Understanding the nature and the extent of the effects of PFAS on biodiversity and ecosystem services
Understanding the nature and the extent of the effects of PFAS on biodiversity and ecosystem services supports researchers studying PFAS impacts to inform biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: October 13, 2026 (Opening) | January 14, 2027 (Submission deadline)
Funding Amounts: €5.7 million per project; €11,449,484.74 total topic budget; 2 expected grants; lump sum funding
Summary: Supports research on PFAS effects on biodiversity and ecosystem services to inform environmental protection, restoration and policy decisions.
Key Information: Requires social sciences and humanities expertise and a budgeted work package for joint activities with other funded projects.
Description
This European Commission Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action funds research into how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and their breakdown products affect species, populations, ecosystems and ecosystem services. It prioritises field-based studies, potentially combined with controlled studies, addressing long-term and multigenerational effects across time and space. Research should examine bioaccumulation, food-chain transfer, combined pollutant exposure, less-studied organisms and fragile habitats.
Projects should develop robust methods to assess and value ecosystem service losses, estimate their costs, and explore ecosystem health monitoring and indicator species for damage and recovery after remediation. Social sciences and humanities must contribute to valuation and policy uptake. Proposals must improve mechanistic understanding, identify remaining research gaps, and enable policymakers to use results in biodiversity protection, restoration, human health protection and socio-economic cost-benefit analysis.
