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2024-2025 Joint Call

Biodiversity and Transformative Change

#BiodivTransform

In September 2024, Biodiversa+ launched the BiodivTransform call, inviting proposals for 3-years research projects. This Call aims to support interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and/or cross-sectoral research and innovation projects that will:

  • Help understand trade-offs and cross-linkages between the worldwide crises of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution;
  • Identify, analyse, and comprehend transformation processes that may safeguard biodiversity by mitigating threats and halting—or even reversing—its decline, as well as the benefits it may provide to people.
Original call text

In total, 269 eligible-proposals and 105 eligible full proposals were received and evaluated by an independent Evaluation Committee, which ranked the projects. Strictly following this ranking, 33 projects have been shortlisted for possible funding, pending final decisions by all participating funding organisations. Additionally, 3 projects are on the waiting list, with funding negotiations still ongoing.

These projects are academically excellent, mobilise a wide range of disciplines, engage many relevant stakeholders, and address various pressing scientific and societal issues.

The official results will be communicated on the Biodiversa+ website by the end of November.

BiodivTransform call schedule

33 projects recommended for funding

pending final decisions by all participating funding organisations

  • ACT – Advancing transformative governanCe through Transboundary conservation and collaborative learning (NO, SK, PL, ZA, RO, HU)
  • ActSustainably – Enabling Transformative Actions to Leverage Sustainability of Eurasian Grasslands (AT, CH, DK, HU, DE)
  • ATTITUDE – Assisting Transformation Through Improved practice: Targeting Urgent Sustainable Development needs by Enabling restorative aquaculture (SE, NL, DE, IT, ES, DK)
  • BIODENCITY – Reversing BIOdiversity decline in DENsification strategies: systemic solutions and CITY modelling for transformative change (SE, IT, NL, FI)
  • BiodiverCities – A Roadmap for Fostering Human Wildlife Coexistance in Greening Cities (SE, ZA, DE, BE)
  • BIOREFOREST – Reforestation of forests and orchards after disturbances – A transformative action plan balancing socioeconomic and biodiversity needs (DE, IT, CH, SE, AT, FR, ES)
  • BRET – Evidence-Based Strategies for a Biodiversity-positive Renewable Energy Transition (SE, ES, NL, MD, SI)
  • CoexHuB – Leveraging transformative capacities for the governance of human-bear-coexistence in Europe. An integrated socialecological-institutional approach (IT, CH, SI, DE, ES)
  • EcologicalPilgrimage – Engaging with biodiversity through walking interventions (FI, SE, NO, IS)
  • ICE BRIDGE – Bridging Ice Climate Technologies and Governance for Biodiversity in the Arctic (IS, NO, FI, ES, DE)
  • InvaSyn – Invasion Syndromes: transforming the understanding and management of biological invasions (ES, ZA, IL, CZ, DE, TW, BR, SE, BE)
  • JustBioSolar – Green Energy Transitions in Europe: Impacts on Biodiversity, Landscapes and Justice (DE, ES, CZ, NL, CH, SE, IT)
  • LEVER – Enhancing PLurivErsality for a Human Rights-Based Approach: GoVERning the Climate-Biodiversity-Pollution Nexus (SE, BR, ES, IT, BE, CH)
  • MARE WIND – Biodiversity and Offshore Wind: Understanding Transformative Impacts on Marine Ecosystems (BE, NO, DE)
  • MPA4Fish – Socio-ecological planning of no-fishing MPA to benefit fisheries: MPA4Fish (NO, ZA, TR, IT, FR, BR, ES, IS, TN, SE)
  • MultiDiv – Diversity in process: Towards multispecies assemblages for biodiversity governance (SE, FR, NL, DE, TN)
  • OpTIBES – Optimisation of Tree Species Selection for Improved Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (SE, NO, DK)
  • PaCE – Peace and Conservation of Ecology at the Disputed Seas (DE, NL, TW)
  • PathChange – Pathways of constructive conflict transformation to reach transformative change in wetland restoration (DE, BE, RO, ES)
  • PEACE – Participatory Engagement for Adaptation and Conservation Efforts (DE, SE, CH, AT, ZA, NL)
  • POWERSHIFT – Understanding and Shifting Power in Biodiversity Conservation by Integrating Insights from Social Change Movements (FR, DE, AT, SE)
  • ProEcoRice – A transformative production system for making rice paddies biodiverse and climate neutral (CH, BE, IT, TW,)
  • RECON – Fostering Systemic Societal Transformation for Biodiversity Conservation through Nature Re-Connection (PL, AT, DE)
  • REDESIGN – Restoration and Depopulation Synergies for Nature (PL, BE, DK, ES, SK, RO, CZ)
  • SEAWATCH – Transforming fishing vessels into stewards to protect biodiversity through the integration of eDNA metabarcoding, satellite data and AI (IT, BR, SE)
  • SKETCH – Social-ecological Keystone Places for Transformative Change in Safeguarding Coastal Biodiversity (DE, BR, FR, TW, NO)
  • SURPRISES – Building anticipatory governance of social-ecological tipping points in transformative change planning for ocean sustainability (FR, SE, DE, ES, ZA)
  • TIDELINES – Transformative change and Innovations for Diverse beach Ecosystems and sustainable Livelihoods through Enhanced wrack maNagEment Strategies (NL, ZA, DE, DK, ES, IT, BR)
  • TRANS4BIO – Integrated Energy Transition Across Scales for Climate-Resilient, Nature-Positive Biodiversity Pathways (SE, DE, EE, ZA)
  • UrbanOcean – Urbanization of the sea: assessing and managing the impact of Offshore Wind developments on open ocean biodiversity (SE, NO, DK, BE, DE, IT)
  • Urbloom – Transform urban flowerbeds for future: sustainable use and pollinator conservation (FR, DE, ES, CH)
  • WildHarvest – Understanding and recognising wild products harvesting by Indigenous and Local communities to promote environmental justice and halt biodiversity erosion (FR, ZA, SE)
  • WORMSOUT PLUS – Bearded fireWORM invaSiOn: UnderwaTer monitoring, biodiversity and social impacts, PotentiaL indUstrial application and mitigation Strategies (IT, SI, TN, FR, TR, RO, ES)

Three other projects are on the waiting list, with funding negotiations still ongoing.

Evaluation Committee
Co-Chairs of the Committee
  • Scientific co-Chair: Mariel Aguilar Stoen
  • Policy-management co-Chair: Claire Brown / Judith Fisher
Other members of the committee
Scientific panel
  • Ronit Amit
  • Kęstutis Arbačiauskas
  • Anni Arponen
  • James Bullock *
  • Regina Birner **
  • Yu-Chung Chiang
  • Gabor Foldvari
  • Jonas Geldmann
  • Susan Janse van Rensburg
  • Jan Komárek
  • Judith Krauss
  • Marc Leandri
  • Carolyn Lundquist
  • Julia Martin-Ortega *
  • Frank Matose
  • Ingrid Nesheim *
  • Alice Newton *
  • Iago Otero
  • Jerneja Penca
  • Zbyněk Polesný
  • Tavis Potts
  • Osamu Saito
  • Simo Sarkki
  • Marie Stenseke
  • Stephen Swearer **
  • Csaba Vad
  • Mariana Walter
  • Allan Watt
Policy-management panel
  • Cengiz Akandil
  • Karma Bouazza
  • Jeff Camkin *
  • Marlon Cárdenas Madrid
  • Peter Cochrane
  • Andrew Farmer
  • Adriana Ford
  • Keisha Garcia
  • Simon Gardner
  • Carlos Mario Gomez
  • Juan Carlos Gonzalez
  • Gail Hall
  • Bob Harris
  • Katia Hueso-Kortekaas
  • Eduard Interwies
  • Neeraj Khera
  • Maitreyi Koduganti *
  • Manuel Lago
  • Francesca Leucci
  • Juana Marino de Posada
  • Ivone Pereira Martins
  • Isabel Mesquita
  • Christian Prip
  • Cecilia Simões
  • Sunandan Tiwari

* Only step 1
** Only step 2

Funding organisations

In total, 37 funding organisations from 32 countries participated to this Call.

Country Funding organisation Acronym
Austria Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung FWF
Belgium (Wallonia-Brussels) Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique FNRS
Belgium (Flanders) Fonds Voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen FWO
Brazil Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development CNPq
Brazil Brazilian National Council of State Funding Agencies CONFAP
Bulgaria Bulgarian National Science Fund BNSF
Czech Republic Technology Agency of the Czech Republic TA CR
Denmark Innovation Fund Denmark IFD
Estonia Sihtasutus Eesti Teadusagentuur ETAG
Faroe Islands The Faroese Research Council RCFI
Finland Research Coucil of Finland RCF
France Agence Nationale de la Recherche ANR
Germany German Research Foundation DFG
Germany Projektträger Jülich (Juelich) + Technik GmbH (on behalf of BMBF) PtJ (on behalf of BMBF)
Hungary Nemzeti Kutatási, Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal NKFIH
Iceland Icelandic Centre for Research Rannis
Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection MoEP
Italy Ministry of Universities and Research MUR
Italy Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen BOZEN
Latvia Latvian Council of Science LZP/LCS
Lithuania Lietuvos mokslo taryba LMT
Moldova National Agency for Research and Development NARD
Netherlands (the) Dutch Research Council NWO
Norway Research Council of Norway RCN
Poland Narodowe Centrum Nauki NCN
Portugal – Azores Fundo Regional para a Ciência e Tecnologia FRCT
Romania The Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding UEFISCDI
Slovakia Slovak Academy of Sciences SAS
Slovenia Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation MVZI
South Africa Department of Science and Innovation DSI
Spain Agencia Estatal de Investigación AEI
Spain Fundación Biodiversidad FB
Sweden The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning Formas
Switzerland Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF
Taiwan National Science and Technology Council NSTC
Tunisia Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research MHESR
Türkiye Türkiye Bilimsel Ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu TÜBITAK
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