EU Digital Twin Ocean: Contribution to the EU DTO core infrastructure through applications for sustainable ocean management
Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
Proposals should target at least two new Digital Twin Ocean (DTO) domain applications, either addressing policy or regulatory implementation or sustainable marine or maritime business operations (aquaculture and fisheries, sustainable tourism, etc.), with demonstrated usability at different geographical scales, for ocean and coastal management and planning, policy or regulatory implementation and decision-making or sustainable marine and maritime business operations. Each verified use cases (implementation of the domain applications at different geographic settings, including the relevant data, models, tools and interactions with stakeholders) should be demonstrated in at least 3 different sea basins (amounting to 6 use cases in total), with each of the 4 EU sea basins (1. Atlantic and Arctic Sea basin, 2. Baltic and North Sea, 3. Mediterranean Sea basin and 4. Danube River basin and Black Sea) covered at least by one use-case.
Detailed Call Description
Importantly, while these digital twin ocean applications are the desired end-product, they have an integrative function: to transform the available knowledge into actionable information for use from policy, industry and/or civil society. When designing a specific application, the whole knowledge value chain should be considered by the proposals, with a multi-actor approach, to ensure the involvement of the appropriate actors, including implementing authorities in the appropriate level of jurisdiction (national and/or regional authorities), at each step:
- Co-creation with stakeholders: include the end-users of these applications, for each sea-basin use-case, along the full process of the digital twins’ development, ensuring incorporating their needs, promoting common understanding and ensuring ownership of the outcomes (what scenarios are relevant, what policy alternatives are feasible, what are the limitations, for instance on uncertainties created by data gaps, etc.). The relevant stakeholders may evolve throughout each development phase/step.
- Data: identification of data needs to verify the credibility of each application; identification of gaps and their impact on the quality of results; potential for improvements (if data is to be made available).
- Models and what-if scenarios: primary data processing and analysis, model developments, refinements and downscaling; model coupling to serve targeted needs and development of what-if and policy scenarios (together with relevant stakeholders), quality of modelled assessment data products.
- Interactive visualisation tools. Specific attention to the design of appropriate interfaces with and for end-users, utilising new technologies as artificial intelligence, gaming interfaces, virtual reality and more.
- Quality assurance processes and appropriate quality labelling should accompany all steps of development to provide guarantee to the end-users of the applications: labelling of applications, comparative analysis, characterisation and communication of uncertainties in particular in the context of decision-making support, etc.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
70%
Expected EU contribution per project: €6.00 million.
Thematic Categories
- Environment and Climate Change
- Fisheries/ Aquaculture and Maritime Policy
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Information Technology
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Businesses
- Educational Institutions
- Large Enterprises
- Legal Entities
- Local Authorities
- NGOs
- Non Profit Organisations
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Semi-governmental organisations
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.
If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Research and Innovation Foundation
Address: 29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia, P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/
Contact Person:
Mr. Christakis Theocharous
Scientific Officer A’
Email: ctheocharous@research.org.cy