With a budget of over 7,5M€, the calls 'Blue careers', 'Blue labs' and 'Blue technology' will respectively help enhancing career opportunities in the maritime economy, stimulating the creativity of young researchers and set-up cooperations that will help bring research results to the market in promising blue growth technology areas.

The calls will be open to all sea basins surrounding the EU coasts and will target a wide range of stakeholders of the blue economy.

This aims to support strategic transnational partnerships to develop joint roadmaps at sea basin level in order to coordinate investments for innovation in a specific high potential blue growth technology, domain or value chain and to mobilise public-private partnerships that will develop two to three demonstration projects. The call is open to all blue growth related technology areas, domains and value chains. Nevertheless, projects contributing to the implementation of EU priority areas such as the Circular Economy, the Digital Agenda and the Energy Union and Climate are particularly encouraged.

Proposals must be submitted by consortia of minimum three legal entities. Both applicants from EU member states and applicants established in third countries are eligible. Applicants from non-EU countries are eligible is a project activity is carried out outside the territory of the EU and if the involvement of those applicants is necessary in carrying out the project. Only public or private bodies are eligible to apply.

The total budget for this call is €2.52 million, which may be increased by 20 per cent. Proposals between €600,000 and €800,000 are anticipated to be accepted but other amounts might be accepted as well. Up to four projects will be funded. 

For more information, see the Call announcement.