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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

- - Core objective: To develop and demonstrate innovative Earth observation services to improve the detection of maritime litter and support ship source pollution policies. - Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Organizations involved in Earth observation, space technology, and environmental monitoring, including research entities and businesses of various sizes, suitable for multi-beneficiary projects and consortia. - MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC (Space, Environment, Maritime). - Geographic scope and any location requirements: Primarily European focus for participating entities (EU Member States and Associated Countries). The project's impact is global, focusing on sea waters and marine ecosystems. - Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Expertise in Earth observation, space sensors, Artificial Intelligence (AI) for image analysis, and understanding of maritime environmental regulations (e.g., MARPOL, Ship Source Pollution Directive). - Grant frequency and program context: This topic is part of the Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme for 'Digital, Industry and Space', indicating a recurring program, but this specific topic represents a one-time funding opportunity within this call.

Financial Structure

Funding mechanism: The grant takes the form of a lump sum contribution.
Grant amount: The maximum grant amount per project is EUR 5,000,000.0.
Minimum grant amount: The minimum grant amount per project is EUR 5,000,000.0.
Expected number of grants: One project is expected to be funded under this topic.
Eligible costs for lump sum calculation: Based on estimated direct and indirect project costs, including:
Personnel costs (employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners, natural person beneficiaries).
Subcontracting costs.
Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services).
Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services, transnational/virtual access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement costs, etc.).
Ineligible costs: Costs that are ineligible under Horizon Europe rules must be excluded from the lump sum estimation.
Indirect cost policies: A 25% flat rate for indirect costs is included in the calculation of the lump sum contribution, applied to eligible direct cost categories.
Payment schedule: Payments are released upon the proper implementation of the corresponding work packages, as defined in Annex 1 of the grant agreement. Payments do not depend on costs actually incurred.
Financial guarantees: Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Financial reporting: No obligation for beneficiaries to document actual costs incurred for the action for payment purposes. Checks, reviews, and audits will focus on the technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Legal Status

Any legal entity is eligible to apply, regardless of its legal form.
Entities must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium selected for funding.
Organizations must meet financial and operational capacity requirements as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (not provided here).

Geographic Location

Eligible countries include all EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe (specific list not provided in source document, but generally includes:
EU Member States: 'AT', 'BE', 'BG', 'HR', 'CY', 'CZ', 'DK', 'EE', 'FI', 'FR', 'DE', 'GR', 'HU', 'IE', 'IT', 'LV', 'LT', 'LU', 'MT', 'NL', 'PL', 'PT', 'RO', 'SK', 'SI', 'ES', 'SE'
Associated Countries: (List not provided in the document, refer to Horizon Europe General Annexes for the complete list).

Technical & Operational

Projects utilizing satellite-based Earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data and services must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS data/services. Other data and services may be used additionally.
Projects are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Exclusion Criteria

Applicants will be subject to exclusion criteria as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509. Common grounds for exclusion include grave professional misconduct, fraud, non-compliance with social security/tax obligations, and serious breach of contract.

Application Process

Application Deadlines & Submission

Application deadline: 2025-09-25.
Submission session: Opened on 2025-05-22.
Submission procedure: Single-stage.
Submission platform: Applications must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service.

Required Documentation & Materials

Application form: A specific application form for 'HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA)' is available in the Submission System (Part B of the Application Form).
Detailed budget table: Applicants must propose the lump sum contribution based on estimated direct and indirect costs, providing a breakdown per work package and per beneficiary/affiliated entity using the provided templates.
Annexes: Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation & Selection Process

Evaluation: Proposals are evaluated by external independent experts according to standard Horizon Europe procedures.
Scoring system: Evaluation criteria (Excellence, Impact, Quality and Efficiency of Implementation) are used for scoring and thresholds, as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Budget assessment: Experts with financial expertise will check budget estimates against benchmarks (market prices, statistical/historical data) and assess if proposed resources align with activities and expected outputs.
Legal and financial setup: Grants will be based on a Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

Post-Award Requirements & Implementation

Project implementation: Focus on technical implementation of the action.
Progress tracking: Work packages must be properly implemented for lump sum contributions to be paid.
Reporting: No cost reporting required. Checks, reviews, and audits will verify technical implementation and the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum payments per work package.
IPR: Arrangements regarding the availability, re-use, and exploitation of results (including Intellectual Property Rights) by EMSA must be addressed during project implementation.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on standard Horizon Europe procedures, focusing on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation.

Excellence

Quality and novelty of the proposed R&I activities for developing advanced technological solutions.
Soundness of the methodology for detecting and identifying maritime litter and ship source pollution.

Impact

Contribution to the expected outcomes:
Improved detection services for national maritime authorities and enforcement bodies to fulfill the requirements of the Ship Sourced Pollution Directive (SSPD).
Resulting in higher environmental protection of sea waters and preservation of marine ecosystems.
Increased accuracy allowing for more efficient and quick responses to potential spill incidents.
Strategic alignment with broader EU policies and initiatives.

Quality and Efficiency of Implementation

Quality of the proposed work plan, including project management, risk management, and allocation of resources.
Appropriateness of the proposed lump sum contribution in relation to the activities and expected outputs.
Coherence and effectiveness of the consortium composition (if applicable), ensuring all necessary expertise is present.

Specific Technical Criteria

Development and demonstration of space sensors for:
Estimation of oil spill volume and thickness, including identification of oil types (e.g., using spectral signatures).
Detection of oil spills in sea ice conditions.
Detection and identification of chemical products on the sea surface (MARPOL Annex II).
Detection and identification of sewage on the sea surface (MARPOL Annex IV).
Detection and identification of garbage on the sea surface (MARPOL Annex V).
Detection and identification of exhaust gas cleaning system residue, and monitoring of single-vessel methane emissions (MARPOL Annex VI).
Detection and identification of the possible polluter using vessel unique spectral signature.
Consideration of other pollution emissions (MARPOL Annex VI) is a plus.
Design and improvement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) methods for spill, sewage, and garbage identification and characterization to achieve higher timeliness, automation, and confidence (e.g., avoiding false alerts).

Strategic Alignment and Cross-Cutting Themes

Projects should complement existing efforts by EMSA, along CleanSeaNet and the Copernicus maritime surveillance service.
Applicants are invited to consult the Copernicus Security Services Strategic Research Agenda (CSS-SRA) and subsequent updates.
Active attention should be given to the transfer of research results to operations, strengthening readiness for future operational deployment.
Appropriate involvement and/or interaction with EMSA, including conditions for making available, re-using, and exploiting results (including IPR), must be addressed.
Proposals are encouraged to connect with and contribute to both the EU Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters' and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.
Integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed if relevant to the objectives of the research effort.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

General conditions: Adherence to admissibility conditions, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion criteria as outlined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial regulations: Compliance with the EU Financial Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509, which governs the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union.

Data Protection & Privacy

Data handling: Compliance with data protection rules, including those related to the early detection and exclusion system.

Environmental & Ethical Standards

Environmental compliance: Projects must contribute to environmental protection of sea waters and marine ecosystems.
Ethical standards: The integration of the gender dimension in research and innovation content should be addressed if relevant to the research objectives.

Intellectual Property Policies

IPR: Conditions for making project results (including IPR) available to, re-using, and exploiting them by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) must be addressed during project implementation.

Technical Specifications & Infrastructure

Technology specifications: Mandatory use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS data/services if satellite-based Earth observation, positioning, navigation, or related timing data is used.
Infrastructure: Projects are subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Risk Management Expectations

Lump sum funding implies that financial risks related to cost overruns beyond the agreed lump sum are borne by the beneficiaries, while the granting authority focuses on technical delivery.
Risk assessment for pre-financing guarantees and other financial aspects is conducted based on a risk analysis (as per general financial regulations).

Special Strategic & Contextual Alignment

Complementarity: Projects should complement the work currently being done by EMSA, specifically CleanSeaNet and the Copernicus maritime surveillance service.
Consultation: Applicants are encouraged to consult the Copernicus Security Services Strategic Research Agenda (CSS-SRA).
Operational transfer: Active attention must be given to the transfer of research results into operational use to ensure future deployment readiness.
Mission alignment: Encouraged to connect with and contribute to the EU Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters' and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development 2021-2030.

Grant Details