- Type of action : Joint Calls
- Duration : SEPT. 2023 – END 2028
- Pillar(s) : Pillar B - Research and Innovation Development
- Budget : approx. 36 M€
23 projects recommended for funding:
Update October 18, 2024: correction of the full title
Acronym |
Full title |
Participating countries |
BioTreatED | Advanced bio-based solutions to monitor and mitigate hormonal risks of irrigation waters originating from manure separation technologies | HU, NO, PT, ES, PL, TR |
BREATHE | Monitoring river metabolism to assess ecosystem services | NO, SE, ES, UK, CH, BR |
CREATE | Cross-REalm modelling and assessment of Aquatic ecosystem services: Towards a science-based design of nature-based solutions to tackle Eutrophication | FI, LV, EE, LT, PL |
CyaNoServices | Securing freshwater supporting services for biodiversity threatened by harmful cyanobacteria across ecosystem boundaries | ES, DK, SE, BR |
DeepThought | Evaluating nitrate transformation in aquifers using microbiologic and isotopic tools for an enhanced management of key groundwater ecosystem services. | FR, DK, AT |
DOWES | Disclosing the Overlooked Wetlandscape Ecosystem Services | SE, UK, IT, BR, FR |
EcoC2S | Ecosystem services to enhance the resilience of coastal regions and communities to flood risks in a catchment to sea perspective | ES, IT, PT, PL |
EcoTwin | Digital Twin-based solutions for enhanced integration of ecosystem services in water resource management | UK, IT, IE, HU, SE, NL |
ECO-WADE | Enhanced understanding of carbon and groundwater dynamics in European peatlands and their related ecosystem services | DK, NL, UK, IE, EE, SE, FI |
ENGAGE | Europe Nutrient Management - Guided Approaches for Greater Export reduction | PT, NO, SE, LV, LT |
FESTiVAL | Final Ecosystem Services in Transition: a View from the Aquatic Landscape | SE, FI, NO, CZ |
HALOBISE | Platform to understand effects of the harmful algal bloom holobiont in a changing environment to predict their impact on aquatic ecosystem services | SE, FR, PT, ES |
MISSION | MIcrofluidic SenSors for rapId detectiOn of cyaNotoxins | PT, IT, NO |
PLURALAKES | Co-creating pathways to desirable nature futures of temperate lakes | SE, FI, UK, NL |
REACTION | Navigating the Risks of Hydroclimatic Extremes for Freshwater Ecosystem Services in Forest Landscapes | SE, FI, ES, SK, AT |
RECHARGE | REstoring Catchments And Rivers under Global changE | BE, PL, PT, ES |
SecuCoast | Security and management of Coastal groundwater resources and marine ecosystem services | FI, SE, PL, EE, NO, ES, IL |
SentinelSpringS | Springs as sentinels of climate change and sustainability of aquatic ecosystems | PT, DK, IT, PL, FR, MT |
SERVICO2 | Impacts of climate, N and P deposition and land use on water as a driver of the greenhouse gases regulatory ecosystem service in headwater catchments | ES, FI, SE, IT, CZ |
SUSTAIN-R | Sustainable nutrient cycling of nitrogenous and phosphate wastes for aquatic ecosystem restoration and nourishment | SE, GR, DK, ES |
WATERPATH | Understanding and improving water-driven ecosystem services for the production of drinking water and treated wastewater for agricultural reuse | IT, ES, RO |
WaterWeave | Weaving knowledge together for healthy and resilient aquatic socio-ecosystems: towards a methodological and modelling framework | FR, LU, BR |
WeTreat | Optimising Wetland-Based Solutions for Improved Micropollutant Treatment Efficiency from Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Effluent | PT, NL, IT, LU |
Update - 27 September 2024 |
The received pre-proposals have been assessed for eligibility by the Call Secretariat and the Funding Partner Organisations (FPOs) participating in the call, and evaluated by a panel of international scientific experts. All coordinators have been notified about the evaluation outcomes of the projects and selection. A total of 59 pre-proposals out of the 116 submitted were invited to step 2. If you are an applicant, please contact your proposal coordinator.
- Knowledge Hub on Aquatic Ecosystem Services
Applicants invited to submit a full proposal are encouraged to join the 2023 Water4All Knowledge Hub on Aquatic Ecosystem Services. More information on this opportunity is detailed below in the section Expression of Interest for the Water4All Knowledge Hub.
- Widening Option
Eligible proposals invited to step 2 can include in their consortia - either on request of their FPO or voluntarily - a new partner established in one of the undersubscribed countries and FPOs. More information on this opportunity is detailed below in the section Widening Option.
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In collaboration with the European Union, 36 Funding Partner Organisations from 30 countries all over Europe and beyond have provisionally allocated over 36 M€ for the 2023 Joint Transnational Call for research and innovation projects on “Aquatic Ecosystem Services”.
The Joint Transnational Call is launched in the framework of the European Partnership Water4All and supports research and innovation projects to improve water security in the long term. In line with the strategic objectives of Water4All, the results should contribute to the implementation of evidence-based, global, EU and national water management policies and strategies, including the Green Deal, the Water Framework Directive (WFD), Just Transition and the Water Action Agenda for UN Sustainable Development Goals. Proposals should show cognisance of appropriate legislation and policy frameworks at national and international levels that are meant to alleviate global change impacts on aquatic ecosystem services.
The context for the general call topics is described in Theme II of the Water4All Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), “Water for ecosystems and biodiversity”. Likewise, Themes VI and VII in the SRIA on “International cooperation” and “Governance”, respectively, must be considered as they are cross-cutting issues to all other themes. Applicants are encouraged to check links in the SRIA between ecosystem services and themes, subthemes, drivers and enablers. This comprehensive approach must be reflected in the proposals.
Timeline:
- Call opening: 12 September 2023
- Submission deadline of pre-proposals: 13 November 2023, 15:00 CET
- Selection of pre-proposals: End of February 2024
- Submission deadline of full proposals: 29 April 2024, 15:00 CEST
- Selection of funded proposals: September 2024
- Projects start: End 2024 / beginning 2025
- Kick off meeting of the funded projects: Spring 2025
Online submission Tool |
Partnering Tool If you are looking for a partner or for a project to join, a partner search tool is available |
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Expression of Interest for the Water4All Knowledge Hub
Applicants invited to submit a full proposal can still join the 2023 Water4All Knowledge Hub on Aquatic Ecosystem Services. Joining the Knowledge Hub activities is an opportunity to valorise the outcomes and increase the outreach of Research and Innovation project results to key stakeholders.
To express your interest in joining the Water4All Knowledge Hub on Aquatic Ecosystem Services, please consult the Knowledge Hub modality that can be found in the call announcement and Annex C – Terms of reference of the Water4All Knowledge Hub.
The template for the expression of interest and other supporting documents are available in the section Call Documents to Download
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Widening Option
Applicants invited to submit a full proposal in step 2 have the possibility to include in their consortium, either on request of the Funding Partner Organisations (FPOs) or on a voluntary basis for eligible consortia*, a new partner established in one of the undersubscribed countries and FPOs.
- List of undersubscribed countries and FPOs
Belgium (limited to VLAIO), Italy (limited to MIMIT), Malta (MEEE), Israel (MoE), Lithuania (LMT), Slovakia (SAS), South Africa (WRC), Turkey (TUBITAK), Brazil (CNPq and CONFAP: all FAPs expect FA and FAPEMIG). - List of the 59 pre-proposals invited to submit a full proposal in step 2 - Download here.
Organisations interested in joining a consortium, which is invited to submit a full proposal in step 2, can declare their interest on the Water4All Partnering Tool. To facilitate contact with the coordinator of the full proposal, organisations are invited, when declaring their interest in the partnering tool, to include the acronym of the proposal they want to join. Interested organisations can also check if invited consortia submitted an offer on the partnering tool.
Organisations wanting to join existing consortia shall verify in advance their national eligibility criteria both through the National Regulations and by contacting their appropriate FPO contact point (see Annex A - NCPs and matrix of topics and modalities for details). The inclusion of a new partner should be approved by the consortium and all FPOs involved in the consortium.
* IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO APPLICANTS
Eligible changes between step 1 (pre-proposal stage) and step 2 (full proposal stage) are those complying with paragraph 6.2 of the Call Announcement. The information given in the pre-proposals is binding. No major changes regarding the proposals’ content will be allowed between the pre-proposals and full proposals. Take this into account when adding new partners to the consortium!The Call Announcement and National/Regional Regulations are available in the section Call Documents to Download.
- List of undersubscribed countries and FPOs
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Call Topics
The general theme of the Water4All 2023 Joint Transnational Call is “Ecosystem Services”, with aquatic ecosystems as the focus, including inland surface water, groundwater, transitional and coastal water, and having water security on top of the objectives.
Research and innovation proposals submitted under the Water4All 2023 Joint Transnational Call are required to address at least one of the following topics:
- Topic 1. Mapping, monitoring, and assessment for a better understanding of ecosystem services in a context of changes, from local to global change.
- Topic 2. Understanding and predicting multiple pressures (including anthropogenic pressures) - impact – response relationships in ecosystem services through advanced methods and techniques.
- Topic 3. New tools and solutions for a better integration of ecosystem services into the management of water resources.
Applications are to be submitted by the coordinator. Each consortium participant is funded by the Funding Partner Organisation from their country/region participating in the 2023 Joint Transnational Call. Participants are therefore subject to eligibility criteria of their national/regional Funding Partner Organisation.
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Call Documents to Download / Video
Note: You may need to primarily empty your browser (cache) to obtain the last versions of the documents.
Water4All 2023 JTC Call Announcement Download Annex A - NCPs and matrix of topics and modalities Download Annex B - Theory of Change Download Annex C - Terms of reference of the Water4All Knowledge Hub
Download Annex D - List of Water4All beneficiaries that may apply to the call
Download National/Regional Regulations (last version V10 - 09//11/23) Download Pre-proposal template Download Full proposal template - (last version V1 - 12/03/24) Download Knowledge Hub - Expression of Interest template Download Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - Update October 17, 2023 Download Watch the recorded webinar, October 5th, 2023.
Online Video
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Additional Modalities - Early Career Researchers & Knowledge Hub
In addition, this call will include 2 additional modalities aiming at:
- Early Career Researchers holding a PhD since less than 10 years ago
- Expression of interest to participate in a Knowledge Hub, formed by a group of experts of Water4All funded projects and aiming at synthesizing and communicating research results of funded projects to the water community (policy, end-users, public) with various tools (workshops, policy briefs, state-of-the-art reports, position papers, etc.).
The details for these modalities are published in the Water4All 2023 Call Announcement document.
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Message from the Water4All Coordination Team to applicants
As indicated in the 2023 call text, “the general theme of the Water4All’s joint transnational call is “Ecosystem services”, with aquatic ecosystems as the focus, including inland surface water, groundwater, transitional and coastal water”.
Proposals will not be eligible for funding if:
- They focus on areas beyond the ones indicated above; OR
- They cover exclusively marine/ maritime areas; OR
- They address specifically marine/ maritime ecosystems.
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Joint Message for 2023 Calls by DUT, Biodiversa+, Water4All
In September 2023, three European Partnerships under Horizon Europe launch calls for research on topics that are complementary. This text is a joint clarification from the three Partnerships regarding the contents of these calls. Duplication of funding for the same proposal is not allowed, so applicants must carefully choose the best fit for their proposals based on the scope of each call and their respective research priorities.
Note that this is a brief overview for comparison, all details are provided in the documentation for each call.
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The Biodiversity Partnership (Biodiversa+) has launched a call on “Nature-based Solutions for biodiversity, human well-being and transformative change” on Sept. 11th 2023; referred to as BiodivNBS hereafter.
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The Driving Urban Transition (DUT) partnership has launched a call on “People-centred urban transformation” on Sept. 1st 2023. Link to call webpage: DUT Partnership Call 2023 - first information available.
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The Water4All Partnership – Water Security for the Planet – has launched a call on “Aquatic Ecosystem Services” on Sept. 12th 2023.
Nature-based Solutions (NBS), Ecosystem Services (ES) and Transformative Change (TC) are interlinked concepts, which calls for a real exchange of knowledge between the projects funded through these calls. The Partnerships will therefore ensure sharing of key learning points and creation of synergies between the research projects, to enhance the overall impact of research and innovation activities that support a better protection of our ecosystems and thriving biodiversity and human well-being worldwide.
However, while complementary, the overarching aim of these calls differ.
The BiodivNBS call supports transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral research on biodiversity to gain a better understanding of the tipping points, trade-offs and socio-ecological mechanisms affecting NBS, as well as their successful implementation. The Water4All call supports research and innovation for a better understanding of the status of ecosystem services at varying spatial and temporal scales, underlying pressure factors and integration in the management of water resources. The DUT call supports research and innovation that explores intentional planning and design approaches that integrate nature back into the existing building stock of our cities.
Aquatic ecosystems are the focus of the Water4All call whereas DUT Call is interested in urban areas and BiodivNBS is open to all environments/realms (terrestrial, aquatic, marine, coastal, etc.).
Furthermore, DUT focuses on designing with nature, with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of urbanisation, restoring and regenerating urban ecosystems, and fostering urban liveability. Focus is not only on including nature in the (day-to-day) life of city inhabitants, relying on social qualities, but also an approach to urbanism that can provide a wide range of opportunities for cities and urban areas, to restore and mimic natural conditions, flows and movement.
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