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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to develop a comprehensive European strategy for assessing and monitoring aquatic litter, including plastic and microplastic pollution. - Target recipients: Research and innovation actors, scientific institutions, environmental authorities, and potentially industries involved in pollution solutions. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focuses on environmental science, marine and freshwater management, and pollution control. - Geographic scope: European freshwater and marine environments, with potential for broader international cooperation. - Key filtering criteria: Focus on monitoring and assessment methodologies, data harmonization, and policy alignment with EU environmental directives. - Grant frequency: Part of the recurring Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, specifically under Cluster 6's Zero Pollution destination.

Financial Structure

Funding mechanism: The grant is provided as a lump sum contribution.
Budget for this topic: The estimated project budget for this specific topic is €6,000,000 for one expected grant.
Minimum grant amount: €6,000,000.
Maximum grant amount: €6,000,000.
Currency: EUR.
Eligible costs: Covered by the lump sum, based on estimated direct and indirect costs. This includes:
- Personnel costs (employees, direct contractors, seconded persons, SME owners, natural person beneficiaries).
- Subcontracting costs.
- Purchase costs (travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods/services).
- Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, transnational/virtual access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement, Euratom Cofund staff mobility, ERC additional funding).
Ineligible costs: Any costs that would be ineligible under standard Horizon Europe rules should not be included in the lump sum calculation.
Indirect costs: Calculated at a 25% flat rate of eligible direct costs.
Co-financing: The co-financing principle applies; the total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated EU contribution.
Payment schedule: Payments are released upon proper implementation and fulfilment of conditions for each work package. Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules.
Financial reporting and audits: No obligation to document actual costs incurred. Financial checks and ex-post audits focus on the technical implementation and whether work package conditions have been met.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure

Eligible organization types: Universities, research organizations, public bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and enterprises (including SMEs).
Consortium requirement: Yes, applications must be submitted by a consortium of eligible entities. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may also participate.

Geographic and Legal Requirements

Eligible countries: Organisations from EU Member States are eligible. These include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
Additionally, entities from countries associated with Horizon Europe are eligible for funding. Specific provisions may also be made for non-EU/non-associated countries.
Legal status: Must comply with Horizon Europe's general conditions, including financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria outlined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Technical and Capacity Requirements

Expertise: Demonstrated capacity in aquatic litter monitoring, plastic/microplastic detection, data acquisition and quality control, analytical methods, imaging techniques, nanoplastic detection, and potentially AI for environmental observation.
Infrastructure: Access to necessary scientific infrastructure and data management capabilities (e.g., for FAIR data principles).
Track record: Implied need for a strong scientific and technical track record to effectively implement a Research and Innovation Action (RIA).

Application Process

Application Timeline

Planned opening date: 2025-05-06.
Application deadline: 2025-09-17 (latest deadline available).
Submission type: Single-stage application process.

Application Procedure and Materials

Submission platform: Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Required documentation: Use the standard application form templates for Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and the specific detailed budget table for lump sum grants (HE LS).
Proposal content: Must describe activities covered by each work package in detail, along with related resources. Applicants should provide a breakdown of the lump sum by work package and by beneficiary.

Post-Award Requirements

Implementation: Grant payments are tied to the successful completion of work packages as described in the grant agreement. Technical implementation is the primary focus for progress tracking.
Monitoring and Evaluation: Subject to technical checks, reviews, or audits focusing on the fulfilment of work package conditions, ethics, research integrity, dissemination, exploitation of results, IP management, and gender equality.

Application Support

Comprehensive guidance: Provided through the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Online Manual, and a detailed FAQ section.
Direct assistance: Available via the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs) in EU and associated countries, and the Enterprise Europe Network for SMEs.
Technical support: IT Helpdesk for portal-related issues and European IPR Helpdesk for intellectual property concerns.
Partner Search: A service is available to help applicants find consortium partners.

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe Criteria

Excellence: Evaluators will assess the clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives, the soundness of the proposed methodology, and the extent to which the proposed work is beyond the state-of-the-art.
Impact: Proposals will be evaluated on the expected contribution to the specific outcomes and impacts described in the grant topic, including strengthening scientific capacity, improving data quality, fostering cooperation, and supporting EU policy implementation. This includes potential social, economic, and environmental impacts.
Quality and Efficiency of Implementation: Assessment of the quality and effectiveness of the work plan, including the appropriateness of the resources allocated, the expertise and complementarity of the consortium members, and the management structures.

Specific Considerations for Lump Sum Grants

Budget Estimation: Experts with financial knowledge will scrutinize the proposed lump sum amount. The budget estimate will be checked against relevant benchmarks (e.g., market prices, statistical data, historical data from comparable actions).
Resource Allocation: Evaluators will verify that the proposed resources and the breakdown of lump sum shares per work package are appropriate for achieving the described activities and expected outputs.
Accounting Practices: Applicants must declare that their budget estimation followed their own accounting practices.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Policy alignment: Projects must align with and contribute to key EU policies including the European Green Deal, EU Zero Pollution Action Plan, Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Water Framework Directive (WFD), and the Single Use Plastics Directive. Actions also contribute to the planned Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Chemical regulations: Activities must consider EU initiatives on microplastics, such as under REACH.

Data Management and Intellectual Property

Data principles: Emphasis on making data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR principles). Data should be suitable for integration into large-scale databases like the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and the European Digital Twin of the Ocean.
Intellectual Property: Subject to general Horizon Europe IP policies as detailed in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Strategic Collaboration and Outreach

International cooperation: Strongly encouraged, particularly with All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance partner countries.
Engagement with existing initiatives: Projects are expected to build on and engage with the Technical Group on Marine Litter under the MSFD (co-led by JRC), EU Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters', EUROqCHARM, JPI Oceans microplastics projects, GEO Blue Planet initiative, and the Integrated Marine Debris Observing System (IMDOS).
Research infrastructures: Proposals should consider liaising with and utilizing European research infrastructures (e.g., from the ESFRI portfolio).

Unique Aspects

Lump Sum Funding: This grant operates under a lump sum model, simplifying financial reporting by focusing on the delivery of agreed work packages rather than detailed cost accounting.
Inter-agency coordination: This topic is part of a coordination initiative between the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) on Earth System Science, indicating potential for complementary collaborations.

Cross-Cutting Priorities

Integration of Digital and AI: Proposals should leverage AI domain and improved environmental observation and modelling systems to enhance scientific capacity.
Circular Economy: Solutions should align with principles of the circular economy where relevant to addressing pollution.

Grant Details