DIGI4ECO - FSTP to address critical gaps for the Digital Twin of the Ocean
Funding opportunity for external data holders to support the Digital Twin of the Ocean through digitalisation, standardisation, and publication of marine data.
Type of projects to be funded: Projects must support the DIGI4ECO Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO) by improving data quality and availability through identification, digitalisation, quality control, standardisation, and publication of biological, environmental, and socio-ecological data. Priority is given to datasets enhancing spatial and temporal coverage of biodiversity observations and enabling AI-based analysis and modelling.
Sectors / domain: Marine biodiversity data, digital ocean technologies, environmental and socio-ecological data infrastructures.
Individual or consortium: Unclear. The call mentions support for "external data holders" but does not specify if consortium applications are accepted.
Specific eligibility requirements:
Applicants must be external data holders with access to relevant but non-standardised or non-digitised datasets.
Data must relate to the four DIGI4ECO demonstration sites: OBSEA, SmartBay, Kristineberg, and Ancona.
Funded activities must align with FAIR data principles and EMODnet Biology standards to ensure interoperability and usability within European marine infrastructures.
Specific topics or challenges:
Data types: imagery and video data, species occurrence records, environmental time series, selected socio-economic data.
Emphasis on: AI-based image analysis, ecological indicator computation, long-term modelling.
Contribution to the robustness and predictive performance of the DTO.
Projects duration: The data should be delivered within maximum of 1 year from the signature of the contract.
Budget, funding rates and payment conditions:
Funding rate: 100% lump-sum
Budget conditions / limitations:
Total call budget: €260,000
Individual grants: up to €60,000
Payments: 50% of the established total amount at the beginning of the activity and 50% after the succesful revision of the work fulfilled.
Links
Closes
01/03/2026
Max funding per project
60.000€