The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) is launching a series of calls for grants that aim to support transformative projects, based on science and the solutions provided by nature to promote green recovery. In total, it will invest 88.75 million euros to support ambitious, scalable projects with lasting results over time, which promote the ecological transition. The calls, which are published on a competitive basis, aim to support large and ambitious transformative projects that promote the ecological transition and green recovery.

In total, five calls have been published to respond to the following objectives: renaturalisation and resilience of cities; support for research programmes and projects in the field of biodiversity management; development of transformative scientific-technical projects for the promotion of the bioeconomy and its contribution to the ecological transition; reinforcement of stranding and rescue networks of marine species; and support to CITES centres.

The call for cities will promote projects that contribute to urban renaturation through the development of green infrastructures and the connectivity of green and blue spaces, through direct interventions. Its objective is to strengthen the role of nature in urban environments to increase their biodiversity and improve people’s quality of life and health. It will be essential that the projects are framed in long-term municipal strategies, the elaboration of which can also be financed. This call will have an endowment of 58 million euros (between 2 and 4 million euros per project) and provincial capitals and municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants will be eligible for it, which may be grouped with other entities and bordering municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants.

The grants aimed at supporting research programmes and projects in the field of biodiversity management will promote the generation and application of scientific knowledge for better decision-making in three priority lines of research: energy transition and terrestrial and marine biodiversity, biodiversity and protected marine areas and promotion of biological corridors and green infrastructures. The call, which may be applied for by scientific entities, is endowed with 2.5 million euros, with a maximum of 400,000 euros per project, for projects with a maximum duration until December 31, 2025.

The objective of the call for transformative projects of a scientific-technical nature for the promotion of the bioeconomy and the contribution to the ecological transition is to promote the role of nature as a driver of a new model of sustainable, inclusive and fair development, respectful of ecosystems and biodiversity. To this end, it will focus on activities such as organic farming, extensive livestock, sustainable forest harvesting and non-timber forest use, sustainable tourism and leisure, linked to ecological restoration actions, actions for the conservation of pollinators, land stewardship, climate change mitigation and adaptation actions, initiatives that involve the reduction of the use of raw materials and promotion of entrepreneurship and, in short, to the generation of green jobs. A total of 20 million euros is reserved for these grants, and the amounts will range from 250,000 euros to 2 million euros per project. This call is aimed at entities of the environmental third sector, entities and non-profit organizations, in coordination with public research organizations, public universities and technology centers.

In order to strengthen the stranding and rescue networks of marine species, focused on responding to the accidental capture of marine species, 4.25 million euros are planned for aid of between 50,000 and 400,000 euros. Its beneficiaries may be non-profit organisations, public universities and their university institutes and the Autonomous Communities.

Finally, a line of aid is launched to support CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) centres and thus strengthen the response for the rescue and reception of live specimens of species included in this agreement. The grants may reach up to 200,000 euros per proposal, out of a total of 4 million euros, and non-profit organizations and for-profit societies designated as CITES rescue centers will be eligible for them.