2026-2027 Joint Call
Novel ecosystems: biodiversity, socio-ecological
consequences and future trajectories
#BiodivFuture
Biodiversa+ is pleased to announce the upcoming launch of a new transnational joint research call entitled Novel ecosystems: biodiversity, socio-ecological consequences and future trajectories (BiodivFuture).
Co-funded by the European Commission, this call, alongside a range of actions under the Biodiversa+ Flagship Programme, will contribute to achieving one of Biodiversa+’s strategic objectives: producing actionable knowledge to drive transformative change and halt and reverse biodiversity decline.
BiodivFuture focuses on supporting future-looking research and innovation that will address biodiversity and novel ecosystems, as well as their socio-ecological dynamics and consequences relating to the sustainability goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and associated future pathways and trajectories of change. The call covers investigating the causes (drivers), effects (biological responses), and outcomes (including opportunities, risks and trade-offs) of current and future trajectories of change in all relevant realms (terrestrial, freshwater, marine and coastal areas), in all regions of the world. It aims at funding novel, high-quality transnational research with potential for societal and political impact that will significantly improve our understanding of novel ecosystems with holistic, systemic, and integrated approaches.
In the face of inevitable and potentially irreversible change, knowledge generated under this call should ultimately lead to actions to achieve impacts that sustain resilient, interconnected, diverse and ecologically functioning ecosystems. This could include critical reflection on what constitutes ecosystem states that best preserve or restore natural resources by taking multiple costs and benefits (trade-offs) into account and the diversity of contexts, scales, perspectives and world views. Well-functioning ecosystems should benefit people and protect nature at scales from local to global and emphasise biodiversity, trophic complexity, economic vitality, and societal well-being.
Themes
Research priorities covered by BiodivFuture are structured into three non-mutually exclusive themes. Projects are welcome to address one or several of these themes.
- THEME A – NOVEL ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING: Understanding the functioning of novel ecosystems and their links to socio-cultural and socio-economic dynamics, identifying mechanisms and developing approaches that can facilitate biodiversity gains.
- THEME B – PATHWAYS TO NOVEL ECOSYSTEMS: Studying robust, plausible, and concrete pathways to novel ecosystems and associated socio-ecological dynamics to prosper under temporal asynchronies and uncertainties.
- THEME C – BIODIVERSITY BENEFITS AND EQUITY IN THE CONTEXT OF NOVEL ECOSYSTEM: Studying fair and equitable sharing of biodiversity benefits in the context of novel ecosystems, supported by inclusive, collaborative, and investment-oriented pathways for nature-positive socio-ecological transformation.
Novel ecosystems – A conceptual framework to set the scene
Novel ecosystems have been defined by Hobbs et al. in 2013 as “a system of abiotic, biotic and social components (and their interactions) that, by virtue of human influence, differ from those that prevailed historically, having a tendency to self-organise, and manifest novel qualities without intensive human management”. Since the publication of this paper, the limits of this definition have been challenged by different disciplines and other definitions have emerged. Overall, the conceptual framework of novel ecosystems usually comprises of (1) new ecological communities (including species living outside their historical native ranges), (2) which present a suite of interactions and processes consistent with a self-organised, functioning ecosystem, and (3) are unlikely to revert to conditions preceding their emergence, with or without human intervention, due to significant biotic and abiotic changes. Building on this framework and acknowledging the plurality of views and definitions, proposals submitted to this call must demonstrate how they are addressing novel ecosystems.
The call is planned to be officially launched on 9 September 2026. A two-step application procedure will apply, with a mandatory submission of pre-proposals at the first step and submission of full proposals at the second step, via the Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS).
- Launch of the call: Wednesday 9 September 2026
- Deadline for pre-proposals submission (mandatory): Early November 2026
- Deadline for full-proposals submission: Early April 2027
- Recommendations for funding: Late September to early October 2027
- Start of the projects: Between 1 December 2027 and 1 April 2028
Maximise your chances
Research proposals (in English only) will have to be submitted electronically. They will be evaluated by independent experts against the following criteria:
- At step 1 (pre-proposal stage): (1) Fit to the scope of the call, (2) novelty of the research and (3) impact;
- At step 2 (full proposal stage): (1) [Scientific] excellence, (2) quality and efficiency of the implementation [of the project plan], and (3) impact (including expected societal impact which includes policy impact, and approach to stakeholder engagement).
Research proposals shall demonstrate significant transnational added value of the project, and are strongly encouraged to pursue inter- and transdisciplinary approaches. They should span a wide range of relevant academic disciplines and include non-academic stakeholders to co-produce actionable impactful knowledge while adhering to the ethics and principles of responsible research.
Look for a partner or a project to join
To be eligible, research consortia will have to include teams from a minimum of 3 countries financially participating in the Call, including at least two different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Not all EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries financially participate in this call. Only the countries listed below are eligible for funding.
Please note that each funding organisation has its own rules for research partners eligibility, and it is crucial that applicants consult the national/regional rules for each partner of their consortium and comply with the Horizon Europe Annotated Grant Agreement. National/regional rules will be available at the launch of the call in September.
At this stage, a total budget of approximately €40 million has been provisionally reserved by 32 countries together with the European Commission.
Please note that this list is not final: countries and organisations may be added or removed between now and until the official launch of the call in September.
| Country | Funding organisation | Acronym |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung | FWF |
| Belgium | Belgian Science Policy Office | Belspo |
| Belgium (Wallonia-Brussels) | Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique | FNRS |
| Belgium (Flanders) | Fonds Voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek-Vlaanderen | FWO |
| 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 |
| Faroe Islands | The Faroese Research Council | RCFI |
| Finland | Research Council of Finland | RCF / AKA |
| France | Agence Nationale de la Recherche | ANR |
| Germany | German Research Foundation | DFG (participation pending) |
| Germany | Project Management Jülich (on behalf of BMFTR) | FZJ-PTJ (on behalf of BMFTR) (participation pending) |
| Hungary | National Research Development and Innovation Office | NKFIH |
| Israel | Ministry of Environmental Protection | MoEP |
| Italy | Autonomous Province of Bolzano/Bozen | BOZEN |
| 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 | Portuguese national funding agency for science, research and technology | FCT |
| 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 |
| Spain | Agencia Estatal de Investigación | AEI |
| Spain | Fundación Biodiversidad | FB |
| 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 |
| United Kingdom | United Kingdom Research and Innovation | UKRI |
Information webinar on 10 September
Detailed instructions regarding submission, eligibility and evaluation criteria and other relevant information will be published with the official call announcement on 9 September 2026.
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