Danube river basin lighthouse – coordination activities

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes:

• Structuring effect to consolidate and engage a wide community of relevant stakeholders across the entire Danube river basin, including its delta, able to ensure an effective governance structure for the achievement of the Mission objectives;
• An effective governance structure ensuring coherence and alignment of policies, initiatives and actions at EU, national and local level;
• Well-coordinated activities underpinned by a consistent monitoring framework to assess the implementation and achievement of the Mission objectives;
• Effective provision of technical services, governance and business models to support and guarantee a sustainable socio-economic development of the entire Danube river basin, including its delta;
• Well-functioning basin scale innovation ecosystem attractive to investors and businesses;
• Increased awareness about the Mission and involvement of citizens in its implementation in the Danube river basin and beyond.

The Mission Ocean, seas and water WP part under Horizon Europe, defines “lighthouses” as “hubs and platforms supporting the development and deployment of transformative innovative solutions in all forms – technological, social, business, governance, ensuring fast progress towards the achievement of Mission objectives and important impact on society in the river and sea basins through science and technology”. The Mission lighthouse should adhere to the lighthouse implementation charter, ensuring its political commitment to the implementation of the lighthouse.

Proposals under this topic will bring together complementary public and/or private organisations and networks, and integrate heterogeneous expertise to support the rolling out of a “lighthouse” within the Danube river basin, including its delta, and provide a broad portfolio of services ensuring the development and deployment of innovative solutions addressing the objectives of the Mission Ocean, seas and waters in the lighthouse area.

Building on and bringing together existing governance structures and networks and relevant existing activities, proposals are expected to address all following activities:

• Danube river basin lighthouse governance and networking: liaise with the Mission secretariat^[1] to ensure a coherent and timely implementation of the Mission in the lighthouse area; contribute to the implementation of the lighthouse charter ^[2], consisting in a political commitment of MSs/ACs, regions and, whenever relevant, of third countries and other stakeholders, for instance through workshops and other gatherings, networking and provide support actions initiated or carried out by the European Commission services to establish the lighthouse implementation charters; set-up and support and effective and participatory governance structure for the Danube river (including its delta) basin lighthouse involving key players (public and private entities, including SMEs, civil society organisations as well as citizen representatives/citizen assemblies and local communities) at basin level and ensure cooperation and networking of stakeholders for achieving the three objectives^[3] of the Mission Ocean, seas and waters; provide networking opportunities and exchanges of good practices within the Danube river basin and with other HE Missions and HE Partnerships; liaise and network with other Mission lighthouses to ensure exchanges of good practices and sharing of innovative solutions (cross-fertilisation); liaise with relevant projects implemented by other Missions in the lighthouse area and ensure exchanges of good practices; support the alignment of Regional Smart Specialisation Strategies and Next Generation EU initiatives and projects with the Mission objectives and explore synergies between the Mission and Smart Specialisation strategies and Next Generation EU initiatives and projects;
• Communication, monitoring and contribution to overall Mission implementation: design and carry out at basin scale communication actions to promote Mission Ocean, seas and waters and its activities targeting different stakeholders and the general public, both at basin scale and at the regional/local level including in the ‘associated regions’^[4]; contribute to monitoring of Mission implementation in the lighthouse area (including a liaison with projects under Mission lighthouse topic HORIZON-MISS-2021-OCEAN-02-02: Danube river basin lighthouse – restoration of fresh and transitional water ecosystems) and provide relevant information and data to the Mission Implementation Platform (see Other actions, Public Procurements, topic Mission Ocean, seas and waters implementation support platform – overall Mission coordination and monitoring; European Blue parks technical assistance; citizen engagement; communication); carry out quantitative and qualitative analysis and studies in relation to the Mission and other relevant activities implemented at basin level; liaise with the Mission Implementation Platform to ensure coherent and timely implementation of the Mission in the lighthouse area;
• Develop and foster Danube river basin innovation ecosystem: identify R&I needs at basin level; liaise with the ocean and water knowledge system and foster sharing of observation data, information and computing toolboxes; disseminate and raise awareness about suitable innovative solutions to address these needs, (at least 2 dissemination activities per year at a basin level); organise demonstration and testing activities for the innovative solutions (at least 2 activities per year implemented within the basin area); support access to finance and mobilise suitable investors, through e.g.: pitching events, networks of investors, venture capital funds, local Entrepreneurial Discovery processes, etc.; support knowledge and technology transfer, including through training and skill development (at least 2 activities per year at a basin level); support cooperation of lighthouse projects with ‘associated regions^[5]’;
• Support mission implementation with technical expertise and know-how: develop a coherent catalogue of services providing (on-site or remote) technical expertise and know-how for testing, validating, scaling-up, reproducing, customising and deploying innovative solutions under the lighthouse objective, ensuring interoperability with the Ocean and water knowledge system; develop, make publicly available and curate a catalogue of projects and initiatives funded at EU, national and regional level and to the extent possible, include also privately funded initiatives and projects;

Proposals should include an outreach plan to actively advertise its activities and services to the citizens and local communities and to targeted stakeholders, including to relevant industries and SMEs.

Proposals are expected to build on and integrate all relevant existing governance structures, networks and capacities within the Danube river basin and its delta, such as organisations involved in the Macroregional strategy for the Danube region and/or in the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda for the Black Sea (Black Sea SRIA); the International Commission for the protection of the Danube river; European Research Infrastructures^[6], with a view of ensuring comprehensive and inclusive lighthouse governance.

Due to the transboundary nature of waters, basin-scale coordination and cooperation across regions, is required for solutions to be effectively implemented and to resolve shared problems.

Proposals are expected to show how their activities and results will achieve the Mission’s objectives, in line with the timeframe of the Mission phases, i.e.: by 2025 for the ‘development and piloting’ phase and 2030 for the ‘deployment and upscaling phase’.

Ocean sustainability and blue economy
Socio-economic science and humanities
Social Innovation
Societal Engagement

[1]Mission secretariat consisting of European Commission staff, is located within the European Commission services and is managed by the Mission Manager, for details on Mission governance see Commission Decision of 24.6.2021 (2021) 4472 final.

[2]Lighthouse implementation charter is a political commitment of Member States/Associated Countries and regions to implement the lighthouse objectives.

[3]Mission Ocean, seas and waters objectives: 1) Protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity; 2) Prevent and eliminate pollution of our oceans, seas and waters; 3) Sustainable, carbon-neutral and circular Blue economy.

[4]For the concept and role of “associated region” please see topic HORIZON-MISS-2021-OCEAN-02-02: Danube river basin lighthouse – restoration of freshwater ecosystems

[5]For the concept and role of “associated region” please see topic HORIZON-MISS-2021-OCEAN-02-02: Danube river basin lighthouse – restoration of freshwater ecosystems.

[6]See https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/strategy/strategy-2020-2024/our-digital-future/european-research-infrastructures_en