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Call key data

Understanding and reducing bycatch of protected species

Funding Program

Horizon Europe - Cluster 6 - Destination 1: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services

Call number

HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01-5

deadlines

Opening
22.12.2022

Deadline
28.03.2023 17:00

Funding rate

100%

Call budget

€ 18,000,000.00

Estimated EU contribution per project

€ 9,000,000.00

Link to the call

ec.europa.eu

Link to the submission

ec.europa.eu

Call content

Call objectives

Proposals should work in one or more European regional seas and/or in other marine areas where EU fleet operates and should:

  • Evaluate bycatch risk on a sea basin and/or local level (in particular for marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and sensitive or endangered fish species such as e.g., elasmobranchs and sturgeons) by identifying the fishing activity of high-risk gear and comparing it with the spatial distribution/abundance of affected species, producing bycatch risk maps for all relevant species/gear interactions. Gather data and improve knowledge on the conservation status of bycaught species.
  • Develop or improve tools for monitoring of bycatch, including long-term observation and surveying programmes, e.g. through extending the use of remote electronic monitoring and artificial intelligence-based image recognition, enabling Member States to identify and implement adequate conservation measures as required by EU legislation.
  • Close the knowledge gaps on the locations, precise extent (number of individuals, season and locations) and reasons for bycatch (relevant metiers and fisheries), focusing on species threatened by extinction or in a bad conservation status.
  • Assess the effectiveness of existing bycatch mitigation methods (such as spatio-temporal closures or gear modifications) as well as of bycatch handling and safe release guidelines, and address their shortcomings, including through the development and testing of new approaches, focusing on high risk fisheries and most threatened species and areas.
  • Engage relevant stakeholders and environmental and fishing authorities and operators in the research projects promoting co-design in the development and testing of new approaches.

This topic is expected to contribute to the conservation of whales, whose role in carbon sequestration in the ocean is now thought to be important, therefore this topic will indirectly contribute to carbon sequestration.

Proposals should earmark the necessary resources for cooperation and networking activities. Proposals should build on existing relevant projects, including funded under Horizon 2020 and LIFE programme, as well as relevant work done by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and in Member States. They should also collaborate with Horizon Europe projects selected under topics on cumulative impact of stressors (i.e., HORIZON-CL6-2021-BIODIV-01-04: Assess and predict integrated impacts of cumulative direct and indirect stressors on coastal and marine biodiversity, ecosystems and their services) and marine/coastal observation & mapping (i.e., HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-01-01: Observing and mapping biodiversity and ecosystems, with particular focus on coastal and marine ecosystems). Additionally, they should collaborate with projects that will be funded under the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030.

Concrete efforts shall be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of projects are FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable), particularly in the context of real-time data feeds, exploring workflows that can provide “FAIR-by-design” data, i.e., data that is FAIR from its generation.

International cooperation is encouraged, in particular with non-associated third countries participating in regional fisheries management organisations of EU interest.

The possible participation of the JRC in the project would consist in providing and analysing fisheries data as Member States upload some of the collected data to JRC databases.

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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 Birds, Habitats and Marine Strategy Framework Directives and the common fisheries policy, as well as the “Action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems”, projects’ results will contribute to improving the monitoring and assessment of the impact of bycatch in different fishing gears on protected and sensitive species, including in protected areas, defining and implementing effective mitigation and management tools, based on up-to-date knowledge and solutions. They will contribute to the following impacts of destination “Biodiversity and ecosystem services”: “Understand and address direct drivers of biodiversity decline – land and sea use change, natural resource use and exploitation, climate change, pollution, invasive alien species – as well as indirect drivers – demographic, socio-economic, technological etc.” and “Plan, manage and expand protected areas and improve the status of species and habitats based on up-to-date knowledge and solutions”.

Selected proposals are expected to contribute to all following expected outcomes:

  • Elimination or significant reduction of bycatch is achieved for marine mammals (e.g., up to 8500 dolphins killed each year in the Bay of Biscay), sea turtles (currently ~70 000 killed each year in EU waters) and seabirds (currently ~200 000 killed each year in EU waters) and sensitive or endangered fish species (e.g. elasmobranchs and sturgeons).
  • Bycatch risks and reasons are well understood, including the spatial and temporal distribution of sensitive species.
  • Information needed to improve Member States’ monitoring programmes and implementation of management actions is acquired.
  • Impacts of bycatches (rate of interactions, fate of individuals post-release, by gear and by fishery, impact on population abundance and sustainability) on the conservation status of species are assessed and understood.
  • Interactions of bycaught species with fishing gears are minimised and where possible eliminated, and mortality following interaction is reduced.
  • Member States are enabled to reach the target of the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 to eliminate or reduce bycatch of sensitive species and to step up bycatch monitoring, as well as to fully and coherently implement the EU environmental and fisheries legislation and the Action plan to conserve fisheries resources and protect marine ecosystems and to protect marine ecosystems as required by the EU climate adaptation strategy.
  • Member States are enabled to set criteria for Good Environmental Status under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive in relation to maintaining biodiversity and ensuring that all elements of marine food webs occur at normal abundance and diversity.

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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.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding.

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 45 pages.

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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