SoS2LearnDBS’s Open call for Community-Led Actions to restore Danube-Black Sea Waters (OC-CLed-SoS2LearnDBS-2025)

The SoS2LearnDBS CLed Open Call for Community-Led Actions to restore Danube-Black Sea Waters is a significant funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe Programme aimed at enabling local communities to address environmental challenges in the Danube River Basin and the Black Sea region. The total budget for this call is €7,000,000. Opening on November 27, 2025, and closing on March 30, 2026, the call seeks proposals that aim to demonstrate, test, deploy, or scale innovative solutions focusing on three main priority areas: Habitat Restoration & Ecosystem Protection, Pollution Prevention, Reduction & Remediation, and Sustainable Blue Economy & Circular Resource Use.

Eligible applicants must form a consortium consisting of 3 to 7 independent legal entities from EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries, with the leading entity based in the Danube-Black Sea region. One member must represent local communities, ensuring a genuine community-driven approach.

Funding is available in two tiers: €200,000 to €400,000 or €500,000 to €1,000,000 per project, with a maximum of €500,000 for any single organization. Support extends beyond financial assistance, covering capacity building, technical expertise, networking opportunities, and mentoring to enhance project impact and community engagement.

Projects must take place in specified geographical areas including the Upper, Middle, and Lower Danube, the Danube Delta, or the Black Sea. The expected duration of funded projects ranges from 18 to 30 months. The application process consists of a single-stage submission through the EU Survey portal, followed by an eligibility check and rigorous evaluation based on criteria like community involvement, innovation, feasibility, and sustainability.

The initiative fosters collaboration among diverse stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of social innovation and knowledge exchange to ensure long-lasting environmental and societal benefits. Successful proposals are anticipated to lead to enhanced community leadership in environmental protection and the deployment of sustainable practices in the region.

The SoS2LearnDBS CLed Open Call 2025 is an EU funding opportunity focused on Community-Led Actions to restore Danube-Black Sea Waters. The call is part of the Horizon Europe Programme and the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030". The full name of the EU funded project is Source to Sea: Leveraging community knowledge and action for restoring the Danube River basin and the Black Sea region. The grant agreement number is 101217667. The topic is HORIZON-MISS-2024-OCEAN-02-01 - Community-led actions to restore our ocean, seas and waters.

The opening date for submissions is November 27, 2025, and the deadline is March 30, 2026, at 12:00 Brussels time. It is a single-stage submission model. The expected duration of participation for funded projects is between 18 and 30 months. The total funding available is 7,000,000 EUR.

The call aims to support projects that demonstrate, test, deploy, or scale innovative solutions addressing key environmental challenges in the Danube River Basin and the Black Sea region. Activities must align with at least one of the following Mission priority areas: Habitat Restoration & Ecosystem Protection, Pollution Prevention, Reduction & Remediation, and Sustainable Blue Economy & Circular Resource Use. Projects must take place in one of the five eligible regions: Upper Danube, Middle Danube, Lower Danube, Danube Delta, or Black Sea. Projects should combine technological, nature-based, governance, social, cultural, and/or educational approaches, with strong participation from local communities.

Eligible applicants are consortia of 3 to 7 independent legal entities located in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The consortium leader must be based in the Danube-Black Sea region, and at least one partner must represent local communities.

Funding is provided in two tiers: 200,000 EUR to 400,000 EUR or 500,000 EUR to 1,000,000 EUR per project. The maximum funding per organization is 500,000 EUR. The type of grant is a lump sum.

SoS2LearnDBS will provide support including: Up to 1,000,000 EUR per project, Capacity building and engagement through regular meetings, cooperative learning, study visits and staff exchanges, Networking and knowledge exchange through network establishment and joint events, Dedicated Technical Assistance with real-time advice from local and thematic experts, Regular check-ins and mentoring, Assistance in monitoring KPIs, Deep-dive workshops and field visits on demand, Peer-learning and cross-fertilization, Assistance in developing a transition plan to sustain results, scale successful interventions, and explore follow-on funding opportunities, and Networking and promotion opportunities.

Expected outcomes of funded projects include: Stronger community leadership and capacity for long-term water protection in the Danube-Black Sea region, Proven innovative solutions delivering measurable environmental and societal improvements, Enhanced multi-stakeholder collaboration and knowledge exchange, Increased readiness for regional deployment and transferability of solutions, and Strengthened verifiable contribution to the Mission Ocean and Waters’ objectives and targets.

Proposals must be submitted via the provided link. After the call closure, all applications will undergo an eligibility check based on the call guidelines. Non-eligible proposals will receive a rejection letter with justification. Eligible applications will proceed to the evaluation phase, assessed on the following criteria: Advancement beyond current practice, Community-led and Participatory approach, Social innovation and societal impact, Dissemination and communication, Feasibility and implementation capacity, Commitment to the Charter of Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters, Quality and relevance of the expected outcomes, and Sustainability and scaling potential.

Applicants are advised to carefully read all open call documents and follow guidelines. Failure to adhere to instructions may result in ineligibility. Applicants are encouraged to follow SoS2LearnDBS on social media for updates. Two info sessions will be held on January 13, 2026, and February 24, 2026, both at 10:30 CET. More information is available on the SoS2LearnDBS website. Questions can be directed to the SoS2LearnDBS support team.

In summary, this open call provides funding for community-led projects aimed at restoring the Danube River Basin and the Black Sea region. It seeks innovative solutions that address environmental challenges, promote community involvement, and contribute to the objectives of the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030". The call encourages collaboration among diverse stakeholders and emphasizes the importance of social innovation, knowledge exchange, and the transferability of solutions. Successful projects will demonstrate measurable environmental and societal improvements, strengthen community leadership, and contribute to the overall goals of the Mission.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant type is a consortium. Specifically, consortia of 3 to 7 independent legal entities are eligible. These entities must be located in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. A key requirement is that the consortium leader must be based in the Danube-Black Sea region, and at least one partner must represent local communities.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a lump sum grant.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. The consortium must consist of 3 to 7 independent legal entities.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility extends to EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The projects themselves must take place in one of the five eligible regions: Upper Danube, Middle Danube, Lower Danube, Danube Delta, or Black Sea. The consortium leader must be based in the Danube-Black Sea region.

Target Sector: The target sector is environment, specifically related to water and marine ecosystems. The call focuses on community-led actions to restore the Danube River Basin and the Black Sea region. This includes habitat restoration & ecosystem protection, pollution prevention, reduction & remediation, and sustainable blue economy & circular resource use. It also involves social innovation.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The Danube River Basin countries and Black Sea countries are the target regions.

Project Stage: The project stage encompasses demonstration, testing, deployment, or scaling of innovative solutions. The projects should be community-led.

Funding Amount: There are two funding tiers: €200,000 to €400,000 OR €500,000 to €1,000,000 per project. The maximum funding per organization is €500,000. The total funding available for the call is €7,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant. They will also receive non-monetary services, including capacity building and engagement activities (regular meetings, cooperative learning, study visits, staff exchanges), networking and knowledge exchange (network establishment, joint events), dedicated technical assistance from local and thematic experts, regular check-ins & mentoring, assistance in monitoring KPIs, deep-dive workshops & field visits on demand, peer-learning & cross-fertilization, assistance in developing a transition plan, and networking and promotion opportunities.

Application Stages: The application process involves multiple stages. First, there is an eligibility check. If the proposal meets all eligibility criteria, it moves to the next evaluation phases. The evaluation criteria include: Advancement beyond current practice; Community-led and Participatory approach; Social innovation and societal impact; Dissemination and communication; Feasibility and implementation capacity; Commitment to the Charter of Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters; Quality and relevance of the expected outcomes; and Sustainability and scaling potential.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned.

This opportunity, the SoS2LearnDBS CLed Open Call, is a funding initiative under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically targeting community-led projects aimed at restoring the Danube River Basin and the Black Sea region. The call seeks to support projects that address key environmental challenges in these areas through innovative solutions. These solutions should fall under one or more of the Mission's priority areas: Habitat Restoration & Ecosystem Protection, Pollution Prevention, Reduction & Remediation, and Sustainable Blue Economy & Circular Resource Use.

Eligible applicants are consortia of 3 to 7 independent legal entities from EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. A crucial aspect is that the consortium leader must be based in the Danube-Black Sea region, and at least one partner must represent local communities, ensuring a strong community-driven approach.

The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, with two tiers available: €200,000 to €400,000 or €500,000 to €1,000,000 per project, depending on the project's scope and needs. The maximum funding any single organization can receive is €500,000. In addition to financial support, successful projects will benefit from a range of non-monetary support services, including capacity building, technical assistance, networking opportunities, and mentoring.

The projects are expected to contribute to several key outcomes, including stronger community leadership, proven innovative solutions, enhanced multi-stakeholder collaboration, increased readiness for regional deployment of solutions, and a strengthened contribution to the EU Mission Ocean and Waters’ objectives. The projects should demonstrate, test, deploy, or scale innovative solutions, combining technological, nature-based, governance, social, cultural, and/or educational approaches.

The application process involves an eligibility check followed by a multi-criteria evaluation. The evaluation criteria cover various aspects, including the advancement beyond current practices, the community-led approach, social impact, dissemination, feasibility, commitment to the Mission, quality of outcomes, and sustainability.

Overall, this open call provides a significant opportunity for community-led initiatives to secure funding and support for projects that address critical environmental challenges in the Danube-Black Sea region, contributing to the broader goals of the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030". The call emphasizes community involvement, innovative solutions, and measurable environmental and societal impact.