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Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

  • This grant aims to support regional authorities in demonstrating and accelerating necessary transitions to achieve the objectives of the 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030' Mission in their coastal and riparian areas.
  • Target recipients are primarily PUBLIC sector entities, specifically regional and other competent authorities, working in consortia.
  • This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant focusing on environmental protection, biodiversity, water management, and the blue economy.
  • Geographic scope requires demonstration activities in at least 8 regions, with at least 2 regions in each of the four specified EU sea and river basins: Atlantic and Arctic Sea basin, Mediterranean Sea basin, Baltic and North Sea basin, and Danube River basin (including Black Sea).
  • Key filtering criteria include strong involvement of regional authorities, focus on restoration activities, and alignment with EU environmental strategies.
  • This grant is part of the ongoing Horizon Europe Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030', which is implemented in phases (development/piloting and deployment/upscaling).

Financial Structure

  • The grant provides FUNDING for innovative actions.
  • The total indicative budget available for this specific topic (HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-04) is 15,000,000 EUR.
  • The minimum and maximum grant amount per project is 15,000,000 EUR.
  • Co-financing is strongly encouraged: projects should leverage public and private investment at regional level.
  • Regional and competent authorities participating are encouraged to pool and enhance synergies with other funding sources such as ERDF or LIFE funds.
  • Eligible and ineligible costs, payment schedules, financial reporting, and audit requirements will follow the standard rules outlined in Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (not detailed in provided text).
  • Innovation in funding approaches to implement solutions for ocean and water restoration is encouraged.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure
  • Consortia are required, with regional authorities (defined as legal entities managing NUTS 2 and 3 geographical areas) strongly encouraged as full partners.
  • Other competent authorities (e.g., responsible for river, water, and coastal management) should also be involved.
  • Projects should involve a mix of public and private entities, encouraging private investment.
Geographic and Operational Requirements
  • Demonstration activities must take place in at least 8 regions in EU Member States or Associated Countries.
  • These 8 regions must be distributed across four specific sea and river basins:
    • At least 2 regions in the Atlantic and Arctic Sea basin.
    • At least 2 regions in the Mediterranean Sea basin.
    • At least 2 regions in the Baltic and North Sea basin.
    • At least 2 regions in the Danube River basin (including Black Sea).
  • If using satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, or related timing data/services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.
Financial and Legal Requirements
  • Applicants must meet the financial and operational capacity requirements as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (not provided in detail here).
  • Projects should demonstrate potential to leverage public and private investment at the regional level.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Not specified in this document, but general Horizon Europe exclusion criteria (e.g., for financial irregularities) apply.

Application Process

Application Process Steps
  • Application Deadline: The submission deadline for proposals is 2025-09-24.
  • The submission session became available on 2025-05-07.
  • This is a single-stage submission process.
  • Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Required Documentation and Materials
  • Application form specific to this call (available in the Submission System).
  • Standard application forms for HORIZON Innovation Actions (HE IA) are applicable.
  • Detailed budget table (HE LS - Lump Sum) might be required, as this is an Innovation Action.
  • Information on financial support to third parties (if applicable).
  • Information on clinical studies (if applicable).
  • Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
Post-Award Requirements and Compliance
  • Projects are expected to show how their activities will achieve Mission objectives by 2025 (development/piloting phase) and 2030 (deployment/upscaling phase).
  • Results must be shared and disseminated according to FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable).
  • Data and knowledge sharing should be compatible with initiatives like EMODnet and EOSC.
  • Specific actions within the Mission will focus on widening access to data and knowledge through the Digital Twin Ocean.
  • Monitoring with measurable parameters the effectiveness of the proposed solutions is required.
  • Successful projects should facilitate synergies with other EU, national, or regional R&I programmes and leverage funds.
  • For successful implementation and sustainability, testing and demonstration should support existing legislative frameworks like River Basin Management Plans, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and future national Nature Restoration Plans.

Evaluation Criteria

Contribution to Mission Objectives and Impact
  • Projects must demonstrate measurable, quantifiable, verifiable, and ambitious progress towards one or several interlinked objectives and targets of the Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030'.
  • Expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:
    • Measurable progress towards Mission objectives through effective, well-managed, place-based, and people-centred actions.
    • Increased readiness and involvement of regional and other competent authorities in testing, deploying, and upscaling systemic innovative solutions.
    • Increased number of regional authorities taking concrete measures for ecosystem protection, pollution prevention, and circular blue economy.
    • Increased resilience of coastal and riparian communities to extreme climate events and sea-level rise.
    • Encouragement and leveraging of public and private investment at regional level for restoration, pollution prevention, and circular blue economy.
Quality of Solutions and Implementation
  • Solutions must contribute to:
    • Protecting and restoring marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity (aligned with EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and Nature Restoration Regulation).
    • Preventing and eliminating pollution of oceans, seas, and waters (aligned with EU Action Plan Towards Zero Pollution).
    • Making the sustainable blue economy carbon-neutral and circular (aligned with European Climate Law and Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy).
  • Emphasis on nature-based solutions, land-sea interactions, and transboundary actions.
  • Solutions should integrate sustainable and environmentally friendly methods that are ecologically and economically beneficial.
  • Proposals must assess economic, social, and ecological impacts and societal acceptance of proposed measures.
  • Projects should identify, test, and adapt innovative solutions with tangible and measurable contributions to Mission objectives.
  • Must include a mechanism and resources to establish operational links and collaboration with Lighthouse CSAs and the Mission Implementation Platform.
Engagement and Knowledge Transfer
  • Strong emphasis on citizen and stakeholder involvement and uptake through active participation (e.g., living labs) and citizen science initiatives.
  • Proposals should identify other suitable regions/local areas for replication of solutions and systematically assess barriers to implementation and how to overcome them.
  • Facilitation of synergies with other R&I-relevant EU, national, or regional programmes, and leveraging of funds.
  • Solutions should support implementation of River Basin Management Plans, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, national Nature Restoration Plans, coastal restoration contracts, river contracts, or Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).
  • Building on previously developed or existing solutions from EU and national programmes is encouraged.
  • Sharing experiences and good practices with projects under EU Mission Climate Change Adaptation topics.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Ethical Compliance
  • Projects must align with and support EU policies and legislation, including:
    • EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030
    • Nature Restoration Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1991)
    • EU Action Plan Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil (COM/2021/400 final)
    • European Climate Law (Regulation (EU) 2021/1119)
    • Communication on a new approach for a Sustainable Blue Economy (COM/2021/240 final)
    • Water Framework Directive (for River Basin Management Plans)
    • Marine Strategy Framework Directive (for Programme of Measures)
  • Ethical standards and requirements are implied by general Horizon Europe rules.
Technical and Data Requirements
  • Projects should actively seek complementarities and possibilities for further funding from other R&I-relevant EU, national, or regional programmes (e.g., EMFF/EMFAF, LIFE, ERDF, ESF+, JTF, CEF Inland Waterways/Maritime, InvestEU).
  • Results and data sharing must comply with FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable) and be compatible with EMODnet and EOSC.
  • Access to data and knowledge of oceans, seas, and freshwater should be widened through the Digital Twin Ocean (DTO).
  • Solutions should be based on good knowledge about coastal and riparian ecosystems, potentially including mapping and assessment.
  • Emphasis on integrating data and knowledge into the Digital Twin Ocean ecosystem.
Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities
  • This topic focuses on place-based and people-centred restoration in regional coastal and riparian zones.
  • Projects are expected to demonstrate solutions in at least 8 regions across specified sea and river basins, facilitating widespread replication.
  • Development of new innovative funding approaches is a key component.
  • Synergies with other funding instruments and programmes are highly valued, including through formal Cooperation Working Arrangements.
  • Collaboration with projects from the EU Mission Climate Change Adaptation is encouraged.
  • Proposals should establish links with other related Mission Ocean and Waters topics.
  • Projects should assess potential barriers to implementation and strategies to overcome them.

Grant Details

blue economy ocean and waters protection and rest pollution prevention and elimination biodiversity conservation ecology environmental sciences freshwater biology marine biology marine engineering ocean engineering political science regional development spatial planning water resources nature-based solutions climate change adaptation sea-level rise digital twin ocean citizen science
Restoring Ocean and Waters in Regions
48335500TOPICSen
Horizon Europe
PUBLIC OTHER
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
ENVIRONMENT OTHER
DEVELOPMENT EARLY_MARKET
OTHER
SDG14 SDG6 SDG13
FUNDING RESEARCH_DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY_BUILDING PILOT_PROJECTS NETWORKING
15000000.00
15000000.00
15000000.00
EUR
None
Sept. 24, 2025, midnight
None