HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-05: Large-scale demonstration of protection, restoration and management of blue forest ecosystems in European sea basins

HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-05: Large-scale demonstration of protection, restoration and management of blue forest ecosystems in European sea basins.  

This topic seeks innovative, multidisciplinary projects that demonstrate large-scale protection, restoration, and management of blue forest ecosystems across European seas, focusing on ecological interactions, ecosystem recovery, conservation, and sustainable management. 

Objectives: 

Expected outcomes from projects are: 

• Increased area and improved condition of marine and coastal vegetated habitats in EU waters through effective conservation, restoration and management, contributing to the objectives of the Nature Restoration Regulation; 
• Maintained and enhanced carbon storage capacity of blue carbon ecosystems, supporting EU climate mitigation goals; 
• Strengthened capacity of marine vegetated habitats to support biodiversity and fisheries; 
• Establishment of novel financing and incentive mechanisms supporting the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of blue forest ecosystems; 
• Raised public awareness and enhanced community participation in blue forest protection, restoration and management, ensuring long-term involvement. 

Successful applicants will be required to: 

• Develop and implement comprehensive strategies integrating blue carbon ecosystems into marine biodiversity frameworks, particularly supporting national restoration plans under the Nature Restoration Regulation; 
• Carry out protection, conservation and restoration activities for degraded marine and coastal vegetated habitats using active and/or passive restoration approaches, including the prevention of invasive alien species and the removal of environmental pressures; 
• Support authorities in the establishment and effective management of marine protected areas (MPAs) and EU Blue Parks, including necessary regulatory measures to prevent habitat degradation; 
• Explore, assess and demonstrate innovative financing mechanisms and business models combining public and private funding to support blue carbon ecosystem conservation and restoration; 
• Implement research and long-term monitoring activities to assess cumulative stressors, restoration success, ecosystem health and natural carbon sequestration potential, embedding monitoring within long-term observation networks such as EMODnet; 
• Promote community engagement, education and stakeholder involvement to enable upscaling and replication of solutions; 
• Build on existing EU and national knowledge and innovations, cooperate with organisations providing cross-national scientific coordination, and establish action plans and roadmaps for replication and scale-up; 
• Establish operational links with the relevant Mission Lighthouse CSAs and the Mission Implementation Platform to support coordination, monitoring and tracking of Mission objectives. 

Eligible applicants:  

The conditions are described in General Annex B. The following exceptions apply: If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used). If projects collect in-situ data and marine observations, beneficiaries must make them openly available through the European Marine Observation and Data network (EMODnet), based on the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles. 

The direct involvement of relevant authorities and stakeholders in the consortium is strongly encouraged. 

Budget:  

The total indicative budget for the topic is EUR 15.90 million, with four projects to be funded under this topic. The Commission estimates that an EU contribution of between EUR 3.50 and 3.975 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. 

Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 : Missions 

EU Funding & Tenders Portal 

To get support : 

• Online Manual for the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant. 
• Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 for detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 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.