The European Commission has launched two calls for evidence to help shape a future Ocean and Water Research and Innovation (R&I) Strategy, expected to be adopted by the end of 2026.
The strategy aims to strengthen Europe's capacity in ocean and water research and innovation by addressing persistent challenges such as fragmented coordination across EU, national and regional levels, and barriers to bringing innovations to market. It will also support efforts to tackle increasing pressures linked to climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss and water scarcity.
Based on a source-to-sea approach the two calls cover complementary areas:
- The Ocean R&I Call for Evidence focuses on marine ecosystems, ocean observation, marine knowledge and the sustainable blue economy.
- The Water Resilience R&I Call for Evidence addresses freshwater systems, water resilience and efficiency, and innovative solutions for sustainable water management.
The feedback collected will contribute to a strategy designed to strengthen EU global leadership in ocean and water sciences, improve coordination across EU, national and regional programmes, support the protection and restoration of marine and freshwater ecosystems, and help shape R&I priorities under Horizon Europe 2028–2034.
Researchers, innovators, industry, policymakers, public authorities, NGOs and citizens are invited to contribute.
Both calls are open until 2 August 2026 via the Commission's Have Your Say portal, in all official EU languages.