<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div style="text-align: center; "></div><div style="text-align: center; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4" color="#00afaf"><b></b></font></div><div style="text-align: center; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4" color="#00afaf"><b><br></b></font></div><div style="text-align: center; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4" color="#00afaf"><b>BiodivERsA3 2015 Joint Call for International Research Proposals on:</b></font></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4" color="#00afaf"><b>“Understanding and managing biodiversity dynamics to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services in a global change context:</b></font></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="4" color="#00afaf"><b>the cases of (1) soils and sediments, and (2) land- river- and sea-scapes (habitat connectivity, green and blue infrastructures, and naturing cities)”</b></font></span></div><div style="text-align: center; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">We are pleased to announce the launch of the BiodivERsA 2015 pan-European call for research proposals on: “Understanding and managing biodiversity dynamics to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services in a global change context: the cases of (1) soils and sediments, and (2) land- river- and sea-scapes (habitat connectivity, green and blue infrastructures, and naturing cities)”.</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">The call, co-funded by the European Commission, will address the following two themes:</font></div><ul class="MailOutline"><li><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><b><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00afaf">Theme 1:</font></b> Understanding and managing the biodiversity dynamics of soils and sediments to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services;</font></li><li><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><b><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00afaf">Theme 2:</font></b> Understanding and managing biodiversity dynamics in land-, river- and sea-scapes (habitat connectivity, green and blue infrastructures, and naturing cities) to improve ecosystem functioning and delivery of ecosystem services.</font></li></ul><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB">The main scientific themes and priorities for this call are further detailed in the </span><a href="http://www.biodiversa.org/781"><span lang="EN-GB">complete announcement of opportunity</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">Please note that proposals can only address one of the two themes listed above.</font></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB">Twenty five national/regional funding organisation<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00ff00">*</font> </span><span lang="EN-GB">from 16 countries are joining this call: <b>Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, The Netherlands<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008383">**</font>, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey.</b></span></font></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00ff00">*</font> Note that overseas countries and territories participate to this call with specific funding </font></span></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#008383">**</font> Participation of the Netherlands in the call is still under consideration</font></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">Together with the European Commission, the BiodivERsA partners have provisionally reserved ca. €30 million for this call.</font></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB">Scientific teams are invited to form international consortia comprising at least </span><span lang="EN-GB">three research groups from at least three countries</span><span lang="EN-GB"> participating in the BiodivERsA call</span><span lang="EN-GB">, except for proposals including research groups from outermost regions for which it suffices if the research groups come from two different countries and the proposal concerns three different funding organisations.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">Proposals should clearly demonstrate an added value linked to the pan-European nature of the projects, and should fulfil criteria of scientific excellence and relevance to policy and practice.</font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span lang="EN-GB">For more information on the eligibility and evaluation criteria, please consult the </span><a href="http://www.biodiversa.org/741"><span lang="EN-GB">BiodivERsA website</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span lang="EN-GB">.</span></span></font></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB"><br></span></font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB">A two-step process will apply, with a mandatory submission of pre-proposals at first step. Pre-proposals and p</span><span lang="EN-GB">roposals (in English) must be submitted electronically on the submission website. You will find instructions for electronic submission on the BiodivERsA website.</span> </font></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span lang="EN-GB">Please note that the individual Partner in a project must comply with the </span><span lang="EN-GB">eligibility criteria and rules of their funding organisation. Please consult your Funding organisation rules documents and contact your Funding organisation Contact Points (FCP) (both lists are available on the <a href="http://www.biodiversa.org/785">BiodivERsA website)</a></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span lang="EN-GB"> to check your eligibility before submitting a proposal. We draw your attention on the fact that compliance to funding organisation eligibility criteria and rules is mandatory – proposals that do not meet these criteria will be declined without further review.</span></span></font></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; "><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><b>TIMELINE</b></font></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; "><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><b><br></b></font></span></div></font><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">Release date of the call: Thursday 14 May 2015</font></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#00afaf" face="Arial"><b>Deadline for submission of pre-proposals (mandatory): Monday 20 July 2015, 17:00 GMT +1:00</b></font></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial">Deadline for submission of full-proposals: between December 2015 and February 2016</font></span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left; "><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><b>MORE INFORMATION</b></font></span></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></div><ul class="MailOutline"><li><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#003749">For more information on the call,</font> please consult the </span><a href="http://www.biodiversa.org/741"><span lang="EN-GB">BiodivERsA website</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">.</span></font></li></ul><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>You will find there the </span><a href="http://www.biodiversa.org/781"><span lang="EN-GB">complete announcement of opportunity</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">, </span><a href="http://www.biodiversa.org/784"><span lang="EN-GB">detailed rules and procedures of the call</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span lang="EN-GB"> including selection criteria and submission forms</span></span><span lang="EN-GB">, </span><a href="http://www.biodiversa.org/785"><span lang="EN-GB">the lists of Funding organisations’ rules and FCPs</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">, </span><span lang="EN-GB">and </span><a href="http://www.biodiversa.org/786"><span lang="EN-GB">a partner search tool</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">.</span></font></div><div><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></span></div><ul class="MailOutline"><li><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#003749">For specific questions related to the criteria and rules of your funding organisation</font>, please </span><a href="http://www.biodiversa.org/785"><span lang="EN-GB">consult your FCP</span></a><span lang="EN-GB">.</span></font></li></ul><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><br></font></div><ul class="MailOutline"><li><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#003749">For general information on the call</font>, please contact the Call Secretariat: </font></li></ul><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>Cécile NIVET, Scientific project manager, +33 1 80 48 83 56, </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="mailto:cecile.nivet@agencerecherche.fr">cecile.nivet@agencerecherche.fr</a></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span lang="EN-GB"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "> </span>Sophie GERMANN, Scientific project manager, +33 1 80 48 83 56, </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="mailto:sophie.germann@agencerecherche.fr">sophie.germann@agencerecherche.fr</a></span> </font></div></body></html>