Why the EU supports environment research and innovation
European research and innovation is key for combating climate change, implementing green industrial policy and achieving sustainable development.
Becoming the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050 will not be possible without an ambitious agenda linking research, innovation and investments with reforms and regulations in order to mobilise collective action for climate.
Science is the foundation of evidence-based policies. Research and innovation will drive, navigate and accelerate the European Green Deal and green recovery by setting the direction, testing and delivering solutions, addressing trade-offs and ensuring policy coherence.
Under the research and innovation programme Horizon Europe (2021-2027), new powerful tools – partnerships and missions – will greatly contribute to the Green Deal’s ambitions.
Citizens will be strongly involved in creating and implementing green solutions.
In September 2020 the EU launched a €1 billion Green Deal call under Horizon 2020 to address the urgency of climate action and green recovery.
Policy focus
Funding opportunities
On this page you can find more information, the work programme and a link to the environment-related calls
Loans and grants available to support reforms and investments undertaken by EU countries for a sustainable recovery
Co-financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation research, supporting the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient economy
Environment research related calls may be found in this programme, particularly in the European regional development fund.
Funding for demonstration of innovative low-carbon technologies
COST (European cooperation in science and technology) funds bottom-up, open research and innovation networks
Projects and results
Thematic collections of innovative EU-funded environment research results (CORDIS)
The Commission's primary portal for the results of EU-funded environment research projects
Stories of particularly successful EU-funded environment research projects
Latest news, interviews and features about thought-provoking science and innovative research projects funded by the EU
Dashboard presenting details of all grant agreements managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA). Data includes EU contribution by country, number of projects and beneficiaries
Access to real-time programme data with the ability to filter by country, region, theme and more
Platform where framework programme participants present their results for you to search, contact their owners, and form partnerships
Success stories
Commercial greenhouses in Europe are testing new energy and water efficiency technologies in support of the green transition.
- Project locations
- Switzerland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Tunisia
The EU-funded Nunataryuk project assessed the impacts of thawing coastal and subsea permafrost on the global climate.
- Project locations
- Germany, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom
Collaboration and jobs
Joint Programming initiative aligning national programmes by jointly coordinating their climate research and funding new transnational research activities.
Partnership of funding organisations, international science councils, and regional consortia advancing transdisciplinary science and environmental change research
Multi-stakeholder forum on science, technology and innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals in which the Commission actively participates
Includes a partnership on sustainable land use and nature-based solutions
Joint programme developing solutions to manage water and agri-food systems more sustainably in the Mediterranean
Networking opportunities and marketplace to promote the output of your project or network
Researcher jobs in the field of nature-based solutions
Find partners for open EU calls for proposal
Scientific publications, tools and databases
Online library of EU research publications on environment research
Data and information on biodiversity supporting the EU biodiversity strategy
Scientific environment research publications published by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC)
The Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) compiles databases and develops software and modelling tools. You can access environment research related ones here
Single point of access to open data produced by the EU institutions - all data free to use for commercial and non-commercial purposes
You can access all scientific publications from Horizon 2020 via OpenAIRE
Commission news service covering the latest environmental research findings to support evidence-based policymaking
Cooperation in research and innovation between the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is gaining momentum, with nature-based solutions (NbS) emerging as a central priority.
Latest
Climate change has been on scientists' radar for quite some time, and for decades, the EU and the world have been stepping up its response. For our part in the EU, we’ve already reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 37% since 1990 and we are committed to reaching climate neutrality by 2050.
The 11th Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (#IPBES11) Plenary will take place in Windhoek (Namibia) from 10 to 16 December 2024.
Research and innovation news alert: With the Paris climate targets looking increasingly difficult to achieve, technologies are being proposed to reduce warming by reflecting sunlight away from the Earth.
