HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-06: Restoring Ocean and Waters on Islands

HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-06 focuses on restoring ocean and water ecosystems in island communities, emphasising biodiversity protection, pollution prevention, and fostering a sustainable, circular blue economy. The call supports integrated, place-based actions that combine nature-based solutions, climate resilience, and digital innovation tailored to the specific vulnerabilities and opportunities of islands. It contributes to all three core objectives of the EU Mission to Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030 and supports the implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy, the Nature Restoration Regulation, the European Climate Law, the Zero Pollution Action Plan, and the EU Blue Economy Strategy. 

Objectives: 

Projects are expected to deliver: 

• Significant contributions to the restoration of marine and freshwater ecosystems in islands, improving biodiversity and ecosystem services. 
• Reduction of pollution and enhanced water quality through innovative, practical solutions tailored to local conditions. 
• Strengthened climate resilience of island environments, addressing challenges such as sea-level rise, extreme weather events, and water scarcity. 
• Advances in the sustainable and circular blue economy, supporting local livelihoods and resource efficiency. 
• Effective engagement of local authorities, stakeholders, and communities, facilitating replication and scaling across similar island contexts. 
• Progress towards all three Mission objectives — biodiversity restoration, pollution elimination, and carbon-neutral circular economy — with demonstrable, measurable impacts. 

Successful applicants will be required to: 

• Develop and demonstrate integrated, place-based restoration approaches combining nature-based solutions, pollution control, climate adaptation, and circular economy practices. 
• Target at least eight islands, with at least two islands in each of the four Mission lighthouses to ensure geographical diversity and learning exchange. 
• Collaborate closely with local authorities, communities, and stakeholders, ensuring co-design and ownership of solutions. 
• Incorporate digital and monitoring tools to support adaptive management and transparent reporting of outcomes. 
• Foster replication and scaling by engaging other islands or regions that can adopt proven solutions. 
• Align project activities with relevant EU legislation and strategies, including the Biodiversity Strategy, Nature Restoration Regulation, European Climate Law, and Zero Pollution Action Plan. 
• Coordinate with the Mission Implementation Platform and related lighthouse projects to maximise impact and knowledge sharing. 

Involvement of the EU Outermost Regions is strongly encouraged. Their participation ensures inclusivity and helps address the unique environmental and socio-economic challenges they face. 

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 island ecosystem restoration, nature-based solutions, circular economy practices, climate resilience, regional governance, 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 13.5 million. The Commission anticipates funding approximately 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.