Nature-based Solutions for Major Societal Challenges

Generating and Sharing New Knowledge

Knowledge barriers to implementing NbS include the lack of expertise and knowledge throughout the NbS implementation stages, as well as the lack of evidence on NbS performance and their co-benefits (Martin et al., 2025). The European Union’s flagship funding programme ‘Horizon Europe’ is selected here as an example of the knowledge, communication and innovation instruments that can promote NbS research, innovation, and knowledge sharing.

In Horizon Europe (previously Horizon 2020), NbS are supported mainly under the cluster of ‘Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment’ under the ‘Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness’ pillar. Four of the five EU Missions (large-scale initiatives under Horizon Europe with time-bound ambitious measurable goals) are highly related to NbS, namely ‘adaptation to climate change’, ‘climate-neutral and smart cities’, ‘restore our ocean and waters’ and ‘a soil deal for Europe’ (European Commission, n.d.). Projects within and beyond urban areas are both funded, covering a wide range of themes from climate resilience, nature protection and restoration, agroecology and soil management, health and wellbeing, to education, inclusion and co-governance, and nature positive economy (European Commission: European Research Executive Agency, 2024). 

Horizon Europe encourages participation of partners from public and private sectors. To support breakthrough innovations, the European Innovation Council acts as a ‘one-stop-shop’ to help innovative start-ups and SMEs to create markets, leverage private finance, and scale up (European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, 2021). Horizon Europe also encourages international cooperation for NbS. Within Europe, it funds the European Biodiversity Partnership ‘BIODIVERSA+’, the ‘NaturaConnect’ project that supports the development of a trans-European nature network, and a knowledge-sharing and collaboration-fostering platform ‘NETWORKNATURE+’). For partnerships beyond Europe, Horizon 2020 funded Sino-European projects ‘CLEARING HOUSE’ (European Commission: European Research Executive Agency, 2024).

 

Continue to 'Session 4: NbS in Practice—Cases from Europe, Chinese Mainland, and Hong Kong'

 

 

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