EU Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTO) - Horizon Europe
Enriched International · Found: 2026-03-10 22:09
EU Digital Twin Ocean initiative funded through Horizon Europe. Provides calls for proposals and grants for ocean observation infrastructure, regional components, and domain applications. EUR 120M earmarked for scaling solutions 2026-2027.
Funding Details
- Funder
- European Commission / Horizon Europe (Mission: Restore Our Ocean and Waters)
- Funding Goal
- Support the development of regional components of the EU Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO), integrating regional data, models, and digital twin applications into the EDITO core infrastructure. Projects should develop regional what-if scenarios, foster stakeholder engagement, and support sustainable management of regional seas including biodiversity, coastal resilience, pollution, fisheries, aquaculture, and blue economy applications.
- Funding Amount
- EUR 120 million earmarked for 2026-2027 across the Mission Ocean & Waters call. Specific topic HORIZON-MISS-2026-03-OCEAN-05 budget not stated per topic — refer to the Funding & Tenders Portal for budget breakdown.
- Deadline
- 2026-09-23 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Apply via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/). Submission opened 13 March 2026. Single-stage submission. Action type: HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA).
- Target Region
- European Union, associated countries; specific focus on Atlantic/Arctic, Mediterranean, Baltic/North Sea, Danube/Black Sea basins
- Contact
- EU Funding & Tenders Portal helpdesk; National Contact Points for Horizon Europe
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-15 12:50
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
This Horizon Europe Innovation Action call (HORIZON-MISS-2026-03-OCEAN-05) funds the development of regional (sea-basin) components of the EU Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO) within the Mission: Restore Our Ocean and Waters. Projects must establish and expand regional digital twin capabilities integrated into the EDITO core infrastructure, which is the EU's open platform built on Copernicus Marine Service and EMODnet data. The thematic scope is broad but technically specific: projects must develop regional ocean digital twin services addressing coastal resilience, biodiversity conservation and restoration, pollution monitoring, climate change adaptation, fisheries and aquaculture, and other blue economy sectors. Artificial intelligence and big data management are priority approaches. Regional what-if scenarios with quantified confidence levels are required outputs. Eligible activities include identifying and integrating regional ocean data (including underrepresented data such as biologging and acoustic telemetry), developing stakeholder-specific digital twin applications, fostering co-design with regional authorities and sea conventions, and building regional communities around the EDITO platform. Open data sharing via EMODnet is a binding condition. The geographic scope covers four Mission sea-basins: (1) Atlantic and Arctic, (2) Mediterranean Sea, (3) Baltic and North Sea, and (4) Danube River/Black Sea. One project per sea-basin lighthouse will be awarded, with balanced portfolio selection ensuring at least one project per basin receives funding. Eligible applicants are legal entities from EU Member States and associated countries. Consortia are required (standard Horizon IA rules). International organisations headquartered in Member States or associated countries are exceptionally eligible. Projects must comply with Horizon Europe open science obligations. The grant amount is not specified per topic but falls within the EUR 120 million earmarked for the full 2026-2027 Mission Ocean call. No co-funding rate is specified beyond standard Horizon IA rules (typically 70% for innovation actions, unless non-profit bodies claim 100%). Deadline for submission is 23 September 2026.
Historical Context
The EU Digital Twin Ocean was announced in 2022 at the One Ocean Summit in Brest. The EC has invested approximately EUR 15 million annually since 2021 to develop EDITO. Previous related calls: HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN-08, HORIZON-MISS-2023-OCEAN-01-09, and HORIZON-MISS-2023-OCEAN-01-08 are now closed. The current open call (HORIZON-MISS-2026-03-OCEAN-05) is part of the 2026-2027 Mission Ocean work programme.
Sources
- https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/restore-our-ocean-and-waters/european-digital-twin-ocean_en
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-MISS-2026-03-OCEAN-05