WATER

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is launching a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the establishment of a new Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) designed to focus on Water, Marine, and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems. The call, designated HORIZON-EIT-2025-KIC-WATER, is structured as an open, single-stage submission process with a submission deadline of June 17, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

Eligible applicants must form a consortium that includes higher education institutions, research organizations, and private companies, with a minimum of three independent partners from at least three different EU Member States. The consortium is expected to demonstrate strong commitment and collaboration among its members.

The funding mechanism for this initiative is primarily a grant, with a total funding amount available of up to €5 million, intended for initial setup activities related to the establishment of the KIC. Although there is no specified requirement for co-funding at the startup stage, the KIC is expected to develop a financial sustainability plan to secure diversified revenue sources for future operations.

The project aims to address critical challenges in water management, marine ecosystems, and related industries by fostering innovation and integrating approaches across sectors. This includes identifying solutions for water scarcity, marine degradation, and enhancing climate resilience. The KIC's activities will align with EU policies and strategic goals, emphasizing technological advancement, economic impact, and educational outcomes.

No specific countries are cited; however, eligibility is restricted to entities based in EU Member States and associated countries participating in Horizon Europe. The expected maturity of the initiatives must cover a comprehensive innovation value chain, including research-driven innovation projects and support for start-ups and scale-ups.

Applications will undergo evaluation based on criteria like potential impact, strategic implementation, and excellence in innovation. The call also incorporates the EIT Regional Innovation Scheme, which aims to enhance innovation capacity, particularly in regions performing moderately in innovation.

In summary, this grant initiative focuses on establishing a new KIC to drive sustainable development and innovation in water-related sectors, motivating partnerships among educational institutions, businesses, and research organizations to collectively address societal challenges while promoting financial sustainability and impact in line with EU objectives.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is launching a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically HORIZON-EIT-2025-KIC-WATER, to select a new Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) focused on Water, Marine and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems. The call, titled HORIZON-EIT-DESIGN Horizon EIT Designation, is a single-stage process with the opening date on February 20, 2025, and a deadline of June 17, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The type of action is HORIZON-EIT-DESIGN Horizon EIT Designation, and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is Horizon EIT Designation [HORIZON-EIT-DESIGN].

The objective of this call is to enhance the EIT's impact by incentivizing innovations that address societal challenges within the water, marine, and maritime sectors. The EIT aims to integrate the 'knowledge triangle' of business, higher education, and research to drive disruptive innovation across Europe.

Expected impacts include:

Technological, economic, and innovation impact: Influencing company creation and growth, deploying innovative solutions to address global challenges, creating jobs, and mobilizing public and private investments.

Educational impact: Strengthening human capital in research and innovation, enhancing innovative and entrepreneurial skills, and fostering knowledge diffusion within society.

Societal impact: Delivering systematic solutions within and beyond the EIT Community, addressing EU policy priorities in the Water, Marine and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems through innovative solutions and engagement with citizens.

Expected outcomes include:

Connectivity: Promoting connectivity at all levels through integrated partnerships.

Innovation Hubs: Connecting excellence-driven innovation hubs (Co-location Centres) to become leading centers of excellence.

Strategic Alignment: Following a long-term innovation and impact-driven strategy aligned with the EIT’s mission and Horizon Europe objectives.

World-Class Activities: Delivering a range of activities encompassing entrepreneurial education, research-driven innovation projects, and support for start-ups and scale-ups.

Transparent Partnership: Establishing a legally and financially structured transparent partnership with autonomy and strong partner commitment.

Financial Sustainability: Developing a revenue-generating strategy to maintain the innovation ecosystem beyond EIT financial support.

EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS): Implementing the mandatory EIT RIS to improve innovation capacity in modest and moderate innovation performing countries and regions.

HEI Initiative Participation: Taking part in the EIT Higher Education Institutions (HEI) Initiative to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship education.

The scope of the call emphasizes the relevance of addressing challenges in the water, marine, and maritime sectors, as identified in the EIT Strategic Agenda 2021-27. The new KIC should add value and demonstrate excellence in innovation, entrepreneurship, skills education, and business creation, covering relevant fields and building on innovative solutions developed under existing programs like Horizon Europe and EU Missions.

Admissibility conditions are detailed in section 6.1, and proposal page limits and layout in section 5.2 of the EIT Call for Proposals 2025 for a new EIT KIC on Water, Marine and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems (EIT Water) document.

Eligible countries are described in section 6.2 of the EIT Call for Proposals 2025, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligibility conditions are also described in section 6.2.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed in sections 6.3, 6.4, and 6.5 of the EIT Call for Proposals 2025.

Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in section 6.6 of the EIT Call for Proposals 2025. Submission and evaluation processes are described in chapter 6, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement in section 5.1 of the EIT Call for Proposals 2025 and the Online Manual.

Legal and financial aspects of the grants are described in chapter 7 of the EIT Call for Proposals 2025.

Call documents include the EIT WATER Call Package, HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA), EIT Water factsheet, EIT Innovation Model paper, EIT Strategic Innovation Agenda 2021-2027, EIT Work Programme 2023-2025, EIT KIC Partnership Agreement, European Commission Staff Working Document, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, 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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The call aims to establish a new Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) to address challenges in the water, marine, and maritime sectors. It seeks to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and education by integrating businesses, higher education institutions, and research organizations. The KIC should develop sustainable solutions, create jobs, and contribute to EU policy priorities, aligning with the EIT's strategic objectives and Horizon Europe's goals. The call emphasizes the importance of financial sustainability, regional innovation, and participation in higher education initiatives. The overall goal is to drive European economic growth and competitiveness by reinforcing innovation capacity in addressing societal challenges related to water, marine, and maritime ecosystems.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are consortia consisting of leading companies, higher education institutions, research organizations, and other stakeholders in the innovation process. These entities must form an integrated partnership. The call emphasizes the importance of a strong commitment from KIC partners, including financial support, and mandates openness to new partners who bring added value.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant. The call specifies the use of Model Grant Agreements (MGA) and emphasizes the provision of financial support through grant agreements.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. The call explicitly states that an EIT KIC is an integrated partnership, and the evaluation criteria focus on the quality and commitment of the partners within the consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and associated countries participating in Horizon Europe. While non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding, the primary focus is on entities within the Horizon Europe framework. The EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) specifically targets modest and moderate innovation performers according to the European Innovation Scoreboard, as well as the Outermost Regions.

Target Sector: The target sector is the Water, Marine, and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems. This includes a broad range of activities related to water resources, marine environments, maritime industries, and the ecosystems that support them. The call aims to address EU policy priorities in these areas through innovative solutions, engagement with citizens and end-users, and the strengthening of innovative solution uptake in society.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are explicitly mentioned, but the call targets EU Member States, associated countries participating in Horizon Europe, and regions within countries classified as modest and moderate innovation performers according to the European Innovation Scoreboard, including the Outermost Regions.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is comprehensive, covering the entire innovation value chain. This includes entrepreneurial education and training programs, research-driven innovation projects, and incubation of and support to start-ups and scale-ups. The call emphasizes the need for a long-term innovation and impact-driven strategy, suggesting projects should aim for commercialization and scale-up.

Funding Amount: The specific funding range is not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by the "Open For Submission" status and the provided submission links. The call follows a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive both money and non-monetary services. The financial support is provided through grants, while non-monetary services include access to innovation hubs, co-location centers, entrepreneurial education, training programs, incubation, and acceleration support.

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: Co-funding is implied, as the call emphasizes the importance of a strong commitment by KIC partners, including financial support. The KIC is expected to develop a revenue-generating strategy to maintain its innovation ecosystem and activities beyond the period during which the EIT provides financial support through grant agreements, indicating a need for diversified funding sources.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the establishment of a new Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). The focus of this KIC is on the Water, Marine, and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems. The EIT aims to drive sustainable European economic growth and competitiveness by integrating the knowledge triangle of business, higher education, and research to address societal challenges.

The call seeks integrated partnerships, bringing together leading companies, higher education institutions, research organizations, and other stakeholders to tackle challenges in the water, marine, and maritime sectors. The selected KIC is expected to create technological, economic, educational, and societal impacts by fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and skills development.

Applicants must form a consortium and design a realistic, measurable, and time-dependent strategy aligned with EIT’s objectives. The strategy should cover at least seven years and integrate the knowledge triangle, impact, and excellence principles. The KIC should add value, demonstrate excellence in innovation, entrepreneurship, skills education, and business creation, and have a strategy to upscale innovative solutions developed under existing programs like Horizon Europe and EU Missions.

The call emphasizes financial sustainability, requiring the KIC to develop a revenue-generating strategy to maintain its ecosystem beyond the initial EIT funding period. The EIT Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) is mandatory, supporting the improvement of innovation capacity in modest and moderate innovation performing countries and regions.

The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline of June 17, 2025. Applicants must submit their proposals electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal, adhering to the guidelines and templates provided in the call documents. The evaluation process will assess the proposals based on their potential impact, excellence, and implementation strategy.