European Partnership SBEP – Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership launches its 3rd Call

The 3rd Call of the European Partnership SBEP – Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership has been launched, with the participation of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) as the national funding entity.

This Call, under the theme"Digitalization and Innovation for Resilient Marine Ecosystems Businesses, and Communities to Strengthen the EU Blue Economy's Competitiveness,"involves 38 European and international funding agencies and aims to fund Research and Innovation (R&I) projects in priority areas defined in the SBEP's 2024 Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda.

Pre-proposals may be submitted until 2:00 p.m. (Mainland Portugal time) on November 17, 2025, and must address at least one of the following topics:

• Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTOs) at sub-basin scale
• Transitioning the blue economy sectors, and the development of coexistence and marine multi-use infrastructures
• Climate-Smart Planning and Managing Sea Uses at the Regional Level
• Blue Bioresources: sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, and new bio-based products
• Resilient Coastal Communities and Businesses

Impact-oriented projects aim to contribute to the transformation towards a blue economy, with a view to a more resilient future and the achievement of carbon neutrality goals, following an impact pathway approach. They should consider at least two EU sea basins, namely the Atlantic Ocean, the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the North Sea, as well as assess the project's impact and its potential for replication/scalability across several sea basins. You can find more information about this Call here.

For more information on applications from national entities, please visit theFCT page dedicated to Call.