Supporting the implementation of nature restoration measures for sustainable farming systems
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for Supporting the implementation of nature restoration measures for sustainable farming systems offering max €30.0M funding💰 Funding Details
Funding Description
What the Grant Funds
* Type of Action: HORIZON-RIA – Research & Innovation Action (100 % direct costs covered, paid as a single pre-agreed lump sum)
* Budget per Project: up to €30 million (Commission expects 3–5 funded projects; justify any amount you request)
* Activities Eligible for Support:
* Trans-disciplinary research on biodiversity-friendly agricultural practices, including field trials, living labs and long-term monitoring sites
* Quantification of cost–benefit and ecosystem-service impacts of nature-restoration measures at farm, landscape and Member-State level
* Development/validation of science-based restoration targets, indicators and benchmarking tools (aligned with Art. 11 Nature Restoration Regulation)
* Socio-economic analyses, business models and incentive schemes for farmers (e.g. result-based payments, carbon- and biodiversity-credits)
* Stakeholder co-creation, policy dialogue, training, capacity-building, open-access knowledge bases, digital decision-support tools
* Coordination with EU partnerships (Biodiversa+, Agroecology), JRC, EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity & BioAgora
* Communication, dissemination and exploitation actions compliant with the multi-actor approach (MAA)
Who Can Apply
* Consortia of at least 3 legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries
* Participation encouraged for:
* Farmers, land managers, and their organisations (COPA-COGECA, organic associations, etc.)
* Research & technology organisations, universities, SMEs (AgTech, biotech, remote-sensing, AI), NGOs, regional authorities
* International partners (IPBES, FAO, CGIAR) – self-funded if from non-eligible countries
* The JRC may join as a beneficiary (non-funded or funded lump-sum share)
Funding Mechanics
* Lump-sum model: Consortium proposes detailed work packages, budget and payment schedule; once approved, payments are triggered by achieving agreed deliverables/milestones (not by reporting actual costs)
* Project Duration: 4–6 years is typical to capture short-, medium- and long-term impacts
* Indirect Costs: fixed 25 % of eligible direct costs automatically included inside the lump sum
Key Dates
* Call opens: 06 May 2025
* Single-stage deadline: 17 Sep 2025, 17:00 CET
* Evaluation results: ≈ 5 months after deadline
* GA signature & project start: Q2 2026
Compliance Essentials
* Mandatory Multi-Actor Approach (MAA) – describe roles of each actor in co-design, co-implementation, co-evaluation
* Address open science (FAIR data, open-access publications) & Do No Significant Harm principle
* Contribute to Kunming-Montreal GBF and EU Green Deal targets; quantify expected climate-expenditure & biodiversity-expenditure shares
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📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities of the Call HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-10
1. Policy Coherence & Critical Mass
• Single regulatory framework – Operating at EU level allows proposals to plug directly into the Green Deal, CAP post-2027, Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and the forthcoming Nature Restoration Regulation, avoiding fragmented national pilots and accelerating harmonised uptake.
• Leverage 27 × CAP strategic plans – Pan-EU consortia can test restoration incentives across contrasting CAP eco-schemes and conditionality models, generating robust evidence to fine-tune the next CAP reform.
2. Cross-Border Ecological Connectivity
• Landscape-scale pilots that cross administrative borders (e.g. Alpine, Carpathian, Baltic or Pyrenean bioregions) demonstrate how joined-up restoration increases habitat continuity, pollinator corridors and climate-adaptation capacity beyond what a single Member State could prove.
• Transnational baseline datasets (Copernicus, LUCAS, Eurostat, EC-JRC) provide consistent monitoring of agrobiodiversity indicators, reducing duplication of costly surveys.
3. Economies of Scale in Research & Demonstration
• Pooling experimental sites in multiple biogeographical regions (Atlantic, Continental, Mediterranean, Boreal) gives statistically powerful results on productivity-biodiversity trade-offs under diverse pedo-climatic conditions.
• Shared use of EU research infrastructures (e.g. LifeWatch ERIC, AnaEE, AI4EOSC) lowers per-partner costs and accelerates technology transfer (remote sensing, AI decision tools, open-source LCA modules).
4. Market & Value-Chain Advantages
• EU-wide labelling potential – Evidence generated can underpin an EU “Nature-Positive Farm” label, unlocking single market premiums and public-procurement advantages.
• Access to €2 trillion sustainable-finance market – Results feed into the EU Taxonomy, helping farmers and agri-food SMEs secure green loans and Eco-Scheme payments.
5. Harmonised Indicators & Data Interoperability
• Consortium-driven co-development of pan-European biodiversity indicators fulfils Art. 11 of the Restoration Regulation and aligns with GBF monitoring. This avoids the costly re-calibration of disparate national metrics.
• Open data delivered to the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity ensures long-term curation and re-use in future Horizon, LIFE and Mission Soil actions.
6. Multi-Actor Learning & Social Innovation
• EU farmer living-lab network – Building on EIP-AGRI OGs, Biodiversa+ and Agroecology Partnership hubs, consortia can mobilise thousands of farmers, advisors and SMEs, accelerating peer-to-peer diffusion beyond language borders.
• Comparative analysis of incentive schemes (CAP eco-schemes, LIFE, national PES, carbon farming) helps design blended finance models transferable across MS.
7. Strategic Autonomy & Food Security
• Demonstrating restoration without yield penalty in diverse EU climates strengthens resilience of the single market food supply, reducing dependency on external inputs and imports.
• Evidence supports EU diplomatic leadership in COP-16 and WTO by showcasing that biodiversity restoration is compatible with competitive, rules-based trade.
8. Synergies with EU Partnerships & Missions
• Direct cooperation clauses with Biodiversa+, Agroecology Partnership, Mission Soil & Water Communities offer automatic multiplier effects (joint calls, shared dissemination portals, policy briefs to AGRIFISH Council).
• Alignment with JRC, BioAgora and IPBES boosts science–policy traction and visibility in EU Semester recommendations.
9. Digital & Open Science Benefits
• Pan-EU digital platforms (EMODnet, INSPIRE, EOSC) allow FAIR data delivery, enhancing reproducibility and attracting additional Horizon Europe and national co-funding.
• Common AI/remote-sensing pipelines lower adoption barriers for SMEs developing advisory apps and carbon/nature MRV services, creating export opportunities.
10. Replicability & Scalability
• EU-level project results automatically come with tested translation guidelines (EU standardisation bodies CEN/CENELEC), easing replication in candidate and neighbourhood countries, thereby extending geopolitical influence.
Bottom line: A consortium that leverages these EU-specific advantages can deliver scientifically rigorous, policy-ready and economically viable restoration pathways unreachable by isolated national efforts, maximising impact, visibility and long-term sustainability of project outcomes.
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Ready to Apply?
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