Budget
The maximum funding for one project from the public budget is 250,000€ if Romania is the coordinator of the transnational project; The maximum funding for one project from the public budget is 200,000€ if Romania is partner in the transnational project.
Key dates and deadline
Launch of the call: Tuesday 9 September 2025 Deadline for pre-proposals submission (mandatory): Friday 7 November 2025, 12:00 CET Results of the evaluation of the first step: mid-February 2026 Deadline for full-proposals submission: Tuesday 14 of April 2026, 12:00 CEST Recommendations for funding: late September 2026 Start of the projects: between 1st of December 2026 and 1st of April 2027
Details
This call is focused on fostering innovative research to be integrated into nature restoration practices for interconnected and well-functioning ecosystems and habitats, with special consideration for long-term sustainability and future-proofing of restoration efforts across spatial scales, including their evaluation. The call covers restoration efforts for biodiversity in all types of ecosystems and habitats, in all regions of the world, encompassing all realms (terrestrial, marine, coastal and freshwater). supporting high-quality research and innovation projects on biodiversity and ecosystem restoration with holistic, systemic, and integrated approaches. Projects that will be proposed under this call can focus on a wide range of aspects, e.g.: different categories of indicators, multiple scales for restoration upscaling; ecological, socio-economic, and socio-cultural dimensions; and/or varying levels of environmental regulations and policies needing alignment. They will be expected to demonstrate academic excellence with potential for societal and policy impact regarding biodiversity, aiming to connect science, society, policy, and practices for efficient and sustainable nature restoration.
Eligibility
To be eligible, transnational research consortia must be composed of eligible research partners from minimum 3 different countries financially participating in the call and requesting support from minimum 3 different Funding Organisations; 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. The list can be found on their website. Romania is included on the list and the funding organisation responsable is UEFISCDI (Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding). Proposals must be exclusively written in English.
Additional information
Topic 1: Setting restoration targets and measuring success Topic 1 will address the need for coherent and operational restoration targets and measurements of success in terms of ecosystem functioning, integrity and connectivity. Projects are expected to consider shifting baselines and integration of ecological, cultural and social contexts, with objective-based or reference-based approaches. Topic 2: Scaling and transferability of nature restoration efforts Topic 2 will address the need for a better understanding of the possibilities and methods for meaningful and effective scaling and transferability of nature restoration efforts. There are many examples of successful local restoration efforts across the world, however the scale of the biodiversity crisis necessitates advancements in approaches and processes for reproducing successful efforts across different socio-economic and environmental contexts. Topic 3: Long-term sustainability of restoration efforts Topic 3 will address the need for long-term sustainability of restored species, habitats and ecosystems, including resilience to climate change and other pressures. Given future environmental and societal changes, it will not be possible to rely solely on historical and current datasets and models to predict likely pathways to successful restoration. There is also a need for advanced predictive modelling and anticipatory strategic foresight based on policy learning, as well as the development of entirely novel approaches to restoration, experimental approaches with high risk tolerance, and/or open-ended restoration efforts such as rewilding.
How to apply?
https://www.biodiversa.eu/2025/09/09/2025-2026-joint-call/