BlueActionBANOS - Community-Led Actions for Ocean Restoration

Enriched Nordic · Found: 2026-03-10 13:20

Horizon Europe initiative empowering communities in ocean and water restoration across Baltic and North Sea regions. Consortia grants from EUR 200,000 to EUR 2 million, individual entities up to EUR 500,000. Provides technical guidance and knowledge-sharing for ecosystem protection, pollution prevention, and sustainable blue economy.

Source: https://blueactionbanos.eu/funding/funding-opportunities

Funding Details

Funder

BlueActionBANOS

Funding Goal

Support community-led actions and transition agendas for ocean and water restoration in the Baltic and North Sea basin (BANOS). Projects must advance sustainable transitions in marine, coastal, or freshwater ecosystems, contributing to decarbonisation, climate adaptation, pollution prevention, or sustainable blue economy. Two grant types: Community-Led Actions (EUR 200,000–2,000,000 for consortia; up to EUR 500,000 for individual entities) and Transition Agendas (up to EUR 100,000 to design local sustainability, marine/freshwater restoration, decarbonisation and climate adaptation action plans).

Funding Amount

Community-Led Actions: EUR 200,000–2,000,000 (consortia), up to EUR 500,000 (individual entities). Transition Agendas: up to EUR 100,000 each. (100.000 € – 2.000.000 €)

Deadline

2026-05-29 (Fixed)

How to Apply

2-step process: (1) Submit a Project Idea Form by 16 March 2026 17:00 CET via the online form at opportunities.getonepass.eu/applications/bab/start; followed by an individual expert consultation. (2) Submit a full proposal by 29 May 2026 14:00 CET. Applications submitted without a prior Project Idea Form will not be considered. Contact: BAB_helpdesk@fundingbox.com

Target Region

Baltic Sea and North Sea basin (BANOS) countries — Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, UK, Belgium

Contact

BAB_helpdesk@fundingbox.com | Project Coordinator Sarah Tamulski: st@submariner-network.eu | Dissemination Manager Anni Simonsen: asi@foodbiocluster.dk

Last Checked

2026-05-07 09:08

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must be registered in a Baltic or North Sea basin (BANOS) country
• Consortia must consist of no more than 3 entities

Project Scope

• Project must target ocean/coastal/freshwater restoration, decarbonisation, or sustainable blue economy
• Available support includes expert consultation, knowledge-sharing hub (BlueBioMatch), and peer exchange

Required Documents

• Project Idea Form must be submitted before full proposal (mandatory step)
• Full proposal must be submitted via official online portal by 29 May 2026 14:00 CET

Constraints

• Community-Led Actions: EUR 200K–2M (consortia) or up to EUR 500K (individual)
• Transition Agendas: up to EUR 100K per action plan
• Project Idea Form deadline: 16 March 2026 17:00 CET
• Applications without prior Project Idea Form are not considered

Summary

BlueActionBANOS is a Horizon Europe-funded initiative (grant agreement 101217604) that empowers communities in the Baltic and North Sea (BANOS) basin to lead sustainable transitions in ocean, coastal, and freshwater environments. The programme provides financial and technical support to enable community-driven restoration, decarbonisation, and climate adaptation across the two sea basins over a 4-year project period. The programme offers two main grant types. Community-Led Actions grants range from EUR 200,000 to EUR 2,000,000 for consortia of up to 3 entities, or up to EUR 500,000 for individual entities, and target concrete restoration or sustainability projects. Transition Agendas grants provide up to EUR 100,000 to design long-term action plans guiding local sustainability, marine or freshwater ecosystem restoration, decarbonisation, and climate adaptation pathways. Thematic priorities span ecosystem protection and restoration, pollution prevention (including marine litter and plastic), sustainable blue economy, offshore renewable energy, fisheries and aquaculture, water management and eutrophication reduction, coastal community development, and ocean literacy. A wide range of stakeholder types are eligible, from fishing communities and conservation organisations to maritime infrastructure operators, social enterprises, blue tech innovators, and local financial institutions. Geographically, the programme targets entities registered in BANOS countries, including Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, UK, and Belgium. The programme specifically excludes overlap with the EU Cities Mission. The application process is two-stage: applicants must first submit a Project Idea Form (deadline 16 March 2026) followed by an individual expert consultation, and then submit a full proposal by 29 May 2026. Technical assistance is available throughout, including access to scientists, technical specialists, and Mission Ocean practitioners, plus knowledge-sharing through the BlueBioMatch hub. A total of 3 calls will be launched over the project period (1 Community-Led Actions call and 2 Transition Agendas calls).

Historical Context

BlueActionBANOS is a 4-year Horizon Europe project (grant agreement 101217604). A total of 3 calls will be launched throughout the project period: 1 Community-Led Action call and 2 Transition Agendas calls. The first Transition Agendas call is underway as of early 2026.

Why it was added

Major Baltic/North Sea restoration funding with substantial grants for community-led ocean restoration - highly relevant for marine conservation NGOs

Sources

• https://blueactionbanos.eu/funding/funding-opportunities
• https://blueactionbanos.eu/open-calls/open-call-transition-agendas/

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