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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

GRANT PURPOSE AND TARGET

Core objective: To restore degraded forest and freshwater ecosystems by developing and deploying innovative, co-created solutions through living labs.
Target recipient type and size: The grant targets consortia applying the multi-actor approach, involving diverse partners from research, practice, and policy. While no specific organization types (e.g., SME, NGO) are exclusively defined, the nature of 'living labs' suggests participation from research organizations, public bodies, civil society, land managers, and potentially businesses.
Grant designation: SECTOR-SPECIFIC
Geographic scope: Projects must establish living labs in at least three different EU Member States and/or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Key filtering criteria: Focus on forest and freshwater ecosystem restoration, implementation via multi-actor living labs, and geographic presence in eligible EU/Associated Countries.
Grant frequency and program context: This is a specific topic within the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, part of Cluster 6 'Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment', under the 'Biodiversity and ecosystem services' destination. Calls under this work programme are recurring, but this specific topic may be a one-time offering within the 2025 cycle.

Financial Structure

FINANCIAL STRUCTURE

Funding type: Lump sum contributions. Payments are based on the proper implementation of defined work packages rather than actual incurred costs.
Total budget for the topic: 14,000,000 EUR (allocated for two expected grants).
Minimum grant amount per project: 7,000,000 EUR.
Maximum grant amount per project: 7,000,000 EUR.
Currency: EUR.
Eligible costs: Lump sum is an approximation of eligible direct and indirect costs. This may include personnel costs (employees, seconded persons, SME owners), subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel, equipment, goods, services), and other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, research infrastructure access).
Ineligible costs: Costs explicitly defined as ineligible under Horizon Europe rules must be excluded from the lump sum calculation.
Indirect costs: A 25% flat rate for indirect costs is included in the lump sum calculation, applied to direct cost categories that qualify.
Payment schedule: Lump sum contributions are paid per work package upon proper completion. Payments are made to the coordinator.
Financial guarantees: 5% to 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Financial reporting: No obligation to report actual costs incurred. Financial checks and audits focus on the technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.

Eligibility Requirements

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Must apply the multi-actor approach, involving various stakeholders from different backgrounds, disciplines, and/or sectors.
Proposals must set up at least three living labs.
Living labs must be located in at least three different EU Member States and/or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Each living lab is expected to be composed of at least seven experimental sites.
Must adhere to general Horizon Europe admissibility conditions, including proposal page limits and layout.
Must meet financial and operational capacity requirements as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Participants must be from countries eligible for funding under Horizon Europe, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Projects must integrate the gender dimension and involve Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines effectively.
Proposals must demonstrate the ability to conduct participatory and transdisciplinary research and innovation.

Application Process

APPLICATION PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Application Deadlines:
- Stage 1 Deadline: 2025-09-04
- Stage 2 Deadline: 2026-02-18
Submission Procedure: Two-stage application process.
Submission Format and Platform:
- Applications must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal.
- Required to use specific application form templates (HE RIA, IA Stage 1 for the first stage).
- Part B of the Application Form must adhere to described page limits and layout.
- A detailed budget table (HE LS) is required for lump sum proposals.
Evaluation Process:
- Proposals will be evaluated by external independent experts according to standard Horizon Europe procedures.
- Evaluation and award processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
- An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement preparation is provided in Annex F.
Supporting Materials and Guidance:
- Online Manual: Comprehensive guide on submission and grant management.
- Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on program structure, budget, and political priorities.
- Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to common questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management.
- Research Enquiry Service: For general questions about European research.
- National Contact Points (NCPs): Provide guidance and assistance on participation.
- Enterprise Europe Network: Offers advice to businesses, especially SMEs, on EU research funding.
- IT Helpdesk: For technical assistance with the Funding & Tenders Portal.
- European IPR Helpdesk: Assists with intellectual property issues.
- CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advise on standardisation in projects.
- European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct: Principles for researchers, employers, and funders.
- Partner Search: Tools available to find partner organizations for proposals.
Post-Award Requirements:
- Project implementation timeline and reporting obligations will be detailed in the grant agreement.
- Monitoring and evaluation will focus on the technical implementation and completion of work packages.

Evaluation Criteria

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are primarily described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, generally covering:
- Excellence: Quality of the research and innovation methodology, soundness of the concept, interdisciplinarity, gender dimension, and the role of SSH.
- Impact: Contribution to expected outcomes (e.g., enhanced capacities, practical tools, strengthened collaborations, demonstrated co-benefits/trade-offs), pathways to achieve impact, and dissemination/exploitation plan.
- Quality and efficiency of the implementation: Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, appropriateness of resources, and management structures.

Specific Scoring Factors

Project Design and Methodology:
- Detailed and transdisciplinary work plan for co-design, co-development, and co-implementation of locally adapted innovative solutions.
- Integration of the multi-actor approach and living labs concept, demonstrating co-creation, co-decision, and bringing together complementary knowledge.
- Rationale for cooperation across the various living labs and among stakeholders within them.
- Selection of sites along a gradient of anthropogenic pressure to evaluate restoration challenges.
- Integration of economic, ecological, and local expertise, in addition to scientific knowledge.
Expected Outcomes and Impact:
- Clear contribution to improving knowledge, methods, and tools for ecosystem restoration and non-deterioration.
- Enhancement of capacities for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and other stakeholders.
- Availability of practice-oriented knowledge and tools for ecosystem restoration and advice.
- Awareness of effective solutions among competent authorities for national restoration and climate adaptation plans.
- Strengthening of collaborations across territories and sectors, and development of business models for financing restoration.
- Demonstration of social, economic, and environmental co-benefits and trade-offs of nature restoration activities.
- Contribution to reducing biodiversity loss drivers, particularly climate change and invasive alien species.
Implementation and Resources:
- Establishment of satisfactory ecosystem condition levels for accurate assessment and monitoring.
- Plans for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness and economic viability of innovative practices.
- Development of appropriate business models, potentially involving local authorities, businesses, SMEs, investors.
- Intuitive and accessible documentation and wide dissemination of newly developed solutions.
- Cooperation with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity and the BioAgora project.

Compliance & Special Requirements

COMPLIANCE AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Regulatory Compliance:
- Projects implicitly support and align with EU environmental legislation, European Green Deal initiatives, the EU Nature Restoration Law, and the European Climate Law.
- Ecosystem condition assessments should aim to reach good conservation status as defined in the Habitats or Water Framework Directives where relevant.
Ethical and Data Standards:
- Adherence to general Horizon Europe ethical standards and data protection principles is expected.
- The integration of the gender dimension is a requirement.
Intellectual Property:
- Standard Horizon Europe Intellectual Property policies apply. Checks and reviews may include management of IP.
Risk Management:
- While not explicitly detailed, project planning should address challenges with scaling up and transferability of solutions.
- Risk management is inherent in technical checks during grant implementation.
Unique Project Aspects:
- Projects must apply the multi-actor approach and set up living labs that embody co-creation, co-decision, and bring together actors with complementary knowledge.
- A minimum of three living labs are required, located in at least three different EU/Associated Countries.
- Each living lab must include at least seven experimental sites.
- The concept of living labs requires experimentation, testing, replication, and benchmarking of innovative actions and solutions.
- Solutions must be adapted to different environmental, socio-economic, and cultural contexts.
Cross-Cutting Considerations:
- Strong emphasis on Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) contribution, ensuring interdisciplinarity and trans-disciplinarity, and considering gender and other social categories.
- Where relevant, proposals should leverage advanced digital technologies and tools such as High-Performance Computing (HPC), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Environmental Observation.
- Projects should demonstrate social, economic, and environmental co-benefits and trade-offs of nature restoration activities.
- International cooperation is encouraged, particularly for topics supporting IPBES, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, SDGs, Paris Agreement, and BBNJ.

Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Financial Structure

Eligibility Requirements

Application Process

Evaluation Criteria

Compliance & Special Requirements

Grant Details