Call: Transformations to sustainability

• Health, demographic change and wellbeing;
• Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine and maritime and inland water research, and the Bioeconomy;
• Secure, clean and efficient energy;
• Smart, green and integrated transport;
• Climate action, environment, resource efficiency and raw materials;
• Europe in a changing world - inclusive, innovative and reflective societies;
• Secure societies - protecting freedom and security of Europe and its citizens.

This Subprogramme aims to achieve a resource- and water-efficient economoy and society that is also resilient to climate change. Furthermore, it seeks to promote the protection and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems. Lastly, the Programme also supports the sustainable supply and use of raw materials, in order to meet the needs of a growing global population within the sustainable limits of the planet's natural resources and eco-systems.

Climate change, environmental degradation and resource pressures have created unprecedented situations for societies worldwide. Today’s urgent challenges of global environmental change will require not only scientific advances and technological adjustments but also deep and enduring social change. A comprehensive new approach to research and action on global environmental change and sustainability is needed that promotes solutions that are at the same time ecologically sound, economically viable and socially just. A new approach to sustainability research from the angle of social transformation will require the active contribution and pro-active leadership from social sciences and humanities disciplines, in terms of bringing relevant existing knowledge, framing the research questions, designing and implementing the research, and helping to derive effective, equitable and durable solutions to global sustainability challenges with a genuine involvement of relevant societal stakeholder groups at all stages of the research and policy process.

At least three legal entities. Each of the three must be established in a different EU Member State or Horizon 2020 associated country. All three legal entities must be independent of each other. Participants in ERA-NET Cofund actions must be ‘research funders’, i.e. legal entities owning or managing public research and innovation programmes. 

Funding rate: 100%

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the range of 3 million € would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.