Water4All 2026 Joint Transnational Call “Sustainable water management”

The Water4All 2026 Joint Transnational Call “Sustainable water management” funds transnational research and innovation projects on integrated water resources, river basin and groundwater management, water resilience, integrated monitoring and data use and water-positive solutions, excluding extreme events and circularity. The total call budget is €34,488,619 with expected project duration up to 36 months and multiple cut-off deadlines, including pre-proposal 10 November 2026 15:00 CET and full proposal 6 April 2027 15:00 CET. Eligible applicants are transnational consortia with at least three partners from three participating countries, including at least two legal entities from EU Member States or associated countries, and specific funding rates and caps depend on each national or regional Funding Partner Organisation. Proposals must be submitted via the Water4All Electronic Proposal Submission System using the provided templates and follow a two-step evaluation process assessing Excellence, Impact and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation with defined scoring thresholds.

What it funds

Scope summary

Research and innovation projects addressing sustainable freshwater management, water quality, treatment, exposure mitigation, governance and socio-economic solutions aligned with the Water4All Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda.

Funding available and duration:Total budget about €34,488,619 for projects typically of 36 months duration. Application modalities include a Regular track and an Early Career Researcher (ECR) track ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: organisations eligible under participating national/regional Funding Partner Organisations (FPOs); transnational projects evaluated and funded according to participating countries rules.
2. 2Application model: two-step submission (pre-proposal then full proposal) via the Water4All Electronic Proposal Submission System.
3. 3Evaluation: independent Evaluation Panel reviews pre-proposals on Excellence and Impact; full proposals assessed on Excellence, Impact and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation; overall threshold 10/15.
4. 4Deadlines (multiple cut-off): pre/full submission windows include 10 November 2026 15:00 Brussels time and 6 April 2027 15:00 Brussels time.
5. 5Applicants must comply with national/regional funding regulations of each participating FPO; consult the Call Announcement for detailed eligibility and partner country list.

Submission and full eligibility, evaluation criteria, participating countries and national rules are specified in the Call Announcement and related national/regional regulations; use the Water4All portal and the Electronic Proposal Submission System to apply Water4All call page.

Footnotes

1. 1Call Announcement and application templates available on the Water4All Partnership website and EPSS; national/regional regulations list participating Funding Partner Organisations and specific eligibility conditions.

Key facts

Call title:Water4All 2026 Joint Transnational Call Sustainable water management. Partnership: European Partnership Water Security for the Planet (Water4All). Full project name: Water4All – Water Security for the Planet (Grant agreement 101060874). Framework programme: Horizon Europe HORIZON-CL6. Total funding available for the call: €34,488,619.00. Expected project duration: up to 36 months. Opening date: 08 September 2026. Deadline model: multiple cut-off with at least two cut-off dates for submission: 10 November 2026 15:00 (Brussels time) and 06 April 2027 15:00 (Brussels time). The call is open for submission.

Primary objectives:The Water4All partnership funds research and innovation for freshwater security to address climate change impacts, support the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and strengthen EU competitiveness. The 2026 Joint Transnational Call focuses on Sustainable water management across topics such as waterborne contaminants and health risks, innovative water quality monitoring tools, water treatment and exposure mitigation, governance and socio-economic innovation, and policy integration for water and health. Applicants should align with the Water4All Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) and the Call Announcement aims and topics ¹.

Eligibility and who should apply

Eligible applicant types:The call is designed to fund a broad range of organisations across the research and innovation chain. Eligible applicant types include universities, public research institutes, research organisations, SMEs, large enterprises, nonprofits and NGOs, public authorities and governmental bodies, technology providers, consultancies and service organisations active in water RDI, and international research collaborations. Early Career Researcher (ECR) modality is explicitly available as an alternative modality to the Regular (JTC) modality. Individual natural persons acting alone are generally not the intended beneficiaries; participation is expected to be in the form of legal entities and consortia. Applicants must check national/regional Funding Partner Organisation (FPO) eligibility rules because FPOs determine specific eligibility of applicants from their territory.

Consortium requirement:This is a Joint Transnational Call requiring multi-partner consortia. Proposals are transnational and must involve partners from Funding Partner Organisations participating in the JTC; single partner proposals are not the intended format. The Call Announcement and national/regional rules specify minimum consortium composition and partner national participation constraints.

Scope and geographic eligibility

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility):The call is transnational and funded by a network of Funding Partner Organisations from multiple countries. The Water4All Partnership brings together around 90 partners from 33 countries in the European Union and beyond; the 2026 JTC involves FPOs from approximately 30 countries across Europe and beyond (detailed list of participating countries and national eligibility for funding are specified in the Call Announcement and the national/regional regulations documents). Applicants must verify country-level participation and eligibility with the Call Announcement and the Water4All Partnership materials.

Thematic focus and target sectors

Target sectors and themes:Core target sector is water research and management within environmental/climate domains. Thematic areas targeted by the call include sustainable water management, freshwater security, water quality and contaminants, health impacts of waterborne contaminants, monitoring technologies and sensors for water quality and exposure, water treatment technologies and exposure mitigation, governance, socio-economic innovation, policy integration for water and health, data ecosystems for water (European Water Data Ecosystem concepts), living labs and demonstrators, and applied research supporting policy uptake and resilience to climate change. Cross-cutting sectors include climate adaptation, environment, health, ICT (data platforms and sensors), governance and socio-economics, and innovation/technology development.

Project maturity and expected activities

Project stage:The call is oriented to research, development, validation and demonstration activities across TRL levels typical for Horizon-partnered research projects. Projects may range from fundamental and applied research to pilot/demonstration activities and development of innovative solutions, monitoring systems and governance approaches. Projects are expected to deliver scientific outputs, innovative tools, validated technologies and demonstrators as relevant to the selected topic.

Funding and financial modalities

Funding type:The primary financial mechanism is grants awarded through a Joint Transnational Call implemented by Funding Partner Organisations; the call is co-funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe and by national/regional FPO contributions. Nature of support: monetary funding (grants) to beneficiaries. Total call budget: €34,488,619.00 to be distributed across selected projects. Individual project grant sizes are not specified on the portal summary and are determined by topic, national/regional budget allocations and evaluation outcomes; applicants must consult the Call Announcement and FPO budgets for indicative maximums and funding rates.

Co-funding requirement:Co-funding rules vary by Funding Partner Organisation. Specific national/regional regulations define whether co-funding or own contribution is required for each partner and the applicable funding rate. Applicants must ensure each partner's requested contribution conforms to the national/regional regulations document available on the Water4All Partnership website. In summary, co-funding may be required for some partners depending on their FPO rules; it is not uniformly stated as mandatory across all partners at the call level.

Application and submission process

Application type and submission method:This is an open call (Joint Transnational Call) with a two-step submission and evaluation procedure. Pre-proposals (Step 1) and full proposals (Step 2) must be submitted electronically through the Water4All Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS) specifically designed for the partnership. The EPSS is accessible at the Water4All Joint Calls Online Submission Tool; applicants must register and sign-in to submit. Templates and Guidelines for Proposal Submission are provided and must be used. High web traffic is expected close to deadlines; applicants are strongly advised to submit before the last hours to avoid technical problems. Technical helpdesk email: epss.water4all@g.etag.ee.

1. 1Application modality: Two modalities are available: Regular Joint Transnational Call (JTC) and Early Career Researcher (ECR) modality.
2. 2Submission platform: Water4All EPSS (Online Submission Tool) — sign-in required.
3. 3Templates: Pre-proposal and full-proposal templates provided in the Call Announcement and EPSS. Applicants must follow the Guidelines for Proposal Submission.
4. 4Deadlines: multiple cut-off: 10 November 2026 15:00 (Brussels time) and 06 April 2027 15:00 (Brussels time).
5. 5Duration: projects up to 36 months; consortium coordinators manage submissions and communications with the Call Secretariat (CS).

Submission and evaluation procedure details

Application stages:2-step evaluation and selection process (Step 1 pre-proposal, Step 2 full proposal). The same Evaluation Panel evaluates proposals submitted under both JTC and ECR modalities using common criteria. The Call Secretariat checks conflicts of interest and formal eligibility; Funding Partner Organisations (FPOs) also verify national/regional eligibility for their funded partners.

1. 1Step 1 Pre-proposal: eligibility checks by the Call Secretariat and FPOs; scientific evaluation by three Evaluation Panel (EP) members based on two criteria: Excellence and Impact; rapporteur prepares and presents evaluation; consensus report provided to applicants; ranking list produced with threshold of 3/5 per criterion; ranked proposals grouped into Group A (highest), Group B (medium) and Group C (low). All Group A invited to Step 2; some Group B invited depending on representativeness and funding balance; Group C dismissed.
2. 2Step 2 Full proposal: formal check to ensure conformity with pre-proposal and call conditions; evaluated by three EP members on three criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation; individual evaluation reports prepared in advance; EP meeting to agree final scores; threshold per criterion is 3/5 and overall threshold on final score is 10/15; proposals below thresholds are not funded; rapporteur produces consensus report for each full proposal; final ranking lists produced and forwarded to the Call Steering Committee (CSC).
3. 3Final selection: CSC recommends projects to FPOs following ranking order until available funding is exhausted; applicants are informed of outcomes.

Evaluation criteria and thresholds:Pre-proposals: evaluated on Excellence and Impact. Full proposals: evaluated on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation. Minimum threshold per individual criterion: 3 out of 5. Overall minimum threshold for final score: 10 out of 15. Applicants will receive consensus evaluation reports. The EP may use external experts where specific expertise is missing.

Documents, tools and templates

Templates:The Call Announcement provides the official templates for pre-proposal and full-proposal submission and the Guidelines for Proposal Submission. Applicants must use the provided templates in the Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS). Additional documents available on the Water4All Partnership website include the Call Announcement, the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), national/regional regulations for each FPO, partnership leaflets and booklets of previously funded projects, the Water4All White Paper on a European Water Data Ecosystem, and practical guidance materials. The EPSS includes a General Data Protection Policy and technical helpdesk contact information.

Administrative and practical considerations

Electronic submission:Pre-proposals and full proposals must be uploaded via the Water4All EPSS. Late submissions or requests for extensions due to last-minute technical problems will not be accepted. The EPSS may experience high traffic prior to deadlines, so early upload and finalisation is strongly recommended. The EPSS technical helpdesk contact: epss.water4all@g.etag.ee.

Participating countries and partners

Mentioned countries:The call summary indicates participation by Funding Partner Organisations from around 30 countries across Europe and beyond and a Water4All network of around 33 countries. The Water4All Partnership lists 90 partners from 33 countries (European Union and beyond). The exact list of participating countries and FPOs for this JTC is provided in the Call Announcement and the national/regional regulations document on the Water4All Partnership website; applicants must consult these documents to confirm which countries are funding partners for this call.

Success rates, selection likelihood and competitiveness

Success rates:The portal text does not provide explicit historical or expected success rates for this specific call. Selection follows a ranked list produced by the Evaluation Panel and the Call Steering Committee's allocation of FPO funds. Because the funding is limited (€34,488,619) and the call is competitive and transnational, success is contingent on meeting evaluation thresholds and scoring highly for Excellence, Impact and Implementation quality, as well as ensuring national/regional eligibility and alignment with FPO budgets and rules.

Application preparation checklist

1. 1Download and study the Call Announcement and Guidelines for Proposal Submission from the Water4All Partnership website Water4All JTC webpage and the specific JTC page.
2. 2Check participating Funding Partner Organisations and national/regional regulations to confirm eligibility and funding conditions for each partner.
3. 3Register and sign-in to the Water4All EPSS well before the cut-off deadline.
4. 4Use the provided pre-proposal template for Step 1; ensure alignment with the SRIA and topic descriptions.
5. 5Assemble a transnational consortium complying with FPO rules and the call's consortium requirements.
6. 6Prepare high-quality description of Excellence, Impact and Implementation resources and timelines; include ECR modality details if applicable.
7. 7Plan for required deliverables, data management and reporting consistent with Horizon/Water4All expectations.
8. 8Submit final pre-proposal and, if invited, full proposal on the EPSS ahead of the deadline; keep institutional confirmations and national funding letters if required by FPOs.

Templates and expected structure of application forms

Template structure (overview based on the Call Announcement and EPSS procedures):Pre-proposal template: administrative section with consortium information, project title and acronym, topic selection, short summary, objectives, expected impact, methodology overview, short plan of work, consortium roles and capacities, estimated budget per partner, ethical and data management highlights, and statement of national eligibility. Full-proposal template: expanded sections including detailed work packages and tasks, Gantt and milestone plan, detailed budget and justification per partner, risk management, management structure, exploitation and dissemination plan, detailed description of scientific and technical approach, detailed impact pathways and KPI descriptions, detailed compliance with national rules, and mandatory annexes (CVs, letters of commitment where required, ethics documentation). Applicants must use the exact templates available in the EPSS and follow the formatting and size limits in the Guidelines for Proposal Submission.

Contact points and where to find more information

Primary information sources:Water4All Partnership website and the 2026 Joint Transnational Call webpage where the Call Announcement, templates and national/regional regulations are published. Electronic Proposal Submission System: Water4All EPSS (online submission). Call Secretariat and EPSS helpdesk contacts are available on the Water4All website; EPSS technical helpdesk: epss.water4all@g.etag.ee. Also consult the EU Funding & Tenders Portal call page for administrative metadata and links Water4All JTC EU Portal.

Categorisation answers (detailed)

Eligible Applicant Types:Universities, public research institutes, research organisations, SMEs, large enterprises, nonprofits and NGOs, public authorities/government bodies, technology providers and consultancies. Early Career Researcher teams are eligible under the ECR modality. Exact eligible legal entity types per country are defined by each Funding Partner Organisation in the national/regional regulations.

Funding Type:Grant funding distributed by Funding Partner Organisations as part of a Joint Transnational Call co-funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe. Nature of support is monetary (grants).

Consortium Requirement:Consortium required (Joint Transnational Call). Transnational multi-partner consortia involving partners from the participating FPO countries are required. Single-entity submissions are not the intended format.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU and associated participating countries; the partnership lists around 33 countries and the 2026 JTC involves Funding Partner Organisations from about 30 countries in Europe and beyond. Applicants must consult the Call Announcement for the precise list of participating countries and FPOs.

Target Sector:Water and freshwater security; environment; climate adaptation; water quality and health; ICT for water data ecosystems and monitoring technologies; governance, socio-economic innovation and policy integration; innovation in water treatment and mitigation technologies.

Mentioned Countries:The scraped content refers to participation from 30 to 33 countries across Europe and beyond but does not list them explicitly in the summary; applicants must consult the Call Announcement for the exact list of participating countries and Funding Partner Organisations.

Project Stage:Research, development, validation and demonstration stages are expected. Projects may include pilot deployments, living lab activities and demonstrators for higher TRL work where appropriate.

Funding Amount:Total call budget is approximately €34,488,619. Individual project budgets depend on topic, FPO allocations and the ranking process; applicants should consult the Call Announcement and national/regional budgets for indicative maximums per topic and per FPO.

Application Type:Open Joint Transnational Call with a multiple cut-off deadline model. Submission is via an open call process using the EPSS; pre-proposals are screened and shortlisted to full proposals in a two-step selection process.

Nature of Support:Monetary grants. Non-monetary support includes guidance documents, templates, access to partnership networks and living lab infrastructure references, but primary beneficiary support is financial grant funding.

Application Stages:Two formal stages (1 = pre-proposal; 2 = full-proposal) plus national/regional eligibility checks and final selection by the Call Steering Committee following EP ranking.

Success Rates:Not specified in the call documentation provided on the portal. Success depends on meeting evaluation thresholds, ranking, conformity with national/regional eligibility and the exhaustion of FPO budgets. Historical success rates for previous Water4All joint calls are not included in the scraped content; applicants should review past call statistics on the Water4All website or ask the Call Secretariat for statistics if available.

Co-funding Requirement:Variable and determined by each Funding Partner Organisation. Applicants must consult national/regional regulations for each partner to determine whether co-funding or other funding conditions apply. The portal explicitly instructs applicants to ensure each partner's requested contribution conforms to specific FPO regulations.

Summary:The Water4All 2026 Joint Transnational Call Sustainable water management is a competitive, open joint call co-funded by the European Union under Horizon Europe and by national/regional Funding Partner Organisations. It seeks transnational consortia to carry out research, development, validation and demonstration activities that improve freshwater security, sustainable water management, monitoring and mitigation of waterborne contaminants, governance and policy integration, and water data ecosystems. The call offers a total budget of approximately €34.49 million and uses a two-step submission and evaluation process (pre-proposal then full proposal) with clear evaluation thresholds. Applicants must submit electronically via the Water4All EPSS, use provided templates, respect national/regional funding rules of participating FPOs and align projects with the Water4All SRIA and call topics. Early registration on the EPSS and close attention to the Call Announcement and national/regional regulations are essential for compliance and competitive proposals. For detailed participation rules, list of participating Funding Partner Organisations, budget split per country and templates, applicants must consult the Call Announcement and the Water4All Partnership website Water4All JTC webpage and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal call page Water4All JTC EU Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full Call Announcement, national/regional regulations, templates and Guidelines for Proposal Submission are available from the Water4All Partnership 2026 JTC webpage and the official EU Funding & Tenders Portal call page. See the Water4All website Water4All Partnership and the EU portal call page EU Funding & Tenders Portal — Water4All JTC for authoritative documents and downloadable resources.

This call supports transnational research and innovation projects on sustainable water management, focusing on integrated water resource management, river basin management, groundwater management, water resilience, integrated monitoring and data use, and water positive solutions.[1][2] It excludes extreme events and circularity as core themes, and it is backed by funding organisations from around 30 countries.[1][2]

Key dates and financial envelope

Thematic scope

• Topic 1 Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Sustainable Water Management[1][2]
• Topic 2 Nature Based Approaches for Resilient Water Management at Hydrological and Hydrogeological System Scale[1][2]
• Topic 3 Smart, secure and adaptive water infrastructures for sustainable water management[1][2]
• Topic 4 Resilient Water Systems Through Systemic Change, Policy Coherence and Inclusive Governance[1][2]
• The topics are overlapping and non exclusive, so proposals may combine more than one topic where relevant.[1]

Who can apply and how

Applications must come from international consortia with at least three eligible partners from at least three participating countries, including at least two legal entities from EU Member States or associated countries, and no more than seven partners including self funded partners.[5][13] Regular and Early Career Researcher proposals follow the same two step process and are evaluated by the same panel and ranking list.[2][3]

Pre proposals and full proposals must be submitted electronically through the dedicated Electronic Proposal Submission System using the provided templates, and late extensions for last minute technical problems will not be granted.[2][3]

Evaluation and selection

1. 1Step 1 checks eligibility at both call and national or regional level, then evaluates pre proposals on Excellence and Impact with a minimum threshold of 3 out of 5 for each criterion.[3]
2. 2Step 2 evaluates full proposals on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of Implementation, with a minimum threshold of 3 out of 5 for each criterion and an overall threshold of 10 out of 15.[3]
3. 3Proposals that fail formal conditions at the full proposal stage are rejected without further review.[3]
4. 4Ranking lists are used for funding decisions until the available funding is exhausted.[3]

Funding conditions and practical considerations

The total call budget is set at €34,488,619, but actual grant intensity, maximum project amounts, and partner level funding limits depend on each participating funding partner organisation and its national or regional regulations.[2][3] Examples from national funders show how much these rules can differ: Czech support is described as €500,000 in total with up to €160,000 per project and 80 percent intensity, while UKRI reports a UK fund of £1,875,000, a maximum award of £312,500, and 80 percent of full economic cost for UK participants.[3][4]

Applicants should verify the call announcement and their national or regional regulations before budgeting, because partner specific eligibility, funding rates, reporting, and any country level caps are decisive for final eligibility and award size.[2]