Open Call: Living Labs for Co-Creating Ecosystem Restoration

The focus areas include supporting the set up of three living labs with 10 to 20 experimental sites each to test and demonstrate solutions for ecosystem restoration, ensuring co-creation with stakeholders, real-life implementation, and involvement of end-users; fostering transboundary cooperation across at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries, including outermost regions, islands, or remote areas; developing work plans in a transdisciplinary manner for co-design, co-development, and co-implementation of locally adapted innovative solutions; establishing tools to accurately assess conditions and monitor progress toward achieving favorable reference areas, good conservation status, and satisfactory indicators as defined by the Habitats Directive, Birds Directive, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Water Framework Directive, and Nature Restoration Regulation; monitoring the effectiveness and non-deterioration of innovative restoration practices; demonstrating the viability of identified solutions for end-users through business models and testing public or private support schemes such as payment for ecosystem services or nature credits; addressing challenges of scaling up and transferability, with a gender-sensitive and inclusive framework; disseminating newly developed solutions for practitioner uptake; and showing how ecosystem restoration supports EU policy objectives, enhances societal resilience, and reduces natural risks.

The proposals should focus on ecosystems such as transitional interfaces including marine-coastal-terrestrial transitions, urban-rural gradients including urban nature and peri-urban ecosystems, mosaic agricultural landscapes like semi-natural grasslands and agroforestry systems, biodiversity corridors ensuring ecosystem connectivity across fragmented landscapes, and dryland or arid ecosystems facing threats from drought, erosion, desertification, or fire.

Projects must adopt a multi-actor approach, involving researchers, land and water managers, industry representatives, local authorities, civil society, and investors. Financial support for third parties to involve small actors such as SMEs, land managers, or civil society may be provided, with a maximum of 30% of EU funding allocated for this purpose. These activities align with the EU Green Deal and the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, supporting the implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, promoting nature-based solutions for climate adaptation and mitigation, enhancing natural carbon sinks, and reinforcing biodiversity. The projects will also contribute to EU initiatives such as the European Ocean Pact, the European Water Resilience Strategy, and sustainable agriculture, fishing, and aquaculture strategies, while supporting international commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, the Sustainable Development Goals, and other global biodiversity agreements. Complementarity with co-funded partnerships such as Biodiversa+, Water4All, Agroecology, and LIFE projects will be ensured.

The total budget for 2026 is 10,000,000 EUR, with maximum funding per project of around 5,000,000 EUR. Any legal entity, regardless of place of establishment, including those from non-associated third countries or international organizations, may participate, provided they comply with Horizon Europe Regulation requirements and other call conditions. Beneficiaries must register in the Participant Register to obtain a PIC and complete validation during grant preparation.

For more information, visit EC.