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Improve the reliability and effectiveness of alternative water resources supply systems and technologies
Funding Program | Horizon Europe - Cluster 6 - Destination 5: Land, ocean and water for climate action | |
Call number | HORIZON-CL6-2023-CLIMATE-01-2 | |
deadlines | Opening 22.12.2022 | Deadline 12.04.2023 17:00 |
Funding rate | 70% (NPO:100%) | |
Call budget | € 10,000,000.00 | |
Estimated EU contribution per project | € 3,300,000.00 | |
Link to the call | ec.europa.eu | |
Link to the submission | ec.europa.eu |
Call content
short description | The objective of this action is to improve the sustainability of various alternative water supply resources in the context of climate change and water scarcity adaptation. |
Call objectives | The search for affordable, acceptable and reliable solutions is today a common challenge for water supply planners. A changing climate and increasing water scarcity, population growth, urbanisation and intensifying economic activities have put a strain on traditional water resources, which typically rely on available surface and groundwater resources. Ensuring the availability and sustainability of both surface and groundwater is a key element of the new EU strategy on adaptation to climate change. According to a recent report on the drivers of and pressures arising from selected key water management challenges (EEA, 2021), water abstraction for public water supply, agriculture and industry is the main significant cause of failure to achieve good quantitative status. Over abstraction of surface water bodies can alter freshwater ecosystems and have adverse ecological effects, including decline of biodiversity. In addition, the over abstraction of groundwater bodies can lower groundwater levels with further impacts on groundwater-dependent aquatic ecosystems and cause salinisation of coastal aquifers, making them unusable for drinking water supply. To address these problems and in order to improve the security of water supply, alternative water resources, such as rainwater harvesting, storm water, water reuse and reclamation, brackish and sea water desalination, aquifer recharge, are increasingly being used by water managers in rural, coastal and urban areas. However, in many case, the implementation of several alternative water resources is not sustainable and not embedded in a strategic integrated water management plan at river basin or regional scale. In many cases the negative environmental impacts and associated infrastructure maintenance and investments costs are not properly assessed, nor the costs associated with meeting the EU water policy related requirements (i.e. WFD requirements). Finally, the public/social acceptance of several alternative water resources is lacking and this prevent their further implementation and market uptake. Further research and innovation is needed for making full use of alternative water resources. Additionally, assessments and recommendations of how alternative water supply sources and infrastructures can relate to existing - mostly centralized - water utility regimes remain unexplored and there is a need to explore how the regulations around these centralized regimes can support infrastructure diversification. To achieve the objective the following issues should be addressed:
The possible participation of the JRC in the selected project would ensure that the approach proposed can be integrated as a scenario in the tool used by the European Commission for the estimation of water availability. This action should bring together relevant researchers, technology providers, water utilities, business representatives, investors, policy makers and other water users and citizens. The active participation and engagement of different stakeholders should span the entire project development and implementation to ensure performance and sustainability and maximise the final impact. Proposals should cover various regions with a balanced coverage reflecting the various biogeographical and climate zones in Europe in a representative way. The inclusion of relevant SSH expertise would be also needed to ensure the proposed solutions are also socially accepted. read more |
Expected effects and impacts | In support of the European Green Deal and EU water-related policies, successful proposals will contribute to fostering the adaptation of water resources to climate change, in particular the expected impact of the Destination ‘Land, ocean and water for climate action’ to “Advance understanding and science to support adaptation and resilience of natural and managed ecosystems, ocean, water and soil systems and economic sectors in the context of the changing climate”. |
Expected results |
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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), Island (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:
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:
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:
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as member of the consortium selected for funding. |
Additional information
Topics |
Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management, Rural & Urban Development/Planning |
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) |
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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:
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 5 (580kB) |
Contact | National Contact Points for Horizon Europe Website |
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