Horizon Europe HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-03: Green, Circular and Resilient Harbours

Enriched EU · Found: 2026-03-11 10:35

Horizon Europe Mission call for green, circular and resilient harbours. EU contribution EUR 5.5-5.95 million per project (total budget EUR 11.9 million). Requires consortia with strong encouragement for port authorities and communities as partners. TRL 6-8 expected. Includes financial support to third parties up to EUR 100,000. 2027 call schedule.

Source: https://research.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/2025-03/MISS-2025_Missions_Draft.pdf

Funding Details

Funder

European Commission – Horizon Europe (Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030)

Funding Goal

Support the development and demonstration of innovative solutions to make European harbours and ports greener, more circular, and more resilient, contributing to the Mission objectives of zero pollution, blue economy decarbonisation, and marine ecosystem restoration.

Funding Amount

EUR 5.5–5.95 million per project; total budget EUR 11.9 million (~2 projects) (5.500.000 € – 5.950.000 €)

Deadline

2027 (exact date TBD) (Fixed)

How to Apply

Submission via Horizon Europe Funding and Tenders Portal. Call opening and deadline to be published in the 2027 Missions Work Programme. Proposals evaluated against standard Horizon Europe criteria (Excellence, Impact, Implementation). Likely two-stage or single-stage evaluation; specific rules to be confirmed in the 2027 Work Programme.

Target Region

European Union and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (sea basin focus likely: Baltic/North Sea, Atlantic/Arctic, Mediterranean, Danube/Black Sea)

Contact

European Commission, DG Research and Innovation – Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters". Funding and Tenders Portal: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/

Last Checked

2026-03-11 16:49

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Consortium must include at least one port authority or harbour-managing public body as a beneficiary
• Communities and/or municipalities co-located with harbours must be involved as partners or associated entities
• Legal entities from non-associated third countries may be excluded from participation as beneficiaries (standard Innovation Action rules apply)

Project Scope

• Activities must demonstrate solutions at TRL 6–8 in real harbour/port environments by project end
• Projects must cover at least one of the three Mission objectives: ecosystem restoration, zero pollution, or circular/carbon-neutral blue economy

Required Documents

• Proposals must align with Horizon Europe 2027 Work Programme once published; submit via EU Funding and Tenders Portal

Constraints

• Financial support to third parties (cascading grants) permitted up to EUR 100,000 per third party; selection via transparent open call
• Marine observation data collected must be shared via EMODnet in FAIR format

Summary

HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-03 is a planned Innovation Action under the Horizon Europe Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030," scheduled for a 2027 call. The topic specifically targets the transformation of European harbours and ports towards environmental sustainability, circular resource management, and climate resilience. It falls within the Mission's second deployment and upscaling phase (2026–2030), which focuses on replicating and scaling innovative solutions demonstrated during the earlier pilot phase. The call offers EU contributions of EUR 5.5–5.95 million per project against a total indicative budget of EUR 11.9 million, suggesting approximately two projects will be funded. Activities are expected to reach Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6–8 by project end, reflecting applied demonstration in real harbour environments. Consortia are required to include port authorities and harbour-managing bodies, with communities and municipalities strongly encouraged as partners. Projects may also provide financial support to third parties of up to EUR 100,000 each. Thematically, the call sits at the intersection of the blue economy, circular economy principles, pollution reduction, and climate resilience. Harbours are critical nodes for pollution entering marine environments — including plastics, hydrocarbons, and wastewater — as well as major energy consumers and greenhouse gas emitters. Proposals are expected to address systemic transitions: energy-efficient port operations, circular use of materials and water, nature-based solutions for coastal resilience, and reduced pollutant discharges into adjacent waters. As a 2027 call, detailed topic text has not yet been published. The information above is based on draft Work Programme references and the initial topic description. The specific deadline, eligibility criteria, and full scope will be confirmed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2027 once formally adopted by the European Commission.

Historical Context

This call is part of the Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030" deployment phase (2026–2030). Related 2025 predecessor topics include HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-05 (Restoring Ocean and Waters in waterfront Cities and their Ports, EUR 15M) and HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-02 (toolbox for marine plastics). The harbour-specific focus appears to be a new dedicated topic planned for the 2027 cycle.

Why it was added

Deep Search PC1-1: Mission call supporting circular economy in harbour environments, relevant to plastic waste in marine settings

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