Understanding and tackling the decline of insects
Funds research to understand and reverse the decline of non-pollinator insects through advanced monitoring, data management, and mitigation strategies.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
European Commission has archived this opportunity.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: September 17, 2026: Full application submission deadline (single-stage) — proposals due by 17:00 Brussels time
Funding Amounts: Total call budget: €13,000,000; expected grant size: around €6,500,000 per project; typically 2 projects funded; project duration usually 36–48 months.
Summary: Funds research to advance understanding of insect diversity, the drivers of their decline, and to develop monitoring and mitigation strategies (excluding pollinators).
Key Information: Proposals must focus on non-pollinator insect groups and include long-term monitoring and data management under FAIR principles.
Description
This Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA) supports projects that address the urgent need to understand and reverse the decline of insect populations (excluding pollinators) in Europe and beyond. Funded projects are expected to:
- Advance knowledge of insect diversity, ecological roles, and the drivers of decline, with a focus on lesser-known groups.
- Use multidisciplinary and genomic approaches to improve identification and understanding of insect diversity.
- Assess the status and trends of insects and ecosystem services they provide, at multiple spatial scales.
- Develop, test, and promote strategies to mitigate the main drivers of insect decline.
- Design and implement long-term insect monitoring schemes, building on existing national or EU efforts.
- Explore ecosystem protection and restoration practices beneficial to insects.
- Ensure data management follows FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable) principles, leveraging European research infrastructures.
- Collaborate with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity and related projects.
- Encourage international cooperation.
Proposals must exclude research focused on pollinators, as this area is already well-covered by previous and ongoing projects.
