Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP)
Enriched EU · Found: 2026-03-10 13:41
European Partnership co-funded by the EU and national funding agencies. Supports research and innovation for a sustainable blue economy across European seas including North Sea and Baltic Sea. Joint transnational calls for marine and maritime R&I projects covering biodiversity, climate, sustainable fisheries, and coastal resilience.
Source: https://bluepartnership.eu/
Funding Details
- Funder
- Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP)
- Funding Goal
- Pool research and innovation (R&I) investments from 74 partner institutions across 32 countries and the European Commission to accelerate a sustainable blue economy. Issues joint transnational calls and transnational access calls for research infrastructures. Three completed/active calls: (1) 1st call: 19 projects funded on sustainable blue economy; (2) 2nd call: 24 projects on climate-neutral, sustainable, resilient blue economy; (3) 3rd call (active): EUR 43.5 million on 'Digitalisation and Innovation for Resilient Marine Ecosystems, Businesses, and Communities'. Also rolling Transnational Access Call to Research Infrastructures (open Feb 2026 – Feb 2028). Guided by Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda 2024-2026.
- Funding Amount
- 3rd joint transnational call total budget approximately EUR 43.5 million across 38 funding organisations from 28 countries; rolling TA call provides access to ~50 research infrastructures (up to 43.500.000 €)
- Deadline
- 3rd Joint Transnational Call: launched September 2025; Rolling TA Call: open February 20, 2026 to February 29, 2028 (evaluated every 4 months) (Rolling)
- How to Apply
- Joint transnational calls: apply via national funding agencies participating in the call. Rolling TA Call: submit via proposals.etag.ee/sustainable-blue/. Check bluepartnership.eu/funding-opportunities for current opportunities. Calls listed at bluepartnership.eu/funding-opportunities.
- Target Region
- Pan-European; all major sea basins: Mediterranean, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Atlantic Ocean
- Contact
- bluepartnership.eu/contact
- Official Page
- https://bluepartnership.eu/funding-opportunities
- Last Checked
- 2026-05-07 08:28
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP) is a Horizon Europe co-funded European Partnership comprising 74 partner institutions from 32 countries and the European Commission. It aims to pool research and innovation investments to accelerate the transition to a sustainable blue economy across Europe's sea basins, including the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Atlantic Ocean. The Partnership operates primarily through joint transnational calls for research and innovation projects. Three calls have been launched so far: the first call (2023) funded 19 projects on sustainable blue economy fundamentals; the second call (2024) funded 24 projects on climate-neutral, sustainable, and resilient blue economy themes, engaging civil society, academia, policy, and industry; the third call (launched September 2025) has a budget of approximately EUR 43.5 million and focuses on 'Digitalisation and Innovation for Resilient Marine Ecosystems, Businesses, and Communities'. All funded projects have been endorsed by the UN Decade of Ocean Science. The Partnership also operates a Rolling Transnational Access Call to Research Infrastructures (TA Call), open from February 20, 2026 to February 29, 2028. This provides access to approximately 50 marine and maritime research infrastructures across Europe, including research vessels, fixed platforms, mobile systems, analytical laboratories, and high-performance computing. Applications are evaluated every four months and projects may run up to 18 months. Eligible applicants for joint calls include research institutions, universities, public bodies, businesses, NGOs, and civil society organisations from SBEP partner countries. Projects require multinational partnerships. Calls are co-funded through national funding agencies in partner countries, so applicants typically submit to their national agency within the joint call framework. The Partnership is guided by a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) updated in 2024-2026, which is currently being co-design updated. SBEP focuses on research, innovation, and science-policy interface — it does not directly fund operational projects or waste management infrastructure, but can fund innovation and new solutions relevant to marine ecosystem health.
Historical Context
Partnership launched in Rome January 2023 with 60+ partners. First call yielded 19 projects (selected December 2023, kick-off September 2024). Second call selected 24 projects (announced March 2025). Third call launched September 2025 with EUR 43.5 million budget. Endorsed by UN Ocean Decade. Rolling TA call launched February 2026. Partnership developing phasing-out strategy ahead of end of Horizon Europe. SRIA update process underway in 2026.
Why it was added
EU co-funded partnership with joint transnational calls specifically for marine/coastal R&I in North Sea and Baltic Sea
Sources
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