Deploying innovative wastewater management, treatment and valorisation solutions in European cities and regions in the context of climate change

Horizon Europe Innovation Action HORIZON-MISS funds deployment and upscaling of integrated wastewater, stormwater and water management solutions in European cities and regions, emphasising energy efficiency, resource recovery, water reuse and circular economy principles. The topic has an indicative budget of €28.5 million (around €9.5 million expected per project for approximately three projects) and requires projects to reach TRL 7–8 by completion; the call opens 9 February 2027 and closes 22 September 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. Consortia must include entities from at least four cities or regions in different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, implement on-the-ground testing in at least two demonstrator cities/regions, engage at least two replicator cities/regions, and include local water management organisations and Mission-linked signatories. Proposals must address (waste)water reuse, combine at least three intervention areas such as nature-based solutions, sustainable urban drainage, energy/resource recovery or regional resource pooling, and include plans for clustering, dissemination via Mission platforms and identification of enabling regulatory, governance and financing conditions for replication.

Deploying innovative wastewater management, treatment and valorisation solutions

Call at a glance

Essential facts

Horizon Europe joint call (Climate‑Neutral and Smart Cities Mission + Adaptation to Climate Change Mission). Type of action: Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA). Projects must demonstrate and upscale integrated wastewater, stormwater and valorisation solutions in European cities and regions, reach TRL 7-8 by project end, and develop actionable insights for replication and governance/financing removal of barriers.

Opening and deadline:Planned opening 9 February 2027. Deadline 22 September 2027, 17:00 Brussels time.

Budget and grant size:Topic budget €28.5 million total. Indicative EU contribution per grant around €9.5 million; about 3 grants expected.

1. 1What it funds: demonstration and upscaling of integrated wastewater/stormwater management, nature-based SUDS, energy recovery, resource recovery (N, P, water, energy), reuse solutions, regional pooling and regulatory enabling actions.
2. 2Who can apply: consortia for HORIZON-IA under Horizon Europe; must involve entities from at least four different cities or regions in four different Member States or Associated Countries.
3. 3Key mandatory participation rules: on-the-ground testing in at least two demonstrator cities/regions; engagement with at least two replicator cities/regions; local water management organisation must be part of the consortium; at least one beneficiary from the 112 Cities Mission cities and at least one from a signatory to the Adaptation Mission Charter.

Proposal scope highlights: projects must address at least three specified aspects (nature‑based solutions, sustainable urban drainage/green‑blue stormwater management, energy efficiency and recovery from sewers/UWWTPs, regional pooling of resource recovery) and must incorporate water reuse, demonstrators, replicators and enabling‑conditions analysis. Collaboration with Mission platforms and CCRI is required and a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mission Platform is expected.

Apply via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Further topic details, eligibility rules and submission templates are available on the portal Funding & Tenders Portal ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Official call page and all application documents are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: ec.europa.eu

Deploying innovative wastewater management, treatment and valorisation solutions in European cities and regions in the context of climate change

Programme: Horizon Europe — Joint Call between the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and the Adaptation to Climate Change Mission (HORIZON-MISS-2027-07). Topic ID: HORIZON-MISS. Type of action: HORIZON-IA Innovation Actions. Managing Agency: European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) under the European Commission. Official portal page: see the topic on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page. Work Programme reference: Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027, Part 12 Missions, Joint Calls section Work Programme 2026–2027 Missions (PDF).

Objectives, expected outcomes and scope

Purpose: Accelerate deployment and upscaling of integrated, climate-adapted wastewater, stormwater and water management solutions in European cities and regions, aligned with the EU Missions on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change, and with the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI). Projects must lead to operational deployments in urban and regional contexts and generate actionable insights for replication and market valorisation of secondary resources.

Expected outcomes:1) European cities and regions equipped with innovative, climate-adapted practices for urban wastewater management that integrate energy efficiency, recovery of secondary raw materials, water reuse and renewable energy/resource production at city and regional level. 2) Deployment and upscaling of infrastructures and management solutions for water, stormwater and wastewater with positive effects on climate adaptation, biodiversity, air and water pollution reduction, resource valorisation and energy efficiency. 3) Broad dissemination of innovative practices, governance approaches and business models for integrated (waste)water management to enable replication and upscaling. 4) Actionable insights to overcome administrative, governance and financing barriers to rain- and wastewater management, resource recovery (secondary raw materials, water, energy) and their market valorisation.

Policy and initiative alignment:Projects must consider and align with: the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/3019) introducing energy neutrality requirements for UWWTPs >10,000 p.e., stormwater overflow management plans, and circular economy measures for reuse of nitrogen, phosphorus and water; relevant Horizon Europe projects (including Water4All partnership); the European Water Resilience Strategy; and synergies with Cities Mission Platform (NetZeroCities), the Mission Adaptation Platform (MIP4Adapt), CCRI, Green City Accord, European Urban Initiative, Hubs4Circularity, Covenant of Mayors Europe, and the New European Bauhaus.

Mandatory scope elements (all projects must address):- Solutions for (waste)water reuse to address increasing water scarcity pressures. - Conceptualisation, implementation and testing of combinations of urban wastewater treatment, valorisation and reuse processes in selected European cities/regions as demonstrators. - Identification of enabling conditions (legislative, regulatory, policy, governance, financing) to support deployment in other European cities/regions via replicators. - Development of actionable insights to overcome barriers to wastewater reuse and valorisation to enable replication and upscaling.

Choose at least three of the following integrated approach areas:- Demonstrate nature-based solutions (e.g. vegetated ditches, treatment wetlands, storage ponds) to support biodiversity, infiltration, and rainwater harvesting for reuse at city and regional level, addressing climate change impacts. - Implement sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) and green-blue stormwater management to avoid and reduce pollution from rain and stormwater, including during extreme weather events. - Implement energy efficiency and energy/resource recovery measures and technologies in sewers and/or one or multiple UWWTPs to reduce GHG and air pollutant emissions by pooling resources; may include solar energy generation, waste heat recovery, biogas from sludge. - Explore pooling of resources at regional level to rationalise investments in resource recovery technologies and address regulatory barriers via local end-of-waste criteria.

Consortium design and eligibility specifics

• Minimum composition: entities from at least four cities or regions, each from a different EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country, must participate as beneficiaries.
• Demonstrators and replicators: on-the-ground testing in at least two demonstrator cities/regions and engagement with at least two replicator cities/regions to identify enabling conditions for wider deployment.
• Local competence: in each participating city/region, the local water management organisation must be part of the consortium.
• Mission linkage: at least one entity in each project must be from one of the 112 Cities Mission cities; at least one must be from a signatory to the Mission on Adaptation Charter (see list via the Mission Adaptation portal Adaptation Mission Charter signatories).
• Clustering and dissemination: include a dedicated task, resources and a plan to collaborate with relevant Horizon Europe projects and initiatives, and to promote results via the Cities Mission Platform, Mission Adaptation Platform and CCRI website/channels.
• Formal collaboration: projects must formalise collaboration with the Cities Mission Platform and the Mission Adaptation Platform through a Memorandum of Understanding shortly after project start.

Who can apply and where

Eligible Applicant Types:Municipal and regional authorities and utilities (including local water and wastewater management organisations), SMEs, startups, large enterprises (technology providers, engineering firms, energy and resource recovery companies), universities and research institutes, nonprofit organisations and NGOs active in water, environment, climate adaptation and circular economy, public-private partnerships, and other eligible legal entities under Horizon Europe rules. Citizen engagement and stakeholder organisations are encouraged; however, beneficiaries must match the specific consortium conditions noted above.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries as beneficiaries. Entities from other countries may participate subject to Horizon Europe rules (funding for some non-associated third countries is not automatic; see Annex B and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide). Each consortium must include entities from at least four different Member States or Associated Countries and meet the city/region distribution conditions.

Funding, budget and financial setup

• Total topic budget (2027): €28.5 million; indicative 3 Innovation Action grants.
• Expected EU contribution per project: around €9.5 million.
• Action type: Innovation Action (IA), Horizon Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG].
• Funding rate: per Horizon Europe rules for Innovation Actions as described in Annex G (generally up to 70% of eligible costs for profit-making entities and up to 100% for non-profit entities; refer to the Model Grant Agreement and General Annex G for definitive conditions).
• Indirect costs: flat rate per Horizon Europe rules (25% of eligible direct costs unless otherwise specified).
• Co-funding: typically required for profit-making beneficiaries in IAs due to the 70% funding rate; the exact co-funding share depends on the consortium cost structure.

Application process and evaluation

• Submission method: Open call via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; single-stage proposal submission.
• Opening date: 09 February 2027. Deadline: 22 September 2027, 17:00 Brussels time.
• Application forms: Standard Horizon Europe Part A (online forms) and Part B (narrative PDF) available in the Submission System. Use the specified template in the system for HORIZON-IA.
• Evaluation: Standard Horizon Europe criteria and thresholds as per General Annex D; submission and evaluation processes follow General Annex F and the Online Manual.
• Legal and financial setup: Model Grant Agreement (HORIZON-AG) applies; see General Annex G and the EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement.
• Page limits and layout: as per Part B of the Application Form and General Annexes A and E.

Technical content and deployment expectations

Projects should take a holistic, systems-based approach that integrates land use, sewer system hydraulics, wastewater characteristics, climate risk data and circular resource markets to manage rain runoff during extreme events, prevent pollution from storm overflows, and optimise recovery of secondary raw materials, reclaimed water and energy. Regional pooling models should be explored to help smaller utilities share resources and rationalise investments.

Illustrative technology and solution areas:- Nature-based solutions for stormwater and combined sewer overflow mitigation, including constructed wetlands, bioretention, vegetated swales, and storage ponds with biodiversity co-benefits, designed for infiltration and harvested rainwater reuse. - Green-blue infrastructure and SUDS retrofits integrated with digital control for extreme event management and pollution prevention. - Energy efficiency and recovery: sewer heat recovery; UWWTP process optimisation and electrification; renewable integration (e.g., rooftop/land-adjacent solar at plants); anaerobic digestion and biogas upgrading; nutrient (N/P) recovery; sludge-to-resource pathways aligned with end-of-waste criteria. - Advanced treatment and reuse: tertiary/quaternary treatment enabling safe urban and industrial water reuse (consistent with EU and national rules), with monitoring and risk management. - Digital twins and smart monitoring for hydraulic performance, energy balance, resource yields, and adaptive operations under climate scenarios. - Business models and market arrangements for secondary resources (reclaimed water, recovered nutrients, energy), including PPA-like arrangements, off-take agreements and regional shared-service models.

Replication, knowledge sharing and synergy requirements

• Demonstrators: Minimum two cities/regions with on-the-ground deployments reaching TRL 7–8 by project end.
• Replicators: At least two additional cities/regions engaged to codify enabling conditions and prepare replication pathways and upscaling plans.
• Clustering: Explicit plan and budget for collaboration with other Horizon Europe projects and initiatives with similar themes or linked to the Cities and Adaptation Missions and CCRI.
• Dissemination and exploitation: Dedicated and possibly joint actions to promote and share results on the Cities Mission Platform (NetZeroCities platform), the Mission Adaptation Platform (MIP4Adapt), and the CCRI website (CCRI), as well as via other relevant channels.
• Policy feedback: Identify legislative, regulatory, governance and financing barriers, propose enabling conditions (e.g., local end-of-waste criteria, procurement and tariff models), and feed insights back to EU and national processes where appropriate.

Categorisation and structured information

Eligible Applicant Types:Municipalities and regional authorities; public utilities and water/wastewater operators; SMEs and startups; large enterprises and technology vendors; universities and research organisations; nonprofit organisations; NGOs; public-private partnerships; industry associations and cluster organisations; financial actors supporting circular and adaptation solutions; civil society and citizen engagement organisations. Consortia must include local water management organisations in participating territories and meet the multi-city, multi-country and Mission linkage requirements.

Funding Type:Grant (Horizon Europe Innovation Action, budget-based HORIZON-AG).

Consortium Requirement:Consortium. Minimum: beneficiaries from at least four cities or regions, each from a different EU Member State or Associated Country; on-the-ground testing in at least two demonstrators; engagement with at least two replicators; inclusion of the local water management organisation in participating territories; at least one beneficiary from a Cities Mission city and at least one from an Adaptation Mission Charter signatory.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries as beneficiaries. Entities from other countries may participate under Horizon Europe rules; funding eligibility for some non-associated third countries may require alternative arrangements.

Target Sector:Water and wastewater; environment and climate adaptation; urban infrastructure and planning; circular economy and resource valorisation; energy efficiency and renewable energy integration; digitalisation for water; nature-based solutions; industrial symbiosis and urban metabolism.

Mentioned Countries:No specific countries are listed. Geographic references are to EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Project Stage:Demonstration and deployment at high TRL. Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7–8 by the end of the project.

Funding Amount:Around €9.5 million EU contribution per project, with a total topic budget of €28.5 million and an indicative three projects to be funded.

Application Type:Open call via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; single-stage submission.

Nature of Support:Money (grants). Non-financial collaboration is required with the Cities Mission Platform and Mission Adaptation Platform, but funding is provided as grants.

Application Stages:1 stage (single-stage evaluation and selection).

Success Rates:Not specified in the topic. Indicative number of grants is three for this topic.

Co-funding Requirement:Yes, typically for profit-making entities in Innovation Actions due to the Horizon Europe IA funding rate (generally up to 70% of eligible costs for for-profit beneficiaries). Non-profit entities may receive up to 100% under IA rules. Refer to General Annex G and the Model Grant Agreement for definitive funding rates and conditions.

Compliance, standards and references

• Recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive: Directive (EU) 2024/3019 (energy neutrality, stormwater overflow management, circular measures for N, P and water reuse).
• European Water Resilience Strategy: consider resilience objectives across the urban water cycle.
• Water4All co-funded Partnership: consider complementarities and existing results.
• Mission Platforms: NetZeroCities (Cities Mission) and MIP4Adapt (Adaptation Mission) for collaboration, dissemination and monitoring.
• CCRI: ensure alignment with circular systemic solutions and replication ambitions.
• General Annexes (A–G) of Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026–2027 apply for admissibility, eligibility, evaluation, and grant setup.

Templates and structure of application documents

Proposals must use the official application forms available in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System for HORIZON-IA. The structure follows standard Horizon Europe templates:

1. 1Part A (web forms): Administrative data; participants; budget; ethics and security questionnaires.
2. 2Part B (PDF upload): Excellence (objectives; relation to the work programme; methodology; ambition including state of the art and beyond; TRL and innovation dimension); Impact (pathways to outcomes and impacts; measures to maximise impact including dissemination, exploitation, communication; market and replication strategy; risk management and barriers including regulatory, governance and financing; contribution to EU Missions and CCRI; alignment with UWWTD and Water Resilience Strategy); Quality and efficiency of the implementation (work plan with work packages, deliverables and milestones; capacity of participants and consortium; allocation of resources; project management, risk management and quality assurance; stakeholder and citizen engagement plan; collaboration and clustering plan including MoUs with Mission Platforms; monitoring, KPIs and TRL progression).
3. 3Mandatory annexes and sections: CVs and profiles of key personnel; ethics self-assessment (if applicable); security considerations (if applicable); letters of commitment from demonstrator and replicator cities/regions and their local water management organisations; evidence of Mission city and Adaptation Mission Charter signatory participation; data management plan; IPR and exploitation strategy; gender equality plan compliance for applicable organisations.

Key dates, portals and support

• Topic page and submission: EU Funding & Tenders Portal HORIZON-MISS-2027-07-CLIMA-CIT-CCRI-02.
• Work Programme: Missions 2026–2027 (Part 12) PDF.
• Cities Mission information and platform: EU Mission: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities.
• Adaptation Mission information and platform (MIP4Adapt): EU Mission: Adaptation to Climate Change and MIP4Adapt.
• Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI): CCRI portal.
• Guidance and manuals: Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Online Manual, General Annexes, Model Grant Agreement available via the Portal. National Contact Points and Enterprise Europe Network can support consortium building and proposal preparation.

Long summary: what this opportunity is about

This topic funds large-scale Innovation Actions to deploy, demonstrate and replicate integrated wastewater, stormwater and water reuse solutions that are fit for a changing climate and advance circularity in European cities and regions. Consortia must bring together at least four cities or regions across different EU Member States or Associated Countries, ensure on-the-ground demonstrations in at least two locations, and engage at least two additional locations as replicators. The local water management organisation must be part of the consortium where deployments occur. Each project must include at least one partner from the EU Cities Mission’s 112 cities and at least one partner that is a signatory to the Adaptation to Climate Change Mission Charter. Technical work must combine at least three pillars among nature-based stormwater solutions, SUDS and green-blue infrastructure, energy and resource recovery (including solar, heat recovery, biogas) and regional pooling models that overcome regulatory barriers (e.g., via local end-of-waste criteria). All projects must deliver real-world wastewater reuse and valorisation solutions, identify enabling conditions for broader uptake, and generate actionable insights for policy, governance and finance reform to scale results EU-wide. With expected project sizes around €9.5 million and an ambition to reach TRL 7–8, beneficiaries should plan robust deployments that reduce pollution and overflows during extreme weather, increase resource and energy efficiency, enhance biodiversity, and create viable markets for secondary resources. Collaboration and dissemination through the Cities Mission Platform, the Mission Adaptation Platform and the CCRI are mandatory, with formal MoUs and a resourced clustering plan. Proposals must align with the recast Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive and the European Water Resilience Strategy, build on relevant Horizon Europe results (including Water4All) and contribute to the EU Missions’ goals. The call is single-stage, opens on 09 February 2027 and closes on 22 September 2027. It is suitable for consortia of cities, utilities, technology providers, research organisations and civil society aiming to deliver bankable, replicable and policy-aligned climate-resilient and circular water solutions.

Deploying Innovative Wastewater Management, Treatment and Valorisation Solutions in European Cities and Regions in the Context of Climate Change

This Horizon Europe Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) topic HORIZON-MISS supports the EU Missions on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, Adaptation to Climate Change, and the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative (CCRI). It funds the deployment and upscaling of integrated wastewater, stormwater, and water management solutions adapted to climate change, emphasising energy efficiency, resource recovery, water reuse, and circular economy principles in line with the recast EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive.

Key Dates and Budget

Planned opening:9 February 2027.

Deadline:22 September 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time (single-stage submission).

Total indicative budget:€28.5 million for this topic.

Expected EU contribution per project:Around €9.5 million.

Indicative number of projects:3 projects.

Projects must achieve Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7-8 by the end. Apply via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal EU Funding Portal.

Objectives and Expected Outcomes

Projects must deliver all of the following outcomes: equip cities/regions with innovative urban wastewater practices adapted to climate change, including energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, secondary raw material recovery, and water reuse; deploy/upscale treatment infrastructures for water/stormwater/wastewater with benefits for climate adaptation, biodiversity, pollution reduction, resource valorisation, and energy efficiency; disseminate knowledge on practices, governance, and business models for integrated water management; develop actionable insights on overcoming administrative, governance, and financing barriers for resource recovery and valorisation.

Scope and Required Activities

Proposals must develop integrated approaches addressing at least three of these: nature-based solutions (e.g., vegetated ditches, treatment wetlands, storage ponds) for biodiversity, infiltration, and rainwater reuse; sustainable urban drainage and green-blue stormwater management to reduce pollution during extreme weather; energy efficiency/recovery from sewers/UWWTPs (e.g., solar, waste heat, biogas) via resource pooling to cut GHG/air emissions; regional resource pooling for recovery technologies, addressing regulatory barriers via local end-of-waste criteria.

All projects must address: (waste)water reuse solutions; conceptualise/implement/test combinations of treatment/valorisation/reuse in demonstrator cities/regions; identify enabling conditions (legislative, regulatory, policy, governance, financing) for replicators; develop insights to overcome barriers for replication/upscaling.

Eligibility and Consortium Requirements

• Entities from at least four cities/regions, each from a different EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
• On-the-ground testing in at least two demonstrator cities/regions.
• Engagement with at least two replicator cities/regions.
• Local water management organisation in each participating city/region must be in the consortium.
• At least one entity from one of the 112 EU Mission Climate-Neutral Smart Cities Mission Cities.
• At least one entity from a signatory to the Adaptation Mission Charter Charter Signatories.
• Eligible countries as per General Annex B; standard Horizon Europe admissibility, financial/operational capacity, and exclusion criteria apply.

Mandatory Collaboration and Synergies

• Dedicated task/plan for clustering with relevant Horizon Europe projects, Missions, and CCRI.
• Dissemination/exploitation via Cities Mission Platform, Adaptation Platform Adaptation Platform, CCRI website.
• Synergies with Green City Accord, European Urban Initiative, Hubs4Circularity, Covenant of Mayors, New European Bauhaus.
• Consider Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive, Water4All partnership, European Water Resilience Strategy.
• Formalise collaboration with Mission Platforms via Memorandum of Understanding post-start.

Evaluation and General Conditions

Award criteria, thresholds, submission processes per General Annexes D, F. Proposal page limits/layout per Annexes A, E. HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based Model Grant Agreement applies.

Additional Resources

• Work Programme 2026-2027 (Missions): WP Document.
• Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Online Manual, NCPs, Partner Search via Funding & Tenders Portal.

Footnotes

1. 1All details from official EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page and Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027.