Horizon Europe - calling living labs

The EU is moving from biodiversity commitments to implementation. The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 aims to put Europe’s biodiversity on a path to recovery, while the Nature Restoration Regulation has introduced binding restoration targets and implementation pressure for Member States. The Horizon Europe work plan supports the horizontal call “Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society” (HORIZON-NATURE-2027) introduces several topics designed to increase biodiversity-related R&I investment across Pillar II of Horizon Europe. Its overarching goal is to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by embedding nature restoration and biodiversity considerations across research, industry, public policy and society—moving beyond isolated conservation measures towards systemic economic and societal change. The 2027 topics address four broad areas:

• pollution impacts on biodiversity, particularly PFAS;

• the effects of clean and digital industries and other drivers of biodiversity decline;

• ecosystem restoration through living labs and scalable implementation networks

• connections between biodiversity, human health and ocean observation.

Horizon Europe finances the evidence, collaborative models and practical solutions needed to make Europe’s economy and society nature-positive. It supports the EU Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Regulation and the global biodiversity framework. Horizon Europe’s strategic plan also commits 10% of its 2025–2027 budget to biodiversity-related topics. European Commission strategic plan. For the Ruralities Living Lab, the most natural entry points are the two strands supporting living labs.

Ruralities Living Lab for Resilient Rural Communities

Sustainability in Rural Enterprises and Innovation

A member of the Social Innovation Stakeholders Network - www.SocialInnovationActions.Org

Social Innovation Actions - PIC 878506012

@RURALITIES