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European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
  • News article
  • 29 November 2024
  • European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
  • 2 min read

EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’: 19 projects to receive technical assistance under Horizon Europe

A map of Europe with blue pins indicating the project location
© European Union 2024

What do Seagrass aquaculture, plastic waste removals, restoring biodiversity and circular economy have in common? They all play a crucial role in advancing the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’ – one of five missions under Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme. 19 projects, spanning from fishery communities to ports and islands, start receiving technical assistance from top-notch experts in their field. This technical assistance will help communities across the different sea-basins to scale up and further develop their project with tailor made and dedicated support.

The selected projects are expected to play an important role in the implementation of the Mission in particular in the deployment and upscaling phase of the Mission. Specifically, of the 19 selected projects, 15 focused on the first objective of the Mission (biodiversity conservation and restoration), 8 on the second objective (pollution prevention and elimination), and 13 on the third (sustainable blue economy), highlighting their intricacy as some of them simultaneously tackle multiple objectives. The projects have been selected following a call for proposals launched in spring 2024. A broad geographic representation is ensured as the projects span across all four Mission Ocean and Waters Lighthouses.

With these signed contracts, public administrations, non-governmental organisations, and private actors from 11 countries across the EU will learn how to mitigate potential risks, achieve better outcomes, ensure that resources are used effectively, and contribute to the successful deployment of innovative solutions. The assistance will include feasibility studies, business model development, creating funding strategies, conducting regulatory analyses, and more. The goal is to identify and map solutions to improve environmental conditions, combat marine pollution, and promote sustainable blue economy practices. This technical assistance can enhance the economic, financial, and operational feasibility of projects, from planning and design to implementation and scaling up, thereby providing a solid foundation for successful project development and execution.

A full overview of projects can be found here.

New call for technical assistance is open now

Following the success of the first call, the Mission Ocean has launched a new call open until 13 December 2024. This additional technical assistance aims to provide solutions and measures for the restoration of the ocean, seas, and waters, along with the protection and resilience of coastal communities.

Apply here to receive technical assistance to achieve the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’.

Background

Launched in September 2021, the EU Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters' aims to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement and investments in the blue economy. The Mission supports regional engagement and cooperation through area-based “Lighthouses” in major sea and river basins: Atlantic-Arctic, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic-North Sea, and Danube-Black Sea. Mission lighthouses are sites to pilot, demonstrate, develop, and deploy the Mission activities across EU seas and river basins.

 

UPDATE 05.12.2024: Initially, 20 projects were selected to receive technical assistance. One project withdrew from the programme as its operations were discontinued.

 

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