What is the Mission?
With a 2030 target, the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters" aims to protect and restore the health of our ocean and waters through research and innovation, citizen engagement and blue investments. The Mission’s new approach will address the ocean and waters as one and play a key role in achieving climate neutrality and restoring nature.
Cross-cutting enabling actions will support this objective, in particular broad public mobilisation and engagement and a digital ocean and water knowledge system, known as Digital Twin Ocean.
The Mission supports regional engagement and cooperation through area-based “lighthouses” in major sea/river basins: Atlantic-Arctic, Mediterranean Sea, Baltic-North Sea, and Danube-Black Sea. Mission lighthouses are sites to pilot, demonstrate, develop and deploy the Mission activities across EU seas and river basins
Mission Charter
We are calling on Member States, regions and a wide range of stakeholders to endorse the Charter and pledge actions that will contribute to the successful implementation of the Mission and its lighthouses.
Please click below to endorse the Charter and pledge actions
Action pledges submitted so far: interactive map
Funding opportunities
New funding opportunities are now open to contribute to the Mission implementation.
The Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2024 was adopted on 6 December 2022. New calls have opened and they are published on the funding and tenders portal. You can access the calls for this Mission below. Applications are open until 20 September 2023.
Calls for tenders
Mission Ocean offers new support to communities of actors (ports, islands, fisheries …) to achieve the Mission’s objectives: a new call for tenders is open with the aim to select a contractor who will provide support to communities of ports, islands, fisheries communities, local Action Groups described by the Community Led Local Development strategies. Target groups include research and fishing vessels and aquaculture producers.
Portfolio Analysis
The European Commission has published a new Portfolio Analysis Report identifying over 800 EU-funded projects, from 16 EU funding programmes, contributing to the objectives of the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters”. The analysis has been performed with the assistance of 12 independent experts and the projects analysed belong to 16 EU funding programmes. The analysis has produced a Report and a Dashboard. The Dashboard allows users to interact with the data by visualising and filtering from general to more detailed information, according to specific interests.
For an easier use of the Dashboard, check the Quick Guide.
What are EU Missions?
EU Missions are a new way to bring concrete solutions to some of our greatest challenges. They have ambitious goals and will deliver tangible results by 2030.
They will deliver impact by putting research and innovation into a new role, combined with new forms of governance and collaboration, as well as by engaging citizens.
EU Missions are a novelty of the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme for the years 2021-2027.
More information
- mission-oriented policy for Horizon Europe
- Horizon Europe
- co-design session on oceans mission at Research and Innovation Days (video)
- EU Missions info days 2022
Contact
Documents
Official documents
Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions.
Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions:
EU Missions two years on: assessment of progress and way forward.
Reports and studies
Analysis of a portfolio of projects financed by sixteen EU programmes contributing to the objectives and enablers of the mission ocean and waters. This report presents the results of the analysis of a portfolio of 841 EU projects - completed or ongoing - relevant to the EU Mission “Restore our Oceans and Waters by 2030”.
Communication material
Mission Board reports
Latest
Horizon Europe: EU Missions on track to meet their 2030 ambition towards a greener and healthier continent
During their first two years, the EU Missions in Horizon Europe have supported the Commission's work on the European Green Deal, making Europe fit for the Digital Age, and Europe's Beating Cancer Plan.
Galway Statement anniversary: a decade of marine research cooperation along and across the Atlantic Ocean
The Galway Statement is a cooperation agreement to join forces on Atlantic Ocean research, increase the knowledge of the Atlantic Ocean and build a common path for sustainable management of this shared resource.
EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters': €106 million for 18 new projects for protection, conservation, depollution and innovation
The projects gather over 370 beneficiaries from 36 countries, including SMEs, research institutions, local authorities, schools and businesses.
Digital Ocean Forum 2023: co-designing and co-developing the European Digital Twin of the Ocean
The Digital Ocean Forum 2023 brought together experts, stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers to discuss and shape the European Digital Twin of the Ocean
