Additional activities for the European Partnership Water Security for the Planet (Water4All)

Expected Outcome:

This topic is for the continuation of the European Partnership Water Security for the Planet (Water4All), i.e. EU contribution in WP 2025. The third instalment of the partnership is expected to contribute to expected outcomes specified in topic HORIZON-CL6-2021-CLIMATE-01-02: European Partnership Water Security for the Planet (Water4All), for continuation and new development of activities.

Scope:

The objective of this action is to continue to provide support to the European Partnership Water4All identified in the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2021-2024 and first implemented under the topic HORIZON-CL6-2021-CLIMATE-01-02: European Partnership Water Security for the Planet, and in particular to fund additional activities (which may also be undertaken by additional partners) in view of its intended scope and duration, and in accordance with Article 24(2) of the Horizon Europe Regulation.

The consortium which applied to and received funding under HORIZON-CL6-2021-CLIMATE-01-02: European Partnership Water Security for the Planet is uniquely placed to submit a proposal to continue the envisioned partnership. Not only did this consortium submit the proposal leading to the identification of the partnership in the Horizon Europe strategic planning 2021-2024, it has also implemented the partnership through co-funded calls between 2021 and 2024 based on this planning and further to topic HORIZON-CL6-2021-CLIMATE-01-02. In this context, the current consortium has particular expertise in relation to the objectives of the Partnership, the activities to be implemented, in particular FSTP calls or other calls/scope of calls clearly required/envisioned pursuant to the initial proposal, and other relevant aspects of the action. In practice, another consortium could not continue the activities of the Partnership underway without significant disruption to the ongoing activities, if at all.

The scope of the application for this call on the European Partnership Water Security for the Planet should focus on the 2023-27 programmes according to the partnership’s co-created strategic research and innovation agenda for seven years, which includes joint calls for research projects, activities to fostering the uptake of R&I results from various stakeholders, living labs and demonstration sites activities to demonstrate the efficiency of innovative solutions, activities to enhance international collaborations and support the achievement of the water related UN SDGs and transfer of in foreign contexts, where specific challenges can be encountered. Actions to ensure coordination and alignment of EU, national and regional programmes, to strengthen the research/policy interface and all horizontal activities to allow the Partnership to operate and to achieve its specific objectives should be also addressed. Emphasis should also be put on activities contributing to the recently adopted Nature Restoration Regulation, the announced European water resilience strategy and climate adaptation plan.

It is expected that the partnership continues to organise joint calls on an annual base and therefore it should factor ample time to run the co-funded projects.

Specific activities to strengthen the complementarities of Water4All partnership with the related Missions, specifically the Missions Adaptation to Climate Change, Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030, and a Soil Deal for Europe and Partnerships (Sustainable Blue Economy, Biodiversa+, Driving Urban Transition and others), identified in the proposal submitted by the coordinator of the consortium funded under both HORIZON-CL6-2021-CLIMATE-01-02 and HORIZON-CL6-2023-CLIMATE-01-01 should be also described.

While the award of a grant to continue the Partnership in accordance with this call should be based on a proposal submitted by the coordinator of the consortium funded under HORIZONCL6-2021-CLIMATE-01-02: European Partnership Water Security for the Planet (Water4All) and the additional activities (which may include additional partners) to be funded by the grant should be subject to an evaluation, this evaluation should take into account the existing context and the scope of the two first evaluations as relevant, and related obligations enshrined in the grant agreement.

Taking into account that the present action is a continuation of the topics HORIZON-CL6-2021-CLIMATE-01-02 and HORIZON-CL6-2023-CLIMATE-01-01 and foresees an amendment to an existing grant agreement, the proposal should also present in a separate document the additional activities and any additional partners to be covered by the award in terms of how they would be reflected in the grant agreement.

The partnership should pool the necessary financial resources from the participating national (or regional) research programmes with a view to implementing joints call for transnational proposals resulting in grants to third parties. Synergies with the European Regional Development Fund are encouraged.