Advancing interdisciplinary, data-driven research at the biodiversity- health interface under a One Health approach

Expected Outcome

Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• public authorities, researchers and policymakers have access to robust knowledge foundations and analytical frameworks that enable inter- and transdisciplinary biodiversity-related research and collaboration, address interdependencies and strengthen the operationalisation of the One Health and Planetary Health approaches;
• researchers, public authorities and global organisations have access to Findable Accessible Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR) data[1] supported by enhanced digital infrastructures. These data will build on improved identification, mobilisation and interoperability of existing data across thematic areas relevant to ecosystem and wildlife health, the main drivers of biodiversity loss and their impacts on human and animal health;
• researchers, affected communities, food producers, data scientists, public authorities, healthcare professionals and animal health professionals, policymakers, risk assessors civil society organisations, private sector actors, societal partners and other stakeholders can assess the health benefits and risk prevention associated with maintaining, improving and restoring ecosystem health. These stakeholders will also be supported in applying evidence-based and tested recommendations, tools and solutions to effectively mainstream biodiversity in the operationalisation of One Health and Planetary Health approaches through biodiversity conservation and restoration actions and multi-host disease prevention.

Scope

A holistic life and environmental sciences approach that protects ecosystem, human and animal health must account for interdependencies between biodiversity and health domains. Inter- and transdisciplinary research supporting holistic approaches such as One Health and Planetary Health faces persistent barriers related to data quality, fragmentation, accessibility and interoperability, which should be addressed according to the FAIR principles.

This topic is expected to support the objectives of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030[2], the implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation[3], the European Data Union Strategy[4], the Strategy for European Life Sciences[5], the EU Global Health Strategy[6], the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework[7], the EU One Health Approach and the global One Health agenda.

Proposals under this topic should focus on the development of use cases that will tackle the main barriers to the operationalisation of interdisciplinary research and research results at the interface of wildlife and ecosystem health, husbandry, animal, plant and human health.

Proposals should cover all the following aspects (use cases, data sharing and interoperability, proof of concept) and most of the interconnected activities:

• Develop thematic use cases: Develop thematic use cases (minimum six) to test and address critical challenges for biodiversity-focused inter- and transdisciplinary research. Taken together, the six complementary use cases should collectively address the most significant drivers (including their possible interactions) of biodiversity loss (land and sea use change, direct exploitation, climate change, pollution to air, water and soil, invasive alien and proliferating species) and their impacts on health. Health outcomes should include -but not be limited to- human health (infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases including mental health). Use cases including infectious diseases should consider the wildlife-domesticated animals interface, including multi-host pathogens and spillover. Where relevant, proposals may consider the impacts of large-scale natural or anthropogenic disturbances or environmental emergencies on ecosystem, animal and human health. Use cases should be explicitly grounded in biodiversity and ecosystem health and designed to support inter- and transdisciplinary analysis across relevant thematic domains, including a mandatory link to human health. Use cases should cover, considered together, at least three different ecosystem types across terrestrial, freshwater and marine realms and different biogeographical regions.
• Enhance data sharing and interoperability across thematic domains to support the use cases:
• Select and mobilise existing datasets (new datasets might be collected only if identified as crucial knowledge gaps) across domains for the use cases; and identify critical data gaps including in view of European data sovereignty. Promote inter- and transdisciplinary research across thematic domains and data sharing practices.
• Promote inter- and transdisciplinary research across thematic domains, in particular between Life Sciences and Environmental domains, enabled through collaborations within the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)[8] Federation and with other initiatives such as the Common European Data Spaces.
• Develop and validate analytical and Data Source Integration tools (including through the use of AI models when appropriate), building harmonised ontologies and create reporting standards that facilitate interoperability of domains.
• Provide data and software governance recommendations and embed FAIR principles (and CARE[9] principles when relevant) across data and tools governance.
• Develop a proof of concept for a holistic One Health approach:
• Build on results from the use cases to develop a proof of concept based on full integration across domains to demonstrate how holistic approaches such as One Health or Planetary health can enhance resilience to threats such as biodiversity loss, ecosystem degradation, diseases/pests, pollution and climate change.
• Develop evidence-based actionable outputs such as recommendations, guidelines interoperable indicators and decision-support tools to enhance and support the integration and implementation of One Health and biodiversity initiatives by policymakers and relevant public authorities.

Proposals are encouraged to leverage the use of EOSC and/or other Common European Data Spaces for the development of digital services and analytical tools, as well as for the usage and enhancement of their infrastructures and datasets, ensuring robust, validated, and high-quality data that support sustainability, interoperability and cross-domain integration. Proposals are moreover encouraged to make use of the relevant facilities and services of the European research infrastructures[10] that support interdisciplinary research contributing to the One Health approach, including through their connection to EOSC.

Proposals are encouraged to apply a multi-actor approach, including data providers and Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines, to support the above-mentioned systemic One Health-biodiversity integration and evidence-based decision-making and produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. Proposals should seek early and structured engagement with relevant stakeholders to support uptake of the developed guidance, including with relevant international organisations supporting the One Health framework and EU and national agencies responsible for human, animal and environmental risk assessment. International cooperation and participation of outermost regions are encouraged.

Proposals should capitalise on research findings, datasets and tools from recent or on-going EU funded projects and initiatives and gaps identified in relevant research agendas[11].

Proposals could consider the inclusion of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). The JRC has wide experience in interdisciplinary analysis of environmental data and its implications for human and ecosystem health and can contribute to the project by sharing expertise and tools. In that respect, the JRC will consider collaborating with any successful proposal and this collaboration, when relevant, should be established after the proposal’s approval.

In order to increase synergies and the impact of the projects, all proposals selected for funding should form a cluster and are expected to participate in common networking and joint activities, including with projects from other calls where deemed appropriate. These activities should be included in a dedicated work package, having sufficient budget allocated to it. These activities may include:

• a common dissemination and communication strategy;
• common Data Management Strategy and Common Policy Strategy (including joint policy briefs);
• thematic workshops/trainings/working groups on issues of common interest (e.g. data management and exchange);
• close cooperation with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity (KCBD)[12] and its Science Service, including participating in answering science to policy requests.

[1] FAIR data are data which meet the principles of findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability. Data may include, amongst others, exploitation of information, digital research data generated in the action, data from European research infrastructures and programmes such as Copernicus, European Space Agency and the GEO initiative. For further details, see the FAIR principles website (https://www.go-fair.org/fair-principles), the FAIR cookbook (https://faircookbook.elixir-europe.org/content/home.html) and the guides for researchers on how to make your data FAIR (https://www.openaire.eu/how-to-make-your-data-fair).

[2] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/strategy/biodiversity-strategy-2030_en

[3] https://environment.ec.europa.eu/topics/nature-and-biodiversity/nature-restoration-regulation_en

[4] https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/data-union

[5] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-research-and-innovation/jobs-and-economy/towards-strategy-european-life-sciences_en; https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1686

[6] EU Global Health Strategy: Better Health for All in a Changing World - European Commission: https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/eu-global-health-strategy-better-health-all-changing-world_en

[7] https://www.cbd.int/gbf

[8] https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-2020-2024/our-digital-future/open-science/european-open-science-cloud-eosc_en

[9] Collective Benefit, Authority to Control, Responsibility, Ethics.

[10] The catalogue of European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) research infrastructures portfolio can be browsed on the ESFRI website: https://ri-portfolio.esfri.eu

[11] For example the co-funded European Partnership on One Health Anti-Microbial Resistance - EUP OHAMR (https://ohamr.eu), the Strategic research and innovation agenda on health and climate change (https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/616cce9c-39e5-11f0-8a44-01aa75ed71a1), the IPBES Thematic Assessment Report on the Interlinkages among Biodiversity, Water, Food and Health (https://www.ipbes.net/nexus-assessment), etc.

[12] https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/biodiversity-knowledge-centre_en