Assessing and modelling socio-economic impacts of nature restoration

The main goal of this opportunity is to develop tools and methods for assessing and modeling the socio-economic impacts of nature restoration. The focus is on evaluating the benefits and costs of restoring degraded ecosystems, ensuring the continued provision of ecosystem services, and supporting climate change adaptation and mitigation. Projects should address sector-specific economic, social, and employment impacts, including non-market benefits like health and well-being. There is also an emphasis on supporting international biodiversity commitments and transformative societal change through biodiversity protection and restoration. The opportunity encourages international cooperation and is open to eligible countries, with a particular interest in projects that contribute to global biodiversity targets for 2030 and 2050.

• Develop tools to assess socio‑economic impacts (benefits and costs) of nature restoration measures, including their social and territorial distribution.

• Enable policy makers to predict the impacts of nature restoration policies, facilitating evidence‑based decision‑making.

• Provide stakeholders responsible for financing or implementing nature restoration with tools to integrate these impacts into their business plans.

• Ensure that socio‑economic benefits and costs are traceable directly to the intervention or the origin of stressors, such as the reduction of pollution inputs.

• Collaborate with projects funded under other topics in this work programme, particularly HORIZON‑CL6‑2025‑01‑BIODIV‑05 (Assessing and modelling ecosystems’ dynamic processes to guide restoration activities) and HORIZON‑CL6‑2025‑01‑BIODIV‑10 (Supporting the implementation of nature restoration measures for sustainable farming systems).

Example Projects:

• A project modeling the economic and employment impacts of wetland restoration in multiple EU regions, using Copernicus satellite data.
• A multidisciplinary study assessing how restoring forests improves local health and well-being, with partners from several eligible countries.
• An international initiative developing new tools to measure non-market benefits of restoring marine ecosystems, aligned with global biodiversity goals.

• Personnel costs for research and project management
• Equipment and software necessary for modeling and data analysis
• Travel and subsistence for fieldwork and stakeholder engagement
• Costs for data acquisition and satellite imagery
• Workshops, conferences, and dissemination activities
• Subcontracting for specialized tasks (e.g., economic modeling, communication)
• Consumables and materials needed for research activities
• Costs related to international cooperation and networking
• Development of digital tools and platforms for socio-economic assessment
• Publication and open-access fees

All expenses must fit within a lump sum budget as defined by Horizon Europe. Specific restrictions or additional eligible expenses may be detailed in the official Horizon Europe guidelines.

• Budget for this Call: 16.000.000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 3
• Maximum value per project: 6.000.000€
• Minimum value per project: 5.000.000€

• Consortium Composition: Must include at least three independent legal entities from three different eligible countries, with at least one partner established in an EU Member State.

• Eligible Entities: Participants must be legal entities established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries.

• Action Type: Research and Innovation Action (RIA).

• Project Focus: Proposals should assess and model the socio-economic impacts of nature restoration activities, including effects on local communities, economies, and ecosystem services.

• Collaboration: Projects are expected to cooperate with other initiatives funded under related topics, such as HORIZON‑CL6‑2025‑01‑BIODIV‑05 and HORIZON‑CL6‑2025‑01‑BIODIV‑10, to enhance synergies and knowledge exchange.