Objective
Despite widespread awareness of biodiversity, meaningful action remains limited due to psychological, emotional, and structural barriers. DRAGONS addresses this ecological paradox by overcoming Dragons of Inaction – multidimensional barriers that constrain engagement – while strategically diffusing solutions across scales and sectors. The project develops and tests biodiversity innovations through five Biodiversity Engagement Domains: rural restoration (Finland), nature-inclusive movements (Netherlands), urban governance (UK), wetland transformation (Colombia), and forest management (Spain). This diversity enables robust testing and strategic diffusion across socio-ecological contexts. We integrate behavioural science, environmental justice, and social innovation to co-create transformative interventions that diffuse through champion networks. The methodology progresses through understanding societal perceptions, co-designing solutions with learning communities, implementing interventions, and establishing mechanisms for scaling impact. Key innovations include the LANTERN (a reflective toolkit for emotional awareness and narrative exploration) and COMPASS (a strategic guide for inclusive governance and citizen participation), emotionally resonant communication strategies, and multi-level champion networks enabling cross-scale diffusion. Biodiversity is framed as a solution to societal challenges such as health, equity, and climate resilience. DRAGONS addresses polarisation and empowers inclusive policymaking, contributing to the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the EU Nature Restoration Law, and broader efforts to embed nature restoration into democratic governance and climate adaptation. It creates pathways for citizen engagement that are emotionally grounded, socially inclusive, and structurally supported.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- social sciences sociology governance
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences sustainability sciences
- engineering and technology environmental engineering ecosystem-based management climate change adaptation
- agricultural sciences agriculture, forestry, and fisheries forestry silviculture
- social sciences political sciences political policies civil society
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.2.6 - Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
MAIN PROGRAMME
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HORIZON.2.6.2 - Biodiversity and Natural Resources
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL6-2025-01
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
CV1 5FB Coventry
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.