Calls for Funding

Check the source pages of each of these calls for more information. You can also ask the National Hub in your country to check what funding and matchmaking opportunities might be applicable to your project(idea).

Capabilities for border surveillance and situational awareness | Deadline: 23 November 2023

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Deadline: 23 November 2023
Budget: €7.000.000
Countries: Algeria,France, Italy, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia
More information: funding and tender opportunities portal by the European Commission

Scope

External borders of the European Union and of the Schengen area, ranging from those closer to the Mediterranean to the Nordic Countries external land borders, present different border surveillance challenges. These differences may lead to difficulties in efficiently monitoring them, deterring illegal activities across the external borders, as well as trafficking of human beings and exploitation of irregular migration that avoid border crossing points.

Outcomes

  • Increased border surveillance capabilities, better performing and more cost-efficient, with data and fundamental rights protection by design;
  • Better surveillance of border areas, supporting fight against illegal activities across external borders, as well as safety of people and operators in the border areas, including favouring border crossings through border crossing points;
  • More efficient and more flexible solutions (including for relocation, reconfiguration and rapid deployment capabilities) than physical barriers to deter and monitor irregular border crossings outside border crossing points

Robotics: autonomous or semi-autonomous UGV systems to supplement skills for use in hazardous environments | Deadline: 13 November 2024

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Deadline: 13 November 2023
Budget: €8.000.000
Countries: Algeria,France, Italy, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia
More information: Euro-access.eu website

Scope

The scope of this topic is not only to develop new robotic solutions for specific tasks but addresses also more holistically the surrounding environment and factors that impact civil protection on a larger scale.

Outcomes

  • Broad acceptance of autonomous systems by first responders and affected people in civil protection;
  • Higher safety and security standards for operational forces working in hazardous environments;
  • Get ahead of future shortcomings of trained first responder personnel by increasing first responder efficiency (less personnel do more work in shorter time);
  • Increased ability to conduct on-scene operations remotely without endangering first responders;
  • European robotics industry is strengthened through engagement in the civil protection research as well as an economic and political advantage through building up know-how for innovative technologies;
  • Reduction of false positive readouts from various sensors carried by robots.

Supporting the clean energy transition of European businesses | Deadline 16 November 2023

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Deadline: 16 November, 2023
Countries: France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain

 

Scope:

As highlighted in the Green Deal Industrial Plan, the achievement of climate-neutrality by 2050 will require a full mobilisation and deeper cooperation among all players operating across the different value chains of Europe’s net-zero industry. Exposure to energy prices, increased global competition as well as potential transition risks linked to changing regulation, market demand and buyers/suppliers procurement criteria are increasing pressure on EU companies. New business models and financial schemes are needed to be able to adapt in the current energy crisis and take the decision to invest in an energy efficiency or renewable energy project.

The overall objective of this topic is to support the clean energy transition and decarbonisation of businesses by strengthening national and regional ecosystems for energy management systems and energy audits and by fostering collaborative approaches between companies. Synergies with relevant EU projects[4] and initiatives such as the Covenant of Companies for Climate and Energy (CCCE) and/or the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) are encouraged.

Proposals are expected to focus on one of the two scopes below. The scope addressed should be specified in the proposal’s introduction. In case a proposal addresses elements of more than one scope, this should be justified.

Scope A: Strengthening a favourable ecosystem for energy audits and energy management systems
Scope B: Fostering energy cooperation among companies

Proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.

More information on the dedicated funding page from the European Commission

Horizon Europe: EUR 64.6 million available for projects in sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply | Deadline 10 October

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Deadline: 10 October, 2023
Budget: €64.400.000
Countries: France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain

Scope:

Following the adoption of the Horizon Europe 2023-2024 work programme, the European Commission has launched a new call for project proposals to support research and innovation under efficient, sustainable and inclusive energy use. This Destination includes activities targeting a sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply. This includes activities in the areas of renewable energy; energy system, grids and storage; as well as Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS)

The total indicative budget available is EUR 64.6 million. The deadline for submissions is 10 October 2023 17:00 CET Time.

The call covers 8 topics:

You can find all the information required, including the call text and application forms on the Funding and Tenders Portal using the call reference: HORIZON-CL5-2023-D3-03

More information on the dedicated funding page from the European Commission

MedFund/ MedPAN Call for Interest – Managing MPAs | Deadline 30 June 2023

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Deadline: 30 June, 2023
Budget: USD 50-60K
Countries: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia – Albania, Lebanon, Montenegro

Scope:
The MedFund’s mission is to support the long-term recurrent costs of managing Marine Protected Areas.

Eligible activities:

  • Co-management activities,
  • Salaries1(excluding administrative salaries),
  • Equipment and infrastructure maintenance, and small equipment purchases,
  • Surveillance and enforcement,
  • Active governance and stakeholder participation,
  • Awareness raising and communication,
  • Scientific monitoring (3 conservation targets),
  • Management activities for the protection of the conservation targets,
  • Promotion/support of socio-economic activities,
  • Consideration of climate change,
  • Gender approach: how to promote gender equality,
  • Establishment of income-generating activities for the MPA

 

For information and elgibility criteria visit the dedicated MedFund webpage

 

Call for expression of interest for new S3 partnerships, including on blue economy topics

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S3 logo

Blue economy stakeholders can now form a Smart Specialisation (S3) interregional partnership by submitting their interest to the European Commission under the call for expression of interest for new S3 partnerships, under the Smart Specialisation Community of Practice (S3 CoP).

The application form to set up a new partnership is open continuously via the online application form, with two cut-off dates for application evaluation and communication of results, 16 June and 30 September 2023.

For more information on the partnership opportunity please visit the website.

 

MedBAN Open Call for Blue Economy SMEs (Internationalisation) | Deadline: 31 May 2023

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Deadline: 31 May, 2023
Budget: €300.000
Countries: Spain, Portugal, France Italy, Greece

Scope:

The open call for Internationalisation aims at providing financial support to SMEs working in the blue economy. The SMEs should focus on adapting processes and technologies for a greener, more digital and resilient blue economy. Specifically, this call aims to contribute to tackling the multiple challenges identified by MedBAN in the Mediterranean Sea Basin.

Independently of its position in the value-chain (e.g., producer, technology and equipment and infrastructure provider, end-user, support service provider), applicant SMEs need to be active in at least one of the following sectors:

  • Sustainable aquaculture;
  • Sustainable fisheries;
  • Sustainable tourism; 
  • Harbours; 
  • Marine renewable energies.

For more information download the documents in the MedBAN public folder and visit the MedBAN website

MedBAN Open Call for blue Economy SMEs (Innovation) | Deadline: 31 May 2023

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Deadline: 31 May, 2023
Budget: €750.000
Countries: Spain, Portugal, France Italy, Greece

Scope:

The open call for Innovation, Training and Twin Transformation call (ITTT) aims to provide financial support to SMEs working in the blue economy to support their innovation and twin transformation. The SMEs should focus on adapting processes and technologies for a greener, more digital and resilient blue economy. Specifically, this call aims to contribute to tackling the multiple challenges identified by MedBAN in the Mediterranean Sea Basin.

Independently of its position in the value-chain (e.g., producer, technology and equipment and infrastructure provider, end-user, support service provider), applicant SMEs need to be active in at least one of the following sectors:

  • Sustainable aquaculture;
  • Sustainable fisheries;
  • Sustainable tourism;
  • Harbours;
  • Marine renewable energies.

For more information download the documents here and visit the MedBAN website

Innovation Fund Small-Scale Projects | Deadline 19 September 2023

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Deadline: 19 September, 2023
Budget: €100.000.000
Countries: France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain

Scope:

The following activities can be funded under this topic:

  • activities that support innovation in low-carbon technologies and processes in sectors listed in Annex I to the EU ETS Directive 2003/87, including environmentally safe carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) that contributes substantially to mitigating climate change, as well as products substituting carbon-intensive ones produced in sectors listed in Annex I to the EU ETS Directive
  • activities that help stimulate the construction and operation of projects that aim at the environmentally safe capture and geological storage of CO2 (CCS)
  • activities that help stimulate the construction and operation of innovative renewable energy and energy storage technologies.

More information on the dedicated funding page from the European Commission

Improving scientific knowledge to strengthen the science-basis of management decisions under the Common Fisheries Policy | Deadline 19 September 2023

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Deadline: 19 September, 2023
Budget: €2.600.000
Countries: France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain

Scope:

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 contribution in supporting the EU scientific community in developing and maintaining the relevant expertise to provide high quality scientific advice.

Projects should focus on at least one of the themes listed below:

  • Improve or update the available scientific knowledge to advise the European Commission on proposing new fisheries conservation and management measures or reviewing the existing ones within the CFP context, including its international dimension.
  • Optimise the collection and use of samples and collected scientific data under the Data Collection Framework or under any other data collection or monitoring initiatives at national/regional or EU level.
  • Adapt the scientific advice currently provided for the CFP to the upcoming challenges affecting fisheries management such as climate change, and related changes in ecosystems.
  • Improve methodological aspects of the design, collection and/or management of the data collected that will benefit the scientific advisory process.
  • 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 of stock structures, life histories, food webs and multi-species interactions.
  • Increase understanding and operationalization of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM) to further develop capacity to provide advice using environmental, social and economic information, including through 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.
  • 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 production of scientific advice, and the communication of scientific results.
  • Increase monitoring and understanding on the impact of other human activities and threats to fisheries stocks and linked ecosystems.

More information on the dedicated page of the  the Funding and Tender opportunities page from the European Commission