Call: Inside and outside: educational innovation with nature-based solutions

Places and people matter to the achievement of a more sustainable Europe. The Sustainable Development Goals and the ecological and digital transitions brought forward by the European Green Deal [[https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/european-green-deal_en]] and digital strategy [[https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/europe-fit-digital-age/shaping-europe-digital-future_en]], alongside the recent pandemic, bring challenges and opportunities that differ for different places and people. Rural (including mountains and sparsely populated areas) and coastal areas, play a key role in managing, protecting and using natural resources. The provision of both private and public goods from these areas depends on the resilience and attractiveness of rural and coastal communities and the capacity of people who live and work there to access a sufficient level of well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted deficiencies in digital infrastructures and economic opportunities that hamper resilience. Urban communities generally offer better access to many services but are also more vulnerable to supply-chain disruptions, as shown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, they have a key role to play in fostering sustainable production and consumption as major demand drivers. In all communities, social and behavioural drivers play an important role in enabling or slowing down transitions. Knowledge and innovative solutions need to be developed to enhance every community’s resilience and capacity to contribute to and benefit from the upcoming transitions in an economy that works for all territories and ensures a fair and just transition leaving no one behind.

Under this destination, transdisciplinary R&I with a strong social and behavioural sciences dimension, and attention to gender aspects, will foster a sustainable, balanced and inclusive development of rural [[R&I will support the implementation of an EU-level long-term vision for rural areas to be published in the 2nd quarter of 2021.]], coastal and urban areas in three different ways. Firstly, it will aim to increase our understanding of the differential impacts of climate, environmental, socio-economic and demographic changes on rural, coastal and urban areas in order to identify ways to turn these changes into equal opportunities for people wherever they live, enhancing territorial cohesion and enabling a just transition. Secondly, it will explore innovative ways to tailor policy responses to the place-based challenges identified at various levels of governance. Thirdly, it will support bottom-up community-led innovation to empower communities to develop, test and upscale solutions that answer global challenges in locally adapted ways. Achieving policy goals require providing people with more equitable access to the knowledge and skills required to make informed choices and be actively engaged in the sustainable and circular management of natural resources, from production or service provision to consumption. Rural, coastal and urban communities, in particular women, youth, the most vulnerable groups like indigenous people and those hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, need to see their labour conditions, quality of life and long-term socio-economic prospects improved in the context of major transitions and rising threats to climate, resources and health. Their capacity to drive community-led innovations must be enhanced and their resilience increased across the diversity of European territories including remote places such as mountains and sparsely populated areas. Mobilising the forces of digital transformation, start-up ecosystems, nature-based solutions, as well as social and policy innovation will facilitate necessary changes and support smart, environment and climate friendly and resilient lifestyles.

Activities under this destination are complementary to Cluster 2 activities with attention to spatial differences and specifics in relation with democracy (Destination ‘Innovative research on democracy and governance’), socio-economic transformations (Destination ‘Innovative research on social and economic transformation’) and cultural heritage (Destination ‘Innovative research on the European cultural heritage and the cultural and creative industries). They are also complementary to Cluster 5’s Destination ‘Cross-sectoral solutions for the climate transition’ on cities and communities that should explore place-based approaches to climate, energy and mobility specifically for all places.

To maximise the intended impacts and to ensure uptake by the communities, actions in the cluster should aim for high standards of transparency and openness for the solutions developed, going beyond ex-post documentation of results and extending to aspects such as assumptions, processes, models and data during the life of projects.

Expected impacts

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities and more specifically one or several of the following expected impacts:

• Rural, coastal and urban areas are developed in a sustainable, balanced and inclusive manner thanks to a better understanding of the environmental, socio-economic, behavioural, cultural and demographic drivers of change as well as deployment of digital, nature-based, social and community-led innovations.
• Rural, coastal and urban communities are empowered to act for change, better prepared to achieve climate neutrality, adapt to climate change, and turn digital and ecological transitions into increased resilience to various types of shocks, good health and positive long-term prospects, including jobs, for all including women, young people and vulnerable groups.
• Rural communities are equipped with innovative and smarter solutions that increase access to services, opportunities and adequate innovation ecosystems, including for women, youth and the most vulnerable groups, improve attractiveness and reduce the feeling of being left behind, even in the most remote locations like mountains.
• The sustainable development of coastal areas including coastal protection and resilience reaps the benefits of social, digital and community-led innovations, to deliver nature-based and scientifically validated solutions to existing coastal socio-economic and environmental threats. In this way, applications of new social, economic and governance frameworks are enabled.
• Tourism, recreational and leisure activity development in natural and coastal areas respects long-term environmental carrying capacity, and social goals.
• Urban and peri-urban communities – including the most vulnerable individuals and families – can access, afford and choose healthier, nutritious and environmental-friendly food.

When considering their impact, proposals also need to assess their compliance with the “Do No Significant Harm” principle [[as per Article 17 of Regulation (EU) No 2020/852 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment (EU Taxonomy Regulation)]] according to which the research and innovation activities of the project should not be supporting or carrying out activities that make a significant harm to any of the six environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy Regulation.

Topics under this destination will have impacts in the following impact areas of the Horizon Europe strategic plan for 2021-2024 [[[Link to the strategic plan]]]: “Climate change mitigation and adaptation”; “Enhancing ecosystems and biodiversity on land and in water”; “Sustainable food systems from farm to fork”; “Good health and high-quality accessible healthcare”; “A resilient EU prepared for emerging threats”; “A competitive and secure data-economy”; and “Inclusive growth and new job opportunities”.

Expected Outcome:

A successful proposal will contribute to the EU’s goal of leading just digital, economic and ecological transitions that will leave no one behind, supporting in particular European Green Deal priorities such as the biodiversity strategy for 2030. It will support the empowerment of rural, coastal and urban communities to act for change and to contribute to the Green Deal objectives through education and upgraded skills regarding the design, implementation and benefits of nature-based solutions (NBS). By doing so, communities will be better prepared to adapt to climate change through the deployment of NBS, and turn digital and ecological transitions into increased resilience and positive long-term prospects, including jobs for all, notably for young people.

Project results are expected to contribute to all following expected outcomes:

• Increased awareness of the value of NBS to educate children and young people in an innovative and holistic way, developing 21st century competencies, values and attitudes through an active and engaging pedagogy.
• NBS teaching programmes and materials are more widely available across the EU.
• Local communities across the EU are stimulated to co-create NBS, thus contributing to greater upscaling and impact of these solutions.
• Increase awareness and long-term public engagement on NBS and their benefits, enhancing citizens' capacity to act as responsible and participative actors in a knowledge-based society.

Scope:

Citizens and experts have identified better awareness of the opportunities, benefits, and limitations of nature-based solutions (NBS) as one of the main factors that could facilitate the transition to more sustainable cities and territories, and help build physical and mental resilience. Examples of NBS include green roofs and green walls that cool down cities in the summer; parks that may contribute to air purification and provide leisure and exercise opportunities to citizens; green corridors connecting natural areas; urban food gardens, etc.

NBS build on nature and ecosystems to deliver social, ecological, and economic benefits, increasing biodiversity and contributing to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Their large educational potential remains quite unexplored, whilst innovative programmes and resources around NBS for children and families have only recently started to appear in formal and informal education. Building on scientific evidence and experiences from NBS projects in cities and involving teachers in different countries, an educational pilot study in 2020 exploited research results to develop educational programmes and resources, raising awareness on NBS and their benefits in primary and secondary schools.

The scope of the present topic is to upscale that pilot, broaden its geographical and educational reach, and increase its impact. The successful proposal should set up a multidisciplinary, pan-European network of education professionals, researchers, public authorities, multipliers and civil society to integrate and help create awareness and mainstream NBS-related EU research and innovation into primary and secondary schools, vocational training and higher education centres (e.g. architecture and engineering), influencers, mass media and other multipliers.

The successful proposal should develop learning scenarios, formal and informal education activities and training programmes for teachers to mainstream biodiversity and NBS in education at all levels, in a broad range of disciplines (not exclusively STEM), adaptable, freely available in all European languages, to be used inside and outside (remote learning, classroom, in/with nature, outdoors).

Actions should build on the results of the pilot project and the growing corpus of EU-funded project results, networks and initiatives to develop innovative, open-access educational programmes and materials to raise awareness on NBS and their social, economic and environmental benefits among children, young people and their families in an interdisciplinary, problem-based learning approach. They should combine the use of ICT (e.g. games, apps, etc), remote learning, audio-visual productions and social media with real-life experiences in nature and local NBS, such as educational green roofs and urban gardens. All programmes and materials should be tested in a network of pilots and should convey a call for action for students to engage with local stakeholders (e.g. involving celebrities as NBS 'ambassadors', where appropriate) and reflect on the different ethical, economic, environmental and social aspects related to NBS, including gender aspects. Responsible research and innovation (RRI) guidelines and tools should be applied. The work that the JRC may have developed on a competence framework for sustainability during the lifetime of the project should also be taken into account.

Relationships should be considered between educational programmes, together with practitioners and policy-makers (e.g. linking up living-lab models and embedding demonstration approaches and NBS projects in conjunction with local schools, universities and colleges).

Proposals should ensure that all evidence, information and project outputs will be openly accessible through the Oppla (the EU repository for NBS) and Scientix (the community for science education) portals.

Applicants should create synergies with projects under the same topic and other relevant ongoing or up-coming projects, notably the Horizon 2020 NBS project portfolio and its task forces; ‘HORIZON-CL6-2021-BIODIV-01-05: The economics of nature-based solutions: cost-benefit analysis, market development and funding’; ‘HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-01-03: Network for nature: multi-stakeholder dialogue platform to promote nature-based solutions’; ‘HORIZON-CL6-2022-COMMUNITIES-01-05: Assessing the socio-politics of nature-based solutions for more inclusive and resilient communities’; ‘HORIZON-CL6-2022-COMMUNITIES-02-02-two-stage: Developing nature-based therapy for health and well-being’. To this end, proposals should include dedicated tasks and appropriate resources for coordination measures, foresee joint activities and joint deliverables.

Social innovation is recommended when the solution is at the socio-technical interface and requires social change, new social practices, social ownership or market uptake.

This topic should involve the effective contribution of SSH disciplines.

eligible non-EU countries:

• countries associated to Horizon Europe

• low-and middle-income countries

Legal entities which are established in countries not listed above will be eligible for funding if provided for in the specific call conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.

Specific cases:

• Affiliated entities - Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the countries listed above.
• EU bodies - Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive funding, unless their basic act states otherwise.
• International organisations - International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. Unless their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority, other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’actions and when provided for in the specific call conditions.

Unless otherwise provided for in the specific call conditions , legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes:

• at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State;and
• at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.

Proposal page limits and layout:

The application form will have two parts:

• Part A to be filled in directly online  (administrative information, summarised budget, call-specific questions, etc.)
• Part B to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system

Page limit - Part B: 30 pages