Blue Parks - Towards a coherent European network of strictly protected areas for restoring healthy and productive marine ecosystems

The EU Blue Parks grant opportunity under the Horizon Europe Programme is focused on establishing a coherent network of strictly protected marine areas to restore ecosystems and assist in meeting the EU's biodiversity targets for 2030. The eligible applicants for this grant include national and regional authorities, research institutions, NGOs dedicated to marine conservation, international organizations, and sustainable investors. The funding type is a grant, with a total budget of €5 million, allowing for individual project awards ranging from €4 million to €5 million. The opportunity requires applicants to form consortia, promoting collaboration across multiple EU countries, adhering to the typical structure for Research and Innovation Actions under Horizon Europe. The call is geographically open to EU member states, EEA countries, and associated nations, with preferences for collaboration that includes non-EU/non-associated countries under specific criteria. The targeted sector encompasses marine conservation, biodiversity protection, and ecosystem restoration. The projects aim to create a scientific basis for the identification and establishment of new strictly protected areas, significantly contributing to the EU Biodiversity Strategy's goals of legally designating 30% of EU seas and strictly protecting 10% by 2030. The expected outcomes involve improved understanding of marine habitats, supporting the designation of new protected areas, and contributions to the marine ecosystem's protection and restoration objectives. An application is structured as an open, single-stage process with a submission deadline of September 24, 2025. Funding does not require co-funding, allowing for 100% coverage of project costs. The success rates for projects under this call are competitive, ranging typically from 10% to 39%. Key activities anticipated from projects include reviewing and compiling data on habitat distribution, assessing conditions of marine ecosystems, and determining optimal networks of protected areas. The emphasis lies on collaboration with relevant stakeholders, including public authorities, to ensure comprehensive and effective implementation strategies that align with existing EU initiatives and address biodiversity, fisheries, and climate resilience. Overall, this funding opportunity is part of a broader mission to enhance marine ecosystem protection through evidence-based actions and transnational cooperation, thereby addressing critical gaps in knowledge and management practices across European seas.

The EU is offering funding opportunities under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically targeting the implementation of the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission. The call, titled "Blue Parks Towards a coherent European network of strictly protected areas for restoring healthy and productive marine ecosystems," aims to support the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, which targets legally protecting at least 30% of EU seas and strictly protecting 10% of EU seas by 2030.

The funding is designed to address data gaps and differing strategies among Member States in identifying suitable areas for strict protection, thereby fostering a coherent EU network of strictly protected areas. The call emphasizes science-based conservation planning at a sea basin or sub-basin scale, considering trade-offs with sea uses and maximizing benefits for climate and fisheries.

The scope of the projects should focus on prioritizing areas for strict protection in European seas, providing a scientific basis for Member States to designate new areas while benefiting fisheries and climate. Projects should identify potential areas and coherent networks of strictly protected areas, particularly those covering habitat types listed in Annex II of the Regulation on nature restoration, prioritizing spawning, nursery, and feeding areas for fish populations, species protected by nature legislation, carbon capture and storage zones, and coastal protection areas. Mapping and assessing the conditions of these habitats, contributing to Article 5 of the Regulation, and providing data to EMODnet and the Digital Twin Ocean are also crucial.

Trans-boundary joint actions, inter-disciplinary research (including legal sciences, economy, ecology), and inter-sectorial, transdisciplinary approaches (practitioners, decision makers, scientists) are strongly encouraged. Compatibility of protected area networks with marine/maritime activities like fisheries, offshore wind energy, and maritime transport should be addressed, considering relevant Marine Spatial Planning plans.

The projects are expected to deliver a blueprint for establishing optimal networks of marine strict protected areas with ecologically relevant and impactful scales. Close cooperation with public authorities and stakeholders is essential. Projects should build on existing knowledge and projects funded by EU and national programmes, including data from the Joint Research Centre, the European Environment Agency, Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, EMFAF, LIFE, Interreg programmes, the Partnership Biodiversa+, and JPI Oceans. Cooperation with projects funded under Mission ocean and waters topics HORIZON-MISS-2021-OCEAN-02-01, HORIZON-MISS-2022-OCEAN-01-01, and HORIZON-MISS-2023-OCEAN-01-01 is required to avoid overlaps. Links with the Mission Implementation Platform and the Blue Parks community should be established. Proposals addressing the EU Outermost Regions are encouraged.

The call provides a detailed budget overview for various topics under HORIZON-MISS-2025-03-OCEAN, with opening dates on 07 May 2025 and deadlines on 24 September 2025. The topics range from Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) to Innovation Actions (IA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), with budgets varying from €5,000,000 to €23,300,000 and indicative grant numbers ranging from 1 to 4 per topic.

General conditions for participation include admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, evaluation and award processes, and legal and financial setup, as described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are detailed in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms, model grant agreements (MGA), and additional documents such as the HE Main Work Programme, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme, EU Financial Regulation, and guidelines on lump sums are available in the Submission System and the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The Funding & Tenders Portal provides various support services, including an Online Manual, FAQs, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk. Partner search tools and information on the European Charter for Researchers are also available.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to bolster the EU's Biodiversity Strategy by promoting the establishment of a coherent network of strictly protected marine areas. It seeks to bridge data gaps, encourage transnational collaboration, and foster innovative approaches to marine conservation, balancing ecological benefits with the needs of fisheries and climate resilience. The call encourages proposals that are scientifically robust, practically implementable, and aligned with existing EU policies and initiatives.

The Horizon Europe Programme is providing funding for projects that will help the EU achieve its Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The goal is to protect our oceans by creating a network of strictly protected marine areas. These areas will help restore marine habitats, support fisheries, and fight climate change. To do this, the projects need to gather data, map important marine areas, and work with different countries and stakeholders. The EU is looking for projects that are well-planned, scientifically sound, and that can be put into practice to make a real difference in protecting our oceans.

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically targeting the implementation of the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission. The call, titled "Blue Parks Towards a coherent European network of strictly protected areas for restoring healthy and productive marine ecosystems," aims to support the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 by prioritizing areas for strict protection in European seas. The goal is to provide a scientific basis for Member States and Associated Countries to designate new strictly protected areas, which will deliver benefits for fisheries and climate.

The scope of the projects should include identifying potential areas and coherent networks of strictly protected areas, mapping and assessing the conditions of habitats, and promoting trans-boundary joint actions. Projects are expected to review and compile existing data, collect new data where necessary, determine optimal networks of protected areas, and address compatibility and potential trade-offs with marine/maritime activities.

The expected outcomes of the projects include improved knowledge of marine habitats, support for the designation of new strictly protected areas, and measurable contributions to the Mission ocean and waters’ Objective 1 on the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

The call is structured around different types of actions, including Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), each with varying budget allocations and expected contributions. The submission deadline is September 24, 2025.

Applicants are encouraged to cooperate closely with relevant public authorities and stakeholders, build on existing knowledge and projects, and link with the Mission Implementation Platform and the Blue Parks community. Proposals addressing the EU Outermost Regions are particularly encouraged. The application process involves a single stage, and detailed guidelines and templates are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.