The European Commission has launched the EU Preparatory Action (2024-2026): Innovation for Place-Based Transformation, an initiative designed to empower territories to support policy practitioners in tackling urgent sustainability challenges. By fostering transformative innovation approaches, this action promotes capacity building, experimentation, and policy development to drive systemic change across EU regions and beyond.

Key objectives include:

• Raising Awareness and understanding of transformative innovation policies.
• Building Capacity of territories for systemic change through targeted training.
• Innovating to address complex challenges with collaborative approaches.
• Shaping the Future by contributing to a sustainable, future-ready EU policy framework.

Who can apply?
Public sector authorities from EU Member States, Candidate Countries for accession to the EU and Horizon Europe Associated Countries are eligible. During the registration process, applicants will choose a focus area from these seven challenges: achieving circularity, climate adaptation, improving healthcare, increasing global food security, mastering the digital transformation, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and New European Bauhaus.

The application deadline is 16 December 2024

 

Program Highlights
Participants will engage in three stages:

1.  Awareness-Raising (December 2024): Informative sessions with real-world case studies of innovative policies.
2.  Capacity-Building (March 2025): Advanced training for policymakers.
3.  Experimentation Journeys (April 2025): Peer-learning and expert guidance on transformative innovation policies.

How to Apply

• Read the Call for Expression of Interest.
• Submit your application here.

In September 2024, three sister projects under the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” — BlueLightS, SHORE, and ProBleu — will launch funding calls for schools involved with or interested in joining the Network of European Blue Schools (NEBS). These funding opportunities aim to enhance water and ocean literacy while supporting the Mission’s objectives and expanding the NEBS’s reach.

This is a fantastic opportunity for schools to secure funding for projects to enhance water and ocean literacy.

The three projects, under the EU Mission ‘Restore our ocean and waters by 2030”, are committed to increasing ocean literacy and fostering environmental stewardship in school communities. They have opened their calls with different timelines:

• BlueLightS: Grants up to 3,000€. Opens on 15 September, closes on 15 November, with results announced on 20 January.
  BlueLightS Emphasises resilience and sustainability, BlueLightS encourages innovative approaches, requiring funded schools to participate in experimentation activities and Community of Practice meetings.
• SHORE: Grants up to 10,000€. Opens on 18 September, closes on 20 November, with results announced in January.
  SHORE is focused on specific regions, SHORE supports projects in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, Danube River, and Rhine River, with the backing of Country Hubs for regional impact.
• ProBleu: Three category grants: 2,500, 5,000 and 7,500€. Opens on 20 September, closes on 21 November 23:59h CET, with results announced on 24 January.
  ProBleu offers support for both marine and freshwater initiatives, encouraging schools to submit citizen science projects.

Visit their respective webpages for details about the calls. Below an overview for the timeline related to each call

 

The European Commission has launched a new call for proposals funded under the European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).

With EUR 5.7 million, the call for proposals seeks to fund regional flagships projects supporting sustainable blue economy in EU sea basins for Smart Specialisation, as well Regenerative Ocean Farming and Algae Innovation.

This call for proposals covers two topics that aim to support the development of a sustainable blue economy in the EU:

1. Maritime regional cooperation fostering Smart Specialisation and Innovation in the Sustainable Blue Economy (Topic 1)
   This topic aims to support and animate the Smart Specialisation (S3) thematic platform for sustainable blue economy. Projects will carry out activities to set up and strengthen strategic interregional partnerships that develop and implement highly innovative solutions addressing priorities in the EU sustainable blue economy.
   The targeted blue economy sectors are the following: fisheries, aquaculture, marine renewable energy, blue biotechnology, coastal and maritime tourism.
   Geographical scope of activities: Black Sea, the Atlantic and the Western Mediterranean Sea basins as well as the EU Outermost regions marine areas.

2. Demonstrating feasibility and environmental benefits of regenerative ocean farming and boosting algae innovation (Topic 2)
   This topic aims to prove the feasibility and viability of setting up and operating ocean farms across various EU marine regions.
   Projects should measure and quantify environmental benefits of regenerative farming of either local seaweed species or seaweed in combination with shellfish and spur algae innovation by supporting its development and bringing to market new algae-based products and services.

Geographical scope of activities: Black Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea basins as well as the EU Outermost regions marine areas.

More information: call webpage

 

Deadline: 4 February 2025
Budget:  Total €30 M
Countries: European/ All WestMED countries

 

The overall aim is to accelerate the cost-effective construction and deployment of floating wind farms, facilitating their rapid and sustainable deployment across Europe and lower their overall costs.

The transition of the energy system will rely on reducing the overall energy demand and making the energy supply side climate neutral, in current and future climate conditions. R&I actions will help to make the energy supply side cleaner, more secure, and competitive by boosting cost performance and reliability of a broad portfolio of renewable energy solutions, in line with societal needs and preferences. Furthermore, R&I activities will underpin the modernisation of the energy networks to support energy system integration, including the progressive electrification of demand side sectors (buildings, mobility, industry) and integration of other climate neutral, renewable energy carriers, such as clean hydrogen.

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Increased knowledge about design, construction, assembly and operation and maintenance of floating wind farms.
• Improved overall constructability, reliability, installability, operability and maintainability of floating offshore wind systems.
• Demonstrated efficient, low-cost and sustainable emerging technologies for floating wind turbines; reduction of the LCoE.
• Reinforced European offshore wind turbine value chain and skills.
• Data for future optimisation of industry scale commissioning of the floater, mooring and anchor system.

All information to apply can be found here!