TASC-RestoreMed Open Call Type A: Community-Led Actions (CLA)

The TASC-RestoreMed Open Call Type A: Community-Led Actions (CLA) is an EU funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe program, specifically focused on community actions to restore oceans, seas, and waters in the Mediterranean Sea basin. The full name of the project is Technical assistance and support to communities for the Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030," with the grant agreement number 101217661. The submissions for this call opened on November 27, 2025, and the deadline for submission is May 27, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The expected participation duration for the Community-Led Actions is 24 months and the total funding available is €7,000,000.

Eligible applicants include a variety of entities such as ports, municipalities, aquaculture and aquafeed producers, conservation organizations, circular economy companies, and research institutions. Importantly, applications must be submitted by a consortium consisting of at least two legal entities. Each consortium must include a Provider responsible for delivering the core technology or solution, and an Adopter responsible for operational integration.

Funding is structured as direct grants, with individual projects eligible to receive between €200,000 and €1,400,000. Each applicant can receive a maximum of €500,000, although this may be increased under specific justified circumstances as outlined in the Annex 1 Guide for Applicants. The call follows a single-stage application process, requiring submissions to be made exclusively through the F6S online platform. Successful proposals will be evaluated based on Excellence, Impact, and Implementation criteria.

Projects should aim to progress from pilot-level maturity (TRL 5) to operational demonstration (TRL 6 or higher), with a focus on delivering measurable environmental benefits. These benefits include plastic litter reduction, ecosystem restoration, and support for a sustainable blue economy. Each project is required to define Key Performance Indicators and demonstrate contributions to the goals of the Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030".

This call emphasizes the importance of technological excellence and community uptake, along with the potential for long-term sustainability of the solutions implemented. All relevant application procedures and guides are available via the TASC-RestoreMed project website.

The TASC-RestoreMed Open Call Type A: Community-Led Actions (CLA) is a funding opportunity under the HORIZON-MISS-2024-OCEAN-02-01 topic, which focuses on community-led actions to restore our ocean, seas, and waters. The full name of the EU funded project is Technical assistance and support to communities of actors for the Mission Restore our ocean and waters by 2030 for the Mediterranean basin. The grant agreement number is 101217661.

The opening date for submissions was November 27, 2025, and the deadline for submission is May 27, 2026, at 17:00 (Brussels time). The call follows a single-stage deadline model. The expected duration of participation for the Community-Led Actions (CLA) is 24 months. The total funding available is 7,000,000.00 €.

Any entity, applying individually or as part of a consortium, will only be considered for funding once. Each application may receive a maximum of up to 200,000 € to 1,400,000 € per project. The maximum amount to be granted to each Applicant is 500,000 €, but this may be higher under justified circumstances and eligible costs as explained in the Annex 1 Guide for Applicants.

The F6S platform serves as the single-entry point for all applications to the TASC-RestoreMed Type A: Community-Led Actions (CLA) and can be accessed at https://www.f6s.com/tasc-restoremed-oc-type-a-cla/apply. Applicants are required to register a profile on F6S to submit a proposal and must carefully read all Open Call documents available at https://tascrestoremed.eu/open-call.

All proposals that successfully pass the admissibility and eligibility checks will be evaluated by independent external experts through a structured and transparent assessment procedure. Each eligible CLA application will be assessed against three core evaluation criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Implementation. Full details of the evaluation methodology and the complete set of sub-criteria are available in the Guide for Applicants at https://tascrestoremed.eu/open-call.

The project website is https://tascrestoremed.eu/open-call. For inquiries, contact opencall@tascrestoremed.eu. For issues with submission, resubmission, or access to the F6S platform, contact the F6S platform support team at support@f6s.com.

The Community-Led Actions (CLA) call offers selected applicants the opportunity to scale up and deploy innovative solutions under real operational conditions in the Mediterranean Sea basin. Projects are expected to progress from pilot-level maturity (TRL 5) to operational demonstration (TRL 6–7 or higher), delivering verifiable environmental benefits for marine and freshwater ecosystems. Successful applicants will receive EU-funded financial support covering the full scope of implementation activities, enabling the effective deployment, monitoring, and demonstration of Community-Led Actions aligned with the Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030”.

Applications must be submitted by a consortium of at least two legal entities, ensuring both technological excellence and real-world uptake. The consortium must include: A Provider responsible for delivering the core technology, solution, or knowledge and An Adopter responsible for integrating and applying the solution in an operational environment. These roles may be fulfilled by the two legal entities or secured through clearly defined subcontracting arrangements.

Eligible applicants and beneficiaries include ports and marinas, municipalities and regional authorities, aquaculture and aquafeed producers, conservation and scientific organizations, circular economy companies and start-ups, and research and education institutions. All funded actions must be implemented in the Mediterranean Sea basin.

Beyond technical implementation, the CLA program supports applicants in developing a robust business and impact case, enhancing investment readiness, and positioning solutions for replication and follow-up financing. Funded projects are expected to demonstrate clear, quantified contributions to Mission Ocean targets, including reduction of plastic litter and microplastics, restoration of marine and freshwater ecosystems, and strengthened local capacity for sustainable blue economy solutions. All projects must define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and measurable outcomes.

Applications must be submitted exclusively through the F6S online platform, in full compliance with the official templates and procedural requirements. Applicants should carefully consult all official call documents prior to submission, with the Annex 1 Guide for Applicants serving as the primary reference document. This guide sets out the complete evaluation methodology, the scoring system and thresholds, and the selection and ranking procedure applied by independent external experts.

All relevant documents and the online application form are available at: https://tascrestoremed.eu/community-led-actions/.

In summary, this funding opportunity, TASC-RestoreMed Open Call Type A: Community-Led Actions (CLA), aims to support projects that deploy innovative solutions to restore marine and freshwater ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea basin. It requires a consortium of at least two entities: a technology provider and an adopter. The projects should progress from pilot-level to operational demonstration, contributing to the EU's Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030". The call encourages community engagement, measurable outcomes, and long-term sustainability. The application process is managed through the F6S platform, and detailed guidelines are provided in the Annex 1 Guide for Applicants.

Eligible Applicant Types: Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, ports and marinas, municipalities and regional authorities, aquaculture and aquafeed producers, conservation and scientific organizations, circular economy companies and start-ups, and research and education institutions. Any entity, applying individually or as part of a consortium, will only be considered for funding once.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, providing EU-funded financial support covering the full scope of implementation activities. This is cascade funding.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of at least two legal entities is required. The consortium must include a Provider responsible for delivering the core technology, solution, or knowledge, and an Adopter responsible for integrating and applying the solution in an operational environment. These roles may be fulfilled by the two legal entities or secured through clearly defined subcontracting arrangements.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): All funded actions must be implemented in the Mediterranean Sea basin.

Target Sector: The program targets the restoration of oceans and waters, specifically focusing on marine and freshwater ecosystems in the Mediterranean Sea basin. It encompasses sectors such as aquaculture, circular economy, and conservation. Relevant areas include environment, climate, and potentially blue economy related activities.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the geographic scope is the Mediterranean Sea basin.

Project Stage: Projects are expected to progress from pilot-level maturity (TRL 5) to operational demonstration (TRL 6–7 or higher).

Funding Amount: Each application may receive a maximum of up to €200k – up to €1.4M per project. The maximum amount to be granted to each Applicant is €500,000 but may be higher under justified circumstances and eligible costs explained in the mandatory document Annex 1 Guide for Applicants. The total funding available is €7,000,000.00.

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants. The EU-funded financial support covers the full scope of implementation activities. The CLA programme also supports applicants in developing a robust business and impact case, enhancing investment readiness, and positioning solutions for replication and follow-up financing.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage, as indicated by the "Deadline model: single-stage". All proposals that successfully pass the admissibility and eligibility checks will be evaluated by independent external experts through a structured and transparent assessment procedure. Each eligible CLA application will be assessed against three core evaluation criteria: Excellence, Impact and Implementation.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

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

Summary:

The TASC-RestoreMed Open Call Type A: Community-Led Actions (CLA) is an EU funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe program, specifically addressing the Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030" in the Mediterranean Sea basin. The call aims to scale up and deploy innovative solutions under real operational conditions to deliver verifiable environmental benefits for marine and freshwater ecosystems. It targets projects that progress from TRL 5 to TRL 6-7 or higher.

Funding is provided through grants, with a total of €7,000,000 available. Individual projects can receive between €200,000 and €1,400,000, with a maximum of €500,000 per applicant, potentially higher under justified circumstances.

The call requires applicants to form a consortium of at least two legal entities: a Provider of the core technology or solution and an Adopter responsible for integrating and applying the solution. Eligible applicants include ports, municipalities, aquaculture producers, conservation organizations, circular economy companies, and research institutions, among others.

The application process is single-stage and conducted through the F6S online platform. Proposals are evaluated based on Excellence, Impact, and Implementation. Funded projects are expected to demonstrate clear contributions to Mission Ocean targets, such as reducing plastic litter, restoring ecosystems, and strengthening local capacity for a sustainable blue economy. All projects must define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and measurable outcomes. The opening date for submissions is November 27, 2025, and the deadline is May 27, 2026.