Funding programme

Horizon Europe is the EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation.

Read more about the Horizon Europe programme here.

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Call overview

This call aims to address the degradation of coastal and marine habitats, including degraded seabed habitats

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Scope

Proposals under this topic will address the degradation of coastal and marine habitats, including degraded seabed habitats and will develop and demonstrate protection and restoration solutions to upgrade and enhance the EU's blue natural capital.

Innovation actions have to show the potential to be up-scaled and reproduced at European level and beyond.

Proposals are expected to duly address the connection between marine ecosystems, including seabed habitats, and their biodiversity. Nevertheless, in exceptional cases, proposals may address either specific vulnerable species or habitats that are under strong pressures or that have the most potential to capture and store carbon. Proposals should be site-specific and the scale and range of the sites for demonstration activities has to be ecologically relevant and impactful and show a significant replication potential.

Read more in the Work Programme - Missions, page 164.

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Expected outcome

In support of the implementation of the European Green Deal and the Biodiversity Strategy, project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Protected, restored and sustainably used and managed marine biodiversity, blue natural capital, marine and coastal ecosystems;
• Reinforced ecosystem services from restored and protected marine areas;
• Seabed protection and restoration solutions, including to preserve seabed carbon sequestration capacity;
• Socio-economic transition processes through innovative solutions for ecosystem-based management of marine protected areas;
• Enhanced resilience of coastal and marine ecosystems;
• A blueprint for the extension of marine protected areas and/or for the shift of their status from “protected” to “strictly protected”;
• A blue print for the identification of ecological corridors as part of a blue Trans-European Nature Network, and a strategy to build such a network;
• Contribution to the Mission’s Digital Ocean and Water Knowledge system through marine observations and open data and knowledge sharing ;
• Reinforced EU leadership in international efforts to combat biodiversity loss, in line with the EU key priorities and international commitments, including through the protection, conservation, restoration and sustainable use of marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

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Eligibility

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:

• the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
• the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
• eligible non-EU countries including countries associated to Horizon Europe and low- and middle-income countries.

Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations 1) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.

A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such undernational law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.

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Consortium composition

Unless otherwise provided for in the specific call conditions, legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes:

• at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
• at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.

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Budget

EUR 17,000,000.