Expected Outcome:

In line with the European Green Deal, notably the EU climate adaptation strategy, the Nature Restoration Regulation, EU water legislation and the upcoming European water resilience strategy, successful proposals will contribute to the impact of this Destination on adaptation and mitigation of water systems in the context of climate change, supporting also biodiversity protection and restoration.

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

• assessing and managing better the changing hydrological cycle, also at fine spatial scales, to reduce water risks amplified by climate change, including floods and droughts, by fostering further development of innovative observing systems to monitor trends in the atmospheric hydrological cycle; by fostering water resilient land use, management and planning and natural water cycle restoration, also contributing to support biodiversity protection/restoration; and by enhancing cross-sectoral and transboundary catchment cooperation between various water use sectors and complementarity between water related policies;
• increasing water use efficiency in all sectors at basin level, balancing better water demand and supply, helping to transform the economics and restructuring the governance of water;
• helping policy makers to prepare for better water infrastructure management and planning allowing among others fair access to drinking water and other essential uses.

Scope:

We face a triple interrelated planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Water is at the heart of these challenges. We can no longer ignore the world’s crisis of water. The global hydrological cycle is changing. During the last three consecutive years, we have also witnessed not only worrying droughts in many regions of the EU, reaching eastern and northern countries which have been so far preserved, but also catastrophic pollution incidents and deadly floods across Europe. These events are no longer exceptional events. As scientists revealed very recently, human-caused climate change has made these episodes at least 20 times more likely. Moreover, groundwater levels sink steadily in Europe and globally, and the EU water balance is greatly perturbed. This increases tensions in agriculture, energy production and water supply and it is threatening drinking water, food and energy security, the health of ecosystems and the services they deliver, and our way of living.

These issues are highly interlinked, and they must be addressed together, under the remit of the water, energy, food, and ecosystem (WEFE) nexus. Moreover, recent JRC research shows that reduced freshwater flow of rivers into the sea can have severe impacts on coastal and marine ecosystem and their services, for example wild capture fisheries. This emphasizes the need to adopt the “from the source to the sea” approach when tackling water resilience with a support to biodiversity protection/restoration.

According to the EC communication “Managing climate risks – protecting people and prosperity”, “protecting and restoring the water cycle, promoting a water-smart EU economy and safeguarding good quality, affordable and accessible freshwater supplies to all is crucial to ensure a water-resilient Europe. [...] Water needs to be managed, and human demand needs to be adjusted to the new and more scarce supply”.

The objective of this topic is to compare and demonstrate the potential of available state of the art tools to forecast the availability of water resources at the regional and local scale, building also on JRC and other available tools developed for the European scale[1]. It should take into consideration both the global water cycle (blue and green water) and sectoral water demands for both seasonal and long-term horizon, with an integrated water management approach. It should consider water allocation tools for different uses integrating the quality needed for each use, as well as tools for resilient urban planning and water infrastructure management allowing among others run-off control, reducing flood and drought risks, ensuring safety of citizens and infrastructures and support to biodiversity protection/restoration.

Demonstrations should take place in diverse European regions on a suitable scale e.g., river basin, and should bring together a wide range of relevant stakeholders, including relevant water sectors, water managers and authorities, urban and rural planners, policy makers and the civil society. Solutions aiming at fostering and restoring natural retention measures to keep water in the landscape, mitigating drainage losses, enhancing water retention in watersheds to mitigate extreme events, including both drought and flood, should be explored. Proper attention should be given to actions aiming at overcoming the fragmentation of water monitoring and observation data by strengthening the complementarity between satellites, in situ data, participatory research and integrated assessment models. This should foster the consolidation for better-quality and higher frequency data, reducing uncertainty and increasing trust and making them responsive to end-users' needs.

Appropriate climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies and tools, such as, tools for resilient urban and rural planning to manage runoff, reduce flood risk and ensure the safety of citizens and water infrastructures, should then be developed to strengthen the resilience of the water sector. These strategies should in particular assess the following:

• strategies and technical cost-efficient and sustainable solutions for alternative water resources production adapted to the anticipated use;
• the governance of water resource management to better consider the interlinkages of various water related policies to ensure reliable allocation of water for different uses and cross-sectoral coordination;
• the suitability of current indicators to appropriately define water efficiency in various sectors and provide a harmonised methodology to increase water efficiency;
• strategies to anticipate the consequences of recurrent extreme events, including land use analysis (e.g. floods and droughts) and reduce the associated risks;
• water resilience by exploring water transfer effects for seasonal, annual and pluriannual time-horizon on ecosystems, populations, agriculture, industrial consumption;
• the suitability of solutions to support biodiversity protection/restoration with attention given to avoiding spread of invasive alien species and to ensuring enough water for entire ecosystems (all species and their populations in healthy state).

AI Based Application Success Predictor

1️⃣ Strong, Mission-Aligned Impact (Most Important Across EC Calls)

The EC is impact-driven: proposals must show how the project will:

Solve a major European or global societal challenge

Deliver measurable, lasting benefits for EU citizens

Produce outputs that can be used by policymakers, industry, or society

Align with Horizon Europe missions, priorities, and strategic agendas

Predictor: Clear, quantifiable, EU-level impact → strongest scoring factor.

2️⃣ Clear, Ambitious, but Achievable Objectives

Successful proposals show:

2–4 well-defined objectives linked to the Work Programme call text

Clearly articulated research questions or innovation goals

Logical, realistic expected outcomes and deliverables

Feasible scientific and technical approaches

Predictor: Balanced ambition + feasibility.

3️⃣ Excellent, Cutting-Edge Science or Innovation

For RIA/IA/CSA or ERC-level grants, reviewers expect:

High novelty and innovation

Strong grounding in current state-of-the-art

Clear advancement beyond existing approaches

Solid theoretical or experimental foundations

Robust methodological design

Predictor: Scientific excellence is essential for competitive scoring.

4️⃣ Strong Consortium with Complementary Expertise

EC proposals are consortium-driven (except ERC/EIC Accelerator).

High-scoring consortia:

Cover all needed competencies (science, industry, policy, ethics, dissemination)

Include SMEs, industry partners, NGOs, and public bodies when relevant

Are geographically diverse across EU Member States and Associated Countries

Demonstrate strong leadership and communication structures

Predictor: Well-constructed consortium with clear roles.

5️⃣ Clear Pathway From Outputs → Outcomes → Impact

Evaluators look for a credible trajectory showing:

How research leads to specific outputs (data, tools, prototypes)

How outputs lead to uptake or use

How use produces societal, economic, scientific, or policy impact

Strong Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and impact metrics

Predictor: Clearly mapped impact pathway.

6️⃣ Strong Implementation Plan (Work Packages, Deliverables, Gantt Chart)

Winning proposals have:

Well-designed Work Packages (WPs) with clear scope and responsibilities

Interdependencies identified and risk-mitigation strategies

Detailed milestones and deliverables

Feasible budget aligned with tasks

Strong project management plan

Predictor: High implementation quality boosts the “Excellence” and “Implementation” scores.

7️⃣ Policy Relevance and Contribution to EU Strategies

Especially critical for health, climate, digital, and social calls.

Proposals score higher when they link to:

EU Cancer Mission

EU Green Deal

Digital Europe strategy

EU Biodiversity Strategy

EU Health Union & One Health

Open Science & FAIR data mandates

Predictor: Clear alignment with EU policies.

8️⃣ Strong Stakeholder & Citizen Engagement (Especially in Social & Health Missions)

EC values inclusivity:

Patient groups

Civil society organizations

Public sector bodies

Regulatory agencies

Citizen science components

Stakeholder letters of intent or commitment strengthen credibility.

Predictor: Engagement adds impact and relevance.

9️⃣ Robust Data Management, Open Science, and Ethics

Mandatory components include:

FAIR Data Management Plan

Open access publications

Ethics self-assessment

GDPR compliance

Data security, governance, and ethical approvals

Animal-use reduction and justification (if applicable)

Predictor: Clear compliance with ethical and data obligations.

10️⃣ Well-Justified Budget and Resource Allocation

Budget must be:

Proportional to tasks

Transparent and reasonable

Efficiently distributed among partners

Free from padding or unjustified costs

Predictor: Realistic budgets improve Implementation scores.

🚫 COMMON PITFALLS THAT LEAD TO EC GRANT REJECTION