BlueActionBANOS - Community-Led Actions for Ocean Restoration

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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 (Horizon Europe Mission Ocean and Waters)
Funding Goal: Supports community-led actions for ocean and water restoration in the Baltic and North Sea (BANOS) area, aligned with EU Mission Ocean and Waters objectives: protection and restoration of marine and freshwater ecosystems; prevention and elimination of pollution; and making the blue economy carbon-neutral and circular. Provides financial support, technical assistance, and knowledge-sharing for up to 24 months.
Funding Amount: EUR 200,000 to EUR 2 million per Community-Led Action consortium; maximum EUR 500,000 per single entity within a consortium (200.000 € – 2.000.000 €)
Deadline: 2026-05-29 (Fixed)
How to Apply: Two-step process: (1) Submit Project Idea Form by 16 March 2026, 17:00 CET via https://opportunities.getonepass.eu/applications/bab/start — mandatory for invitation to full proposal. (2) Submit full proposal by 29 May 2026, 14:00 CET. Applications without prior Project Idea Form will not be considered. Helpdesk: BAB_helpdesk@fundingbox.com
Target Region: Baltic Sea and North Sea (BANOS) countries: Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden
Contact: BlueActionBANOS helpdesk: BAB_helpdesk@fundingbox.com. Website: https://blueactionbanos.eu/contact/
Last Checked: 2026-03-15 08:26

Application Checklist

Eligibility

Consortium of 2-12 entities from BANOS countries (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden)

Project Scope

Project must focus on BANOS lighthouse area (Baltic and North Sea basin)
Must address at least one EU Mission Ocean and Waters objective (restoration, pollution, blue economy)

Required Documents

Project Idea Form MUST be submitted first (deadline: 16 March 2026, 17:00 CET)
Full proposal by 29 May 2026, 14:00 CET — only invited applicants may submit

Constraints

Maximum EUR 500,000 per single entity in the consortium
Maximum project duration: 24 months

Summary

BlueActionBANOS is a Horizon Europe-funded initiative empowering communities across the Baltic and North Sea region to lead impactful ocean and water restoration projects. The Community-Led Actions open call provides grants of EUR 200,000 to EUR 2 million to consortia of 2-12 entities from BANOS countries (Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden). In addition to financial support, selected projects receive dedicated technical assistance and operational support for up to 24 months. Eligible activities must address at least one of the EU Mission Ocean and Waters objectives: ecosystem protection and restoration, pollution prevention and elimination, or sustainable and circular blue economy. Eligible entities include NGOs, foundations, local authorities, research organisations, SMEs, and cooperatives. No single entity in a consortium may receive more than EUR 500,000. The two-step application process requires first submitting a Project Idea Form by 16 March 2026 (17:00 CET), followed by a full proposal by 29 May 2026. Note: the Project Idea Form deadline is 16 March 2026 — effectively immediately. This makes the program urgently relevant for interested Nordic/Baltic NGOs working on ocean restoration, pollution reduction, or sustainable blue economy activities.

Historical Context

BlueActionBANOS is a Horizon Europe initiative launched as part of the EU Mission to Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030. The open call for Community-Led Actions was announced in late 2025 with a webinar on 10 December 2025.

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

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