Innovative solutions for resilient and climate-adapted coastal communities in the Atlantic

The Horizon Europe funding opportunity, titled "Innovative solutions for resilient and climate-adapted coastal communities in the Atlantic" (HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-03), aims to support international consortia in addressing the challenges posed by climate change and environmental threats to coastal communities in the Atlantic region. The grant focuses on developing innovative, nature-based solutions that enhance coastal resilience and promote community engagement.

Eligible applicants include consortia consisting of universities, research institutions, NGOs, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from EU member states, Horizon Europe associated countries, and Atlantic coastal nations, notably including those endorsing the All-Atlantic Declaration. The project's geographic scope is international, emphasizing cooperation among countries like Brazil, Morocco, and South Africa, as well as EU member states.

The funding type is categorized as grants under Horizon Innovation Actions, with an indicative budget of approximately €6 million. The funding is intended for projects that progress from the development stage to demonstration and testing of solutions. The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline set for September 16, 2025.

The call seeks proposals that actively engage with local communities to understand their specific challenges and incorporate traditional knowledge. Projects are encouraged to create a comprehensive toolbox of solutions addressing coastal resilience, develop user-friendly digital platforms to facilitate informed decision-making, and test these tools in real-world settings known as living labs.

A multi-actor approach is essential, ensuring participation from diverse stakeholders, including local authorities, citizens, and private investors, while integrating social sciences and humanities. International collaboration is highly encouraged, especially with Atlantic nations. The proposal success rate and specific co-funding requirements are not clearly defined but are typically competitive.

The overarching goal is to enhance the resilience and adaptation capacity of coastal communities facing climate change, aligning with broader initiatives like the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance and the UN's Decade of Ocean Science.

The EU funding opportunity focuses on "Innovative solutions for resilient and climate-adapted coastal communities in the Atlantic" under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically Cluster 6 Call 02. It is a single-stage call with the topic ID HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-03. The action type is HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call aims to deliver tangible benefits and support to Atlantic coastal communities, managing authorities, and citizens to increase their resilience to climate change and other environmental challenges. It also seeks to enhance the capacities of coastal communities for adaptation by fostering innovation and professional skills, building community climate change literacy through inclusive learning spaces that take into account local cultural heritage and traditional knowledge, ensuring long-term sustainability. The call contributes to the implementation of the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Declaration, focusing on increasing the resilience of coastal communities.

The scope addresses the vulnerability of approximately 1 billion people in low-lying coastal areas to environmental threats like extreme weather, sea-level rise, saltwater intrusion, increased water temperatures, and ocean acidification. The IPCC report warns of a tenfold increase in coastal flood damage by the end of the 21st century. The call emphasizes the need for urgent, coordinated efforts to increase coastal resilience. It builds upon the work of the AAORIA and the OKEANO project to expand the range of solutions and services accessible to and co-created with the communities. It also contributes to the implementation of the updated Action Plan for a sustainable, resilient, and competitive blue economy in the European Union Atlantic area.

Proposals should:

Engage with Atlantic coastal communities to understand their unique challenges, concerns, current adaptation strategies, and traditional environmental knowledge.

Work towards enhancing coastal resilience by building and testing a comprehensive toolbox of scientific outputs and traditional knowledge, building on the work undertaken by OKEANO project. The toolbox should include knowledge and solutions for various aspects of coastal resilience, including measures to protect and restore coastal ecosystems as nature-based solutions.

Develop methods and tools to allow communities to anticipate the diverse impacts of adaptation actions and measures, including on their most vulnerable members, to avoid climate maladaptation risks, considering gender and other social categories.

Design an interface enabling communities to choose a tailor-made mix of coastal resilience solutions, increasing societal buy-in and acceptance while avoiding maladaptation risks.

For the digital element of the interface, design an online platform connecting available coastal resilience knowledge and solutions with community needs in a user-friendly manner, and produce interoperable, tailor-made digital applications. Proposals should consider complementarities with other platforms that already exist, such as those of the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters and Mission Adaptation to Climate Change. The platform should allow for easy integration with existing digital decision-making, mapping and planning tools, for instance, by offering API (Application Programming Interfaces) integration which enables the platform to connect with existing digital tools and systems, allowing for the seamless exchange of data and functionality between systems.

Test and pilot the toolbox and interface in living labs based on a systematic user co-creation approach in real-life communities and settings. Create living labs in a diverse set of Atlantic communities, such as coastal cities, regions and islands (including small island developing states), from different parts of the Atlantic, and other relevant communities living at the intersection of marine, coastal and freshwater areas, with a particular attention to those that are highly vulnerable to the risks of climate change.

Promote innovation and enhance human capacity through the establishment of learning spaces, knowledge exchange, training, participatory process of visioning and skills development, based on the contents of the toolbox.

The multi-actor approach must be implemented, ensuring the involvement of researchers and relevant stakeholders (e.g. regional and local authorities, citizens, youth, NGOs, local businesses, private investors, social innovators, etc) from the target communities. SSH disciplines, including gender studies and citizen social science, should also be integrated.

International cooperation is strongly encouraged, especially with AAORIA partner countries and other Atlantic countries.

Proposals should foresee working closely with relevant ongoing Horizon Europe projects, particularly the OKEANO project, and, where relevant, the projects funded under the topic HORIZON-MISS-2025 01-CLIMA-03, and relevant projects of the Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030’ and its Atlantic and Arctic lighthouse (e.g. A-AAGORA and CLIMAREST), and the Mission Ocean Implementation Platform (MIP). Proposals should also consider results of other Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects such as TRIATLAS, the projects of the ADAPT4COAST cluster, ILIAD, DestinE, the EU Digital Twin of the Ocean and other relevant projects, programmes, and initiatives, including from AAORIA partner countries and other countries around the Atlantic, as well as relevant work under the OSPAR convention.

The opening date for submission is May 6, 2025, and the deadline is September 16, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The indicative budget for this topic is 6,000,000 EUR, and it is expected that one grant will be awarded.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Legal entities established in Brazil are exceptionally eligible for Union funding. Participation, as a beneficiary or associated partner, of at least three legal entities established in at least three of the following countries is required: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Ghana, Iceland, Morocco, Norway, Senegal, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, along with a standard application form (HE RIA, IA) and evaluation form templates.

Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

This funding opportunity is about enhancing the resilience of Atlantic coastal communities to climate change and other environmental challenges. It aims to achieve this by developing a comprehensive toolbox of knowledge and solutions, creating a user-friendly digital platform, and testing these resources in real-world living labs. The goal is to empower communities to make informed decisions and adapt to environmental changes, while also fostering international cooperation and building long-term capacity. The project requires a multi-actor approach, involving researchers, stakeholders, and community members, and encourages the integration of social sciences and humanities disciplines. The ultimate aim is to deliver tangible benefits and support to Atlantic coastal communities, making them more resilient and sustainable in the face of climate change.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, based on the context of Horizon Europe and the multi-actor approach requirement, eligible applicants could include: researchers, regional and local authorities, citizens, youth, NGOs, local businesses, private investors, and social innovators. The text also mentions legal entities established in Brazil are exceptionally eligible for Union funding.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily grant-based, specifically HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA), and HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND) under the Horizon Europe program. The type of MGA (Model Grant Agreement) is HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG].

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium. Specifically, to achieve the expected outcomes of the action, participation, as a beneficiary or associated partner, of at least three legal entities established in at least three of the following countries is required: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Ghana, Iceland, Morocco, Norway, Senegal, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility encompasses coastal communities from all Atlantic countries, including those outside the EU. Specific eligibility is mentioned for legal entities established in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Ghana, Iceland, Morocco, Norway, Senegal, South Africa, United Kingdom, and United States of America.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: climate adaptation, biodiversity, ocean and coastal management, blue economy, environmental science, social science, and digital platform development. It focuses on enhancing the resilience of coastal communities to climate change and environmental challenges.

Mentioned Countries: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Ghana, Iceland, Morocco, Norway, Senegal, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States of America. The region mentioned is the Atlantic, encompassing all Atlantic countries.

Project Stage: The project stage appears to be focused on development, testing, and piloting of solutions, with an emphasis on implementation and innovation actions. The projects should build and test a comprehensive toolbox and interface, pilot them in living labs, and establish learning spaces, suggesting a stage leaning towards demonstration and implementation.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €2,000,000 to €50,000,000. For example, HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-03 has a budget of €6,000,000, while HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-15 has a budget that varies between years, with a maximum of €50,000,000 in 2025.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their projects. The opportunity also involves non-monetary services such as access to knowledge, tools, platforms, and participation in living labs.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. For instance, some topics indicate that only one grant will be awarded, while others may award two or three.

Co-funding Requirement: The HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions (HORIZON-COFUND) suggest a co-funding element, as these actions are designed to provide funding alongside contributions from other sources. However, the specific co-funding rates or requirements are not detailed in the provided text.

Summary: This Horizon Europe Cluster 6 call focuses on fostering innovative solutions for resilient and climate-adapted coastal communities in the Atlantic region. It aims to deliver tangible benefits to these communities by increasing their resilience to climate change and other environmental challenges. The call encourages projects to engage with local communities, build and test a comprehensive toolbox of knowledge and solutions, develop user-friendly interfaces for accessing these resources, and establish living labs for piloting and disseminating best practices. The call also emphasizes international cooperation, the multi-actor approach, and the integration of social sciences and humanities disciplines. The funding is provided through various Horizon Europe instruments, including Research and Innovation Actions, Innovation Actions, and Programme Cofund Actions, with budgets ranging from €2,000,000 to €50,000,000 per topic. Applicants are expected to form consortia with partners from both EU and non-EU Atlantic countries, particularly Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cape Verde, Ghana, Iceland, Morocco, Norway, Senegal, South Africa, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The call seeks to contribute to the European Green Deal, the All-Atlantic Ocean Research and Innovation Alliance (AAORIA) Declaration, and the implementation of the Action Plan for a sustainable, resilient, and competitive blue economy in the Atlantic area.