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2023-2024 Joint Call

“Nature-based solutions for biodiversity, human well-being and transformative change”

In September 2023, Biodiversa+ launched its BiodivNBS call, inviting proposals for three-year research projects to explore the tipping points, trade-offs, and mechanisms influencing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) and their effective implementation.

This call, co-funded by the European Commission, focused on three (non-exclusive) key themes:

  • THEME A: Synergies and trade-offs of Nature-based Solutions in the context of human well-being
  • THEME B: Nature-based Solutions mitigating anthropogenic drivers of biodiversity loss
  • THEME C: The contribution of Nature-based Solutions for just transformative change
Original call text

The call attracted a remarkable response, with 183 pre-proposals and 108 eligible full proposals received. An independent Evaluation Committee rigorously assessed these submissions and carefully ranked the projects. The Call Steering Committee, made up of all the participating funding organisations, then selected 34 research projects for funding in strict accordance with the rankings. These projects demonstrate academic excellence while addressing pressing scientific and societal challenges. They foster collaboration across different disciplines and involve a wide range of stakeholders.

This decision represents a substantial financial commitment of over €40 million, including contributions from the European Commission.

34 funded projects
  • AirBiD – Airborne biological diversity shaped and modelled by Urban Green Elements (PT, SE, AT, DK, IT)
  • ARE BEST NbS – Aquatic and Riparian Ecosystems: Biodiversity and Economic Service Transformations from NbS (PT, DK, HU, NL, NO)
  • BIOCUE – Microbial biodiversity and Carbon Use Efficiency as Nature Based Solution for soil C stabilization (ES, ZA, DK, CH)
  • BIODIVECITY – Greening cities as nature-based solution and their impact on vectors and vector-borne disease risks (ES, FR, MA, NL)
  • Biodiversity2Drugs – Peptide Biodiversity: Advancing Human Health Through Nature’s Pharmacological Treasures (ES, FR, BR, PT, SE, CA, AT, BE, DK, IT, NL, NO, CH)
  • BioPlastOmics – Discovering Brazilian Biodiversity-Driven Plastic Degradation through Omics Analysis (ES, FR, BR)
  • BioReStorm – Anticipating Biological Succession in Rehabilitation of Long-Term Operated Nature-Based Solutions for Stormwater Treatment in Different Climate Zones (FR, EE, SE, CA)
  • BioSolar – Solar farms: an opportunity to recover biodiversity in farmlands (ES, PT, SE, CA, SI, PL, HU, IS)
  • BRAVE – Biological Invasions Resolved through Adaptable, Versatile, and Engaging Nature-Based Solutions (PT, SE, DK, IT, NO,)
  • COMCHA – Community-based change: local and traditional knowledges in NBS (ES, BR, PT, IT, HU, IS)
  • DEFENDBIO – Biosphere defenders leveraging legal and governance tools for just sustainability transformations (SE, BE, DK, NL, CH)
  • emBrace – Reconciling Food Systems Sustainability and Biodiversity Conservation in Multifunctional Protected Areas (ES, SE, BE, NL)
  • EVESNAT – Nature-based Solutions to meet EU Nature Restoration Targets: Evaluating synergies and trade-offs across Ecosystem Services for biodiversity conservation, climate change mitigation, and resilience and autonomy improvement (FR, IT, AT, CH)
  • FairNature – Developing NbS scaling approaches to achieve just transformative change (ES, FR, BE, DK, HU, NL)
  • FITNESS – Financing Transformative Nature-based Solutions for Equitable and just Sustainability Solutions (BR, BE, DK, NO)
  • FOUNDATIONAL – transFOrming rUral laNDscapes And communiTIes thrOugh NAture-based soLutions: integrating biodiversity conservation and human well-being at the nature-agriculture interphase (FR, BR, ZA, NL)
  • FreeB – Studying FREE-living honey Bee colonies in Europe: nature-based solutions to safeguard diversity, ensure resilience, and promote transformative change in beekeeping (FR, IE, PT, SE, PL)
  • GREENHANCE – Growing Resilience by Exploring Methods to Enhance Urban Agriculture for Human Well-being, Community and Biodiversity Enrichment (ES, SE, IT)
  • inSALSA – Increasing Sustainability of Agribiologicals by Living Labs in sub-Saharan Africa (ZA, SE, DK, IT, IS, CZ)
  • NATUREBIOPROMO – Hybrid NATURE-Based Solutions as BIOdiversity PROMOters and Their Implications for Emerging Contaminants Mitigation (FR, BR, ZA, PT, IT, CZ)
  • NatureScape – Enhancing Urban Sustainability for Environmental Quality and Human Well-being through Nature-Based Solutions Transformation Labs (IE, PT, LV, IT, PL, NO, CH)
  • NBS4AQUAMISSION – Nature Based Systems Mission for Aquatic Biodiversity Enhancement: Reducing Pharmaceutical Products Pollution in Urban and Rural Environments (ES, IE, DK, IT, NO, TR)
  • NBSPLUS – NBS Services Promoting Local Biodiversity, Well-being and Scalable Solutions (ES, EE, PT, SE, CA, NO)
  • PHlorestAll – Planetary Health by Healing Forests as Nature Based Solution (PT, LT, SI, PL, TW)
  • PRESINMED – Preserving the singularity of Mediterranean high-mountain biodiversity hotspots: a NBS approach (ES, PT, MA, IT)
  • RESOLVE – NatuRE based SOLutions for sustainable use of high north marine biodiVersity and ecosystems sErvices (SE, DK, IS, NO)
  • RiVIVE – River Conviviality: Advancing socio-environmentally just river restoration through nature based solutions (ES, FR, IT, NL)
  • SaltyBEATS – Salty symphonies: bringing back BiodivErsity in mArginal Saltlands (ES, PT, TN, IT, PL, NL)
  • SOILDIVINE – Promoting Soil Quality and Biodiversity in Vineyard Ecosystems Through Nature-Based Solutions (ES, PT, IT, SI)
  • SUNLOOP – Spontaneous Urban Nature and LOcal nO net land take Policies (FR, BE, CH)
  • TRANSFOrm – Back to the future: Traditional agroforestry systems as NbS to face multiple societal challenges (ES, IT, PT, AT, LT, IL)
  • UrbanBEE – Promoting Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Societal Engagement Across Diverse Urban Ecosystems (ZA, AT, IT, HU)
  • WildCrop – Optimal rewilding of crop-bodyguard interactions facilitating the green transformation of agriculture (ES, SE, IT)
  • Wilding Grasslands – Wilding as nature-based opportunity for grassy ecosystems under diverse land tenure systems (ZA, SE, NL)
Evaluation Committee
Co-Chairs of the Committee
  • Scientific co-Chair: Rachel Bezner-Kerr
  • Policy-management co-Chair: Claire Brown
Other members of the committee
Scientific panel (27)
  • Kofi Akamani
  • Isabelle Aubin*
  • Jacob Carstensen*
  • Yu-Chung Chiang
  • Michael Christie
  • Thomas Elmqvist
  • Michael Fullen
  • Christopher Gore*
  • Jan Hanspach
  • Stephen Hawkins
  • Iryna Herzon**
  • Sven Jelaska
  • Hans Keune
  • Carolyn Lundquist
  • Eric Malezieux**
  • Frank Matose
  • Liam McCarton
  • Masoumeh Mirsafa
  • Unai Pascual
  • Céline Pelosi*
  • Tavis Potts
  • Leonard Sandin
  • Bill Slee
  • Stephen Swearer**
  • Silvia Tobias
  • Vigdis Vandvik*
  • Erich Wolff
Policy-management panel (26)
  • Ana Cristina Becerra Salas
  • Alison Blay-Palmer*
  • Karma Bouazza*
  • Roberto Crosti**
  • Andrew Farmer
  • Judith Fisher
  • Adriana Ford*
  • Sonja Gantioler
  • Cecilia Gonçalves Simões
  • Juan Carlos Gonzalez
  • Robert (Bob) Harris
  • Ana Maria Hernandez Salgar**
  • Katia Hueso
  • Valerie Kapos
  • Dave Kendal
  • Manuel Lago
  • Juana Lucia Marino de Posada
  • Ivone Pereira Martins
  • Vinod Bihari Mathur
  • Isabel Mesquita
  • Madeleine Nyman
  • Christian Prip
  • Osamu Saito**
  • Elisabeth Simelton*
  • Nadia Sitas*
  • Janice Weatherley-Singh

* Only step 1
** Only step 2

Funding Organisations

In total, 41 funding organisations from 34 countries participated to this Call.

The General contact point for the follow-up of the funded projects are Matěj Štěpánek (matej.stepanek@tacr.cz) and Ondřej Kusbach (ondrej.kusbach@tacr.cz), from TA CR (Czech Republic).

Country Funding organisation Acronym Name Email
Austria Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung FWF Anna Dickermann Anna.dickermann@fwf.ac.at
Belgium Belgian Science Policy Office BELSPO Aline van der Werf aline.vanderwerf@belspo.be
Belgium (Wallonia) Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique F.R.S-FNRS Joël Groeneveld international@frs-fnrs.be
Belgium (Flanders) Fonds Voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen FWO Toon Monbaliu
Kristien Peeters		 europe@fwo.be
Brazil Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development CNPq Dileine Amaral da Cunha dileine.cunha@cnpq.br
Brazil Brazilian National Council of State Funding Agencies CONFAP Elisa Natola elisa.confap@gmail.com
Bulgaria Bulgarian National Science Fund *BNSF Milena Aleksandrova

 

 aleksandrova@mon.bg

 
Canada (Québec) Fonds de Recherche du Québec FRQNT Leslie Walsh Lesliemarie.walsh@frq.gouv.qc.ca

 
Czech Republic Technology Agency of the Czech Republic TA CR Ondřej Kusbach ondrej.kusbach@tacr.cz
Denmark Innovationsfonden Denmark IFD Aila Lonka

Thorbjørn Moth Gilberg

 aila.lonka@innofond.dk

thorbjoern.moth.gilberg@innofond.dk
Estonia Sihtasutus Eesti Teadusagentuur ETAG Margit Suuroja margit.suuroja@etag.ee

 
Faroe Islands (the) Research Council Faroe Islands *RCFI Maria Húsgarð

Annika Sølvará

 maria@gransking.fo
annika@gransking.fo
France Agence Nationale de la Recherche ANR Clara Superbie Biodiversa.cs@agencerecherche.fr
Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia *MEPA Carl Amirgulashvili

Liana Giorgadze

 karlo.amirgulashvili@mepa.gov.ge

liana.giorgadze@mepa.gov.ge
Hungary Nemzeti Kutatási, Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal NKFIH Drorttya Szemere szemere.dorottya@nkfih.gov.hu
Iceland Icelandic Centre for Research Rannis Aegir Thorsson aegir.t.thorsson@rannis.is

 
Ireland Environmental Protection Agency EPA Caroline Wynne c.wynne@epa.ie
Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection MoEP Orna Matzner orna@sviva.gov.il

 
Italy Ministry of Universities and Research MUR Yasmine Iollo

Aldo Covello

 yasmine.iollo@est.mur.gov.it

aldo.covello@mur.gov.it
Italy (Bolazno) Autonomous Province of Bolzano / Bozen BOZEN Laura Cherchi Laura.Cherchi@provincia.bz.it
Latvia Latvijas Zinātnes Padome LZP Maija Bundule maija.bundule@lzp.gov.lv
Lithuania Lietuvos Mokslo Taryba LMT Viktoras Mongirdas viktoras.mongirdas@lmt.lt

 
Moldova (the Republic of) National Agency for Research and Development *NARD Aurelia Hanganu aureliahanganu@yahoo.com

 
Morocco Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur, de la Recherche Scientifique et de l’Innovation MESRSI Abdelouahid Ezzarfi
Anas Chokairi
Jihane Benarafa		 a.ezzarfi@yahoo.fr
chokairi.anas@gmail.com
jbenarafadrsi@gmail.com
Netherlands (the) Dutch Research Council NWO Floor Hugenholtz f.hugenholtz@nwo.nl
Norway The Research Council of Norway RCN Jonas Enge jen@forskningsradet.no

 
Poland Narodowe Centrum Nauki NCN Mateusz Sobczyk
Anna Kotarba		 mateusz.Sobczyk@ncn.gov.pl
anna.kotarba@ncn.gov.pl
Portugal Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia FTC Joana Pinheiro
Pedro Ferreira		 joana.pinheiro@fct.pt
pedromiguel.ferreira@fct.pt
Portugal (Azores) Fundo Regional da Ciência e Tecnologia FRCT Carolina Parelho carolina.pf.parelho@azores.gov.pt
Romania Unitatea Executivă pentru Finanțarea Învățământului Superior, a Cercetării, Dezvoltării și Inovării *UEFISCDI Adrian Asanica
Luciana Bratu
Andreea Popa		 adrian.asanica@uefiscdi.ro
luciana.bratu@uefiscdi.ro
andreea.popa@uefiscdi.ro
Slovakia Slovak Academy of Sciences *SAS Zuzana Panisová

Silvia Kecerová

 panisova@up.upsav.sk

kecerova@up.upsav.sk
Slovenia Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation MVZI Katja Žagar

 

 katja.zagar02@gov.si
South Africa Department of Science and Innovation DSI Tugela Matubatuba

Karabo Mphogo

 Tugela.Matubatuba@dst.gov.za

Karabo.Mphogo@dst.gov.za
Spain Agencia Estatal de Investigación AEI

 

 Esther Chacón era-medioambiente@aei.gob.es
Spain Fundación Biodiversidad FB Raquel Sancho Rovira biodiversa@fundacion-biodiversidad.es
Spain Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación CDTI Marina Sopeña partenariadoshe@cdti.es
Sweden Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning Formas Elin Weyler elin.weyler@formas.se
Switzerland Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF Claudia Ellenrieder

 

 biodiversa@snf.ch

 
Taiwan National Science and Technology Council NSTC Ching-Mei Tang

 

 cmtom@nstc.gov.tw

 
Tunisia Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research MHESR Hayet Souai

Saida Rafrafi

 souaihayet@gmail.com

coopint2@gmail.com

 
Türkiye The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye TÜBITAK Yeliz Tümbilen Özer

 

 yeliz.ozer@tubitak.gov.tr

 

 

*Not funding research partner

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