The EU Mission Ocean and Waters welcomes 17 new projects selected under the eight topics of the 2025 call ‘Supporting the implementation of the Restore our Ocean and Waters Mission’ (HORIZON-MISS-2025-03).
Spanning research, innovation and real-world application, this newly selected projects will contribute to the Mission’s objectives through a broad range of activities, from strengthening marine protection and tackling pollution to accelerating the green and digital transition in fisheries and aquaculture.
The projects will focus on:
- Strengthening marine protection: establishing a coherent European network of strictly protected marine areas
- Preventing and reducing plastic pollution: tackling marine plastics and litter from river to ocean
- Accelerating the green and digital transition: deploying innovative digital technologies and clean-energy solution in fisheries and aquaculture
- Restoring ecosystems and coastal environments: restoring oceans and waters in regions, waterfront cities and ports, and on islands
Additionally, these projects will strengthen the coordination and implementation of Mission Lighthouse, while others will contribute to advancing the EU Digital Twin Ocean infrastructure, supporting more informed and sustainable ocean management.
Many of these newly funded projects will establish demonstration and replication sites, to test innovative solutions the real-life condition. Local communities, public authorities, businesses and other stakeholders will be actively involved in their development and implementation, helping ensure that successful approaches can be taken up and replicated across Europe.
Collectively, these 17 Mission Ocean and Waters-funded projects bring together more than 340 organisations, reaching the momentum of the Mission moving into the delivery and uptake phase.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the selected project
Protecting marine ecosystems and tackling plastic pollution
- SPHERE – Towards a coherent European network of strictly protected areas: SPHERE will strengthen marine protection by helping establish a connected network of strictly protected areas across European seas.
- DANUBINA – Sustainable Governance for Plastic and Litter-Free River-to-Sea Ecosystems: Focusing on the Danube River Basin and the Black Sea, DANUBINA will: Tackles plastic pollution from river to sea by developing tools to monitor, prevent and remove litter and microplastics.
- RIPPLE – Reducing Impact of Plastic Pollution through Learning and Engagement: RIPPLE addresses plastic pollution at its source by engaging with communities to prevent plastic waste from reaching rivers and seas through citizen science, education and reuse.
Accelerating the green and digital transition in fisheries and aquaculture
- DANUBEAQUA Demonstrating Renewable Energy and Digital Solutions for Resilient Regional Aquaculture: DANUBEAQUA will demonstrate how renewable energy and digital technologies s can improve the sustainability and resilience of aquaculture in the Danube and Black Sea region.
- LIBFISH Low Impact Bottom Fishing: LIBFISH aims to reduce the environmental footprint of bottom trawling by testing new fishing technologies to reduce seabed damage, fuel use and emissions from bottom fishing.
Restoring European regions, islands, waterfront cities and ports
- ROWER Restoring Oceans and Waters in European Regions: ROWER will demonstrate place-based and people-centred restoration approaches across 13 case-study areas covering more than 5,000 km² of marine, coastal, estuarine and river environments.
- REMEDIES 5.0: Integrated and People-Centred Waterfront Restoration for a Resilient European Blue Economy: Working across 13 locations in European sea and river basins, REMEDIES 5.0 will combine ecosystem restoration, pollution reduction and circular blue-economy solutions.
- Isla Bonita: Supporting Managing Authorities to Restore the Oceans and Waters on Islands: Isla Bonita will support island authorities and communities in developing locally adapted solutions for ecosystem restoration, pollution prevention and a climate-resilient blue economy.
Connecting regions and advancing digital solutions for ocean management
- MEDCONNECT: Mediterranean Lighthouse Connectivity Platform for Scaling Up Solutions: MEDCONNECT will strengthen cooperation across the Mediterranean by connecting 22 partners from 15 countries through regional structures and National Hubs.
- OCEANITY: Actionable Digital Twin Ocean Applications for Decision-Making: OCEANITY will advance the European Digital Twin Ocean by developing three high-readiness applications for coastal and urban resilience, marine spatial planning and sustainable maritime operations.
The projects were selected under the 2025 call for proposals. More details on the selected projects, including their EU contributions and participating organisations, are available in the overview of projects.
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