The current FFG Call “Challenge Nature-based Solutions” funds groundbreaking innovations that adopt functional principles from nature for technical, industrial, or societal applications and demonstrate how we can work with rather than against nature.
Projects should make a measurable contribution in the areas of soil regeneration or water protection or adaptation to the impacts of climate change.
Two Possible Funding Pathways
Depending on the maturity of your idea and the planned implementation route, applicants can choose between two different funding instruments:
- Feasibility Study - Exploring a Groundbreaking Idea: Suitable for early-stage concepts that still require validation and commercial assessment with a clear intention to establish a business (Start-Up or Spin-Off) or to commercialize the idea.
- Funding: Max 100k funding, up to an overall funding rate of 80%
- Duration: max 12 months
- Collaborative R&D - Experimental Development or Industrial Research: Suitable for more advanced ideas that are ready for collaborative development and implementation
- Funding: Maximum funding of €300k; overall funding rate up to 85%, with the university contributing no more than 50% of total project costs.
- Duration: max 12 months
- IMPORTANT: Applications for collaborative R&D projects can apply for up to 10k seed funding (see below and here).
Key Deadlines
- Internal deadline for University of Vienna support services & seed funding: 20 May 2026
- FFG submission deadline: 20 August 2026, 12:00 noon
Internal Support Services (University of Vienna)
The University of Vienna offers support for researchers interested in submitting proposals, including: market assessment, IP strategy support, business and entrepreneurship guidance, commercialisation pathways and exploitation planning.
For collaborative R&D projects only: possibility for seed funding for proposal development, up to 10k (application need to be sent separately - see below).
Further information can be found in the intranet: https://wiki.univie.ac.at/spaces/EFSS/blog/2026/04/10/1011679351/FFG+Expedition+Zukunft+Challenge+Nature-based+Solutions
