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Call key data

Improving scientific knowledge to strengthen the science-basis of management decisions under the CFP

Funding Program

European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund

Call number

EMFAF-2025-PIA-FisheriesScientificAdvice

deadlines

Opening
14.11.2024

Deadline
20.02.2025 17:00

Deadline - 2nd stage

Opening
20.11.2024

Funding rate

80%

Call budget

€ 2,600,000.00

Estimated EU contribution per project

between € 400,000.00 and € 600,000.00

Link to the call

ec.europa.eu

Link to the submission

ec.europa.eu

Call content

short description

The main objective of this Call for Proposals is to develop and strengthen the scientific knowledge needed to support the science-basis for fisheries management measures.

Call objectives

The priorities related to this call are the reinforcement of policy-oriented fisheries science, the better use of the collected scientific data, the improved cooperation between scientists and the fisheries sector, and the support of the EU scientific community in developing and maintaining the relevant expertise to provide high quality scientific advice.

The applicants must clearly identify in their proposals which of the following theme(s) they will contribute to. Projects should focus on at least one of the themes listed below (not in any priority order):

  • Improve or update the available scientific knowledge to advise the European Commission on proposing new fisheries management measures or reviewing the existing ones within the CFP context, including its external dimension.
  • Adapt the scientific advice needed for the CFP to the upcoming challenges affecting fisheries management, such as climate change and related changes in ecosystems or increasing diversity of human activities at sea.
  • Increase understanding of fisheries stock structures, populations, life histories, food webs and multi-species interactions.
  • Further strengthen scientific knowledge to assess and monitor the impact of fisheries on the structure, function and dynamics of marine ecosystems, and their associated services.
  • Increase understanding and operationalisation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) to further develop capacity to provide advice using environmental, social and economic information, including through qualitative, semi-qualitative and quantitative analysis.
  • Strengthen scientific and operational knowledge to monitor and assess the impact of fisheries on vulnerable and sensitive species with a view to identify biologically sensitive areas, hot-spots by-catch areas and mitigation measures to monitor and control mortalities and the most suitable management measures for specific cases.
  • Increase understanding and monitoring of the impact of other human activities and their threats on fisheries stocks or their linked ecosystems and on fishing activities.
  • Optimise the collection and use of scientific data and samples collected under the Data Collection Framework or under any other data collection or monitoring initiatives at national/regional or EU level.
  • Improve methodological aspects such as sampling, design, data collection and/or data management that will benefit the scientific fishery advisory process.

In addition, proposals may contribute to at least one of the following complementary theme(s).

  • Support the EU scientific community, in developing and maintaining the relevant expertise to provide high-quality scientific advice to inform fisheries management.
  • Support the involvement of policy stakeholders and citizens in the provision of fisheries data, the process of the inter- and trans-disciplinary production of scientific advice, and the communication and dissemination of scientific results.

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Expected effects and impacts

Applicants will describe in their proposals the concrete and measurable results within the duration of the project and their expected impact, including indicators for the monitoring and measurement of progress. The project activities should result in the following expected impacts:

  • Improved available knowledge to the EU (and global) fisheries scientific community, thus directly improving the science-base for the fisheries management measures designed in the context of the CFP.
  • Better integration of the results of the project into the scientific advice for fisheries management process and, when relevant, the possibility to use/transfer the outcomes to other countries/regions.

Applicants must describe the main target groups or forums in which their results should be considered to feed scientific advice processes for fisheries management (e.g. existing working groups of scientific bodies).

Where relevant, applicants must explain the added value of their proposals in relation to similar actions implemented under national EMFAF Operational Programmes (shared management), e.g. Data Collection Framework (DCF) or monitoring programmes, under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the EU Birds Directive and Habitats Directive. This will be evaluated under Relevance.

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Expected results

Selected projects can include the activities listed (non-exhaustive list) below:

  • developing methodologies for stock identification/definition and/or evaluation including refining of stock geographical distribution and assessment parameters, including data-limited methods and those suitable providing advice on very rare sensitive species,
  • modelling: development, improvement, operationalising, testing and/or validation of models (e.g. adding age error matrices, incorporating environmental, social and/or economic drivers, considering multispecies interactions, adjusting models to geographical areas, etc.),
  • collection and processing of samples and/or data in the field which are outside (or go beyond) the scope of national data collection programmes (e.g. environmental samples, biological samples, social and economic data, etc.),
  • harmonise and/or improve protocols of data collection, handling and management to serve the scientific advisory process,
  • trials (e.g. exploring methods for improving surveys, collection of data, monitoring methods, risk assessments, etc.),
  • meta-analysis, data validation and/or data preparation to feed into models,
  • expanding current databases or creating new databases and link with existing initiatives with the aim of improving data quality and serving scientific advice,
  • developing new advice formats or frequencies.

Activities can contribute to more than one theme.

In addition, applicants may propose other activities such as develop cooperation/networking activities between EU scientists and/or with EU fishing industry and/or managers (e.g. multidisciplinary analysis, workshops, benchmark meetings, stakeholders’ consultations, networking of existing samples, etc.).

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Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT)

eligible entities

Education and training institution, International organization, Research Institution incl. University

Mandatory partnership

Yes

Project Partnership

Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least 2 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities), which complies with the following conditions:

  • minimum 2 independent entities from 2 different EU Member States

The coordinator must be established in an EU Member State.

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

  • be legal entities (public or private bodies)
  • be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
    • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
  • be research centres, institutes, universities, foundations and scientific bodies primarily active in fisheries science or in marine science applied to fisheries management.

Specific cases:

Natural persons — Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of self-employed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).

International organisations — International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.

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 for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.

EU bodies — EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.

Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. Please note that if the action will be implemented by the members, they should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible).

other eligibility criteria

Financial support to third parties is not allowed.

Additional information

Topics

Agriculture & Forestry, Fishery, Food, Soil quality, 
Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management

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)

project duration

between 18 and 30 months

Additional Information

Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (accessible via the Topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section. Paper submissions are NOT possible.

Proposals (including annexes and supporting documents) must be submitted using the forms provided inside the Submission System ( NOT the documents available on the Topic page — they are only for information).

Proposals must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents:

  • Application Form Part A — contains administrative information about the participants (future coordinator, beneficiaries and affiliated entities) and the summarised budget for the project (to be filled in directly online)
  • Application Form Part B — contains the technical description of the project (to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded)
  • mandatory annexes and supporting documents (templates available to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed, assembled and re-uploaded):
    • detailed budget table: not applicable
    • CVs of core project team: not applicable
    • activity reports of last year: not applicable
    • list of previous projects (key projects for the last 4 years) (template available in Part B).

Proposals are limited to maximum 40 pages (Part B). Evaluators will not consider any additional pages.

Call documents

EMFAF-2025-PIA-FisheriesScientificAdviceEMFAF-2025-PIA-FisheriesScientificAdvice(888kB)

Contact

EMFAF
+32 2 299 11 11
Website

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