UKRI has released a useful clarification of the UK's position within Horizon Europe, which you can read here.
The current list of work programmes can be viewed here. There are over 100 different streams of funding where water can be a core focus, but it helps to be open minded when reading/interpreting the information. We are working on putting together a summary/guide of these opportunities to help accelerate your opportunity to engage with Horizon Europe.
The following calls could be interesting for water-related research and innovation. The list is however not exhaustive and further checking of the full programme is recommended.
Demonstration of wave energy devices to increase experience in real sea condition
HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-02
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Demonstrated performance and reliability of wave energy devices producing comparable and public results using international metrics
- Improved knowledge on how to operate wave energy devices, their availability maintainability and to increase the impact it is expected that projects are sharing project data.
- Reduction of the LCOE in line with the SET Plan targets (actions should clearly justify estimated LCOE at project start and end, using a recognised calculation methodology).
- Reinforced industrial supply chain in Europe.
- Attraction of private investors to the sector and reduction of the cost of their investment by presented evidences and credible key performance indicators
Closing date 5 January 2022
HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-03-01
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Reinforce the activities in the long term the AU-EU HLPD CCSE Partnership.
- Provide knowledge and scientific modelling as evidence base of the water-energy-food-nexus including the environmental, social and economic trade-offs to contribute to R&I strategy and policy making.
- Increase clean energy generation in the African energy systems.
- A sustained network of African experts and expertise in this area.
- Improve in the long-term governance to advance knowledge and scientific modelling of the water energy food nexus including the environmental, social and economic trade-offs (governance aspects should be included since they are under-represented in the current research works).
Closing date 23 February 2022
HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-03-12
Floating offshore wind has the potential to unleash a new European industrial sector able to deliver clean and sustainable energy. Building from European technological and industrial know-how and harnessing the natural resources of the different sea basins around the European Union, namely the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea and the North-east Atlantic Ocean, there is an opportunity to leverage these conditions into technological leadership, while supporting the goal of climate neutrality.
In this context, project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Development or significant improvement of designs that reduce both CAPEX and OPEX;
- Deployment and demonstration of advanced full-scale floating wind turbines prototypes, and auxiliary equipment, in operational environment;
- Allow development of cost-efficient scalable solutions supporting exploitation of the renewable energy offshore potential in challenging conditions, while building upon innovative designs of floating structures and auxiliary equipment;
- Contribute to LCOE reduction in line with the SET Plan targets (actions should clearly justify an estimated LCOE at project start and end).
Closing date 23 February 2022
Innovative biomethane production as an energy carrier and a fuel
HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-03-16
Biomethane is a renewable substitute of natural gas, which can provide energy storage capability and be a flexible renewable energy carrier to be fed to the existing gas grid if reaching quality standards at an affordable price.
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Increase cost-effectiveness of the conversion in biomethane production.
- Diversify the conversion technology basis for biomethane production.
- Contribute to market up-take of biomethane related technologies in the gas market.
- Contribute to the priorities of the SET Plan Action 8.
Closing date 23 February 2022
Demonstration of innovative rotor, blades and control systems for tidal energy devices
HORIZON-CL5-2022-D3-01-07
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Demonstrated increased performance (>20%) and reliability of tidal energy devices.
- Improved knowledge on how to operate tidal energy devices, their availability, maintainability and survivability.
- Reduction of LCOE approaching SET Plan targets (actions should clearly justify the estimated LCOE at project start and end using a recognised calculation methodology).
- Reinforced industrial supply chain in Europe.
- Attraction of private investors to the sector and reduce the cost of their investment to projects with evidences and credible key performance indicators.
Closing date 26 April 2022
Developing EU advisory networks on water use
HORIZON-CL6-2022-GOVERNANCE-01-15
Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
- The most urgent policy objectives linked to Cluster 6, as well as the European Green Deal, and in particular the Farm to Fork Strategy and the CAP, with a view to increase farmer viability, help raise awareness and tackle societal challenges in helping the reduction of water pollution and use
- This is a Coordination and Support Action (not research).
Closing date 15 February 2022
Risk assessment of new low risk pesticides
HORIZON-CL6-2022-FARM2FORK-01-01
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- improve risk assessment of new so-called low-risk substances and plant protection products with the use of relevant methods;
- foster EU regulatory science and risk assessment of new low-risk pesticides for agriculture;
- ensure the safety of new low-risk pesticides used in agriculture through robust and transparent risk assessment;
- increase the availability of safe and environmentally friendly methods for plant protection and weed control to reduce risks to the environment, non-target organisms and human health.
For water, the contribution could be around developing and advancing the integration of different tools, technologies and methodologies to support the comprehensive and consistent risk assessments of the new pesticides. For instance run-off testing.
Closing date 15 February 2022
HORIZON-CL6-2022-FARM2FORK-01-05
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Improvement of the environmental footprint and resource efficiency of freshwater aquaculture and stimulation of its diversification and growth in the framework of an integrated freshwater bioeconomy strategy.
- Preservation of freshwater biodiversity by reducing the freshwater aquaculture impacts (e.g. with appropriate spatial planning) and assessment of its potential for biotechnological applications
- Stimulation of sustainable economic growth and jobs creation in the freshwater bioeconomy sector for people living in lakeside and riverside areas in Europe.
- Improvement of the professional skills and competences of those working and being trained to work within the blue economy.
Closing date 15 February 2022
Innovative food from marine and freshwater ecosystems
HORIZON-CL6-2022-FARM2FORK-02-05-two-stage
Projects results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Implementation of the ecosystem approach for sustainable management of marine or freshwater fisheries or in aquaculture development.
- Wider and more diverse range of seafood (including from fresh waters) available to European consumers, and greater overall seafood consumption.
- Tools to limit the waste and discarding of seafood during production, processing, transport and consumption, including the minimisation of the environmental impacts of fisheries and aquaculture through better gears or practices.
- Verification of existing and development of new seafood processing methods that add nutritional and economic value and minimise the environmental impact.
- Improved professional skills and competences of those working and being trained to work within the blue economy.
Closing dates 15 February 2022 (Stage 1) 6 September 2022 (Stage 2)
Network for nature: multi-stakeholder dialogue platform to promote nature-based solutions
HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-01-03
Successful proposals must contribute to all following expected outcomes:
- Broad and effective community of innovators in the EU and associated countries, practitioners and developers of NBS – including but not limited to Horizon 2020/Horizon Europe projects – engaged across communities of science, business, policy and practice, and from local to global level;
- Better engagement, with public authorities, private sector and society at large for implementing and investing in NBS;
- Establish European NBS “quality brand” with an underlying, comprehensive and agreed vision and agenda, to position and promote EU excellence in NBS innovation;
- Improve cooperation and synergies with key strategic international partners and collaboration with CEN/CENELEC to develop European and international standards and foster the emergence of a global market for NBS;
- Consolidate NBS knowledge across sectors and disciplines through regional and Europe-wide transdisciplinary collaboration, advisory services, awareness raising, knowledge transfer and skills development.
Closing date 15 February 2022
HORIZON-CL6-2022-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-01
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
- Wider use of an enhanced knowledge base and better understanding of pollution sources, pathways and impacts, including surface hydrology, aquifers and receiving water bodies, as well as the synergistic effects of multiple stressors on groundwater quality.
- Implement advanced prevention and mitigation strategies to protect groundwater against pollution induced by global and climate change, including anticipative approaches preparing for future or emerging challenges.
- Apply effective risk assessment and risk management strategies enabling early warning systems and delivering ready-made outcomes for decision-making and governance.
- Deploy innovative monitoring strategies, including advanced sensors, tracers and analytical methods, and integration of IT tools/platforms and advanced modelling.
- Broad uptake of advanced knowledge, breakthrough solutions and innovative technologies to enhance the competitiveness of the EU water sector and foster the EU’s position and role in the global water scene.
- Increasing the EU scientific and technological base on measures to manage groundwater quality and providing evidence and guidance for policy-making and implementation.
- Science and evidence-based implementation of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals, notably the SDG 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.
Closing date 15 February 2022
HORIZON-CL6-2022-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-04
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
- A wider use of a better understanding and an enhanced knowledge base required to assess pollution sources, pathways and combined effects on drinking water systems, including forward looking approaches aimed to anticipate and prepare for future or emerging challenges.
- Implement advanced preventive and mitigating strategies and measures to protect drinking water sources, treatment and supply against harmful effects of global and climate change.
- Apply effective risk assessment and risk management strategies enabling early warning systems and delivering ready-made outputs for decision-making and governance.
- Exploit advanced, integrated and cost-effective water quality sensors and analytical methods.
- Deploy innovative and robust monitoring systems and real-time information on drinking water quality, from sources to supply.
- Disseminate and use a robust knowledge on the occurrence, persistence and degradability of disinfection by-products (DBPs) in drinking water with due consideration to operational parameters, chemicals, materials and biofilms interactions, including the pathways related to human exposure.
- Spread the use of advanced and cost-effective drinking water treatment and disinfection processes and technologies, including transformative approaches.
- Broad uptake of advanced knowledge, breakthrough solutions and innovative technologies to enhance competitiveness of the EU water sector and fostering the EU’s position and role in the global water scene.
- Increasing the EU scientific and technological base and guidance on measures to manage drinking water quality and evidence for policy-making, safety planning and implementation.
- Science and evidence-based implementation of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals, notably the SDG 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.
Closing date 15 February 2022
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Dynamic interfaces between rural/coastal and urban/industrial environments that allow for the exploitation of hitherto untapped synergies in eliminating and preventing N/P pollution
- Mainstreamed circular and sustainable use of N and P recovered from urban/industrial contexts and returned to agricultural/primary production in rural/coastal environments throughout Europe, with a view to closing N/P cycles and stimulating a market for recovered N and P
- Best practice on how to implement innovative governance models shared among relevant stakeholders across the EU
- Better informed and less fragmented policies and regulatory instruments at regional, national and European scale to promote re-balancing N/P flows and restoring ecosystem services to stay within safe ecological and planetary boundaries
Closing date 15 February 2022
Developing nature-based therapy for health and well-being
HORIZON-CL6-2022-COMMUNITIES-02-02-two-stage
Project results are expected to contribute to all following expected outcomes:
- Sharper view of green space management, nature protection, agriculture and forestry sectors as care providers and their possible linkages with the healthcare, social and educational sectors;
- Stronger evidence base for the causal relationships between nature and health and well-being for more effective nature therapy prescriptions;
- Cost-effective nature therapy prescriptions are more widely used in the health care sector;
- Greater citizen and policy-maker awareness of the positive benefits of nature for health and well-being;
- Wider utilization by healthcare professionals and citizens of nature therapy as a form of preventive medicine.
The opportunity here is to reduce emissions of pharmaceuticals to the environment and reduce the burden on wastewater treatment.
Closing date 15 February 2022 (Stage 1), 6 September 2022 (Stage 2)
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