HORIZON EUROPE - Understanding and tackling the decline of insects

HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-01

The call supports the understanding and identification of insect diversity, including through genomic approaches, to inform the knowledge of the drivers of the dramatic decline of insects. Projects will assess the status and trends of insects and analyse multiple drivers affecting them, as well as the ecosystem services that insects provide, at different spatial scales. A comprehensive integrative taxonomy approach should be adopted, incorporating a multidisciplinary framework, including ecology and ecotoxicology, and integrating methods that address the diverse needs of insects across their entire lifecycle, ensuring the identification of essential habitat resources at each stage of development.

A minimum of three independent legal entities from three different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries is required (for most calls). African institutions, including UNIMA, are explicitly eligible and encouraged as consortium partners to receive EU funding directly. Coordination must be led by an EU/Associated Country organisation. Energy engineers, economists, environmental scientists, policy researchers, and local government/industry partners are the target audience

• Identification of essential habitat resources at each stage of development.
• Development and testing of approaches for long-term monitoring schemes for insects.
• Building on existing national or EU biodiversity monitoring schemes and pilots developed by Biodiversa+
• Devising, testing, and promoting effective strategies to mitigate the major drivers of insects’ decline.
• Analysing the ecosystem functions underpinned by insects and undertaking qualitative and quantitative valuation of ecosystem services emanating from those functions.
• Exploring how to implement ecosystem protection and restoration practises and actions that are beneficial for insects.

Proposals are submitted through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

UNIMA's validated Participant Identification Code (PIC) is 999453275.

The first step is to identify a European lead partner — UNIMA's existing collaborations with universities in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, and other EU/Associated Countries are the natural starting point. EURAXESS Africa organises partner-matching webinars and publishes consortium-building notices for Africa Initiative calls.