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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: Strengthen the resilience of water systems and the water sector against impacts from climate change and global socio-economic shifts, while supporting biodiversity protection and restoration.
Target recipient type and size: Organizations involved in research, technology development, water management, agriculture, forestry, and policy-making, including universities, public bodies, SMEs, and larger enterprises.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC (Water, Climate, Environment, Agriculture, Forestry, Technology).
Geographic scope and any location requirements: Focus on European regions for demonstrations, with eligibility extending to organizations from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Projects must address water system resilience, climate adaptation/mitigation, adopt interdisciplinary approaches, and involve relevant stakeholders.
Grant frequency and program context: Part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, specifically Cluster 6, Destination 'Land, ocean and water for climate action'. This topic is a two-stage call.

Financial Structure

Total budget for this specific topic: 18,000,000 EUR for 3 expected grants.
Maximum grant amount per project: 6,000,000 EUR.
Minimum grant amount per project: 6,000,000 EUR.
Currency: EUR.
Eligible costs: Not explicitly detailed in the provided text; generally governed by Horizon Europe rules outlined in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Matching fund requirements: Not specified in the provided text. Horizon Europe Innovation Actions typically offer a funding rate of up to 70% of eligible costs for for-profit entities and up to 100% for non-profit entities, implying some level of co-financing for for-profit organizations.
Indirect cost policies: Not specified in the provided text; generally a flat rate of 25% of direct eligible costs (excluding certain categories) under Horizon Europe.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Legal Status

Eligible organizations generally include research organizations, universities, public bodies, private companies (SMEs and large enterprises), and other relevant stakeholders. The specific action type is 'HORIZON Innovation Actions'.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium selected for funding.
Proposals must be submitted by a consortium.

Geographic Location

Organizations from all EU Member States are eligible for funding.
Organizations from countries associated with Horizon Europe are eligible for funding.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding may be eligible if specific provisions are made (refer to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for details).

Specific Qualifications

Applicants must adhere to the general conditions described in Annexes A and E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes regarding proposal page limits and layout.
If projects utilize satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS services (other data and services may be used additionally).
First stage applicants under the 'blind evaluation pilot' must not disclose their organization names, acronyms, logos, nor names of personnel in the proposal abstract and Part B of their first-stage application (as per General Annex E).

Exclusion Criteria

Financial and operational capacity requirements are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Standard Horizon Europe exclusion criteria apply.

Application Process

This grant operates under a two-stage application process.
Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
For the first stage, proposals are subject to a 'blind evaluation pilot', requiring applicants to omit identifying organizational details (names, acronyms, logos, personnel names) from the abstract and Part B of their application.

Deadlines

Stage 1 application deadline: 2025-09-04.
Stage 2 application deadline (for successful Stage 1 applicants): 2026-02-18.
The submission session officially opened on 2025-05-06.

Required Documentation & Materials

Application form templates specific to this call (e.g., 'Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)' and 'Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1)') are available in the Submission System.
Proposals must adhere to specified page limits and layout described in Part B of the Application Form.

Evaluation & Selection

An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement procedures is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Support & Guidance

Applicants can access support through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct.
A partner search service is available to help find consortium members.

Project Implementation & Reporting

Projects should build on or further enhance existing hydrological modelling tools and water-relevant tools/datasets, such as those from the JRC, Copernicus Emergency Management Service, Climate Change and Land Monitoring Services, and Destination Earth initiatives.
Proposals should plan the necessary budget to cover related cluster activities, fostering synergies with other Horizon Europe projects.
Reporting schedules and progress tracking mechanisms are generally described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria

Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
First stage proposals for this topic will undergo blind evaluation.

Excellence

Scientific and technical quality of the proposed innovation, including its novelty and methodological soundness.
Interdisciplinary approach, ensuring the integration of indigenous and local knowledge where relevant.
Integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), including gender studies, and Citizen Social Science approaches to ensure social acceptance.

Impact

Contribution to 'fostering mitigation of and adaptation to climate change in areas and sectors covered by Cluster 6'.
Specific impacts include: better understanding of short-, medium-, and long-term ocean health; improved management of climate change risks and opportunities for agriculture and forestry; reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, forestry, and land-use sectors; and fostered adaptation/mitigation of water systems to build a water-resilient society and environment.
Maximizing impact through a systemic, multidisciplinary approach, strong international cooperation, and social innovation.
Alignment with and contribution to EU policies, including the European Green Deal, EU climate adaptation strategy, Nature Restoration Regulation, EU water legislation, and the upcoming European water resilience strategy.
Synergy with relevant EU Missions (e.g., 'Adaptation to climate change', 'Restore our ocean and waters by 2030', 'A Soil Deal for Europe') and European Partnerships (e.g., Water4All, Biodiversa+, Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership).

Quality and Efficiency of Implementation

Soundness of the work plan, appropriateness of resources, and quality of the management structure.
Appropriateness of the team composition and the qualifications of key personnel.
Capacity to bring together a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including researchers, technology providers, water utilities, business representatives, investors, policy makers, and citizens, with attention to gender and other social categories.
Avoidance of duplication with related ongoing work of the JRC and other EU-funded projects, while strengthening complementarities.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects using satellite-based earth observation must comply with the requirement to utilize Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS services.
Project outcomes must align with and contribute to the implementation of the EU Climate Law, the Nature Restoration Regulation, EU water legislation, and the upcoming European water resilience strategy.
Actions should support the EU's climate targets (e.g., 2040 climate target) and strategies (e.g., EU methane strategy, EU forest strategy for 2030, EU Forest Monitoring Law).
If affecting the marine environment, actions must be in line with the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Ethical Standards & Inclusivity

Integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), including gender studies, and Citizen Social Science approaches is required to ensure that proposed climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies are socially accepted and inclusive.
When engaging stakeholders, proposals must consider gender and other social categories (e.g., disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnic/cultural origins, sexual orientation) and their intersections.

Technical & Quality Standards

Demonstrations should take place in diverse European regions and at a suitable scale (e.g., river basin level).
Projects must explore solutions to foster and restore natural retention measures, mitigate drainage losses, and enhance water retention to manage extreme events (droughts, floods).
Actions are expected to address fragmentation of water monitoring and observation data, strengthening complementarity between satellite, in situ data, participatory research, and integrated assessment models.
Strategies should assess technical cost-efficient and sustainable solutions for alternative water resources, governance of water resource management, suitability of current water efficiency indicators, anticipation of extreme events, and water transfer effects on ecosystems.
The economic foundation of current water management systems (including water pricing and trade policies) should be reviewed to inform a new economic framework.
Projects should maintain a balance between lower and higher Technological Readiness Levels (TRLs).

Unique Aspects / Strategic Alignment

This topic emphasizes addressing issues under the water, energy, food, and ecosystem (WEFE) nexus.
Projects are expected to adopt a 'from the source to the sea' approach when tackling water resilience.
Encouragement of international cooperation to help achieve international commitments related to land, water, and ocean (e.g., Paris Agreement, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, High Seas Treaty).
Strengthening the climate-ocean-cryosphere-polar science nexus is a priority.
Proposals should build synergies and complementarities with EU Missions (e.g., 'Adaptation to climate change', 'Restore our ocean and waters by 2030', 'A Soil Deal for Europe') and European Partnerships (e.g., Water4All, Biodiversa+).
Digital technologies (AI, robotics, 5G, cloud computing, Earth Observation) are expected to be exploited as enabling tools.
The possible participation of the JRC would ensure integration of existing JRC-related work.

Grant Details