Shape the future of EU Ocean and Water Research & Innovation landscape: ERRIN Members invited to contribute

Shape the future of EU Ocean and Water Research & Innovation landscape: ERRIN Members invited to contribute

The European Commission has opened two parallel calls for evidence to inform the development of a future joint EU Ocean and Water Research and Innovation (R&I) Strategy, expected to be adopted in Q4 2026. ERRIN's Blue Economy Working Group encourages members to engage with this process and is coordinating a joint network response.

Why this matters for regions

The strategy will set R&I priorities for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, shaping the design of Horizon Europe 2028-2034 calls, the European Competitiveness Fund, and Cohesion Policy instruments. For regions, this is a direct opportunity to influence how EU funding in ocean and water R&I will be structured and allocated.

The Commission has been explicit that the strategy will improve coordination across EU, national and regional programmes, and that regional strategies (including smart specialisation strategies) are among the key vehicles for translating R&I priorities into place-based impact. ERRIN members with priorities in blue economy, water resilience or climate adaptation are therefore especially well positioned to provide relevant evidence.

A source-to-sea strategy: freshwater and marine/maritime issues together

A distinctive feature of this initiative is that the two calls (one on ocean R&I, one on water resilience R&I) will feed into a single, integrated strategy. This source-to-sea approach reflects the interconnected nature of water systems, from rivers and groundwater to coastal zones and open seas. It calls for policy coherence across what have traditionally been separate governance and funding silos.

For regions that with both freshwater and maritime environments, or that host river basins feeding into sea basins, this framing opens up new possibilities for articulating cross-domain regional priorities. It also reinforces the relevance of existing partnerships such as Water4All, the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership, and the S3 Partnerships on Water Smart Territories and Maritime Sustainable Blue Bioeconomy – several of which ERRIN members are already engaged with.

Building on the EU Missions and Partnerships

The strategy consultation specifically invites input on knowledge gaps, barriers to innovation deployment, coordination across EU programmes, and the role of nature-based solutions. These are all areas where ERRIN members have accumulated concrete project experience and policy insight.

ERRIN has been engaged in the design and implementation of EU Missions since their inception. The Mission 'Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030' has been a central focus of the Blue Economy Working Group's work, including through ERRIN's involvement in CO-WATERS (which supports waterfront cities, regions, islands and ports in their blue transition). The future R&I strategy should build on Horizon Europe's Mission Ocean and Waters, as well as on the European Partnerships active in this space.

How to get involved

Both calls for evidence are open on the Commission's Have Your Say portal until Sunday 2 August 2026. Any stakeholder (public authorities, research institutions, industry, civil society) may submit a response.

ERRIN's Blue Economy Working Group is preparing a joint network response to ensure that the regional perspective is properly reflected. Members are strongly encouraged to contribute their views and regional examples to this collective input.

To be included in the coordination process or to share your region's experience and priorities for the joint response, please contact Ana Nava (ana.nava@errin.eu) by Tuesday 28th July at the latest.

Resources

The calls for evidence can be accessed here: