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Call key data
Support for the Coalition of waterfront cities, regions and islands for Mission Ocean and Waters
Funding Program
Horizon Europe: Missions
Call number
HORIZON-MISS-2024-OCEAN-02-02
deadlines
Opening
23.04.2024
Deadline
18.09.2024 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 4,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 4,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
This action will co-ordinate and support the Coalition of islands, regions and waterfront cities committed to achieving the Mission Ocean and Waters objectives and targets in their local contexts.
Call objectives
During the first phase of the implementation of the Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030’, a number of waterfront cities, regions and islands started to become engaged in the Mission with adhesions to the Mission Charter.
The proposal should coordinate, support and strengthen this growing movement to create a broad Coalition supporting the Mission Ocean and Waters, which will focus on waterfront cities with their ports (coastal and inland), as well as regions and islands committed to implementing this Mission. Importantly, it should aim to build a broad coalition, which also includes, in addition to the regions/cities/islands who already adhered to the Mission Charter, new and so far less active members with equal representation from all Mission lighthouse areas.
Proposals should:
- establish and strengthen a Coalition of coastal and inland waterfront cities (including their maritime or inland water ports), regions and islands across the EU and Associated countries;
- support the governance, implementation and reporting of the Coalition;
- co-ordinating, networking, twinning, and mentoring of the Coalition members, as well as sharing best practices and deploying solutions together with the projects resulting from the topic HORIZON-MISS-2024-OCEAN-02-01 and in collaboration with the Mission Ocean and Waters Implementation Platform;
- develop participatory processes for cities, regions and islands to be able to better plan and implement actions aiming to reach the Missions objectives; establish robust mechanisms for regional and local dialogues and facilitate coordination and collaboration between the Coalition and relevant national, regional and local authorities, communities, as well as relevant networks and initiatives in order to engage a large number of stakeholders, including private actors and citizens, in the protection and restoration of the ocean, seas and waters.
- enhance the visibility of the Coalition activities through targeted communication actions and educational campaigns engaging local communities, schools, and the general public;
- leverage funds to support the actions of the Coalition, in interaction with managing authorities and the private sector, where relevant.
The proposals should support the public authorities that become members of the Coalition by enabling them to engage with various other local stakeholders, including the private sector, NGOs, citizens, investors, other local and regional authorities, in co-design, co-development and co-implementation strategies and actions for the health of oceans, seas, and inland waters. The proposals should help to ensure that the Coalition has a balanced representation of diverse communities across Member States and Associated Countries, including participation of smaller cities and municipalities.
The proposals should help the Coalition to forge links and coordinate with other important EU initiatives and key players (while at the same time avoiding overlaps), such as the EU Cities Mission, the Horizon Europe Partnership for a Sustainable Blue Economy, the European Environment Agency and organisations in charge of protection of the marine and coastal environment in Europe; as well as relevant international activities. The proposals may also collaborate with and build on the experience of other relevant existing networks, partnerships and initiatives as well as take into account relevant strategic research and innovation agendas and regional strategies.
The proposals should enable the Coalition to leverage funds for implementing the actions to achieve the Mission objectives, including through facilitated synergies and access to EU, national, regional and private funds and strategies, in interaction with managing authorities if applicable (e.g. ERDF, EMFAF, LIFE, Interreg, RRF, RIS3/RIS4 etc), the financial sector (e.g. EIB), investors and philanthropies.
The proposals should also support the Commission in developing, launching and implementing a Mission Ocean and Waters Label, under guidance of and in a close collaboration with the EC Mission Ocean and Waters Secretariat. The Label should be awarded to entities that have already adhered to the Charter or are planning to do so, and whose activities or transition plans are being assessed as stand-out in terms of excellence and impact towards reaching Mission objectives. The Label will recognise the commitment to achieving the Mission objectives and facilitate access to possible funding and investment. In particular, the proposals should work with the EC Mission Ocean and Waters Secretariat to define detailed objectives and criteria for awarding the Label, taking into account and building on existing certification or label; develop measurable certification standards in line with the Mission’s targets and a transparent verification process, as well as help conduct a pilot exercise awarding the Label to the first group of actors that qualify for it. In order to accelerate and facilitate broad adoption of the Label, the proposals should develop a strategy for the promotion of the Label, including defining the benefits for the entities that would undergo the labelling, and choosing the most appropriate tools and methods for raising awareness of the Label, including the design of a compelling brand identity for the Label in line with the visual identity of the Mission and establishing partnerships with key stakeholders. The proposals should also foresee provision of guidance and support to the communities of actors wishing to apply for the Label. The labelled entities will also be integrated in the existing Mission community networks, and receive support from the Mission Implementation Platform and other initiatives and projects linked to the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters. The proposals should put in place a system to monitor and evaluate the labelled entities, as well as promote collaboration among them. The proposals should also establish necessary support structures to ensure longevity of the Label. The labelling process will be designed and implemented in close collaboration with the EC Mission Ocean and Waters Secretariat
The proposals should work closely with other Horizon Europe projects, particularly Prep4Blue, the 4 Mission lighthouse CSA projects (EcoDaLLi, BlueMissionAA, BlueMissionMed, BlueMissionBANOS), the projects selected under HORIZON-MISS-2024-OCEAN-02-01 and the Mission Ocean and Waters Implementation Platform in order to ensure complementarities and avoid overlaps. The project resulting from this topic will be implemented in close collaboration with the relevant EC service(s) and Mission Ocean and Waters Secretariat to ensure a coherent and timely implementation of the Mission.
Applicants should be flexible enough to accommodate for some adjustments that may be requested by the Commission before the grant agreement signature to ensure complementarity of activities between the projects CSA projects selected in past Mission calls (Prep4Blue, EcoDaLLi, BlueMissionAA, BlueMissionMed, BlueMissionBANOS), the Mission Ocean and Waters Implementation Platform, and the projects selected under topic HORIZON-MISS-2024-OCEAN-02-01.
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Expected results
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- A broad, highly impactful Coalition of waterfront cities (including their ports), regions and islands, that protects and restores marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity; prevents and eliminates pollution of our ocean, seas and waters; makes the sustainable blue economy carbon-neutral and circular; and strengthens resilience against extreme climate events, sea-level rise and floods;
- Actions and initiatives aiming to achieve the Mission objectives across waterfront cities, regions and islands designed and implemented by the Coalition;
- Further structuring and consolidation of the Mission communities of actors addressing the three interconnected Mission objectives and targets;
- Wide citizen and stakeholder engagement at regional and local levels, as well as political and social acceptance of actions addressing restoration of the health of the ocean, seas and waters;
- Strong cooperation with various institutions, organisations and initiatives relevant for the protection of the ocean, seas, and waters, and better access to EU and Member State, and private funds.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan), Belarus (Беларусь), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- 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.
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) 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 under national 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.
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
other eligibility criteria
In addition to the standard eligibility conditions, the consortium must include beneficiaries from at least one region, one waterfront city and one island, or associations thereof.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 30 pages.
Call documents
Horizon Missions 2023-2024Horizon Missions 2023-2024(2860kB)
Contact
RTD-HORIZON-EUROPE-MISSIONS@ec.europa.eu
Website
National Contact Points for Horizon Europe
Website
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