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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

- The core objective of this grant is to accelerate the green and digital transition across various economic sectors by delivering advanced Earth Intelligence. - It aims to support the development, testing, demonstration, and customization of integrated solutions using Earth Observation (EO) services and digital technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, for operationalization or commercialization. - Target recipients are organizations capable of developing and scaling up technological solutions for public or private service providers and European users. - This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focusing on Earth Intelligence within the context of the European Green Deal and specific application areas related to climate, biodiversity, and sustainable resource management. - The geographic scope includes EU Member States and Associated Countries, with a strong emphasis on co-design with European users and contributions to European and international Earth Observation initiatives like GEO and EuroGEO. - Key filtering criteria include a focus on high-TRL (7-8) innovation in Earth Observation, digital technologies, and direct relevance to sustainable agriculture, water, ecosystems, carbon management, or disaster resilience. - This topic is part of a recurring Horizon Europe program, Cluster 6, with this specific call occurring in 2025.

Financial Structure

The total budget for this specific topic (HORIZON-CL6-2025-03-GOVERNANCE-09) is 15,000,000 EUR for 2025.
The grant expects to fund 2 projects.
The minimum contribution per project is 7,500,000 EUR.
The maximum contribution per project is 7,500,000 EUR.
The currency for all financial amounts is EUR.
The funding rate for this Innovation Action is not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Eligibility Requirements

General Conditions

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.
Eligible countries are those described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, typically EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may be eligible if specific funding provisions are made.
Organizations must meet the financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria outlined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Projects using satellite-based Earth Observation (EO), positioning, navigation, or related timing data and services must utilize Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Other data and services may be used additionally.

Technical Readiness Level (TRL)

Activities are expected to achieve a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 7-8 by the end of the project.
Projects may commence at any TRL.

Consortium Requirements

Collaboration is highly encouraged and implicitly required for this Innovation Action (IA) to ensure co-design with users and widespread adoption. While not explicitly stated as mandatory, the scope strongly suggests a multi-partner approach for integrated solutions and scaling.

Application Process

Application Procedure

The application process is single-stage.
The submission session opened on 2025-05-06.
Application deadline is 2025-09-24.
Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
To access the submission system, applicants must select the appropriate type of action (HORIZON Innovation Actions) and model grant agreement.

Required Documentation

Application form templates specific to this call (HE RIA, IA) are available in the Submission System.
Part B of the Application Form must adhere to described page limits and layout.

Support and Guidance

An Online Manual provides guidance from proposal submission to grant management.
The Horizon Europe Programme Guide offers detailed guidance on structure, budget, and political priorities.
A Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ addresses common questions on submission, evaluation, and grant management.
The Research Enquiry Service allows general inquiries about European research.
National Contact Points (NCPs) offer guidance and assistance on Horizon Europe participation within Member States and some third countries.
The Enterprise Europe Network provides advice, particularly for SMEs.
An IT Helpdesk is available for technical issues with the Funding & Tenders Portal.
The European IPR Helpdesk assists with intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk advise on standardization.
The European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their recruitment provide ethical guidelines.
A Partner Search tool helps find collaborating organizations.

Evaluation Criteria

Expected Outcomes & Impact

Proposals should contribute to making environmental observations more accessible and interoperable.
Projects are expected to accelerate the green and digital transition of economic sectors through end-user applications and decision support systems ready for operationalization or commercialization by public or private service providers.
Successful integration and consolidation of European and national GEO-related activities must result in effective and operational contributions to the GEO work programme, with a clear path towards uptake in Europe and internationally, supporting climate or biodiversity policies.
Contribute actively to the EuroGEO initiative and support the EC Knowledge Centre on Earth Observation (KCEO) in integrating Environmental Observations (EO) into EU policymaking.

Project Scope & Development

Develop, test, demonstrate, and customize 2 to 3 integrated solutions leveraging advanced digital technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and generative AI.
Solutions must have a clear trajectory towards operationalization.
Focus areas for solutions include: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security; Water Resilience; Ecosystems and Biodiversity; Carbon Management; and Disaster Resilience.
Solutions must be co-designed with relevant European users, such as local, regional, and national governments (e.g., through Copernicus National User Forums).
Mature business plans must be developed within the project to ensure operational uptake post-project, potentially by public/private procurers, service providers, Copernicus services, or GEO flagships/initiatives.
Proposals should leverage European infrastructures and integrate various remote sensing platforms (e.g., satellites, manned and unmanned aviation/drones).
Projects should build upon and contribute to the existing European digital ecosystem, including European data spaces, citizen science initiatives, and national, regional, and global in-situ observation databases, supporting their evolution.

Collaboration, Outreach & Resources

Clustering and cooperation with other selected projects under this call topic and other relevant projects are essential.
Appropriate resources for coordination activities must be earmarked in the work plan.
Outreach and training activities should aim to reach the broader European Earth Observation community.
Efforts should support the further upscaling of European/national/sub-national EO services beyond the project's direct scope and actively promote pan-European synergies.
Active participation in relevant EuroGEO action groups and workshops is expected.
Engagement with the Copernicus stakeholder community at both European (e.g., Entrusted Entities) and national levels (e.g., Copernicus Ambassadors) is required.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, including those governing the use of satellite-based Earth observation, positioning, navigation, and related timing data and services (mandatory use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS where applicable).

Technical Standards & Infrastructure

Activities are expected to integrate various remote sensing platforms, including satellites and manned/unmanned aviation (drones).
Projects should build upon and contribute to the existing European digital ecosystem, which includes European data spaces, citizen science initiatives, and national, regional, and global databases of in-situ observations.

Special Considerations

This action is specifically application-oriented, aligning with the new GEO (Group on Earth Observations) post-2025 strategy.
The grant aims to combine and advance existing European Earth Observation services and solutions that have been prototyped in previous EU and national projects, scaling them up for wide adoption by end-users and customers.
A significant aspect is the co-design of solutions with European users and the development of mature business plans to ensure post-project operational uptake.
Successful applicants are expected to actively participate in relevant EuroGEO action groups and workshops, and engage with the Copernicus stakeholder community.
Cross-cutting priorities for this call include Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Digital Agenda, and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) Data principles.

Grant Details