Technology at the service of nature and new robotics paradigms

Under the 2025 International Day for Biological Diversity theme Harmony with nature and sustainable development two European Innovation Council backed projects were highlighted as examples of how technology and biology can interact. One project tackles biodiversity monitoring and corporate engagement through beehive sensors, satellite remote sensing and AI. The other pursues a longer horizon innovation that borrows morphological and material strategies from marine worms to build robots that change shape and stiffness in response to the environment.

3Bee: from monitored beehives and Oases to XNatura, a Nature Intelligence arm

3Bee is an Italian company that has built a commercial offering around biodiversity monitoring and regeneration. The firm has been supported by the EIC Accelerator and coordinates the Biodiversity Credits project. Its approach mixes on-site regeneration projects called Biodiversity Oases with a suite of sensing and analytics technologies. In March 2025 3Bee announced the launch of XNatura, a dedicated Nature Intelligence division focused on environmental monitoring, reporting and risk management for companies, municipalities and protected areas.

The company also lists outreach services aimed at schools, municipalities and corporate clients. 3Bee’s public figures include claims of over 100 regenerated oases and two billion pollinators protected. It also reports partnerships with more than 600 companies and thousands of trained collaborators across its programs.

MAPWORMS: mimicking marine worm adaptation to make shape-morphing robots

MAPWORMS is an EIC Pathfinder project coordinated by the Sant Anna School of Advanced Studies. The consortium brings together academic leaders, marine research centres and research-intensive SMEs across five countries. The project started in May 2022, runs for 48 months and is funded at about 2.9 million euros under Horizon Europe grant number 101046846.

MAPWORMS positions itself as foundational research that could open new routes for soft robotics and medical robotics. The team emphasises biomimicry, mathematical modelling, shape memory hydrogels and demonstrator robots that can alter stiffness and geometry when exposed to external cues.

Where the promises meet the practical challenges

Both initiatives illustrate two common patterns in the EU innovation landscape. The first is near-term commercialisation mixing hardware, data and services aimed at companies and municipalities. The second is longer term deep technology research that could feed future industrial or medical products. Each path faces distinct verification and translation hurdles.

Both projects benefit from being embedded in EU research ecosystems. 3Bee has worked with the European Space Agency for satellite data and benefits from EIC Accelerator backing. MAPWORMS sits in EU research networks with academic, marine and industrial partners. That ecosystem provides funding, infrastructure and channels to potential customers or follow-on investors but it does not remove the need for rigorous evidence and clear pathways to scale.

Quick comparison of the two projects

Policy and market implications

EU policy momentum on biodiversity and sustainability creates demand for monitoring and reporting tools. Companies facing CSRD and ESRS obligations will look for data and audit trails to document dependencies and impacts on nature. Projects such as 3Bee’s XNatura aim to plug that gap by providing integrated platforms aligned to reporting standards. Policymakers and auditors should however be cautious and insist on transparency and independent verification when biodiversity credits and corporate claims are used in compliance or marketing.

For deep tech projects like MAPWORMS EU Pathfinder funding plays a vital role because it accepts scientific uncertainty and the need for interdisciplinary exploration. To move from prototypes to clinical or commercial products teams will need sustained funding, industrial partners, and regulatory roadmaps. Investors and procurement bodies should set realistic expectations about timelines and the iterative nature of material science breakthroughs in robotics.

What to watch next

For 3Bee watch for independent audits of biodiversity outcomes, formal integration of XNatura data into ESRS reporting workflows and any third party verification frameworks tied to biodiversity credits. For MAPWORMS watch for peer reviewed publications on material performance, demonstrations of durability and repeatability, and early engagement with regulators if medical applications are pursued.

Both projects reflect how the EU innovation ecosystem mixes near-term marketable services with exploratory science. They also illustrate the central challenge for nature tech and bioinspired robotics which is how to move from promising data or lab demonstrations to validated, scalable and societally accountable solutions.