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A new €3.875 million call for proposals has been launched under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund. The call will support “Flagship projects” strengthening sea basin-level collaboration in the Atlantic, the Black Sea and the Western Mediterranean to achieve the goals of the relevant sea basin strategy.

The call covers the following three topics:

1. Innovative multi-use projects combining offshore renewable energy with other activities and/or with nature protection in the Atlantic. Projects under this call topic will advance multi-use, integrated offshore renewable energy solutions in the Atlantic towards the commercial phase.
2. Black Sea blue economy investment and innovation capacity building pilot. Projects under this call topic will identify and tackle local capacity building needs to boost innovation, digitalisation and investment in the Black Sea blue economy.
3. Recovery of coastal and maritime tourism in the Western Mediterranean. Projects under this call topic will develop a multidimensional and integrated approach to re-building coastal and maritime tourism in the Western Mediterranean through innovation in destination management and/or design of smart eco-tourism packages.

Proposals must cover one of the following themes:

– Innovation in destination management;

– Design of smart ecotourism packages

Eligibility

In order to be eligible, the applicants must be legal entities (public or private bodies) and be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.: EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)); non-EU countries that are part of the sea basin strategies targeted in this call for proposals.

EMFAF-2021-PIA-FLAGSHIP-ATLANTIC (Topic 1): Innovative multi-use projects combining offshore renewable energy with other activities and/or with nature protection in the Atlantic Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least two applicants, which complies with the following conditions:

•  Minimum two entities from two different eligible EU Member States participating in the Atlantic Maritime Strategy; and
•  At least one for-profit, private-sector business entity in the offshore renewable energy sector.
• The coordinator must be established in an EU Member State participating in the Atlantic Maritime Strategy (France, Ireland, Portugal and Spain).

EMFAF-2021-PIA-BLACK: Black Sea blue economy investment and innovation capacity building pilot (Topic 2):

Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least three applicants, which complies with the following condition:

•  Minimum three entities, including at least two eligible non-EU countries participating in the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea.
• The coordinator must be established in an EU Member State participating in the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea (Bulgaria and Romania).

EMFAF-2021-PIA-WESTMED: Recovery of coastal and maritime tourism in the Western Mediterranean (Topic 3) Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least four applicants, which complies with the following conditions:

• Minimum four entities from four different eligible countries, including at least two EU Member States and one eligible non-EU country participating in the Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the Western Mediterranean;
• At least one private-sector business entity or association in the coastal and maritime tourism sector;
• At least one local/regional/city level public authority with competence relating to coastal and maritime tourism sector activities.
• The coordinator must be established in an EU Member State participating in the Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the Western Mediterranean (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Malta).

Applicants can submit their proposals by 12 January 2022 at 17:00 CET.

Written by: Margherita Genua

Submitted on: 12.11.2021.