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Towards the water infrastructures of the future

This grant aims to ensure that European water infrastructures are resilient, adaptive, and sustainable in the face of climate and pollution challenges. Projects should improve system flexibility, support long-term access to water and sanitation, recover safe secondary resources, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect ecosystems. Further objectives include integrating digital and nature-based solutions, strengthening infrastructure protection against cyber and physical attacks, and applying best practices for ecological and social sustainability.

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Agency	HORIZON (EU)
Region	EU
Country	N/A
Legal form	Company, NGO, Government organization, Other
Start date	14 Jan 2026
End date	14 Apr 2026
Max funding	5,000,000 EUR per grant
Budget	10,000,000 EUR for this topic
Coverage	Funding takes the form of a lump sum. Detailed eligibility, coverage rates, and rules are defined in Horizon Europe Work Programme Annexes and the Lump Sum Decision of 7 July 2021.

Grant application conditions

Admissibility Conditions	Proposal page limits and layout must follow the rules set in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Eligible Countries	EU Member States and eligible Associated Countries as described in Horizon Europe General Annex B. Some non-EU/non-Associated Countries may participate with special provisions. Full eligibility in the Programme Guide.
Other Eligible Conditions	Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks. Projects using satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services must utilize Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.
Financial and Operational Capacity	Applicants must comply with the financial and operational capacity requirements of Horizon Europe, as outlined in General Annex C.
Legal and Financial Set-up	Eligible costs are reimbursed as a lump sum, per the Horizon Europe Lump Sum Decision of 7 July 2021 and related guidance.
Consortium Composition	Proposals should include a diverse range of stakeholders, such as universities, SMEs, water utilities, energy utilities, etc.
Data Management	Projects must facilitate open access to in-situ data, following INSPIRE principles and making data available via open access repositories (e.g. Copernicus). Data sharing must align with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable) principles for the water sector.
International Cooperation	International cooperation is strongly encouraged.
Documentation	https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/HORIZON-CL6-2026-02-CLIMATE-02

Eligible expenses

Evaluation criteria

Business exclusions

Reporting

Application process

Application requirements