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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to improve understanding of the state and trends of biodiversity in the EU and Associated Countries, and the effectiveness of related policies and business activities. It seeks to achieve this through large-scale, high-quality in situ biodiversity observations. - Single, clear statement of grant's core objective: To generate high-quality data from large-scale in situ biodiversity observations to better understand biodiversity state, drivers of decline, and impacts of policies, supporting the implementation of EU biodiversity and climate goals. - Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Primarily research-performing organizations, public bodies, and entities with capacity for large-scale environmental monitoring and data collection. Consortia are required. - MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC - Geographic scope and any location requirements: EU Member States and Associated Countries, with a comprehensive coverage of their territories. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services, environmental monitoring, and data generation for policy support. - Grant frequency and program context: This is a single-stage call within the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, suggesting a recurring call under this broader program.

Financial Structure

Budget range per grant: EUR 11,000,000 (for each of the 2 expected grants).
Total budget for this topic (HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-04): EUR 22,000,000.
Currency: EUR.
Funding rate: Not explicitly stated in the provided documents (refer to Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes for legal and financial setup).
Financial support to third parties (FSTP): Allowed.
Maximum amount per third party: EUR 60,000.
Maximum percentage of EU funding for FSTP: 30% of the EU funding allocated for this purpose.
Consortia must define the selection process for organizations receiving FSTP.
Financial reporting and audit requirements: Described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Eligibility

Consortium required: Yes, consortia need to define the selection process for providing financial support to third parties.
Eligible countries: Organisations established in EU Member States and Associated Countries as described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity: Must be demonstrated as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Exclusion criteria: As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Organizational structure preferences: Research and Innovation Actions (RIAs) typically involve a diverse range of research organizations, universities, public bodies, and relevant enterprises.

Technical Expertise and Infrastructure Requirements

Technical expertise: Required in biodiversity observation, systematic sampling techniques, data management (FAIR data principles), and potentially AI for data analysis.
Infrastructure requirements: Capacity to undertake systematic large-scale in situ observations across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, spanning multiple geographical scales and covering diverse taxonomic groups.
Data management capabilities: Must ensure collected data is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable), exploring 'FAIR-by-design' workflows.
Collaboration: Willingness to cooperate with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity, the BioAgora project, and projects selected under HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-05.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission

Application deadline: 2025-09-17 (00:00:00.000+0000).
Submission window: Opened 2025-05-06.
Submission procedure: Single-stage.
Submission format and platform: Via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal, using the standard application form (HE RIA, IA).

Required Documentation and Materials

Application form templates: Specific to this call, available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE RIA, IA).
Proposal page limit and layout: Described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, and specifically in Part B of the Application Form.

Review Process and Timeline

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

Support and Guidance

Guidance: HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA), Call-specific instructions, Information on financial support to third parties (HE), EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement.
Assistance availability: Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk, Partner Search functionality.

Project Implementation and Reporting

Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Cooperation requirements: Projects will be asked to cooperate with projects selected under HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-05.

Evaluation Criteria

General Evaluation Criteria

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

Specific Scoring Factors (based on Expected Outcomes and Scope)

Contribution to destination impacts: Demonstrated ability to improve understanding of the ongoing biodiversity crisis, its consequences, and the benefits/need to protect and restore ecosystem services.
Policy relevance: Strong support for the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and the European Climate Law, promoting nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation.
Data quality and utility: Capacity to generate high-quality data and information from in situ biodiversity observations, suitable for policy design, policy effectiveness evaluation, and applied research/innovation.
Methodological rigor: Proposal for harmonized or standardized frameworks and state-of-the-art protocols for biodiversity observations, ensuring quality, interoperability, and public access to data.
Geographical and taxonomic coverage: Plans for comprehensive coverage of EU Member States' territory, including species and habitats in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems, and lesser-known taxa.
Data suitability for modeling: Methodology for data quality checks and ensuring data is fit for modeling, especially for future projections.
Addressing data gaps: Clear strategy to fill species and habitat data gaps in terms of geographical and taxonomic coverage.
Use of advanced technologies: Consideration of AI for analyses and integration with European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and relevant research infrastructures (e.g., COL, DiSSCo, LifeWatch ERIC, EMBRC, eLTER, MIRRI-ERIC) where relevant.
Collaboration and synergies: Demonstrated plans for cooperation with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity, BioAgora project, IPBES, and projects selected under HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-05.
Interdisciplinarity and trans-disciplinarity: Integration of social sciences and humanities (SSH), taking into account gender and other social categories.
Stakeholder engagement: Inclusion of citizen and stakeholder engagement, potentially through Living Labs.
Societal impact: Contribution to the new Commission priority 'Protecting our democracy, upholding our values' by engaging with civil society, and delivering multiple social, economic, and environmental co-benefits.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance Requirements

Alignment with EU environmental legislation: Proposals must align with and support the implementation of EU environmental legislation.
Specific EU initiatives: Contributions expected to the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, the European Climate Law, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, and the common agricultural policy environmental objectives.

Data Protection and Privacy Regulations

FAIR data principles: Concrete efforts must be made to ensure data produced is Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable ('FAIR-by-design').

Ethical Standards and Requirements

Interdisciplinarity: Projects should benefit from interdisciplinarity and trans-disciplinarity, including contributions from social sciences and humanities (SSH).
Inclusivity: Proposals should take into due account gender and other social categories and their intersections to ensure promotion of democracy and a socially just transition.

Intellectual Property Policies

IP policies: Described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes (not detailed in the provided text).

Risk Management Expectations

Not explicitly detailed beyond general Horizon Europe requirements.

Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities

Focus on in situ observations: Emphasis on generating robust, large-scale in situ data to fill knowledge gaps in biodiversity state and trends.
International cooperation: Encouraged, particularly for topics supporting IPBES, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Paris Agreement, and BBNJ Agreement.
Synergies: Expected with EU Missions (A Soil Deal for Europe, Restoring our ocean and waters by 2030), other Horizon Europe partnerships (e.g., Biodiversa+, Water4All), and JRC activities (e.g., EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity).
Innovation and digital tools: Use of advanced digital technologies like AI and Environmental Observation should be leveraged where appropriate.
Stakeholder engagement: Strong emphasis on citizen and stakeholder engagement, including through Living Labs, and contributing to the 'Protecting our democracy, upholding our values' priority.

Grant Details