Exploring options to resolve land and sea use competition

The main goal of this opportunity is to support new ways of managing land and sea use to ensure sustainability. It focuses on creating tools and models that help balance environmental, social, and economic needs while meeting European climate and biodiversity targets for 2030 and 2050. Key areas include better land and sea management, food security, and promoting circular uses of biomass. Projects should aim to reduce the overall impact on land and sea, protect ecosystems and biodiversity, and ensure solutions are acceptable to society. The scope covers regions within the EU and associated countries, encouraging diverse participation from different socio-economic and ecological backgrounds.

• Identify direct and indirect implications of current and future regional, national or EU policies and targets on land and sea use and biomass utilisation, in multiple regions.

• Analyse trade-offs across environmental objectives (climate mitigation/adaptation, biodiversity restoration) and social/economic goals in diverse ecological and socio-economic contexts.

• Develop and pilot deliberation tools (e.g., software) to inform policy and decision‑making at regional and national levels.

• Enable integrated assessments of land/sea use scenarios including biomass supply (e.g., food, energy, bio-based products, carbon farming) and ownership issues.

• Demonstrate tool deployment in a network of regions across different climate/ecological zones to support equitable land/sea management.

Examples:

• A cross-border project developing digital tools for sustainable land use in Mediterranean regions.
• A consortium of universities and local governments piloting new governance models for marine resource management in Northern Europe.
• A partnership between research institutes and rural communities testing circular biomass systems to enhance food security in Eastern Europe.

• Personnel costs for researchers, project managers, and technical staff
• Costs for equipment and materials needed for project activities
• Travel and accommodation expenses related to project implementation
• Subcontracting specific tasks or services
• Costs for organizing workshops, meetings, and stakeholder consultations
• Expenses for data collection, analysis, and reporting
• Communication and dissemination activities
• Costs for pilot projects or demonstration activities
• Project management and administrative expenses

All expenses must fit within the lump sum funding model and follow the guidelines set by the Horizon Europe Programme.

• Budget for this Call: 9.000.000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 2
• Budget per project: 4.500.000€

• Consortium must include at least three independent legal entities established in three different eligible countries, with at least one partner based in an EU Member State

• All participants must be established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe associated countries and show sufficient financial and operational capacity per Horizon Europe General Annexes B and C

• Action type is Research & Innovation Action (RIA) focused on analyzing policy trade-offs and governance options to manage competition for land and sea biomass use across multiple regions

• Project scope must address environmental-economic-social trade‑offs and develop decision-support or deliberation tools to assist policymakers at regional, national and EU level

• Proposals should cover more than one biogeographic region and include multi-level governance, with stakeholder engagement across governance levels

• Standard Horizon Europe rules apply: ethics, integrity checks, exclusions, conflict of interest, data protection, and legal compliance per Annexes A-G