These demonstration activities should appropriately combine sediment management measures focused on sediment flow quantity such as:

• measures to restore sediment transport and sediment flows;
• measures to reduce excessive erosion (e.g. change of sediment regime, increase of bed resistance, reduction of energy slope, nature based solutions, etc.);
• measures to address excessive sedimentation (e.g. change of sediment regime, route sediments, increase energy slope, increase bed shear stress, etc.),
• measures to improve sediment quality, such as pollution prevention and reduction.

The measures should be adjusted to the needs of a specific river section, reservoir or embankment area and ensure a long-term sustainability of sediment flow, also improving the good ecological status and ecosystem services provided by key river ecosystems and habitats, including wetlands and protection of biodiversity. Nature based solutions and building with nature should be prioritised. Use of satellite-based remote sensing is encouraged to complement more traditional approaches on effectiveness assessment of the chosen measures and solutions.

Proposals must:

• Carry out demonstration activities in 3 different Member States and/or Associated Countries of the Danube river basin, involving and including in the consortium entities from these three countries. These demonstration activities should be selected on the basis of their relevance and impact at the river basin scale and based on the recommendations and results of the previously mentioned projects (ICPDR Danube Sediment Interreg project and SIMONA);
• Proposals should also identify areas and locations where the proposed solutions are replicable and draw up an action plan and roadmap needed for the replication and scale up of the solutions for sustainable and effective sediment management at a river basin scale.

The projects should include impact monitoring of the activities affecting sediment flow within the Danube river basin and into the Black sea, based on and in cooperation with the ICPDR sediments monitoring system set up through previous projects such as SIMONA and in cooperation with the national water/river management authorities concerned and relevant European Research Infrastructures. In addition, the project will monitor the impacts and effectiveness of demonstration activities at a local scale.

Proposals are expected to work with and engage at least 5 ‘associated regions’ to showcase the feasibility, replicability and scalability of the solutions developed within the projects in other areas.
‘Associated regions’ :are understood as areas with ecosystems that can benefit from the demonstration activities (e.g. neighbouring regions and/or regions in a different sea basin) and/or less-developed regions, with the need to build capacity to implement the innovative solutions to improve management of sediments in a river basin.
The proposals should ensure that the ‘associated regions’ are located in Member States/Associated countries other than those that are part of the project consortium.

The involvement of ‘associated regions’ that have not yet participated in Mission projects is encouraged. (Further details in the Funding & Tenders portal).

The maximum amount of Financial Support to Third Parties is €100 000 per ‘associated region’ for the entire duration of the action. Proposals should outline the selection process of the third parties to which financial support would be granted based on principles of transparency, objectivity and fairness.