Horizon Europe Mission Ocean: Green, Circular and Resilient Harbours (2027)

Enriched EU · Found: 2026-05-06 11:28

Innovation Action funding demonstrations of circular economy and environmental management solutions in EU ports and harbour communities, covering pollution prevention, ecosystem restoration, and climate resilience across all four Mission Ocean sea basins.

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-03

Funding Details

Funder

European Commission — Horizon Europe, Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters

Funding Goal

Demonstrate systemic circular economy, pollution prevention, and climate resilience solutions in European ports and harbour communities, scaling solutions across at least four Mission sea-basin ports.

Funding Amount

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

Deadline

2027-09-21 (Fixed)

How to Apply

Full proposal submission via EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Publication date February 2027. Single-stage call.

Target Region

EU: Atlantic/Arctic, Mediterranean, Baltic/North Sea, Danube/Black Sea — must cover all four basins (at least 4 ports).

Last Checked

2026-05-06 11:29

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Consortium of min. 3 entities from 3 EU/associated countries required
• Port authorities / public bodies managing ports strongly encouraged as partners
• Must cooperate with Lighthouse CSAs and Mission Implementation Platform
• Non-profit organisations: 100% co-funding; for-profit: 70%

Project Scope

• Must demonstrate in at least 4 ports, one per Mission basin

Required Documents

• Full proposal submission via EU Funding & Tenders Portal (single-stage)

Constraints

• Forthcoming — opens February 2027, deadline September 2027

Summary

HORIZON-MISS-2027-03-OCEAN-03 (Green, Circular and Resilient Harbours) is a Horizon Europe Innovation Action under the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission, with a deadline of 21 September 2027 and a total indicative budget of EUR 11.9 million for up to two projects (EUR 5.5–5.95 million per project). The call opens in February 2027. It is forthcoming and requires demonstration in at least four ports, one from each Mission sea-basin lighthouse (Atlantic/Arctic, Mediterranean, Baltic/North Sea, Danube/Black Sea). The thematic scope covers three interconnected objectives: (1) ecosystem restoration and biodiversity protection in and around port areas, including marine and freshwater ecosystems; (2) pollution prevention and elimination — reducing marine litter, wastewater discharge, and chemical/noise pollution from port operations; and (3) development of a carbon-neutral and circular blue economy within port communities. Projects must demonstrate scalable, transferable solutions that can be replicated across different port types and sizes. Eligible activities include testing and deploying systemic innovative solutions for green port management, engaging port authorities and coastal communities as co-creators, measuring environmental outcomes, and establishing knowledge-sharing networks across ports in different sea basins. Projects should contribute to monitoring and reporting on Mission Ocean objectives. Expected outcomes include measurable progress toward ecosystem restoration targets, climate-resilient port infrastructure, reduced pollution loads, and transferable circular business models for the blue economy. Eligible applicants are consortia of at least three entities from three EU or Horizon-associated countries. Participation of public bodies managing port authorities is strongly encouraged as consortium partners. Non-profit participants receive 100% co-funding; for-profit entities receive 70%. The call aligns with Mission Ocean and Waters objectives, the Circular Economy Action Plan, EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive, and the European Green Deal. Projects are expected to cooperate with the relevant Lighthouse CSAs and the Mission Implementation Platform for coordination across basins. The programme targets port cities, harbour authorities, coastal municipalities, marine technology providers, research institutions, and NGOs working on maritime sustainability. Ports across all four Mission basins must be represented, enabling Europe-wide comparison and upscaling. This is a new topic in the 2026-2027 work programme, not previously published under Mission Ocean 2025 or 2026 calls.

Historical Context

New topic in the Horizon Europe 2026-2027 Missions Work Programme. No equivalent topic in the 2024-2025 work programme. Represents the Mission Ocean annual call cycle, which publishes new topics each year for 2026 and 2027 deadlines.

Why it was added

dana-enricher-api-eu-ft-2026-05-06

Similar Programs

← Back to list