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BiodivERsA - Consolidating the European Research Area (ERA) on biodiversity and ecosystem services
Published on 22 September 2020
France
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About this good practice
The loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems jeopardize the sustainable provision of ecosystem services and are major scientific and societal challenges across Europe. In order to tackle these issues, BiodivERsA aims to strengthen the European Research Area on biodiversity by programming and funding research.
Created in 2005, the network gathers 39 partners from 25 European and associated countries (Romania is represented by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI), with the main objectives of:
• strengthening links between researchers, research programmers, funders and the European Commission;
• engaging stakeholders throughout the whole research process;
• disseminating knowledge, tools and solutions to better manage, conserve and protect biodiversity.
In June 2018 the network became a formal strategic body, the BiodivERsA Partnership, which aims to develop and implement a shared vision and joint activities for biodiversity research over the long term.
BiodivERsA has developed a number of tools to reinforce the capacities of the research community and help researchers to be successful in its funding calls: handbooks, guides, toolkits and a database of research projects, funding programs and research institutes.
The beneficiaries are: researchers, scientists and practitioners carrying out biodiversity research, policy makers, NGOs, natural resource managers, businesses and the general public.
Created in 2005, the network gathers 39 partners from 25 European and associated countries (Romania is represented by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI), with the main objectives of:
• strengthening links between researchers, research programmers, funders and the European Commission;
• engaging stakeholders throughout the whole research process;
• disseminating knowledge, tools and solutions to better manage, conserve and protect biodiversity.
In June 2018 the network became a formal strategic body, the BiodivERsA Partnership, which aims to develop and implement a shared vision and joint activities for biodiversity research over the long term.
BiodivERsA has developed a number of tools to reinforce the capacities of the research community and help researchers to be successful in its funding calls: handbooks, guides, toolkits and a database of research projects, funding programs and research institutes.
The beneficiaries are: researchers, scientists and practitioners carrying out biodiversity research, policy makers, NGOs, natural resource managers, businesses and the general public.
Resources needed
Since 2008, BiodivERsA has launched 10 calls for research projects, the funding for each call being: €14.2M in 2008, €9.6M in 2010-2011, €8.8M in 2011-2012, €8.9M in 2012-2013, €10.2M in 2013-2014, €33M in 2015-2016, €28M in 2017-2018, €11.8M in 2018-2019, €25M in 2019-2020, €24M in 2020-2021.
Evidence of success
Since the first funding call was launched in 2008, BiodivERsA has funded 125 transnational research projects involving 3097 researchers for a total amount of more than 238 million euro. An analysis of the 12 projects funded in the 2008 call on ‘Biodiversity: linking scientific advancement to policy and practice’ found that they were very successful, both in terms of academic excellence and stakeholder/societal relevance.
Potential for learning or transfer
The co-creation of knowledge by scientists and stakeholders is increasingly called for. A range of BiodivERsA resources have been developed to help researchers build their capacity to conduct transdisciplinary research at the science/society/policy interface. The Stakeholder Engagement Handbook is designed to assist research teams in identifying relevant stakeholders to engage with in order to enhance the impact of their work, by presenting case studies that provide clear, simple guidance on ‘why’, ‘who’, ‘when’ and ‘how’ to engage. The Guide on Policy Relevance helps researchers to identify the most relevant policies and policy-making bodies for a given research project. The Citizen Science Toolkit is aimed at researchers involved in projects where citizen science could be used for data collection and/or public/stakeholder engagement. The Handbook on the Use of Biodiversity Scenarios introduces participatory scenario design and the use of biodiversity scenarios in decision-making.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité
France
Ile-de-France
Contact
Project Development Expert