Developing methods to assess the presence, functions and sensitivity of groundwater ecosystems
Call 01 - single stage (2026) · HORIZON-RIA · Needs partners
What this call funds
This call funds research projects that develop new methods and tools to study groundwater ecosystems - the hidden living systems in aquifers, caves and underground waters. The goal is to better understand which organisms live there, how pollution and overuse harm them, and to create standards that protect groundwater biodiversity and the drinking water it supplies. Results should feed into EU water policy and give authorities better evidence to protect these ecosystems.
environmental monitoring · biodiversity · water management · climate adaptation · research excellence
Who wins this
A multidisciplinary research consortium (universities, research institutes, environmental agencies) with expertise in hydrogeology, ecotoxicology, biodiversity monitoring and sensor technology, ideally linked to existing EU water research infrastructures.
Could you win this call?
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The call in detail
- Indicative grant size
- €5M
- Funding model
- Budget-based — reimbursement of actual eligible costs
- Submission
- Single-stage submission (full proposal at once)
- Type of action
- HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
- Partners
- Required. The call asks for a consortium — a group applying together, typically 3+ organisations from 3+ countries.
- Also required
- The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a zero-funding beneficiary or associated partner but cannot help prepare or submit the proposal; detailed eligibility, admissibility, financial and evaluation conditions are defined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes rather than in this topic text.
- Sectors
- AgriTech · Circular Economy
- Eligible countries (45)
- Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, IL, TR, UA, RS, MK, ME, AL, BA, XK, GE, AM, MD, TN, NZ
Read the full conditions from the official call ›
General conditions 1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. 2. Eligible Countries described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. 3. Other Eligible Conditions The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding as a beneficiary with zero funding, or as an associated partner. The JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal - see General Annex B. described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. 5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. 5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. 5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions described in the topic conditions
Who has won calls like this
Organisations that most often win this call family · 116 past winners