Scaling up the SEACURE solutions across Associated Regions'.

The SEACURE Open Call for Associated Regions seeks to finance activities aimed at preventing and addressing nutrient pollution, particularly in the Mediterranean basin and similar regions beyond it. This initiative targets local and regional public authorities known as Associated Regions (ARs), which are eligible to apply for funding to implement strategies that manage biogeochemical cycles of Nitrogen and Phosphorus.

The funding mechanism is a grant through cascade funding, amounting to €700,000, which will be distributed among selected projects focused on the replication and scaling of effective solutions developed in prior phases of the SEACURE project. Each sub-project can receive support for a maximum duration of 18 months.

Applicants must submit a complete application by February 28, 2026, as this open call follows a single-stage application process. The applications will be evaluated based on established criteria without a preliminary expression of interest. Support will include both financial assistance for project implementation and technical guidance from the SEACURE consortium to aid in capacity building, stakeholder engagement, and policy development.

The primary goal is to empower regions facing nutrient pollution issues to assess and implement proven SEACURE solutions effectively. This open call expects ARs to engage with the regional innovation ecosystem to develop tailored roadmaps for replicating these solutions. Successful projects will highlight stakeholder involvement and detailed strategies that facilitate knowledge exchange and collaborative efforts to combat nutrient pollution.

Overall, this funding opportunity emphasizes local governance and implementation, marking a significant step towards addressing environmental challenges in the context of sustainable development and innovative action.

The SEACURE Open Call for Associated Regions aims to finance activities promoting holistic strategies for the prevention, minimization, reduction, and remediation of nutrient pollution. It seeks to empower regions facing similar nutrient pollution issues, particularly in the Mediterranean basin and beyond, and to strengthen their capacity to replicate innovative solutions developed within the SEACURE project.

The main objective is to empower regions where eutrophication is a significant issue to effectively manage biogeochemical cycles, specifically those of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P). This will be achieved by leveraging and expanding the rollout of systemic innovative solutions developed within the project. The empowerment includes enhancing the capabilities of the awarded Associated Regions (ARs) in implementing innovative approaches, supported by technical assistance from SEACURE consortium partners.

Through this Open Call, SEACURE intends to mobilize geographic areas into action, assessing the replicability potential of SEACURE strategies in the awarded ARs, and directing efforts towards the collaborative development of public policies, strategic plans, and enabling mechanisms. It also aims to engage regional stakeholders to strengthen their capacity to address water and soil health challenges, while enhancing their skills, capabilities, and knowledge exchange. Together, these actions aim to enable the future scale-up of the most suitable SEACURE solutions in the region.

The Application Form’s work plan must address the following expected outcomes:

1. Identification of the most appropriate SEACURE solutions to address nutrient pollution in each associated region: This involves a replicability assessment of SEACURE solutions in the awarded Associated Regions (AR). Applicants must explain in WP1 of the Application Form how this outcome will be achieved, reflecting the current knowledge, capacity, and competence of the region regarding the identified prioritized SEACURE solutions. This includes previous work done in the region and how SEACURE technical assistance will complement and improve the current situation, outlining a roadmap (how and when) of the activities key to executing and achieving the goals of technical assistance to implement WP2 and WP3. One of the outputs of this WP must be the ARs Action Plan to be developed with the SEACURE consortium.

2. Engagement with key actors within the regional innovation ecosystem to enable coordinated actions to tackle nutrient pollution: This outcome can be achieved through the implementation of capacity-building activities, actions to raise societal awareness, and activities to strengthen the bonds between ecosystem actors, or a combination of all three. Applicants must explain in WP2 of the Application Form how this outcome will be achieved, including the current capacity to engage with key actors within the regional innovation ecosystem and detailing what is foreseen to further advance in this regard, with the technical assistance support of the SEACURE project partnership. Examples include key stakeholder mapping, capacity buildings, site visits, stakeholder consultations, social awareness campaigns, and citizen science.

3. Tailor-made roadmaps for replicating and scaling up the selected solutions in the Associated Regions, including the development of public policies, strategic plans, or implementation mechanisms, such as mobilizing new funding and resources or planning specific projects. Applicants must explain in WP3 of the Application Form how this outcome will be achieved, including how they intend to tackle nutrient pollution in their region and which decision-making steps they foresee in order to further scale up the replication of SEACURE solutions. Examples include updating Environmental Management Plans/Policies, designing regional upscaling plans, or applying for additional infrastructure/project funding.

The opening date for submissions is December 1, 2025. The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2026, at 01:00 (Brussels time). The deadline model is single-stage. The selected sub-projects will be implemented for a maximum of 18 months, following their action plan. The total funding available is 700,000.00 €. The project acronym is SEACURE. The full name of the EU-funded project is "Innovative solutions to prevent, reduce and remediate nutrient pollution along the land-river-sea system in the Mediterranean basin." The grant agreement number is 101157327. The topic is HORIZON-MISS-2023-OCEAN-SOIL-01-01 - Mission Ocean and Waters and Mission A Soil Deal for Europe – Joint demonstration of approaches and solutions to address nutrient pollution in the landscape-river-sea system in the Mediterranean sea basin.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to carefully read the Call documents, including the Terms of Reference and the Applicant Guidelines with their annexes. These documents outline the scope and requirements of the application, the eligibility criteria, the application procedure, the evaluation and appeals process, the obligations of the beneficiaries, and data protection. Applicants must submit the completed application form and budget template, as detailed in the Terms of Reference. Following the closing date for applications, the evaluation procedure will commence, in accordance with the Terms of Reference. All necessary information regarding the Open Call is available on the SEACURE website: Open Call – Seacure.

In summary, this SEACURE Open Call offers funding to regions, particularly those in and around the Mediterranean, that are grappling with nutrient pollution and eutrophication. The goal is to help these regions adopt and scale up innovative solutions developed by the SEACURE project to better manage nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, improve water and soil health, and develop effective policies and strategies to combat nutrient pollution. The call requires applicants to demonstrate how they will identify and implement appropriate SEACURE solutions, engage with regional stakeholders, and create roadmaps for scaling up these solutions, all with the support of technical assistance from the SEACURE consortium. The funding aims to mobilize regions into action, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange to address water and soil health challenges and enable the future widespread adoption of effective nutrient pollution solutions.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is targeted towards "Associated Regions" (ARs). While the specific legal structure of these regions isn't explicitly defined, the context suggests they are regional or local government bodies or organizations closely affiliated with them, operating within a regional innovation ecosystem. The call aims to engage key actors within the regional innovation ecosystem, which implies that applicants should be regional entities capable of coordinating actions to tackle nutrient pollution.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically cascade funding, as indicated by the phrase "GrantCascade funding" in the provided text. This means that the SEACURE project, which has received funding from the EU, is distributing a portion of its funds to selected Associated Regions through this open call.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to be geared towards single applicants, specifically Associated Regions. The focus is on empowering individual regions and assessing the replicability of SEACURE solutions within each awarded AR. While collaboration with the SEACURE consortium is expected through technical assistance, the application itself seems to be from a single regional entity.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is focused on regions facing nutrient pollution issues, particularly those in the Mediterranean basin and beyond. The call explicitly mentions "Associated Regions" (ARs) and aims to empower regions where eutrophication is a significant issue. The phrase "Mediterranean basin and beyond" suggests that regions outside the Mediterranean area, but facing similar challenges, may also be eligible.

Target Sector: The program targets the environment and agriculture/food sectors, specifically focusing on addressing nutrient pollution in the landscape-river-sea system. The key areas of focus are the prevention, minimization, reduction, and remediation of nutrient pollution, with an emphasis on managing the biogeochemical cycles of Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P). The topic HORIZON-MISS-2023-OCEAN-SOIL-01-01 explicitly links the call to Mission Ocean and Waters and Mission A Soil Deal for Europe.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the opportunity focuses on the Mediterranean basin and regions facing similar nutrient pollution issues "beyond" the Mediterranean. Therefore, the Mediterranean region is the primary geographic focus.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the validation and demonstration stage. The call aims to assess the replicability potential of SEACURE strategies in the Associated Regions and direct efforts towards the collaborative development of public policies, strategic plans, and enabling mechanisms. This suggests that the SEACURE solutions are already developed and the focus is on validating and demonstrating their applicability in different regional contexts and scaling up the selected solutions.

Funding Amount: The total funding available for this open call is 700,000.00 €. The funding will be distributed among the selected Associated Regions. The exact amount each region will receive is not specified, but it can be inferred that it will be a portion of the total 700,000.00 €.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as explicitly stated in the text: "SEACURE Open Call for Associated Regions". The deadline model is single-stage, meaning that applicants submit a complete proposal by the deadline.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive both money and non-monetary services. They will receive funding to implement their proposed activities and will also receive technical assistance from the SEACURE consortium partners to support the implementation of innovative approaches.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage. Applicants submit a complete application form and budget template by the deadline, and the evaluation procedure starts after the closing date.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

The SEACURE Open Call for Associated Regions is a funding opportunity aimed at empowering regions facing nutrient pollution issues, particularly in the Mediterranean basin and beyond. The call is part of the broader HORIZON-MISS-2023-OCEAN-SOIL-01-01 initiative, focusing on Mission Ocean and Waters and Mission A Soil Deal for Europe. The primary goal is to facilitate the implementation and scaling up of innovative solutions developed within the SEACURE project to prevent, minimize, reduce, and remediate nutrient pollution.

The call targets regional or local government bodies or organizations closely affiliated with them, referred to as "Associated Regions" (ARs). These regions should be capable of coordinating actions to tackle nutrient pollution within their regional innovation ecosystem. The selected ARs will receive funding and technical assistance from the SEACURE consortium to assess the replicability of SEACURE solutions in their specific context, engage with key regional stakeholders, and develop tailor-made roadmaps for scaling up the selected solutions.

The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline of February 28, 2026. Applicants must submit a completed application form and budget template, outlining their work plan to address the expected outcomes of the call. These outcomes include identifying the most appropriate SEACURE solutions for their region, engaging with key actors in the regional innovation ecosystem, and developing roadmaps for replicating and scaling up the selected solutions, including the development of public policies, strategic plans, or implementation mechanisms. The total funding available is 700,000 €, which will be distributed among the selected Associated Regions. The selected sub-projects will be implemented for a maximum of 18 months, following their action plan.