Database of EU research and innovation projects on nature-based solutions

Introduction to the database

The development and update of this database is part of NetworkNature’s facilitation of the development of the European roadmap to 2030 for R&I on NBS.

This database gathers European R&I projects on NBS from several major European research and innovation or implementation programmes: BiodivERsA, Horizon 2020, Seventh framework programme (FP7), Interreg and LIFE (EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action) over the years 2011–2021. Their project databases were screened using two successive keyword searches (‘biodiversity’ and then ‘services and approaches’) on the title and abstract of each project, and results were screened manually to retain NBS-relevant projects using criteria derived from the European Commission’s definition of NBS (i.e., biodiversity benefits, social and economic benefits and/or Increased resilience, and response to a societal challenge).

Beginning with more than 60.000 projects, the resulting database of NBS projects is composed of 300 projects with 100 projects from H2020 and FP7, 35 NBS projects from BiodivERsA, 86 NBS projects from Interreg and 79 NBS projects from LIFE.

The database was subsequently used to perform a mapping of EU R&I projects on NBS, in terms of types of NBS, societal challenges addressed, environments, approaches studied. This mapping allowed setting the scene of what R&I has been supported so far at European level on NBS. View the key results from analysing this database of EU R&I projects on NBS.

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