Biodiversa+, the European Biodiversity Partnership under Horizon Europe, will soon launch a new transnational joint research call on Nature-based solutions for biodiversity, human well-being and transformative change (BiodivNBS).

Aim:

Supporting research on biodiversity to gain a better understanding of the tipping points and trade-offs and underlying mechanisms affecting Nature-based Solutions, and their successful implementation with respect to the benefits for nature, human well-being and societal transformation.

Nature-based solutions are defined as “actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services and resilience and biodiversity benefits” (UNEA/EA.5/Res.5)

Research themes:

• Synergies and trade-offs of Nature-based solutions in the context of human well-being;
• Nature-based solutions mitigating anthropogenic drivers of biodiversity loss;
• The contribution of Nature-based solutions for just transformative change.

The call will cover transnational, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral research on Nature-based Solutions in all parts of the world. All realms (i.e., terrestrial, marine, coastal, and freshwater) will be eligible. 

Call steps:

• The call is planned to be officially launched on 11 September 2023;
• A two-step application procedure will be used with a closing date for pre-proposals’ submission early November 2023. A first evaluation of pre-proposals will be organised and the deadline to submit full proposals will be early April 2024.

Proposal guidelines:

• Proposals must be written in English and will have to be submitted electronically;
• Instructions regarding submission, eligibility and evaluation criteria and other relevant information will be published with the official call announcement early September 2023.

Transnational research consortia:

• To be eligible, research consortia will have to include teams from a minimum of 3 countries financially participating in the Call, including at least 2 from EU Member States or EU Associated Countries;
• The countries which have expressed a preliminary interest in participating in the Call are: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada (Québec), Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, The Netherlands, Tunisia, and Turkey.
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Assessment criteria:

• Fit to the scope of the call, novelty of the research, and impact at step 1 (pre-proposal stage);
• Scientific excellence, quality and efficiency of the implementation (of the project plan) and impact (including expected societal impact (incl. policy impact), and approach to stakeholder engagement) at step 2 (full proposal stage);
• Research projects will be expected to be transnational, inter- and transdisciplinary and mobilize as needed natural sciences, technical sciences, and social sciences and humanities;
• For both steps, the international added value of a submitted project must be clearly presented;
• The detailed list of evaluation criteria to be used for this call will be published at the official launch of the call in September.

An information webinar for potential applicants will be organised on 26 September 2023, from 12:00h to 14:00 (Lisbon time). Register here.