HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-01: Blue Parks - Towards a coherent European network of strictly protected areas for restoring healthy and productive marine ecosystems

HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-01 focuses on establishing a coherent European network of strictly protected Blue Parks. The call supports research and innovation aimed at restoring marine biodiversity and ecosystem health, aligning with the EU Mission to Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030 and contributing to the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy.  

Objectives: 

Expected outcomes from projects are:  

• Improved knowledge on the distribution and condition of marine habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. 
• Support for Member States to designate new strictly protected areas. 
• Progress towards Mission Objective 1: Protection and restoration of marine ecosystems and biodiversity 

Successful applicants will be required to: 

• Assess and consolidate data on key marine habitats, including areas important for biodiversity, fisheries, carbon capture, and coastal protection. 
• Design ecologically sound networks of strictly protected areas, considering connectivity, ecosystem services, and potential trade-offs with other marine uses (e.g. fisheries, offshore energy). 
• Align plans with Marine Spatial Planning and existing policy frameworks. 
• Leverage existing initiatives and funding (e.g. LIFE, Interreg, EMFAF), and coordinate with relevant Mission Ocean projects. 
• Collaborate with the Mission Implementation Platform and the broader Blue Parks community. 
• Adopt interdisciplinary, stakeholder-inclusive approaches, involving local and regional authorities. 

Strong emphasis should be placed on data quality, stakeholder engagement, and regional coherence. Inclusion of EU Outermost Regions is encouraged.

Eligible applicants: 

Eligible applicants include legal entities established in EU Member States or in countries associated with Horizon Europe. These may include research organisations, universities, public authorities, NGOs, private companies (including SMEs), and international organisations with legal personality. Proposals must involve at least three independent legal entities from three different eligible countries. There are no sector-specific exclusions, but applicants should demonstrate strong expertise in marine biodiversity, ecology, spatial planning, and stakeholder engagement. Entities established in China are not eligible to participate in Innovation Actions under Horizon Europe in any capacity. 

All applicants must register their organisation and submit proposals via the Funding & Tenders Portal of the European Commission. Each participating organisation must have a valid Participant Identification Code (PIC), which requires creating an account in the EU Login system. The proposal coordinator is responsible for preparing and submitting the application electronically through the portal by the specified deadline. No paper submissions are accepted. 

Budget: 

The total indicative budget for this call is EUR 5 million. The expected EU contribution per project is between EUR 4 million and EUR 5 million. The Commission anticipates funding one project under this call. 

Duration: 

The project is expected to start in early 2026, following grant agreement preparation, and should typically run for a duration of 3 to 4 years, depending on the scope of the proposed work.

Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 : Missions 

Funding & Tenders Portal 

To get support : 

• Online Manual for the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant. 
• Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 for detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of the Horizon Europe 2025 Work programme. 
• Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ for answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management. 
• Research Enquiry Service for questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular. 
• National Contact Points (NCPs) for guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third countries’). 
• Enterprise Europe Network for contacting your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding. 
• IT Helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. 
• European IP Helpdesk for intellectual property issues. 
• CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk for standardisation issues in your project proposal.   
• The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment for consulting the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers. 
• Partner Search Services for finding a partner organisation for your proposal. 

See related links above on getting support.