that do not require co-funding.

Projects are expected to analyze existing citizen science tools, develop strategies to enhance engagement across diverse communities, and standardize protocols for effective data collection while ensuring accessibility and data protection. Collaboration is encouraged with existing biodiversity networks, the European Citizen Science platform, and ongoing projects that focus on biodiversity observation.

Overall, the opportunity looks to foster innovative citizen science initiatives that contribute tangibly to biodiversity monitoring and ecosystem management across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments, thus supporting larger EU objectives related to environmental sustainability and protection.

This EU grant opportunity focuses on strengthening the capacity of citizen science in biodiversity observation to support the European Green Deal, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, and the EU Nature Restoration Regulation. The goal is to improve knowledge, innovations, methods, pathways, and tools for protecting and restoring ecosystems, ensuring the provision of ecosystem services and contributing to the objectives of the European Climate Law on nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation.

The expected outcomes of successful projects include: enhanced citizen engagement in biodiversity observation, contributing to local climate change mitigation and adaptation measures; promotion and coordination of citizen science initiatives by experts, leading to better harmonized outputs; improved integration of citizen science in taxonomic networks, supporting research and ecological challenges; and establishment of systematic biodiversity observation that covers under-represented taxonomic groups and expands beyond current policy scopes, enhancing the use of citizen science data for monitoring ecosystem dynamics and modeling the impacts of biodiversity loss drivers.

The scope of this opportunity involves: analyzing available tools for citizen science on biodiversity, collecting best practices, and identifying new ones with experts; developing and testing strategies, roadmaps, and guidelines to scale up citizen engagement, including incentive systems and data quality assessment protocols; developing outreach activities and materials on the importance of biodiversity observation for climate action; identifying frameworks for harmonizing and standardizing citizen science protocols, data collection, validation, storage, and interoperability of digital tools, with attention to metadata, accessibility, transparency, cybersecurity, and data protection; and exploring ways to streamline resources for citizen science initiatives, such as data collection kits, toolkits, training schemes, applications, multilingual protocols, and participation certification.

The opportunity emphasizes the support and early involvement of all citizens, including vulnerable groups, and expects activities to cover terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments, contributing to the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and climate objectives. Collaboration is expected with the European Biodiversity Partnership Biodiversa+, the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity, the Science Service project BioAgora, the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN), the EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC), national biodiversity monitoring hubs, and national statistical offices. Coordination with other citizen science projects, the European Citizen Science platform, and the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) is also required. Collaboration with projects under HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-03 and HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-04 is expected, and the use of AI for analyses is encouraged.

The general conditions include: admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form; eligible countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide; other eligible conditions as described in Annex B; financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria as described in Annex C; evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D; submission and evaluation processes as described in Annex F and the Online Manual; an indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in Annex F; and legal and financial setup of grants, with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme. Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreements (MGA) are available in the Submission System, including the standard application form (HE CSA) and evaluation form (HE CSA). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table (HE LS), and guidance on lump sums. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025, 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, rules for legal entity validation, the EU Grants AGA, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Statement.

The budget overview lists several topics under the Cluster 6 Call 01 - single stage (HORIZON-CL6-2025-01) with varying budgets and indicative numbers of grants. The opening date for these topics is May 6, 2025, and the deadline is September 17, 2025. Examples of topics include: HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-01 (HORIZON-COFUND) with a budget of 20,000,000 EUR per year from 2025 to 2027 and an indicative number of 1 grant; HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-02 (HORIZON-CSA) with a budget of 4,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 1 grant; and various HORIZON-RIA and HORIZON-IA topics with budgets ranging from 6,000,000 EUR to 30,000,000 EUR and indicative numbers of grants ranging from 1 to 3.

This opportunity seeks to bolster citizen science initiatives to enhance biodiversity observation across Europe. It aims to create a more coordinated and effective approach to gathering biodiversity data by engaging citizens, standardizing protocols, and leveraging technology. The ultimate goal is to support the European Green Deal and related environmental regulations by providing better data and insights for climate change mitigation and ecosystem restoration. The EU is looking for projects that can analyze existing citizen science tools, develop strategies to increase citizen participation, harmonize data collection methods, and streamline resources for citizen scientists. The call encourages collaboration among various stakeholders, including research institutions, government agencies, NGOs, and citizens themselves, to ensure a comprehensive and inclusive approach to biodiversity monitoring and conservation. The funding mechanism is based on lump sum contributions, and the application process involves submitting a detailed proposal through the Funding & Tenders Portal, adhering to specific guidelines and requirements outlined in the relevant annexes and program guides.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to a wide range of applicants, including but not limited to: national or regional authorities, NGOs, municipalities, research organizations, civil society organizations, schools, stakeholders, young citizens, and vulnerable groups. The emphasis is on projects that support and involve citizens and civil society. 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.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND). 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).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to require a consortium, as it emphasizes cooperation with various partnerships, networks, and organizations. The selected project should coordinate with other projects working on citizen science for biodiversity, the European Citizen Science platform and relevant organisations as the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA), to ensure the exhaustive overview of all citizen science initiatives across the EU. The selected project is also expected to collaborate with the projects selected under the topics HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-03: Strengthening taxonomic approaches for biodiversity and HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-04: Large-scale in situ biodiversity observations for better understanding of biodiversity state, drivers of its decline and impacts of policies.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries. 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.

Target Sector: The target sector is environment and biodiversity, with a focus on citizen science, climate mitigation and adaptation, ecosystem services, nature restoration, taxonomy, genomics, and information technology.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the opportunity focuses on the European Union and associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stage varies depending on the specific action type (CSA, RIA, IA, COFUND), but generally includes activities from research and innovation to coordination, support, and innovation actions.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary widely depending on the specific topic and action type, ranging from €2,000,000 to €30,000,000.
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-01 - HORIZON-COFUND: €20,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-02 - HORIZON-CSA: €4,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-03 - HORIZON-RIA: €24,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-04 - HORIZON-RIA: €22,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-05 - HORIZON-RIA: €18,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-06 - HORIZON-RIA: €16,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-07 - HORIZON-RIA: €12,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-08 - HORIZON-RIA: €14,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-09 - HORIZON-RIA: €6,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-10 - HORIZON-RIA: €11,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-01 - HORIZON-IA: €10,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-02 - HORIZON-RIA: €8,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-03 - HORIZON-RIA: €8,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-04 - HORIZON-IA: €10,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-05 - HORIZON-IA: €12,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-06 - HORIZON-RIA: €8,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-07 - HORIZON-IA: €18,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-08 - HORIZON-IA: €11,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-09 - HORIZON-IA: €10,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-10 - HORIZON-CSA: €2,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-11 - HORIZON-IA: €11,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-12 - HORIZON-CSA: €2,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-13 - HORIZON-RIA: €8,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-14 - HORIZON-IA: €12,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-CIRCBIO-15 - HORIZON-COFUND: €30,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-01 - HORIZON-RIA: €10,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-02 - HORIZON-CSA: €2,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-03 - HORIZON-RIA: €8,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04 - HORIZON-RIA: €6,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-05 - HORIZON-RIA: €12,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-06 - HORIZON-IA: €8,000,000
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-07 - HORIZON-IA: €12,000,000

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 stated, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential success rate.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned, but for COFUND actions, co-funding is generally expected.

Summary: This Horizon Europe Cluster 6 call focuses on biodiversity and ecosystem services, aiming to support the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. It seeks to enhance citizen engagement in biodiversity observation, promote citizen science initiatives, and integrate citizen science with taxonomic research. The call encompasses various action types, including coordination and support actions, research and innovation actions, and innovation actions, with funding ranging from €2,000,000 to €30,000,000 per project. The call encourages collaboration with existing biodiversity partnerships, knowledge centers, and networks, and it emphasizes the involvement of citizens and civil society, including vulnerable groups. The overall goal is to improve knowledge, develop innovative tools, and implement effective strategies for protecting and restoring ecosystems across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine environments in the EU and associated countries. The call also addresses zero pollution goals and circular bioeconomy. The call is a single-stage submission process with a deadline of September 17, 2025.