A toolbox for public authorities to address marine plastics and litter from river-to-ocean
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for A toolbox for public authorities to address marine plastics and litter from river-to-ocean offering max €23.3M funding💰 Funding Details
Funding Description
1. What the Grant Funds
* Development, co-design and large-scale demonstration of a comprehensive "toolbox" that enables public authorities to monitor, prevent and remove river-to-ocean plastic and marine litter.
* Mandatory components to be financed:
* Basin-wide monitoring protocols, sensors, sampling campaigns and data integration (in line with MSFD TG Litter guidelines; data must be uploaded to EMODnet/EOSC).
* At least three innovative, sustainable and cost-effective removal technologies (e.g. in-river capture, robotic skimmers, AI-supported interception) demonstrated in ≥3 use-cases in three different countries within one Mission basin.
* Social/behavioural interventions and awareness campaigns that engage citizens, industry, fishers and waste-management actors.
* Capacity-building and replication support for ≥3 “Associated Regions” through Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP).
* Digital enablers that are interoperable with the European Digital Twin Ocean (DTO).
2. Eligibility Snapshot
* Geographical: Applicants must be legal entities from EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. International partners may participate without EU funding if they bring essential expertise.
* Consortium: Minimum 3 independent entities from 3 different eligible countries AND they must collectively cover the whole land-to-river-to-sea chain in one of the four basins (choose ONE only).
* Type of Action: HORIZON-IA (Innovation Action) – funding rate 70 % of eligible direct costs for profit entities; 100 % for non-profit entities.
* Financial Support to Third Parties:
* Only local/regional public authorities can be third-party recipients.
* Max €100 000 per third party; one grant per entity for the entire project.
* Earth Observation Clause: If EO/positioning data are used, applicants must prioritise Copernicus and Galileo/EGNOS services.
3. Budget & Duration
* Indicative EU contribution per project: €8–12 million (Commission will not disqualify bigger or smaller budgets up to the ceiling of €23.3 million but must be fully justified).
* Project length: 36–48 months, aligning with Mission timeline (development phase finished by 2025; deployment/replication by 2030).
4. Important Dates
* Call opening: 07 May 2025
* Single-stage submission deadline: 24 September 2025, 17:00 CET
* Results expected: January 2026
* Grant Agreement signed: April 2026
5. Compliance & Data
* All in-situ data must respect FAIR principles and be openly available through EMODnet.
* Any digital outputs must be DTO-ready (standard APIs, INSPIRE compliant metadata, open licences).
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📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages and Opportunities for the grant "A toolbox for public authorities to address marine plastics and litter from river-to-ocean" (HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-02)
1. Single Market & Economies of Scale
• 450+ million consumers & 27 Member States: Successful innovations (e.g. in-river capture devices, AI monitoring platforms) can be commercialised EU-wide without customs barriers, enabling rapid revenue growth.
• Public authorities purchasing power: Municipalities and water-management bodies across the EU collectively procure €200+ bn/yr in environmental services—creating a large, harmonised demand base for winning solutions.
• Common public procurement directives (2014/24/EU) simplify cross-border selling of pilot-proven technologies emerging from the project.
2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange
• Mandatory 3-country use-cases per basin + 3 ‘associated regions’ provide a built-in mechanism to test, validate and refine the toolbox in diverse geographic, socio-economic and legislative contexts.
• Access to European Research Area (ERA) networks and thematic partnerships (e.g. WATER4ALL, Interreg, Plastic Pirates) accelerates dissemination of methods and results.
• Joint field campaigns along transnational rivers (Danube, Rhine, Po, Elbe, etc.) strengthen data comparability and avoid duplication of monitoring efforts.
3. Alignment with Key EU Policies
• Contributes directly to the EU Green Deal, Zero-Pollution Action Plan, Biodiversity Strategy 2030 and Fit-for-55 by cutting plastic leakage.
• Supports implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) through adoption of its new marine litter guidelines.
• Feeds high-quality datasets to the Digital Europe Programme flagship—European Digital Twin Ocean (DTO)—advancing EU digital sovereignty.
4. Regulatory Harmonisation & Standard Setting
• Participation allows beneficiaries to co-create EU-wide standards for litter monitoring, classification & reporting—likely to become reference under CEN/ISO.
• Early compliance with upcoming SUP, Packaging & Packaging Waste, and Waste-Framework revisions facilitates market entry ahead of competitors confined to national rules.
5. Integration in the EU Innovation Ecosystem
• Access to >300 marine & environmental research infrastructures (EMSO, ICOS, Euro-ARGO, etc.) via ESFRI enhances R&D capabilities at zero or low cost.
• Collaboration opportunities with European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) KICs (e.g. EIT Climate-KIC, EIT Manufacturing) unlock business mentoring and venture funding.
6. Funding Synergies & Leverage
• Positive evaluation scores for demonstrating synergies with LIFE, EMFAF, ERDF, CEF, InvestEU, BlueInvest—can multiply project budget and extend pilots post-Horizon funding.
• Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) up to €100 000 per ‘associated region’ functions as a mini-grant scheme to seed replication in additional EU territories, increasing footprint without enlarging the consortium.
7. Digital & Data Infrastructure Advantages
• Obligation to store data in EMODnet/EOSC guarantees high visibility, FAIR compliance and long-term preservation, raising citation and impact metrics.
• Interoperability with the EU Digital Twin Ocean positions beneficiaries to supply modules/services to future public tenders linked to the DTO core infrastructure.
8. Replicability, Scaling and Market Uptake
• Four-basin portfolio rule ensures at least one funded project per basin, opening replication pathways across all European sea basins and major river catchments.
• Toolbox validated under different hydrological and legislative contexts becomes a de-risked ‘ready-to-buy’ package for the rest of the EU, speeding up achievement of the Mission’s 50 % litter-reduction target.
• Eligibility of Outermost Regions widens test-beds to tropical and subtropical environments, adding export credibility for global markets.
9. Strategic Value for Applicants
• Strengthened competitive edge through EU-level visibility and endorsement; successful solutions gain high TRL (~7-8) plus policy alignment, attractive to private investors.
• Contribution to SDGs 6, 13 & 14 enhances ESG credentials, aiding access to sustainable finance instruments (e.g. EU Taxonomy-aligned funds).
• Consortium diversity (industry, academia, NGOs, public bodies) supported by Horizon Europe reimbursement rates (70 %-100 %) lowers individual financial risk while maximising knowledge spill-overs.
Bottom Line: Competing at EU scale via this Mission Innovation Action multiplies technical excellence, market reach, regulatory influence and funding leverage in a way no national programme can replicate, positioning participants as continental leaders in the fight against river-to-ocean plastic pollution.
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