Systemic approaches to accelerate transformative change for biodiversity

What is this call about?

The topic funds transdisciplinary research that applies systems thinking and behavioural science to drive transformative change for biodiversity among public and private actors. Projects must follow a multi-actor approach with strong social sciences and humanities input.

What does this call fund?

Scope

Halting biodiversity loss requires transformative change in mindsets, practices and system rules. The topic funds transdisciplinary research that uses systems thinking, behavioural sciences, social sciences and humanities, culture and the arts to close implementation gaps and identify leverage points for nature-positive change.

Activities

• Identify and analyse implementation gaps through a systems approach, drawing on different types of knowledge, including Indigenous and local knowledge, and on empirical biodiversity data where relevant.
• Map relationships between actors and sectors, worldviews, power dynamics, gender roles and governance pathways, and how they drive or hinder change.
• Analyse how indirect drivers of biodiversity loss interact with societal, economic and cultural values, treating biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution as interconnected crises.
• Design, pilot and evaluate changes in governance, organisational routines and decision-making, for example in finance, cost-benefit analysis, land and sea management or nature-based solutions.
• Develop guidance, data standards and tools, such as natural capital accounting or nature credit frameworks, for replication across sectors and regions.
• Support stakeholders such as agriculture, fisheries and forestry in aligning practices and business models with biodiversity targets, including through case studies.

Requirements

Projects cover one or more marine, coastal, freshwater or terrestrial ecosystems, use participatory and co-design approaches and build on IPBES findings. Up to 15% of the proposed EU budget may be used for financial support to third parties. Selected projects form a cluster with a dedicated, budgeted work package for joint activities.

Expected outcomes

Policymakers and economic actors better equipped to integrate behavioural, cultural and systemic insights on biodiversity, and tested interventions that strengthen nature-positive practices.

When is the deadline?

14 January 2027 (70 days)