Cumulative Health Impacts at the Intersection of Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Vulnerable Populations/Lifestages: Community-Based Research for Solutions

Pushing the frontier of knowledge and conservation action for deep sea ecosystems is sponsored by European Commission — Horizon Europe. Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: Member States and Associated Countries contribute to the implementation of area-based management tools, such as protection targets and adaptive management approaches for deep-sea regions under the Treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), for Regional fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) and for transitions areas with the EU exclusive economic zone notably by identifying Ecologically and biologically significant marine areas (EBSAS), and informing the next Global Assessment of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services; Public Authorities prioritise deep sea areas for inclusion in their 30% protection target while enhancing maritime spatial planning achieved through science-based information, habitat mapping and ecosystem-based approach, aligned with the EU strategies for biodiversity and climate adaptation by 2030. Scope: The deep sea represents 90% of the Ocean volume and remains the least explored biome of the planet. Nevertheless, we know that the deep sea forms an extensive and complex ensemble of ecosystems which functioning is crucial to the rest of the biosphere, global biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems upon which much terrestrial life, including human civilisation, depends. The critical limiting factors in the definition and implementation of protection and restoration measures are the lack of biodiversity knowledge and appropriate monitoring, especially in layers below 1000 m. The main reasons are the limited access and high cost of explorations of the diversity of biotopes in the deep sea, and the resources available to identify organisms across the full range of sizes (from microorganisms to megafauna) and describe ecosystems functioning. In line with the objectives and targets of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the EU climate adaptation strategy, the strategy for European life sciences, the European Ocean Pact, the Treaty on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), proposals should: fill the gaps in geographical coverage in habitats mapping, species inventory, genetic diversity, ecological functioning, food webs and ecological connectivity (including migratory species) of deep sea ecosystems in the bathypelagic and abyssopelagic zones (abyssal seafloor, hydrothermal sites, seamounts, canyons and across the water column) between them and with shallower ocean zones (mesopelagic, epipelagic, coastal...); develop, integrate and deploy imaging, acoustic, multi-omics, genomics and taxonomic technologies and methodologies for the inventory and fast identification of deep-sea marine species from microbes, invertebrates to migratory species, apex predators such as sharks and mammals, corals and other habitat-forming species, generating reference datasets from identified voucher specimens and novel methods to improve biodiversity monitoring and inventory and the discovery of novel biological traits, enhancing understanding of ecosystem resilience to climate and anthropogenic pressures; contribute to the Global Taxonomy Initiative of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and to free and open access to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility’s biodiversity data; establish baselines, spatial and temporal dynamics, assess and predict the cumulated impacts from climate change and other anthropogenic stressors including underwater noise, on ecosystems functioning and services, including the biological carbon pump fisheries stock; describe holistic interactions between the deep sea, Ocean and planetary health and propose actionable knowledge by involving multiple stakeholders for identifying adaptive management approaches, and mitigation and conservation scenarios for prioritised deep Programme areas: Horizon Europe (HORIZON), Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness, Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, Seas, Oceans and Inland Waters Keywords: Biochemistry and molecular biology, Biodiversity conservation, Biophysics, Deep-sea ecosystems, Earth and related environmental sciences, Ecology, Genetics and heredity, Marine biology, BBNJ, Deep sea, EBSAS, Ecological functioning, Ecosystem-based approach, Habitats mapping, High-Seas, Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, Species inventories

NIH Complement Animal Research in Experimentation NAMs Reduction to Practice Challenge is sponsored by Department of Health and Human Services - National Institutes of Health. Recent technological advances have set the stage for a renewed focus on human-based solutions called new approach methodologies (NAMs) that can complement, and in some cases replace, animal models in research and regulatory testing. These NAMs generally span advanced cell-tissue-organoid ( in vitro ), computational modeling ( in silico ), and cell-free biochemical analysis ( in chemico ) techniques, with each type of NAM offering different advantages. A combination and integration of multiple NAMs elements into a synergistic approach that augments gaps and/or deficiencies in individual NAMs approaches is a “combinatorial NAM” and could ultimately allow for improved predictions of human clinical response. Although many combinatorial NAMs are still early in development, not validated and standardized, nor available to the market broadly, combinatorial NAMs can potentially transform the way biomedical research, drug development, and clinical trials are conducted. To accelerate development and validation of combinatorial NAMs for human-based scientific and regulatory purposes, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund’s Complement-Animal Research In Experimentation (Complement-ARIE) program in collaboration with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is launching the Reduction to Practice (RTP) Challenge. This challenge invites innovative combinatorial NAMs solutions from multidisciplinary teams who can successfully demonstrate implementation of their human-based solution in a practical and usable form within a 3-year period. Solvers will have the chance to win up to $1,430,000 in cumulative cash prizes and have their solution provided validation and/or qualification support by the Complement-ARIE Validation and Qualification Network (VQN). This Challenge is open to the public. Participants and winners from the Complement-ARIE Ideation Challenge launched in November 2023 are also encouraged to apply. The Reduction to

Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Grants is sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The STAR program is the EPA's primary competitive, peer-reviewed extramural grant program. It funds research on environmental and public health effects related to air pollution, water quality and quantity, hazardous waste, toxic substances, pesticides, and cumulative impacts. Research applying polycentric governance or institutional analysis frameworks to environmental commons issues (e.g., water resource management, pollution control) would be relevant.