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
By rethinking traditional approaches and using nature-based solutions such as parks and green infrastructure we can reconnect fragmented urban communities, supporting happier, healthier citizens.
- Project locations
- Portugal, Belgium, Bulgaria, Poland, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
EU-funded BIPVBOOST project is tackling the cost of integrating photovoltaics into traditional building parts.
- Project locations
- Spain, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland
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
All scientific publications from Horizon Europe and H2020 are accessible via OpenAIRE.
Commission news service covering the latest environmental research findings to support evidence-based policymaking
The main goal of the Mission 'A Soil Deal for Europe' is to establish 100 Living Labs and Lighthouses to lead the transition towards healthy soils by 2030.
Latest
Finalised study summarises and proposes new indicators to quantify circularity for different sectors on different levels of implementation.
Research and innovation news alert: The signature of the EU-Jordan PRIMA Agreement that took place in Brussels on 7 July 2025 formalised Jordan’s participation in PRIMA for the period 2025–2027.
Life sciences – the study of living systems, from cells to ecosystems – are central to our health, environment and economy. They drive innovation in medicine, food and sustainable production, adding nearly €1.5 trillion in value to the EU economy and supporting 29 million jobs across the Union.
