Earth’s waters have been under stress due to climate change, pollution, and ocean acidification. Anthropogenic activities introduce plastics and chemicals into the waters, disrupt marine ecosystems, and harm biodiversity in different aquatic ecosystems. In recognising this, the EU has established the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters” to enable cross-cutting actions that mobilise the public, create engagement, and support regional cooperation in pursuit of its goals.
The Mission has set a goal for 2030 to safeguard and revive the well-being of our ocean and waters. This will be accomplished through research and innovation, active participation of citizens, and investments focused on the blue economy. By adopting a comprehensive approach that considers both the ocean and waters as interconnected entities, the Mission aims to contribute significantly to attaining climate neutrality and restoring natural ecosystems. As a novelty of the Horizon Europe framework, Missions are the European Union’s way of bringing concrete solutions to the most significant challenges faced by society.
Open Calls for the EU Ocean Mission
The following calls under the mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters” are currently open and have been identified as being relevant to space technology and space-based assets:
- Atlantic and Arctic sea basin lighthouse – Climate change and human activities (incl. invasive species) threats to marine biodiversity
- Danube river basin lighthouse – Demonstration of effective and sustainable management of sediments in the Danube river-Black sea system
- European Blue Parks – Protection and restoration solutions for degraded marine habitats
- European natural lakes: demonstration of integrated approaches to protection and restoration of natural lake ecosystems and their biodiversity
- Lighthouse in the Baltic and the North Sea basins – Green and energy-efficient small-scale fishing fleets
- Roadmap towards the integration of inland waters into the Digital Twin Ocean
Submissions close on 20 September 2023. Find more opportunities at our opencalls.space portal.
The Open Calls Network
In 2022, the Netherlands Space Office (NSO) and Groundstation.Space launched the Open Calls Network. This network promotes the uptake of space data funding opportunities, which it collects in a dedicated database, and disseminates through a series of webinars. You can watch the replays and download all contact and funding information here:
- Climate Neutral and Smart Cities
- Digital and Industry
- Safety and Defence
- Restore Our Oceans and Water
- Adaptation to Climate Change
- Farm to Fork / A Soil Deal for Europe
dotSPACE Open Calls Deep Scan Service
In addition to our frequent publications about funding opportunities for space applications, we also offer a deep scan of all open calls specifically for your business, resulting in a tailor-made recommendation of the relevant calls.
Visit the Open Calls Deep Scan Page to learn more via the link: https://www.groundstation.space/about-dotspace/open-calls-deep-scan/
Featured image: Freepik / AI image