The Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP) is a Horizon Europe co-funded European Partnership that aims to boost the transformation towards a climate-neutral, sustainable, productive and competitive blue economy by 2030, while creating and supporting the conditions for a healthy ocean for all by 2050.

SBEP is now inviting pre-proposals in response to its third joint transnational call for proposals titled ‘Digitalisation and Innovation for Resilient Marine Ecosystems Businesses, and Communities to Strengthen the EU Blue Economy’s Competitiveness’. The call aims to support transnational research and innovation projects for a period of 36 months addressing one of the following five priority areas:

1. Digital Twins of the Ocean at regional sub basin scale.
2. Transitioning the blue economy sectors, and the development of the coexistence and the marine multi-use infrastructures.
3. Climate-Smart Planning and managing sea-uses at the regional level.
4. Blue Bioresources: sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, and new bio-based products.
5. Resilient Coastal Communities and Businesses.

Projects must be impact-driven contributions to the transformation into a blue economy for a more resilient future and towards carbon neutrality targets, following an impact pathway approach.

Proposals are strongly recommended to consider a minimum of the following two European sea-basins: the Atlantic Ocean, Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea, and to assess the project proposal’s impact and potential replication/scalability on various sea basins. Proposals can target European regional seas such as Adriatic Sea, Aegean Sea, the Arctic, Barents Sea, Celtic Sea, etc.

The call pools national and regional financial resources through the participation of 38 participating funding organisations from 28 countries combined with the contribution from the EU. The following countries are participating: Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, Slovakia. The total estimated budget is €43,495,835.

To be eligible, research consortia must include partners from a minimum of three independent legal entities from three different countries participating in a call. The projects must involve at least two independent legal entities from two different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Self-funded partners including partners from countries (and/or regions) not participating in a call are eligible, but these do not contribute to the minimum eligible consortium size.

SBEP has developed a Partner Search Tool to enable potential applicants to find a partner or a project to join.

Pre-proposals should be submitted by the 17 Nov 2025 deadline.