GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

Successful projects will at the same time show the way to profitable and sustainable use of the restored freshwater and Danube delta ecosystems and demonstrate how sustainable local activities can be built on and connected with these restored ecosystems and biodiversity to ensure socio-economic benefits to the local communities whilst adhering to the ‘do not harm principle’ for all activities including pollution.

The proposals will focus on demonstration of active and passive restoration of freshwater ecosystems, including in the transitional waters of the Danube river delta at a large scale. The demonstration activities will combine measures to increase ecosystem connectivity and ecological flow of the Danube river and/or its main tributaries and delta, improvement of protection of communities against floods using nature based solutions on the Danube river and/or its main tributaries, mitigation of the impact of droughts on freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity using nature based solutions.

Proposals must:

• Carry out demonstration activities in 3 different countries of the Danube river basin, involving and including in the consortium partners from these three countries;
• Identify areas and locations where the solutions are replicable and draw up an action plan and roadmap to replicate and scale up the ecosystem and biodiversity restoration solutions and actions.

An “associated region” must benefit from the Financial Support to Third Parties provided under this topic only once.  The projects should continuously share their outcomes and knowledge with those ‘associated regions’ and provide them with technical assistance (see page 77 of the work programme) The maximum amount of Financial Support to Third Parties is €100,000 per ’associated region’ for the entire duration of the action.