Projects to Support Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP)

The EMFAF-2026-PIA-MSP call for proposals is an initiative funded under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), with a total budget of €1.7 million. The funding is aimed at supporting projects that facilitate the implementation, monitoring, and revision of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the Atlantic and Black Sea regions among EU Member States. Eligible applicants primarily include national and regional authorities from coastal EU Member States involved in maritime governance, emphasizing government bodies and public institutions. Proposals must involve collaboration among multiple Member States, specifically those from the same sea basin or different basins, establishing a consortium requirement. The thematic focus includes integrated maritime policy implementation, sustainable blue economy development, and ocean governance, alongside addressing challenges related to the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive. The projects should tackle common issues in maritime spatial planning, promote cross-border cooperation, and align with broader EU policies such as the European Green Deal. The application process is a single-stage and is open from January 15, 2026, with a submission deadline of April 15, 2026. Evaluation of the submissions will occur after this deadline, with grant agreements projected to be finalized between September and December 2026. The expected funding for successful projects may range from €850,000 to €1.7 million, depending on how many projects are selected. Applicants must submit their proposals electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Importantly, while the call does not specify a co-funding requirement, additional details regarding eligibility and funding conditions will be outlined in the official call document. The emphasis of funded projects will be on practical implementation and adaptation of existing maritime spatial plans rather than basic research, making it crucial for applicants to demonstrate clear impacts in line with EU maritime policy priorities.

The EMFAF-2026-PIA-MSP call, under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF), aims to support projects that facilitate the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the EU, aligning with Directive 2014/89. The call specifically seeks innovative solutions to challenges encountered by EU Member States in implementing, monitoring, and revising their maritime spatial plans. These challenges are often shared among coastal Member States, creating a common interest in developing responses applicable across sea basins.

The call is for EMFAF Project Grants (EMFAF-PJG) and EMFAF Action Grant Budget-Based [EMFAF-AG]. The submission process is single-stage, opening on 15 January 2026, and closing on 15 April 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected impact of funded projects is to ensure coherent and coordinated maritime plans across marine regions. Proposals should identify specific expected impacts related to the call's priorities, as detailed in the call document.

The scope of the call focuses on funding projects that develop innovative responses to specific challenges that EU Members States might encounter when putting into effect, monitoring and/or revising their maritime spatial plans. Many of these challenges are common to coastal Member States. There is thus a shared interest in developing innovative responses that can apply within a sea basin and/or across sea basins. The specific scope and themes are described in the call document.

Conditions for application include:

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, available in the Submission System.

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

3. Other Eligible Conditions:Additional eligibility criteria are detailed in section 6 of the call document.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion:Requirements are outlined 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 detailed 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.

Key documents for applicants include:

Call document

Standard application form (EMFAF) available in the Submission System

Detailed budget table (EMFAF) which is not mandatory at the proposal stage

EMFAF Model Grant Agreement (MGA)

2024-25 EMFAF Work Programme

EMFAF Regulation 2021/1139

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

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The total budget for the EMFAF-2026-PIA-MSP EMFAF Project Grants is €1,700,000.

Applicants can search for partners to collaborate on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

For help related to this call, applicants can contact CINEA-EMFAF-CALLS@ec.europa.eu by 7 April 2026, including the call identifier EMFAF-2026-PIA-MSP in the email subject. Additional support resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk for technical issues, and the Online Manual for guidance on portal processes.

In summary, this call for proposals aims to bolster the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning across the EU by funding projects that offer innovative solutions to the challenges faced by Member States in planning and managing their maritime spaces. It encourages collaborative projects that address common challenges across sea basins, with a focus on aligning maritime plans and achieving the objectives of Directive 2014/89. The call provides detailed guidelines and support resources to assist applicants in preparing and submitting their proposals through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Eligible Applicant Types:The opportunity details do not explicitly list eligible applicant types. However, it mentions challenges common to coastal Member States, suggesting that government bodies or organizations working with or on behalf of EU Member States are likely eligible. Other eligible applicant types could include public organizations, research institutions, NGOs, or private entities, but this would need to be confirmed in the call document.

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

Consortium Requirement:The opportunity details do not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if single applicants are allowed. However, the mention of partner search announcements suggests that consortia are possible and perhaps encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The opportunity focuses on facilitating the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in the EU, implying that the geographic eligibility is primarily for EU Member States, particularly coastal Member States.

Target Sector:The target sector is Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). This includes addressing challenges related to putting into effect, monitoring, and/or revising maritime spatial plans.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States, particularly coastal Member States.

Project Stage:The project stage appears to be focused on development, validation, and demonstration, as the call aims to fund projects that develop innovative responses to specific challenges in implementing, monitoring, and revising maritime spatial plans.

Funding Amount:The budget is €1,700,000 per grant.

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

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

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

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

Co-funding Requirement:The co-funding requirement is not mentioned in the provided text.

Summary:

This opportunity, EMFAF-2026-PIA-MSP, is a call for proposals under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) aimed at facilitating the implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the EU. The call seeks to fund projects that develop innovative responses to challenges encountered by EU Member States, particularly coastal ones, in putting into effect, monitoring, and revising their maritime spatial plans. The projects should ensure coherence and coordination across marine regions and identify specific expected impacts related to the call's priorities. The funding mechanism is an EMFAF Project Grant, with a budget of €1,700,000 per grant. The application process is a single-stage open call, with the submission deadline on April 15, 2026. While the eligibility criteria are not fully detailed in the provided text, it is implied that government bodies, organizations working with EU Member States, and potentially other entities such as research institutions and NGOs are eligible to apply. The call encourages collaboration, as indicated by the partner search announcements. Applicants are required to submit their proposals electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal, following the guidelines and templates provided in the call documents.