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Call key data
Strengthening the capacity of citizen science in biodiversity observation
Funding Program
Horizon Europe: Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Call number
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-BIODIV-02
deadlines
Opening
06.05.2025
Deadline
17.09.2025 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 4,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 4,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The support and early involvement of citizens and civil society is central to achieving the targeted outcomes. The proposals should focus on all potential groups of stakeholders and citizens including vulnerable groups, such as young people (including those not in education or employment), elderly people, migrants, ethnic minorities, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities.
Call objectives
Citizen science is key to gather in situ biodiversity data, which complement official/national data collection programmes. The role of European citizens, including young people, in the generation of knowledge on biodiversity, ecosystems and their provision of essential ecosystem services to society needs to be strengthened on the basis of best practices. There are hundreds of citizen science initiatives across the European Union, managed and/or funded by EU, national or regional authorities, NGOs, municipalities and others. Data are not always collected and/or presented in a harmonised way, preventing their best use. Many lesser-known species are overlooked, as well as some opportunities (e.g. collaboration with key stakeholders such as farmers, foresters, fishers, hunters, urban planners). A coordinated approach, at the level of the EU, is necessary to tackle some specific issues such as challenges in nature management, state of plant health, spread of invasive alien species, changes in species distribution or migrations due to climate change or as result of human activity (e.g., transport, agriculture, industrial production).
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Expected effects and impacts
Activities under this topic are expected to:
- analyse all tools available for citizen science on biodiversity (taxonomy fiches, schoolkits, App, use of e-DNA kits, artificial intelligence, etc), collect best practices and propose/identify, if necessary, new ones in collaboration with taxonomy, genomics, IT, education and communication experts;
- develop strategies, roadmaps and guidelines and test them to scale up citizen engagement in biodiversity observation, including a review of good practices for setting up a system of incentives to attract and retain citizen interest. The development and tests on the ground should be based on tools and protocols for data quality assessment, control and validation, consider data need scenarios (e.g. types of data used by Environmental Authorities and bodies providing scientific advice to policy makers on environmental aspects) and involve potential users (e.g. schools, stakeholders, young citizens, NGOs, civil society organisations as well as hard-to-reach and vulnerable citizens/groups);
- develop outreach activities and materials on the crucial importance of biodiversity and biodiversity observation for climate change mitigation and adaptation;
- identify frameworks for harmonisation and standardisation of citizen science protocols for data collection, validation, storage and sharing, as well as frameworks for interoperability of various digital tools (e.g. smart phone applications) used by citizen scientists. Attention should be paid to metadata and accessibility and transparency with regard to reference documentation, taking into account the multilingual nature of citizen science activities. Cyber security and personal data protection aspects should be considered;
- explore avenues to streamline development of essential resources for setting up and running citizen science initiatives, including kits for collection of biodiversity data, promotion and awareness raising toolkits, training schemes, applications, multilingual protocols and participation certification for diverse target groups including children and young people.
It is expected that the proposed activities cover terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments, and that the activities will contribute to the objectives of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation and thereby also to climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives.
The proposal should foresee cooperation with the European Biodiversity Partnership Biodiversa+, the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity and the Science Service project BioAgora. The proposal should also foresee cooperation with the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN), the upcoming pilot on the EU Biodiversity Observation Coordination Centre (EBOCC), national biodiversity monitoring hubs, and national statistical offices to explore and advance the collection of citizen science observations.
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.
The use of AI could be considered for the analyses needed under this topic.
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Expected results
In supporting the implementation of the European Green Deal, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, which contributes to the EU’s overarching objectives on climate mitigation and adaptation, the successful proposal will deliver on the impact of this Destination on improved knowledge, innovations, methods, pathways and tools to protect healthy ecosystems and to restore degraded ones ensuring the provision of ecosystem services. It will thus contribute to the objectives of the European Climate Law on nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation.
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- capacity for citizen engagement in biodiversity observation is enhanced and contributes to the development of climate change mitigation and adaptation measures at local level;
- citizen science initiatives on biodiversity are promoted and coordinated by citizen science experts (taxonomy, genomics, IT, education and communication experts) and their outputs better harmonised;
- citizen science approach is better integrated in taxonomic networks and communities, supporting modern taxonomic research and resolution of pressing ecological challenges;
- systematic biodiversity observation is established (including citizen science and environmental observations), covering also little-known taxonomic groups and going beyond what the current policy is covering. Specifically, the possibilities of using citizen science data for monitoring ecosystem dynamics in time and for modelling the effects of the drivers of biodiversity loss, notably climate change, on species distribution are enhanced.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Canada, Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, Natural Person, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
other eligibility criteria
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- Legal entities created under EU law (EU bodies) including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
- EU restrictive measures — Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) as well as Article 75 TFEU, are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
- Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine — Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, there is currently no appropriate context allowing the implementation of the actions foreseen in this programme with legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine. Therefore, even where such entities are not subject to EU restrictive measures, such legal entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity. This includes participation as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any). Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons.
With specific regard to measures addressed to Russia, following the adoption of the Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1745 of 24 June 2024 (amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014) concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia are also not eligible to participate in any capacity. - Measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary — Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022, no legal commitments can be entered into with Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals and can participate without receiving EU funding, as associated partners, if allowed by the call conditions. However, as long as the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties, etc.).In case of multi-beneficiary grant calls, applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity in any funded role and/or to change its status into associated partner. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Applications must be submitted using the forms provided inside the electronic submission system (not the templates available on the topic page, which are only for information). The structure and presentation must correspond to the instructions given in the forms.
Applications must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 33 pages.
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). It is mandatory to submit a detailed budget table using the template available in the Submission system.
Call documents
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and EnvironmentHorizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment(kB)
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