EMFAF Annual Work Programme 2026-2027 — Grants and Procurement

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Enriched government · Found: 2026-05-06 12:07

Funder: EMFAF (EU Meeres-, Fischerei-, Aquakulturfonds)

European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) work programme for 2026-2027. Commission Implementing Decision of 12 December 2025 covering direct management grants. Supports sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, marine biodiversity, blue economy.

Source: https://oceans-and-fisheries.ec.europa.eu/funding-and-investment/annual-work-programme-grants-and-procurement_en

Funding Details

Funder: European Commission — DG MARE / CINEA
Funding Goal: Support sustainable fisheries management, aquatic biological resource conservation, aquaculture, blue economy development, international ocean governance, marine knowledge, and ocean sustainability through grants and procurement under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) 2026-2027.
Funding Amount: Total budget EUR 12,990,000 (2026) and EUR 12,180,000 (2027) for grants; EUR 40,806,773 (2026) and EUR 36,495,292 (2027) for procurement. Most grants are direct awards; one open call for proposals: fisheries science (CINEA-implemented). Separate call for Arctic community organisations.
Deadline: Rolling / programme period 2026-2027; individual calls published separately on CINEA/DG MARE portals (periodic)
How to Apply: Individual calls for proposals published on the European Commission Funding & Tenders Portal (ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders). Most actions are direct awards not requiring open applications. The fisheries science open call is implemented by CINEA. Procurement actions follow standard EU public procurement procedures via TED (Tenders Electronic Daily).
Target Region: Primarily European Union and associated seas (North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean, Atlantic). Some actions cover international scope including Arctic, Africa, and global ocean governance.
Contact: DG MARE (European Commission, DG for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries); CINEA (European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency)
Last Checked: 2026-05-07 00:45

Application Checklist

Eligibility

Must be a research centre, institute, university, foundation or scientific body primarily active in fisheries or marine science (for science call)
Must be legally established in an EU Member State (for the fisheries science open call)
For Arctic call: must be an organisation representing Arctic municipalities, youth, Indigenous Peoples, economic, political or civil society organisations in the Arctic

Project Scope

Project must address fisheries conservation and management, scientific data improvement, or ecosystem approach to fisheries management
Arctic community call requires focus on sustainable development, blue economy, and circumpolar competitiveness

Required Documents

Applications submitted via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal; individual call documents specify deadlines and submission requirements

Constraints

Most actions under the work programme are direct awards — only the fisheries science call and Arctic call are open competitions
Programme period 2026-2027; individual call deadlines announced separately

Summary

The European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) Annual Work Programme for 2026 and 2027 is a Commission Implementing Decision that sets out the financing structure and individual actions to be funded under the EU's dedicated fund for maritime affairs and fisheries. The programme is divided into grants (direct management), procurement (direct management), and indirect management actions. Thematically, the programme spans four EMFAF priorities: (1) Sustainable fisheries and restoration of aquatic biological resources — covering fisheries science advice, data collection, ICES advisory deliverables, Advisory Councils, and voluntary contributions to Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs); (2) Sustainable aquaculture and processing — including market intelligence through EUMOFA; (3) Sustainable blue economy in coastal and inland areas — including maritime policy support, blue economy investment readiness, Sea Basin Strategies, Maritime Spatial Planning, and ocean literacy; (4) International ocean governance — including support to Arctic communities, IPOS (International Platform for Ocean Sustainability), maritime security, EMODnet (marine data infrastructure), and international ocean governance activities. Eligible activities include: fisheries science research and advice, capacity building for scientific bodies, support to Advisory Councils and RFMOs, blue economy studies, innovation support, maritime spatial planning, ocean literacy, marine data collection, coast guard cooperation, and international ocean governance coordination. Most grants are direct awards to named institutions (ICES, Advisory Councils, RFMOs, Union for the Mediterranean, CNRS, Coast Guard Forums). Open competitive calls for proposals are limited: one call for fisheries science strengthening (CINEA-managed) and one call for sustainable development of Arctic communities and Indigenous Peoples. Geographically, the programme primarily covers EU Member States, EU seas (North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean, Black Sea, Atlantic), and extends internationally through ocean governance actions in the Arctic, Africa, and globally through RFMOs and UNCLOS mechanisms. Eligible applicants for the open calls are research institutions and scientific bodies legally established in EU Member States (fisheries science call), or Arctic and Indigenous Peoples organisations (Arctic call). The vast majority of actions are not open to general applications, as they are implemented through direct awards or procurement contracts. Total grant budget: EUR 25.17 million over 2026-2027. Total procurement budget: EUR 77.3 million over 2026-2027. No co-funding rate is specified for the open calls at this programme level; individual call documents will specify funding rates.

Historical Context

The EMFAF was established by Regulation (EU) 2021/1139 for the 2021-2027 period. Biennial work programmes have been issued for 2022-2023, 2024-2025, and now 2026-2027. The current work programme was adopted by Commission Implementing Decision C(2025) 8531 of 12 December 2025.

Why it was added

discovered from funder #145: EMFAF — 2026-2027 work programme

Sources

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