Bioremediation of Ukraine’s ecosystems contaminated by conflicts

Overview

Funding for consortia developing and deploying innovative biotechnology and nature-based solutions to remediate conflict-induced contamination in Ukraine’s ecosystems, supporting biodiversity, zero-pollution goals, and long-term environmental resilience.

Who Can Apply

Consortia including land managers, administrators from Ukraine, local academic and research institutions, SMEs, and other eligible entities from EU Member States, Associated Countries, and specified third countries. Entities directly or indirectly controlled by China are excluded.

Funding Details

Maximum grant amount: 10,000,000 EUR. Funding is provided as a lump sum.

What Is Funded

• Assessment of soil, air, and water contamination in Ukraine due to conflicts, including prioritisation and monitoring using Earth observations, AI, and autonomous systems.
• Development and testing of cost-effective biotechnology and nature-based solutions (e.g., phytoremediation) for decontamination and bioremediation.
• Demonstration of techniques in selected Ukrainian areas, with monitoring of effectiveness and ecosystem resilience.
• Evaluation of socio-economic impacts on populations, particularly vulnerable groups, with transparent stakeholder engagement.
• Policy recommendations for EU and international relief organisations, supporting potential EU accession and global biodiversity/climate commitments.
• Collaboration with Mission Soil projects, SoilWise, and the EU Soil Observatory (EUSO) to ensure data compatibility and FAIR principles.

Technology / Maturity Requirements

Projects must achieve Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 6-8 by completion.

Key Dates

• Open date: 2026-04-16
• Deadline: 2026-09-16

Application Process (High-Level)

Single-stage application process. Proposals must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Geographic Scope & Language

Eligible countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, Switzerland. Application language: English.

Notes

• Proposals must align with the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, EU Bioeconomy Strategy, and EU Biotech Act.
• Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS data is mandatory for satellite-based activities.
• Social sciences and humanities (SSH) must be integrated to assess population impacts.
• Data produced must adhere to FAIR principles and be compatible with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).