Better understanding of routes of exposure and toxicological and ecological impacts of chemical pollution on terrestrial biodiversity

Closed

Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

Horizon Europe (2021-2027)

Programme Description

Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.

Programme Details

Identifier Code

HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01-1

Call

Better understanding of routes of exposure and toxicological and ecological impacts of chemical pollution on terrestrial biodiversity

Summary

This topic aims at better understanding the routes of exposure and toxicological and ecological impacts of chemical pollution (excluding industrial contamination) on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystems (Area A).
Successful proposals are expected to assess the effects and impact of chemical pollutants, in particular the most dangerous substances from agriculture, on the condition of the biodiversity and ecosystems in natural environment (this may include environmental and host associated microbiomes) and consequently on human health, and identify preventive and mitigation measures. It is important to pay special attention to the fact that the reduction in the population of pollinating insects caused, inter alia, by the excessive use of pesticides in EU agriculture also contributes to reducing the amount of food for birds, reducing the regulation of pests, diseases and invasive alien species. More knowledge is also needed on additional negative impacts from other contaminants of emerging concern, including pharmaceuticals such as hormones and antibiotics, veterinary products and persistent e.g., bio-accumulative substances.

Detailed Call Description

Area A: better understanding the routes of exposure of the wild fauna and flora to chemical pollution
Successful proposals should:

  • Choose case studies, based on an analysis of chemical contaminations from an environmental history perspective, with representative species on which analysis will be undertaken. Addressing trophic chains is encouraged,
  • Develop a method to establish the routes of contamination with chemicals. Priority should be given to cases with potential contamination with chemical pesticides and their metabolites; contaminants of emerging concern, including pharmaceuticals such as hormones and antibiotics, veterinary products and persistent e.g., bio-accumulative substances, SVHC (Substance of Very High Concern) and emerging pollutants. Other substances in particular micro- and nano-plastics are not excluded. Existing contaminations of the environment (legacy) especially from pesticides should also be considered. However industrial contamination is not in the scope of this topic;
  • Establish the routes of contamination of the chosen representative species with chemicals, in the case studies,
  • Assess the risks resulting from such contaminations for species, for ecosystems and for the local environment, including development of effect-based approach to consider mixture effects and synergies,
  • In particular, establish models to link chemical ecotoxicity stress to damages on (a) genetic diversity, (b) functional diversity, and (c) ecosystem services.

Area B: pollinators and pesticides
Successful proposals should:

  • Characterise sources and routes of pesticide exposure in the key pollinator groups (wild bees, butterflies, hoverflies and moths),
  • Investigate sensitivity of pollinators to pesticides and identify for each pollinator group sensitive species that: i) are suitable as test organisms in the risk assessment and ii) require safeguards that would indirectly protect other species within the same group (“umbrella effect”),
  • Improve prediction of the toxicity endpoints, toxic units for chemicals and data poor compounds (e.g., Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models),
  • Develop toxicokinetic and toxicodynamic data and models for single and multiple chemicals,
  • Generate combined toxicity data (lethal and sublethal effects) of multiple chemicals, improving the availability of data in particular for: i) chronic combined toxicity that would make it possible to identify potential interactions that may lead to deviation from dose addition (potentiation, synergism) and ii) sublethal effects.
  • Investigate synergistic effects of typical combinations of pesticides (e.g., based on residue data),
  • Devise and test monitoring schemes for establishing the level of contamination of pollen/nectar/water/plant matrices/soil that can support benchmarking in a predictive risk assessment, development of risk indicators and a system-based risk assessment,
  • Develop an open source curated database on pollinators and the use of pesticides which would include data and information on: i) exposure and hazard, ii) lethal and sublethal effects, toxicokinetics as well as other stressors (e.g., other chemicals, nutrition, etc.) that could amplify the adverse effects through interaction with pesticides,
  • Develop methodologies for risk assessment in open-source tools including toxic units approaches using lethal and sublethal effects as well as validated in silico models applying dose addition as the default model or models integrating synergistic effects,
  • Develop population models and landscape modelling for the risk assessment of multiple chemicals in pollinators with an aim to integrate hazard and exposure information.

Call Total Budget

€22,00 million

Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan

100%

EU Contribution per project: €5,50 million

Thematic Categories

  • Agriculture - Farming - Forestry
  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Health
  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation
  • Rural development

Eligibility for Participation

  • Associations
  • Central Government
  • Farmers Unions
  • Farmers, Agriculturalists
  • Large Enterprises
  • NGOs
  • Non Profit Organisations
  • Other Beneficiaries
  • Private Bodies
  • Producer Associations
  • Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
  • Semi-governmental organisations
  • Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
  • State-owned Enterprises

Eligibility For Participation Notes

Targets groups for this Area are notably regulatory bodies, farmers and other land managers organisations, civil society, local and regional decision –makers.

Call Opening Date

22/12/2022

Call Closing Date

28/03/2023

National Contact Point(s)

Research and Innovation Foundation

29a Andrea Michalakopoulou Street, 1075 Nicosia
T.Th. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
+357 22205000
Email: support@research.org.cy

Contact Persons:
Marcia Trillidou
Scientific Officer A’
Email: trillidou@research.org.cy

Dr. Mary Economou
Scientific Officer
Email: meconomou@research.org.cy

(Publish Date: 14/02/2023-for internal use only)

EU Contact Point

European Commission, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/research-and-innovation_en#contact