Lago de Yojoa y represa El Tablón. Restauración de Ecosistemas

The EU is offering a grant opportunity focused on ecosystem restoration in Honduras, specifically in the Lago de Yojoa and El Tablón dam areas. This initiative is part of the EU's external action program, identified as RELEX-NDICI-2025-HONDURAS-YOJOA, and falls under the Climate and Energy: Resilient Infrastructures category. The total funding available for this grant is €12.5 million for the year 2025.

Eligible applicants are anticipated to include legal entities such as non-governmental organizations, research institutes, public-private partnerships, and governmental bodies that can engage in projects addressing climate resilience and sustainability. Although the document does not explicitly require consortia, it suggests that joint applications may be encouraged due to the scale of the funding and the nature of the projects.

The grant’s focus is on developing resilient infrastructure and restoring ecosystems in the designated regions. The project is expected to address both environmental restoration and climate change adaptation, which aligns with the overarching EU objectives of promoting sustainable development.

The application process consists of two stages, with the first deadline set for July 1, 2025, and the second for September 25, 2025. Specific details regarding eligibility, proposal limits, evaluation procedures, and other conditions can be found in the detailed call documents available on the funding portal. The grants will be awarded based on a competitive process, and the success rates for such EU funding initiatives generally vary.

There is currently no requirement for co-funding stated in the provided materials. Interested parties should ensure compliance with legal and financial requirements outlined in the regulations governing this funding opportunity, as well as utilize the assistance available through the Funding & Tenders Portal to facilitate their proposal development.

This call for proposals represents a significant investment aimed at enhancing local environmental sustainability and resilience in Honduras, making it a vital opportunity for organizations capable of delivering impactful climate-related projects in the region.

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals titled "Lago de Yojoa y represa El Tablón. Restauración de Ecosistemas" which translates to "Lake Yojoa and El Tablón Dam. Ecosystem Restoration". The call identifier is RELEX-NDICI-2025-HONDURAS-YOJOA-TABLON-02.

This call falls under the EU External Action - eGrants (RELEX2027) Programme, specifically the "Clima y Energía: Infraestructuras Resilientes en el Lago de Yojoa y presa de El Tablón" which means "Climate and Energy: Resilient Infrastructures in Lake Yojoa and El Tablón Dam" initiative, identified as RELEX-NDICI-2025-HONDURAS-YOJOA.

The type of action is RELEX-PJG, which stands for RELEX Project Grants. The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is RELEX Action Grant Budget-Based [RELEX-AG]. The call is currently open for submission.

The deadline model is two-stage. The opening date for submissions was May 15, 2025. The first deadline is July 1, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The second deadline is September 25, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

An update on May 16, 2025, indicates that the submission session is available for topics RELEX-NDICI-2025-HONDURAS-YOJOA-01 and RELEX-NDICI-2025-HONDURAS-YOJOA-TABLON-02.

The conditions for this call are as follows:

1. Admissibility Conditions: The proposal page limit and layout are described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form, which is available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries: Eligibility is described in section 6 of the call document.

3. Other Eligible Conditions: These are described in section 6 of the call document.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Details are in section 7 of the call document.

5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.

5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document.

5c. Evaluation and award: The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in section 10 of the call document.

The following documents are available for the call:

Call document and annexes:
Call document
Application form templates:
Standard application form (RELEX) / Formulario de solicitud, available in the Submission System in both Spanish and the official version.
Detailed budget table (RELEX)
Detailed budget table (RELEX) / Cuadro presupuestario detallado in Spanish for courtesy.
Work plan (Activities matrix) (RELEX)
Work plan (Activities matrix) (RELEX) / Plan de trabajo in Spanish for courtesy.
Logframe (RELEX)
Logframe (RELEX) / Marco lógico in Spanish for courtesy.
Timetable/Gantt chart (RELEX)
Timetable/Gantt chart (RELEX) / Calendario/Esquema progresivo de Gantt in Spanish for courtesy.
SEA-H questionnaire (RELEX)
SEA-H questionnaire (RELEX) / SEA-H Cuestionario in Spanish for courtesy.
Model Grant Agreements (MGA):
RELEX MGA
RELEX MGA in Spanish for courtesy.

Additional documents:
NDICI Regulation 2021/947
NDICI programming
NDICI Annual Action Plans & MIPs
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
List of Participating Countries
List of Participating Countries / Lista de Países Participantes in Spanish for courtesy.
EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Guidance on external action procurement best practices
Guidance on external action procurement best practices / Mejores prácticas en materia de contratación pública in Spanish for courtesy.
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The total budget for this topic in 2025 is EUR 12,500,000.

There are three partner search announcements available. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics, as well as any user with an active public Person profile.

To start the submission process, applicants must access the Electronic Submission Service by clicking the submission button next to the relevant type of action and model grant agreement. Applicants must confirm their choice, as it cannot be changed in the submission system.

To access existing draft proposals, applicants can log in to the Funding & Tenders Portal and select the My Proposals page in the My Area section.

For help related to the call, applicants can contact DELEGATION-HONDURAS-CALL-FOR-PROPOSALS@eeas.europa.eu. Additional resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual.

In summary, this EU call for proposals focuses on ecosystem restoration in Lago de Yojoa and the El Tablón dam in Honduras. It is a two-stage submission process with a total budget of 12.5 million EUR. The call is open to projects related to climate and energy with a focus on resilient infrastructure. Applicants need to carefully review the call documents, eligibility criteria, and submission guidelines available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The call utilizes RELEX Project Grants and a budget-based action grant model. Several documents and templates are provided in both English and Spanish to aid applicants in preparing their proposals. The EU is seeking projects that will contribute to the restoration of these vital ecosystems in Honduras, aligning with broader climate and energy resilience goals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The provided text does not explicitly list eligible applicant types. However, based on the document "Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment," it can be inferred that eligible applicants are legal entities. The mention of "LEARs, Account Administrators or self-registrants" suggests that a variety of organizations, including those with established legal entity validation processes, can apply. Further details would be available in section 6 of the call document.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a "RELEX Project Grant (RELEX-PJG)" and a "RELEX Action Grant Budget-Based [RELEX-AG]".

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the partner search announcements suggest that consortia are possible and perhaps encouraged. Section 6 of the call document may provide more information.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call is specifically targeted towards projects related to the Lago de Yojoa y represa El Tablón in Honduras, as indicated by "RELEX-NDICI-2025-HONDURAS-YOJOA." The "List of Participating Countries" document may provide further details on eligible countries, but the focus is clearly on activities within Honduras.

Target Sector: The program targets the "Clima y Energía" sector, specifically focusing on "Infraestructuras Resilientes en el Lago de Yojoa y presa de El Tablón" (Resilient Infrastructures in Lake Yojoa and El Tablón Dam). This suggests a focus on climate resilience, energy infrastructure, and ecosystem restoration.

Mentioned Countries: Honduras is explicitly mentioned.

Project Stage: The call aims at "Restauración de Ecosistemas" (Ecosystem Restoration), which suggests projects in the development, validation, demonstration, or potentially even commercialization/scale-up stages, depending on the specific activities proposed. The focus on resilient infrastructure also implies projects that are beyond the initial idea or research phase.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic is EUR 12,500,000. The indicative number of grants is not specified in the provided text.

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

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants.

Application Stages: The application process consists of two stages. The deadlines for these stages are July 1, 2025, and September 25, 2025, respectively.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. This information might be available in the call document, specifically in sections related to financial setup.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the EU External Action eGrants (RELEX2027) program, specifically targeting climate and energy resilience in the Lago de Yojoa and El Tablón Dam area of Honduras. The call, titled "Clima y Energía: Infraestructuras Resilientes en el Lago de Yojoa y presa de El Tablón (RELEX-NDICI-2025-HONDURAS-YOJOA)," seeks projects focused on ecosystem restoration and resilient infrastructure. The funding mechanism is a RELEX Project Grant (RELEX-PJG) or a RELEX Action Grant Budget-Based [RELEX-AG], with a total budget of EUR 12,500,000. The application process is divided into two stages, with deadlines on July 1, 2025, and September 25, 2025. Eligible applicants are legal entities, and while consortia are not explicitly required, the presence of partner search announcements suggests they are welcome. The call is managed through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, where applicants can find all necessary documents, including the call document, application form templates, model grant agreements, and guidance materials. Interested parties should contact DELEGATION-HONDURAS-CALL-FOR-PROPOSALS@eeas.europa.eu for specific questions related to the call. The NDICI Regulation 2021/947 and EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 provide the overall legal framework for this funding opportunity.