Horizon Europe European Union
Neutral-Atom Platform Technologies
This action aims to establish European leadership in neutral-atom quantum simulation and digital quantum computing by delivering: • Fully programmable industry-ready quan…
Horizon Europe · European Union
Understanding the nature and the extent of the effects of PFAS on biodiversity and ecosystem services
Open
The EU's Horizon Europe programme expects to make 2 awards of €5.7 million each, from a total budget of €11.45 million. Applications close on 14 Jan 2027 (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time). Organisations in EU member states and Horizon Europe associated countries such as Türkiye can usually take part; the topic conditions control.
- Deadline
- 14 Jan 2027 (in 60 days)
- Grant amount
- €5.7 million per project
- Total budget
- €11.45 million
- Funding rate
- 100% of eligible costs Standard rule for this programme; the call can differ.
- Total budget
- €11.45 million
- Expected awards
- 2
- Type of action
- HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions · HORIZON Lump Sum Grant
- Likely applicant types
- Companies, SMEs / start-ups, Non-profits, Universities & research, Public bodies From source categories or programme rules; the call decides.
- Funder
- Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- Reference
- HORIZON-NATURE-2027-01-01
- Call
- HORIZON-NATURE-2027-01
- Last checked
- 14 Nov 2026
Expected outcome
Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:
• the mechanistic understanding of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) effects on biodiversity, on ecosystems and on ecosystem services is improved and evaluations of their extent are available;
• research needs to close knowledge gaps and to address issues on biodiversity and ecosystem services are better identified;
• the new knowledge can be integrated by policymakers in their decisions related to biodiversity protection and restoration, environmental protection and protection of human health as well as in socio-economic cost-benefit analysis for policy measures on PFAS.
Scope
PFAS pollution significantly impacts human health and the environment. Addressing PFAS is notably a flagship action under the Water Resilience Strategy [1] . There is growing evidence on impacts on biodiversity above and below ground and water, but more evidence is needed to substantiate the effects on different species, populations and entire ecosystems, and their extent. A European Commission study published on 29 January 2026 [2] revealed significant knowledge gaps on the effects of PFAS on biodiversity. In particular, the study underlined the difficulties to estimate and monetise ecosystem services loss because of PFAS, due to a lack of data on ecosystem-level effects.
Proposals should:
• conduct field-based studies, possibly in combination with controlled studies, to better understand the effects of PFAS and their breakdown products on species, populations and on ecosystems and their long-term ecological effects;
Read the full text
• evaluate the nature and the temporal and spatial scale of the effects, including multi-generational effects both on key species and on entire ecosystems;
• explore and apply robust and, where possible, comparable methods to assess the impacts of PFAS on ecosystem services including practical approaches for biophysical and, where relevant, economic valuation that can support policy and decision-making;
• prioritise and justify the PFAS substances or groups of substances (e.g. short versus long chain ones; fluoropolymers ; F-gases; ultrashort chain PFAS such as trifluoroacetic acids, etc.) to be addressed, taking into account their occurrence in European ecosystems, relevance for biodiversity impacts and policy relevance, as well as the environmental media through which the pollution takes place (soil, waterbodies, rain, seafoam, polar areas, ocean, air, e.g.);
• take into account bioaccumulation and biomagnification including across the trophic chain, co-exposure of multiple PFAS substances as part of the combination of other toxic substances found in-situ, long term and chronic exposure over prolonged periods of time and uncontrolled environmental variables which may either mitigate or exacerbate the effects of PFAS;
• focus on tissue-specific accumulation and distribution patterns of PFAS when assessing their bioaccumulation and toxicological effects; consider organisms that have received less attention until now [3] , for instance apex predators, wild plants including aquatic plants, soil organisms, plankton or low trophic species, and habitats that are fragile and/or endangered but also key cornerstones in functional ecology. Also for plant species that can take up very high amounts of PFAS, such as those used for phytoremediation (for example reed and hemp), it should be investigated whether they are experiencing significantly more negative effects due to these higher PFAS concentrations in their tissue. It is up to the applicant to justify the chosen biodiversity aspect and its PFAS-related relevance. Emphasis on regional…
Who can apply
Consortium of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries, at least one in a Member State (Horizon Europe standard rule).
Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.
Topics
Biodiversity conservation Biodiversity monitoring Biodiversity status and trends Conservation biology, ecology, genetics Ecology (theoretical and experimental; population, species and community level) Environment Environment, resources and sustainability Environmental protection Environmental risk measurement Environmental stressors Environmental toxicology at the population and ecosystems level Microbiology Natural resources and environmental economics Nature conservation Plant biology Plant toxicology Protection of environment (before, during and after) Soil biodiversity Soil pollution (FN/I3) Soil protection
Timing
Single-stage call. Next deadline 2027-01-14. The portal states the exact cut-off time (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time).
How to apply
- Read the full topic on the Funding & Tenders Portal: expected outcome, scope, type of action and the topic conditions, including any country restrictions.
- Register each participating organisation in the Funding & Tenders Portal to get a PIC.
- Consortium of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries (Horizon Europe standard rule; Türkiye is associated). Confirm in the topic conditions.
- Prepare Part A (administrative forms and budget, completed in the portal) and Part B (the technical description on the official template for this type of action).
- Submit in the portal before the cut-off time on the deadline day. Late submissions are not accepted.
From the call text
- Who can apply
- Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
- Company stage
- Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
- Single applicant or consortium
- Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.
- Where applicants must be based
- Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.
- Where to apply
- Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.
Where these facts come from
| Fact | Value | How we know | Taken from the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | 14 January 2027 “Single-stage call. Next deadline 2027-01-14. The portal states the exact cut-off time (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time).” | official data field | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Amount per applicant | Unknown — not stated in the source we hold | unknown | — |
| Total budget | €11.45 million | official data field | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Funding rate | 100% of eligible costs | programme standard rule | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Who can apply | Consortium of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries, at least one in a Member State (Horizon Europe standard rule). | programme standard rule | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Where to apply | Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route. | read from the official text | 15 Nov 2026 |
Official sources
Facts on this page come from the funder’s official data, taken on 14 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.
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