FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

CLed Open Call

No. Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least 3 and up to 7 independent legal entities.

No. Previous or current participation in common Horizon Europe or other EU-funded projects does not constitute a conflict of interest in itself and does not make an organisation ineligible to apply.
The conflict-of-interest restriction applies only to entities that have or have had a direct legal, structural, ownership, or control-related link with a SoS2LearnDBS beneficiary (for example, a spin-off, subsidiary, or entity under common control).
Such entities are eligible only if a minimum period of two (2) years has passed between the termination of that link and 1 November 2025.
Collaborative relationships limited to participation in EU-funded projects, networks, or consortia do not create a legal or binding link and are therefore not considered a conflict of interest.

Yes. An organisation may participate in multiple proposals, but it may only take part in one funded project.

No, each proposal can only be submitted once through the official platform. However, while preparing your application, you can save the form without submitting it. This allows you to add or update information until you are ready to submit.

If you find an error in the submitted application before the deadline, you can contact the SoS2LearnDBS team to request a resubmission. Please ensure that this request is made at least 48 hours before the deadline.

The amount of funding you can request depends on the type of project you are submitting. There are two funding tiers available:

Tier A: Projects can request between €200,000 and €400,000.
Tier B: Projects can request between €500,000 and €1,000,000.

Additionally, the maximum budget per organisation is €500,000.

Applicants should carefully estimate the project costs in the budget template, considering staff costs, travel, equipment, and other relevant expenses.

You will be notified by email regarding the outcome of your application. If your project is selected, you will receive a notification confirming that it has been chosen for funding. Additionally, a comprehensive Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) will be provided, outlining the evaluation results for your proposal.

The results will also be published on the project website and other communication channels, ensuring transparency.

Proposals will be evaluated in two main phases. First, there will be an eligibility verification to ensure that the proposal meets all submission requirements. In the second phase, a detailed evaluation process will be carried out based on predefined criteria. The evaluation criteria include:

Advancement beyond current practice;
Community-led and participatory approach;
Dissemination and communication;
Feasibility and implementation capacity;
Commitment to the charter of Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters;
Quality and relevance of the expected outcomes;
Sustainability and scaling potential – demonstrates how results will continue after funding ends and the potential for replication.

Each proposal will be scored from 0 to 5 for each criterion. A proposal needs to meet a minimum score of 3.0 for each criterion to be considered eligible. Community-led and Participatory approach is given a weight of 1.5 when to determine the final ranking.

Please consult the Call for Proposals & Guidelines for Applicants.

In total, SOS2LearnDBS will have 3 Open Calls:

Open Call for community-led actions (CLed) – call to be launched in November 2025;
Open Call 1 for transition agendas (TAg) – call to be launched in August 2026;
Open Call 2 for transition agendas (TAg) – call to be launched in March 2027.

The application must be submitted in English. All required documentation, including the application form, technical annex, and budget overview, must be provided in English to ensure eligibility and proper evaluation.

To participate in the SOS2LearnDBS Community-Led Actions (CLed) Open Call, the following minimum conditions must be met:

The proposal must be submitted by a consortium of 3 to 7 independent legal entities;
The consortium must include at least two different types of organizations;
At least one partner must represent or be accountable to local communities;
The consortium leader must be a legal entity that was established before 2023 (with a minimum of two years of existence) and located in one of the countries in the Danube-Black Sea region;
The action must focus on one of the five target regions: Upper Danube, Middle Danube, Lower Danube, Danube Delta, or the Black Sea;
The proposal must comply with Horizon Europe obligations, including conflict of interest, confidentiality, and visibility requirements;
The proposal must align with at least one goal of the EU Mission “Restore Our Ocean and Waters,” and should target the Danube River Basin and/or Black Sea;
All required documentation, including the application form, budget template, and technical annex, must be submitted through the official submission platform and in English.

For the consortium leader, the organisation must be based in one of the following countries: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Türkiye or Ukraine.

For consortium partners, entities established in any EU Member States and Horizon Europe-associated countries are eligible to participate in the call.

No. Project activities must be implemented in areas that are hydrologically connected to the Danube River Basin or the Black Sea, and must fall within one of the five target regions of the call (Upper Danube, Middle Danube, Lower Danube, Danube Delta, or Black Sea).

While organisations established in eligible countries may participate in or lead consortia, the community-led action itself must take place in territories directly linked to the relevant river basin or sea ecosystem, with a clear connection to freshwater or marine environments covered by the call.

If your project is selected, you will need to sign a Sub-grant Agreement (SGA) with the SOS2LearnDBS consortium. Following this, you must:

Ensure that your project follows Horizon Europe guidelines, including data protection, ethical considerations, and financial management;
Provide documentation by submitting proof of your legal entity, financial capacity documents, and any other required paperwork;
Engage in regular meetings, joint events, and share progress reports. You will also be expected to contribute to collaborative activities and share knowledge with other consortia;
Report and disseminate – you will need to provide periodic and final reports detailing the outcomes, measurable impacts, and lessons learned. Additionally, you will be expected to disseminate project results through various channels, ensuring visibility of EU funding.

Each project funded under the SOS2LearnDBS Community-Led Actions (CLed) Open Call will have a duration of between 18 to 30 months, depending on the scope and objectives of the proposed project.

Proposals may include activities in three main categories:

Habitat Restoration & Ecosystem Protection;
Pollution Prevention, Reduction & Remediation;
Sustainable Blue Economy & Circular Resource Use.

Additional cross-cutting activities (social innovation, participatory, community-led approach, cooperate with scientific institutions etc.) are also highly recommended.

Selected projects will receive the financial support in three instalments, based on milestones achieved during the project:

First Payment (35%): Made after the Sub-grant Agreement (SGA) is signed.
Second Payment (35%): Made after the approval of the periodic report, which is typically due by the midpoint of the project (i.e., halfway through the project’s duration).
Final Payment (30%): Made after the approval of the final report, which details the outcomes and impact of the project.

The Open Call is open to consortia of 3 to 7 independent legal entities that are eligible under Horizon Europe rules. Consortia must bring together at least two different types of organisations and must include at least one partner representing or directly accountable to local communities (such as a local NGO, municipality, community association, school, or user group).

Eligible applicants include organisations that work with, act on behalf of, or intend to engage with local Mission Communities involved in water and marine restoration, pollution reduction, sustainable blue economy, or climate adaptation.

The following types of entities may participate as consortium members:

Regional and local authorities (municipalities, regional administrations);
NGOs, foundations, professional associations, and other civil-society organisations;
Educational institutions (schools, universities, vocational institutes);
Locally based companies and SMEs active in relevant fields;
Research-performing organisations (universities, research institutes, innovation centres);
Entities fitting within the Mission Communities framework, including:
- ports and inland ports;
- islands and coastal communities;
- fishing and aquaculture communities;
- conservation groups;
- waterfront cities and regions;
- tourism sector organisations;
- maritime infrastructure operators.

Applicants do not need to already belong to a Mission Community, but must demonstrate how they will contribute to Mission objectives and engage local communities.

The consortium leader must be a legal entity established at least before 2023 (with a minimum of two years of existence), but the other consortium partners do not need to comply with this rule.

All applicants must be legally established, capable of implementing the proposed activities, and free of conflicts of interest. Selected applicants will be required to provide documentation confirming their legal status and financial capacity during the sub-grant agreement phase.

The deadline for submitting applications to the SOS2LearnDBS Community-Led Actions (CLed) Open Call is 30th March 2026 at 17:00 CET. It is strongly recommended to submit your proposal well before the deadline to avoid any last-minute issues.

Project activities should take place within the Danube River Basin and Black Sea regions. The projects must focus on one or more of the following regions:

Upper Danube;
Middle Danube;
Lower Danube;
Danube Delta;
Black Sea.

These regions are the primary areas of focus for environmental restoration, conservation, and water management efforts as part of the SOS2LearnDBS Community-Led Actions (CLed) Open Call.

Yes, participants in the project activities can come from countries other than the ones where the project activities are implemented. The project encourages broad participation, and stakeholders from outside the targeted regions can be involved in various aspects such as knowledge exchange, capacity building, and collaborative efforts. However, the project activities themselves must take place within the Danube River Basin and Black Sea regions.

Yes, a university can qualify as a local actor, but only if it demonstrates that it is genuinely rooted in the project area and has a proven track record of direct and continuous engagement with local communities or stakeholder groups.

Being physically located in the region is not sufficient on its own. The university must show active involvement in community-based activities, such as participatory projects, collaboration with local NGOs, municipalities, schools or user groups, and the ability to mobilise and remain accountable to local stakeholders throughout the project.

Universities whose role is limited to academic research or technical expertise, without meaningful community interaction, will not be considered local actors for the purposes of this call.

Submission Deadline: 30th March 2026 at 17:00 CET – All applications must be submitted by this date and time;
Eligibility Verification: After the submission deadline, an eligibility check will be conducted to ensure proposals meet all requirements;
Evaluation and Selection: Proposals will be evaluated based on predefined criteria. The evaluation will be carried out by a panel of experts, and the final decisions will be made based on the scores and rankings;
Notification of Results: Applicants will be informed of the evaluation outcome by 10th July 2026 (indicative date), and the results will be published on the project website;
Contracting and Preparation: If your project is selected, you will enter the contracting phase where the Sub-grant Agreement (SGA) will be signed, and necessary documentation will be submitted;
Project Implementation: Projects will run for a period of 18 to 30 months, depending on the specific objectives and scope. The actual start date for project activities will depend on the completion of the necessary administrative procedures, but it is expected that they start from September 2026.

Each participating entity must be a legally established organisation eligible under the Call conditions. Departments or internal units that do not have separate legal status are considered part of the same legal entity. In such cases, they may participate in multiple proposals, but only granted for funding in one. If selected for funding, the legal entity will be required to provide the necessary documentation during the Sub-Grant Agreement preparation phase.

Please read carefully all the documentation available in “Open call documentation”.

Please register to attend to our info-session about the call. In case the date has passed, you can see the recording of the session.

If you still have questions, please send us an email to sosdbs@inova.business.