Deadline: 06-Oct-21
The European Commission (EC) has launched its grant programme for Preventing and managing diffuse pollution in urban water runoff.
Proposals in this field should aim to develop holistic approaches at city/catchment level ensuring resilient urban water runoff quality by considering different spatial and temporal scales and contexts, and different technologies.
Urban runoff water quality management plans should consider micro-pollutants, contaminants of emerging concern, behavioral changes and societal and technical developments, including in relation to urban planning, buildings and mobility, construction and manufacturing materials, as well as sound risk management approaches.
The identification and selection of measures to manage storm water quality will require engaging with relevant stakeholders, water utilities, public authorities and industry to develop guidance for decision makers and policy makers on urban runoff and storm water control measures and deploy easy and ready-made options for end users’ implementation.
Funding Information
The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (low value grant).
Expected Outcomes
In line with the European Green Deal’s zero pollution ambition, successful proposals will contribute to halt and prevent pollution of freshwater and soils, and consequently also protecting biodiversity, as addressed by several impacts under Destination ‘Clean environment and zero pollution’, in particular “Advanced understanding of diffuse and point sources of water pollution in a global and climate change context, enabling novel solutions to protect water bodies, aquatic ecosystems and soil functionality, and further enhancing water quality and its management for safe human and ecological use, while fostering the EU’s position and role in the global water scene.”
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
- Wider use of an enhanced knowledge base required to assess and monitor pollution sources, transport pathways and impacts of diffuse pollution conveyed to receiving water bodies by urban water runoff and storm water overflows, including forward looking approaches aimed to anticipate and prepare for future or emerging challenges.
- Implement advanced preventive and mitigating strategies to reduce diffuse pollution of urban waters based on source control measures and storm water management that also consider climate change impacts.
- Apply effective risk assessment and risk management strategies enabling early warning systems and delivering ready-made outputs for decision-making and governance in urban areas.
- Deploy innovative concepts, cost effective technologies and advanced sensors and monitoring approaches for sustainable waste water collection and urban drainage systems preventing pollution due to urban run-off.
- Comprehensive urban runoff and storm water management plans implementing holistic approaches at city/catchment level to ensure resilient urban water quality and climate adaptation.
- Broad uptake of advanced knowledge, breakthrough solutions and innovative technologies to enhance competitiveness of the EU water sector and fostering the EU’s position and role in the global water scene.
- Increasing the EU scientific and technological base and guidance on measures to manage storm water quality and evidence for policy-making and implementation.
- Science and evidence-based implementation of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals, notably the SDG 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe;
- low- and middle-income countries.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2TeUC1y