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Call key data
Towards a comprehensive European strategy to assess and monitor aquatic litter including plastic and microplastic pollution
Funding Program
Horizon Europe: Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment
Call number
HORIZON-CL6-2025-01-ZEROPOLLUTION-04
deadlines
Opening
06.05.2025
Deadline
17.09.2025 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 6,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 6,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
In line with the European Green Deal, notably the EU zero pollution action plan, a successful proposal will contribute to the impacts of this Destination related to addressing pollution for a healthier ocean, seas and waters.
Call objectives
The monitoring and assessment of litter including plastic, microplastic and nanoplastic pollution in Europe’s marine and freshwater environment remains fragmented and diverse, although progress has been made under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) for monitoring quantities and impacts of marine litter and harmonised guidance for monitoring has been produced. However, large discrepancies between countries, marine regions, litter types and environmental compartments can still be observed and large data and knowledge gaps persist on the sources, pathways, distribution and concentrations of litter in marine and freshwater, which are impeding comprehensive assessments of the extent of litter pollution including microplastics in EU waters. Different approaches for assessing and monitoring litter pollution in freshwater and marine environments are further hindering such assessments.
Despite the large amount of literature and recent scientific advancements to develop reliable and harmonised analytical research methodologies, guidance, protocols and reference materials, pan-European approaches and strategies that set out what to measure, where to measure, when to measure and how to measure are missing.
Actions should in particular inform monitoring and assessments, including threshold setting, under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and more broadly support its implementation, the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the zero pollution action plan, the evaluation and possible revision of the Single Use Plastics Directive as well as EU initiatives on microplastics (such as under REACH and reduction of plastic pellets releases). Actions will also contribute to the planned Global Agreement to End Plastic Pollution and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
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Expected effects and impacts
Proposals should demonstrate how they will contribute significantly at EU level to all of the following:
- enhance data acquisition, quality assurance and quality control approaches, and effective use of available data from source-to-sea including lake, riverine, groundwater, coastline, sea surface and seabed monitoring of (plastic) litter including (different types of) microplastics, making use of diverse data sources (incl. data collected by citizen science initiatives) and new technologies to improve quantitative knowledge on pollution sources, pathways, spatial distribution and accumulation zones, including on the seabed, leakage and transport at EU scale and at basin level;
- develop scientific approaches as well as environmentally relevant reference materials and matrices needed to design harmonised methods for detecting, identifying, classifying, and quantifying plastic and microplastic pollution in realistic conditions, which will enable a comprehensive assessment of the exposure of aquatic biodiversity to litter;
- improve tools and methodologies for efficient and where possible autonomous sampling, developing rapid and reliable analytical methods and imaging techniques for seabed macro litter and monitoring of microplastic pollution to address policy needs;
- develop analytical methods for detecting, characterising and monitoring nanoplastic particles in aquatic environments;
- develop, improve and implement fit-for-purpose, optimised, validated, harmonised and cost-effective monitoring strategies for freshwater, coastal and marine environments and collaborative data collection across borders, which need to be implemented on a sufficient scale to assess the problem;
- enable the uptake of monitoring data in large scale databases (e.g. the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and the European Digital Twin of the Ocean) following FAIR principles, to ensure public data accessibility and use and foster a comprehensive assessments of litter pollution at European level.
The action is expected to build on the work and engage with the Technical Group on Marine Litter under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, which is co-led by the JRC. It should build on the outcomes and establish links with relevant projects, including projects funded under the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters and its Mediterranean lighthouse (e.g. the projects PlasticPirates – Go Europe!, UPSTREAM, INSPIRE and topic HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-02: A toolbox for public authorities to address marine plastics and litter from river-to-ocean), the EUROqCHARM project and JPI Oceans microplastics projects.
The action should also contribute to regional and global efforts on monitoring plastic pollution in the ocean and waters, by building links with activities of relevant regional seas conventions, the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and contributing to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Proposals should also build on and contribute to the GEO Blue Planet initiative and the Integrated Marine Debris Observing System (IMDOS) in cooperation with GOOS and UNEP. Proposals are encouraged to liaise with and consider the services offered by, where relevant, European research infrastructures.
International cooperation is encouraged, including with All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance partner countries. This topic is part of a coordination initiative between ESA and the European Commission on Earth System Science. The EC-ESA Earth System Science Initiative enables EC and ESA to support complementary collaborative projects funded on the EC side through Horizon Europe and on the ESA side through the FutureEO programme.
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Expected results
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- harmonised and coordinated approaches across the EU for monitoring aquatic litter in European freshwater and marine environments;
- improved knowledge and FAIR data enabling a comprehensive assessment of litter sources, pathways, degradation, spatial distribution including on the seabed and sediment, hotspots and areas of accumulation as well as the resulting risks for aquatic biodiversity at EU scale and at basin level;
- implementation of optimised, validated, harmonised, cost-effective, and pan-European monitoring strategies for freshwater, coastal and marine environments, which are taken up by relevant environmental authorities in the EU;
- strengthened cooperation between scientific institutions and relevant environmental authorities responsible for monitoring pollution in freshwater and marine environments at EU and national level, fostering competence in monitoring aquatic litter in the EU;
- implementation of related EU policies, in particular baselines, threshold-setting and identification of changes in levels of plastic litter and microplastics in freshwaters as well as all coastal and marine compartments under the MSFD.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Canada, Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), New Zealand (Aotearoa), 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, 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
- 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.
other eligibility criteria
Specific cases:
- 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 (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 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.
- Legal entities created under EU law (EU bodies) including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
- 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.
- EU restrictive measures — Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) as well as Article 75 TFEU, are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
- Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine — Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, there is currently no appropriate context allowing the implementation of the actions foreseen in this programme with legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine. Therefore, even where such entities are not subject to EU restrictive measures, such legal entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity. This includes participation as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any). Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons.
With specific regard to measures addressed to Russia, following the adoption of the Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1745 of 24 June 2024 (amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014) concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia are also not eligible to participate in any capacity. - Measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary — Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022, no legal commitments can be entered into with Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals and can participate without receiving EU funding, as associated partners, if allowed by the call conditions. However, as long as the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties, etc.).In case of multi-beneficiary grant calls, applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity in any funded role and/or to change its status into associated partner. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly.
Additional information
Topics
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
Applications 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.
Applications must be submitted using the forms provided inside the electronic submission system (not the templates available on the topic page, which are only for information). The structure and presentation must correspond to the instructions given in the forms.
Applications must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents.
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 as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). It is mandatory to submit a detailed budget table using the template available in the Submission system.
Call documents
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and EnvironmentHorizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 6 - Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment(kB)
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