HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-03: Green, circular and resilient harbours

HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-03: Green, circular and resilient harbours. This topic focuses on directly involving and supporting harbours, ports, and their communities to demonstrate and speed up the changes required to meet one or more objectives of Mission Ocean and Waters. 

Objectives: 

Expected outcomes from projects are: 

• Measurable, quantifiable and verifiable progress towards achieving one or several interlinked objectives and targets of the Mission through effective, place-based and people-centred actions in ports; 
• Increased readiness and involvement of port cities and authorities to test, deploy and upscale systemic innovative solutions for ecosystem restoration, pollution prevention and improved ecosystem connectivity; 
• A growing number of port cities and authorities taking concrete measures to protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, prevent and eliminate pollution, and advance a carbon-neutral and circular blue economy; 
• Enhanced resilience of ports and related communities to climate-related risks such as floods, droughts and sea-level rise through reduced pollution and improved environmental management in harbour areas; 
• Improved knowledge sharing within and across ports, supporting scalable, transferable and sustainable practices. 

Successful applicants will be required to: 

• Test, deploy and upscale systemic innovative solutions in ports to reduce pollution, reverse biodiversity loss, improve natural resource management and strengthen climate resilience, in line with relevant EU legislation; 
• Carry out demonstration activities in at least four ports, one in each Mission basin (Atlantic and Arctic, Mediterranean, Baltic and North Sea, Danube/Black Sea), with strong involvement of public administrations and port authorities; 
• Support the development and implementation of local port-level strategies, including circular economy initiatives, biodiversity restoration and Nature-based Solutions, renewable energy and alternative fuels, and climate adaptation measures; 
• Facilitate knowledge exchange, capacity building and partnerships within and between ports, including targeted support to smaller ports to overcome barriers to sustainable practices; 
• Engage at least four associated regions to demonstrate solution effectiveness, build local capacity and develop replication plans, including through Financial Support to Third Parties where relevant; 
• Build on existing EU and national R&I results, foster synergies with other funding programmes, and contribute to coordinated implementation and tracking of Mission progress. 

Eligible applicants: 

The conditions are described in General Annex B.  

The participation of relevant public bodies managing port authorities and their communities as partners of the consortium is strongly encouraged. 

Budget:  

The total indicative budget for the topic is EUR 11.90 million, with two projects to be funded under this topic. The Commission estimates that an EU contribution of between EUR 5.50 and 5.95 million would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of a proposal requesting different amounts.  

Duration: 

The project is expected to start in 2028, following grant agreement preparation, and should typically run for a duration of 3 to 4 years, depending on the scope of the proposed work. 

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