Proposals should develop a non-invasive, opto-acoustic system which can simultaneously quantify fish abundance, biomass, and diversity (at least 4 species) as well as other MFSD-relevant parameters through a further set of environmental instrumentation which can be linked to these data. Activities should:
- Improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of data collection with regards to fish stocks and measurement of underwater biodiversity
- Support data collection and monitoring to contribute to the implementation of CFP and MSFD
- Advance the opto-acoustic technologies including their application
- Improve fish stock assessment and related scientific advice provided to the EU
Applicants must consist of at least three legal entities, each of which must be established in a different EU Member State or Horizon 2020 associated country. All three legal entities must be independent of each other.
This call for proposal is open to actions primarily consisting of activities directly aiming at producing plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. For this purpose they may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication.
A ‘demonstration or pilot’ aims to validate the technical and economic viability of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution in an operational (or near to operational) environment, whether industrial or otherwise, involving where appropriate a larger scale prototype or demonstrator.
A ‘market replication’ aims to support the first application/deployment in the market of an innovation that has already been demonstrated but not yet applied/deployed in the market due to market failures/barriers to uptake. 'Market replication' does not cover multiple applications in the market of an innovation18 that has already been applied successfully once in the market. ‘First’ means new at least to Europe or new at least to the application sector in question. Often such projects involve a validation of technical and economic performance at system level in real life operating conditions provided by the market.
The call opens 04/10/2016 and the deadline for submission is 14/02/2017. Participants will be informed on the outcome of the evaluation maximum five months after the deadline and the grant agreement will be singed eight months after the submission.
According to the call for proposal, it is estimated that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to €1,400,000 would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude the submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
The funding rate for this call for proposal is 70% (except for non-profit legal entities, where a rate of 100% applies).
More information regarding the call for proposal can be found in the Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2016-2017.
For more specific information on the eligibility and admissibility conditions see part B and C of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme.