Details
- Status
- Open
- Publication date
- 27 February 2025
- Opening date
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Deadline date
- 17 June 2025, 17:00 (CEST)
- Industrial Ecosystem
- Other
- Level of funding
- EU level
Description
Overview
Objectives
The objectives of this call are to expand the KIC portfolio and design a realistic, specific, measurable, achievable and time-dependent strategy to address the concrete challenges posed in the thematic field of Water.
Activities/actions supported
Supported activities for KICs include outputs such as innovation communities, high quality curricula, start-ups, innovative products, services, and technologies through which value-added business can be developed and sustained, competencies necessary for innovation and entrepreneurship are enhanced, and solutions to major societal challenges are found.
Anticipated outcomes
Anticipated outcomes include:
- innovation impact through creation and growth of companies, creation and deployment at scale of new innovative solutions to address global challenges, creating direct and indirect jobs and mobilising additional public and private investments;
- educational impact by strengthening human capital in research and innovation, enhancing innovative and entrepreneurial skills both at individual and organisational levels and fostering the creation and diffusion of knowledge and innovation openly within society; and
- societal impact through innovative solutions and their increased uptake, engagement with citizens and end-users, and addressing of EU policy priorities.
Institution providing the funding
European Commission
Size of funding
The indicative amount for the start-up grant of the new KIC in 2026 is EUR 5 million. Please see call package for details.
Conditions
Overview of eligibility criteria
In order to be eligible, entities must meet the requirements described in section 6.2 of the EIT Call for Proposals 2025 for a new EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) on Water, Marine and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems (EIT Water) document. More details can be found on the funding opportunity page.
Overview of award criteria
The award criteria are described in section 6.6 of the EIT Call for Proposals 2025 for a new EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community (KIC) on Water, Marine and Maritime Sectors and Ecosystems (EIT Water) document. The start-up plan will be evaluated by the EIT according to the following Horizon Europe award criteria: excellence, quality and efficiency of the implementation, and impact.More details can be found on the funding opportunity page.
Procedures
Application procedures
The application and evaluation forms, guidance, model grant agreements and additional documents can be found on the funding opportunity page.
Application support available
Support is available through the following resources and/or services: Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk, and the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment. Links are available on the funding opportunity page.