Deadline: 28 October 2025

The European project AQUARIUS provides free transnational access to European research infrastructures, supporting research that informs evidence-based marine and freshwater policies. The ultimate goal is to protect ecosystems, reduce pollution, and promote a sustainable blue economy.

Topics

Projects must contribute to at least one of the EU Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030 objectives in the following regions:

• To protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems (Atlantic/Arctic and Danube river system lighthouse).
• Prevent and eliminate pollution of our ocean, seas and waters (Mediterranean sea basin lighthouse).
• Make the sustainable blue economy carbon-neutral and circular (Baltic and North sea basin lighthouse).

The infrastructures offered in AQUARIUS are categorised in the following nine categories:

• Research Vessels
• Marine Mobile Observation Platforms
• Fixed Marine Facilities
• Experimental Research Facilities
• River & Basin Supersites
• Aircraft
• Drones
• Satellite Services
• Data Centers & Virtual Labs.

Eligibility

Single applicants are eligible to apply.

Only user groups with more than four users from different organisations are required to include partners from at least two different countries (based on current affiliation).

Applicants from industry, academia and citizen science are welcome! 

While applicants are welcome to submit proposals that incorporate large, super-integrated, and ambitious projects requesting access to and integration with several research infrastructures, applications for smaller projects requesting only a single infrastructure are also welcome.

The user group leader (PI) and the majority of the users must work in a country other than the country(s) where the installation is located.

Funding

Funding is provided for accessing the Research Infrastructures owned by the AQUARIUS beneficiaries. Transnational access to the infrastructures offered in AQUARIUS is free of charge for the selected user groups. It covers the entire use of the infrastructures (in some cases with berth restrictions), including the logistical, technological, and scientific support for external researchers using the research infrastructure. Furthermore, it includes costs directly incurred to implement the project, as well as other standard operating expenses. 

There is also a travel and logistics budget available with each infrastructure, which will contribute towards the user group’s travel expenses and transport of equipment and samples. The amount can be negotiated after the positive scientific evaluation of the proposal, depending on available resources.

AQUARIUS does not subsidise the following costs:

• Additional or third-party costs, such as salary costs or personnel costs of any kind, equipment manufacture, repair and rental of (scientific) equipment, sub-contracting and assistance, vaccination and health care costs, publication costs, overheads and the costs of analysing and evaluating the research samples or results after the Transnational Access has been carried out.
• Insurance costs, or any extra costs of unforeseen circumstances related to travel (e.g. delays or cancellations), bar bills, and other extra services at the place of accommodation.

Duration

There is a limit of three months’ access to each Research Infrastructure, but there is flexibility if the reason for longer or repeated access can be justified. Projects proposed for this call must be carried out between March 01, 2026 and December 31, 2027.

How to apply

To successfully write your application, you should explore the diverse range of marine and freshwater facilities available through AQUARIUS. Check here the Research Infrastructures Catalogue. Please note that each infrastructure entry includes information on operational areas and availability. Confirm that these match your project’s needs before applying.

Submission must be done on this platform.

Supporting material

Additional information, including a list of FAQ, can be read here.