Biodiversa+ is the European Biodiversity Partnership supporting excellent research on biodiversity with impact on society and policy, and promoting the harmonisation of biodiversity monitoring schemes across Europe.
Biodiversa+ is co-funded by the European Commission (DG Research & Innovation and DG Environment) and was officially launched on 1 October 2021, building on over 15 years of legacy from BiodivERsA.
It is part of the European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 that aims to put Europe’s biodiversity on a path to recovery by 2030. Promoting transformative change, Biodiversa+ seeks to link science, policy, and practice. It currently gathers over 80 research programmers, funders and environmental policy actors from more than 40 European and associated countries to work on 5 main objectives:
1. Support and promote biodiversity research and innovation through our annual call for transnational research projects and capacity building activities;
2. Set up a network of harmonised schemes to improve monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem services across Europe;
3. Contribute to Nature-based Solutions deployment and make the business case for biodiversity ;
4. Ensure efficient science-based support for policymaking and implementation in Europe;
5. Strengthen the relevance and impact of pan-European research on biodiversity in a global context.
Belgian partners of Biodiversa+ include the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO), the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) and the Fonds de la recherche scientifique (FRS-FNRS).
The Belgian Biodiversity Platform is implementing tasks for Biodiversa+ on behalf of BELSPO. We are particularly active in:
- Science-policy / science-society interfacing (e.g. elaboration of policy briefs, organisation of workshops, co-production of handbooks and toolkits).
- Mapping activities (e.g. management of the Biodiversa+ databases, analysis of national research strategies) and identification of research priorities (e.g. Nature-based Solutions).
- Communication, by hosting the Biodiversa+ communication team and by giving more visibility to the Biodiversa+ projects and releases, including through the production of videos.
- Coordination of the Partnership, by hosting the Chair and Coordinator of Biodiversa+.
- Interaction with other science-policy interfacing bodies (e.g. IPBES, Alternet, NetworkNature).
We are also linking Belgian researchers with the European Biodiversity Partnership by communicating on research funding, events and useful tools.
WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?
Get funding for your research! See Biodiversa+ annual calls
Consult the Biodiversa+ databases to retrieve information on biodiversity research: past and current funding programmes on biodiversity in Europe (including thematic and blue sky programmes, grants, fellowships and studentships), research organisations, and project-leading researchers.
As a policy maker, read policy briefs produced by Biodiversa+.
As a researcher, make use of the useful guides and tools developed by Biodiversa+