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Deadline expired

The deadline for this call has expired.

Call key data

Demonstration of marine and coastal infrastructures as hybrid blue-grey Nature-based Solutions

Call number

HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01-7

deadlines

Opening
22.12.2022

Deadline
28.03.2023 17:00

Funding rate

70% (NPO:100%)

Call budget

€ 10,000,000.00

Estimated EU contribution per project

€ 5,000,000.00

Link to the call

ec.europa.eu

Link to the submission

ec.europa.eu

Call content

short description

Proposals should explore and improve co-creation approaches with the relevant actors (infrastructure owners, governance, civil society and end-users or beneficiaries) for the design, installation and management of these built infrastructures with nature centred design. Social innovation is recommended when the solutions are at the socio-technical interface and require social change, new social practices, social ownership or market uptake.

Call objectives

Climate policies trigger the development of several-large scale infrastructures in the marine and coastal environment. In particular, the EU offshore renewable energy plan targets for 40 GW of EU wave and tidal energy by 2050 from the 13 megawatts (MW) operating today. Climate adaptation and impacts reduction strategies imply the increase of an already important development of coastal and urban protection from erosion, sea level rise and extreme events. Global trade is supported by enlarging or building new ports. They may cause trade-offs against endemic biodiversity and alter on-going natural eco-evolutionary responses. They may cause trade-offs against endemic biodiversity and ecology, but they could protect, restore or harbour functional ecosystems (even if mostly novel) providing critical functions and services opportunities to biodiversity by mimicking and integrating natural processes and features in their design.

Proposals should be large scale demonstration of hybrid nature-based solutions with built coastal and marine infrastructures to preserve ecosystems and/or support their restoration. The infrastructure purpose should be originally aiming at climate policy targets (e.g., hard and soft coastal or urban protection from climate change impacts – sea level rise, extreme events, erosion - , renewable energy farms or islands, maritime services and safety, etc.) and with the highest potential for being replicated, scaled-up and deployed. Proposals should also assess the putative impacts/secondary effects of these infrastructures, notably regarding cumulative impacts of the biodiversity drivers such as climate, land and sea-use change (infrastructures), invasive alien species, etc. The action should consider impacts and opportunities from ecological connectivity with neighbouring ecosystems.

Proposals looking at infrastructures serving several purposes (such as Low Trophic Aquaculture; educational and recreational purposes; support of fishery via creation of nursery habitats; bio filtration and bio depollution) are encouraged. Proposals should integrate the relevant results of other Horizon 2020 or national projects on multi-use of the marine space.

Proposals should look how nature benefits could be put at the centre of the infrastructures by addressing the selection or the development of materials for their construction, design, installation, and maintenance, to maximise the positive effects on natural processes and enable their preservation (if in good status) or restoration of the local marine ecosystems and their socio-ecological management.

Proposals should provide evidence and data of the multiple benefits and potential trade-offs of these hybrid solutions on short and long-term timescales and, in particular, for the purposes of marine biodiversity and ecosystems functions protection and restoration, but also for the blue economy and society as a whole.

In particular, for hybrid infrastructures aiming at protection against climate impacts, the proposals should provide evidence-based analysis of their efficiency compared to more usual infrastructure approaches, and to usual nature-based solutions, or as alternatives where “NBS alone” cannot be envisaged due to local environmental features. The projects funded under this topic should build links with projects funded under the European Mission ‘Restore our ocean and waters by 2030’, in particular with the Mission activities under objective 1 – protect and restore marine ecosystems and their biodiversity, and with the Mission lighthouse activities and Blue Parks as well as with the Mission implementation monitoring system that will be part of the Mission Implementation Support Platform for reporting, monitoring and coordination of all relevant implementation activities. Proposals should also connect with relevant projects under Horizon Europe topics, such as (HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-01-03), on support of development of policies, business models and market conditions to scale up and speed up the implementation of nature-based solutions.

Projects are expected to contribute to the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative by interacting with the NEB Community, NEBLab and other relevant actions of the NEB initiative through sharing information, best practices, and, where relevant, results.

In order to achieve the expected outcomes in integrating and coordinating these different scaled approaches, international cooperation is strongly encouraged. A strong linkage should be ensured with the ongoing activities under the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance. Actions under this topic will build upon and link with Horizon projects. All in-situ data collected through actions funded from this call should follow INSPIRE principles and be available through open access repositories supported by the European Commission (Copernicus, GEOSS, and EMODnet). Where relevant, creating links to and using the information and data of the European Earth observation programme Copernicus, the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is expected.

Collaboration with the relevant existing European Research Infrastructures is considered necessary.

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Expected results

In line with the European Green Deal and, in particular with the objectives of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, the EU proposal for a nature restoration law and the Birds and Habitats Directives, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the climate adaptation and mitigation strategies, the new approach for a sustainable blue economy, the EU guidance document on integrating ecosystems and their services in decision-making, the projects should contribute to the destination impacts of mainstreaming biodiversity, ecosystem services and natural capital in the society and the economy, and addressing direct and indirect drivers of biodiversity decline. They should provide public authorities, as well as related infrastructures operators in their design, engineering, construction, installation and exploitation, with nature centred solutions that are beneficial for biodiversity, ecosystem services and the original infrastructure purpose (renewable energy production, or coastal protection).

Projects results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

  • Pave the way for a new level of ecosystem-based management, in which future marine and coastal infrastructures (e.g., protection of coastal and urban areas from climate change impacts, offshore windfarms, harbours, tourism development, bridges, etc.) are intentionally designed and actively used to support the restoration (where the term encompasses multiple approaches to actively rehabilitate, repair, reallocate or reinvent damaged biodiversity and ecosystem processes and services) of marine ecosystem health and services (including climate mitigation & adaptation), where nature-based solutions alone cannot be envisaged;
  • Contribute to the development of a framework for “blue buildings” rating based on the model of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building rating system;
  • Upscale Blueprints integrating the conception, installation, exploitation, maintenance of hybrid blue-grey infrastructures that are beneficial to ecosystem functioning and restoration;
  • Mainstream biodiversity in marine and coastal infrastructures and activities.

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Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT)
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), 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), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom

eligible entities

EU Body, Education and training institution, International organization, Natural Person, 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

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5-7 by the end of the project.

For the Technology Readiness Level (TRL), the following definitions apply:

  • TRL 1 — Basic principles observed
  • TRL 2 — Technology concept formulated
  • TRL 3 — Experimental proof of concept
  • TRL 4 — Technology validated in a lab
  • TRL 5 — Technology validated in a relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
  • TRL 6 — Technology demonstrated in a relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
  • TRL 7 — System prototype demonstration in an operational environment
  • TRL 8 — System complete and qualified
  • TRL 9 — Actual system proven in an operational environment (competitive manufacturing in the case of key enabling technologies, or in space)

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)

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 50 pages.

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum. 

Call documents

HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 6, Destination 1HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 6, Destination 1(kB)

Contact

National Contact Points for Horizon Europe
Website

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