HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-06 Looking for consortium – Expertise in agroecology, ecosystem services and biodiversity-friendly farming

BETA Technological Center is seeking to join a consortium preparing a proposal for HORIZON-CL6-2026-01-BIODIV-06: Boosting agrobiodiversity for food security and sustainable competitiveness. The center brings together the complementary strengths of two research units—Biodiversity and Bioindicators (BiBio) and Sustainable Food & Farming Systems—which jointly cover the ecological, agronomic, and practical dimensions required to improve agrobiodiversity across European landscapes.

BiBio can contribute extensive datasets and analytical expertise on fauna and insect biodiversity from both agricultural and natural environments. Its work focuses on understanding how landscape structure, ecological connectivity and different land-use practices shape biodiversity patterns and influence key ecosystem services, including pollination and natural pest control. Through long-term monitoring and advanced ecological modelling, BiBio can help evaluate the ecological outcomes of management interventions and identify drivers that either support or threaten agrobiodiversity. Complementing this, the Sustainable Food & Farming Systems unit can test and implement sustainable agricultural practices at farm and pilot-site level. This includes the evaluation of biodiversity-friendly cropping systems, soil and nutrient management strategies, and circular bioeconomy approaches that aim to reconcile productivity with environmental benefits. The unit actively works with farmers and stakeholders to co-design solutions, ensuring that scientific knowledge is translated into realistic and scalable management practices.

Together, these two units offer a fully integrated approach that connects biodiversity data, ecological understanding, and practical agricultural innovation. Their combined expertise can strongly support a multidisciplinary consortium seeking to enhance agrobiodiversity, strengthen food system resilience and deliver long-term environmental and economic sustainability. Projects related to this area of expertise include CBMS, Bat Monitoring programme, Common Small Mammals Monitoring Programme (SEMICE), Dormouse Project, COUSIN, Transformed, DeliSoil and Double Crop.

For more detailed information, take a look at the following webpages: https://www.bibio.org/ and Sustainable Food & Farming Systems