Towards modern, integrated, and effective fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) systems
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-11
Funding Amount
Amount not specified
Deadline
16/09/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution
Trusted by
What is the Towards modern, integrated, and effective fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) systems Call?
Grant Description
This call seeks innovative solutions for sustainable fisheries and aquaculture by developing advanced data collection, monitoring, control and surveillance technologies for small-scale, recreational and long-distance EU fisheries. Projects will address anomaly detection, secure vessel tracking, remote sensing, real-time reporting and artificial intelligence-driven data analysis to reduce costs, improve interoperability, standardise data and support implementation of EU regulations such as the re...
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
Project results are expected to:
• Improve data collection (position and catch) for small-scale, recreational and long-distance fisheries while reducing collection and analysis costs.
• Enhance efficiency, achieve cost savings and advance monitoring, surveillance, control and enforcement technologies to combat IUU practices.
• Provide effective, real-time tools for monitoring fishing operations, implementing technical measures, mitigating target/bycatch impacts and cross-matching logbook/landing data with observer reports.
• Increase data collection resolution by interconnecting vessel tracking with e-logbooks to improve interoperability and expand usage in SSF and long-distance fisheries.
• Contribute to standardisation of data collection and harmonisation of implementation procedures and quality controls to support fisheries management and reliable scientific advice.
• Improve mechanisms for sharing fisheries-dependent data among management authorities and scientific advisory institutions.
• Boost digital readiness of SSF, recreational and long-distance fisheries by identifying business models and incentive schemes that encourage technology uptake and data sharing among fishers, policy makers and scientists.
• Contribute to the UN 2030 Agenda SDGs and the COP-15 global biodiversity framework targets for marine ecosystems and fishing areas.
• Improve data collection (position and catch) for small-scale, recreational and long-distance fisheries while reducing collection and analysis costs.
• Enhance efficiency, achieve cost savings and advance monitoring, surveillance, control and enforcement technologies to combat IUU practices.
• Provide effective, real-time tools for monitoring fishing operations, implementing technical measures, mitigating target/bycatch impacts and cross-matching logbook/landing data with observer reports.
• Increase data collection resolution by interconnecting vessel tracking with e-logbooks to improve interoperability and expand usage in SSF and long-distance fisheries.
• Contribute to standardisation of data collection and harmonisation of implementation procedures and quality controls to support fisheries management and reliable scientific advice.
• Improve mechanisms for sharing fisheries-dependent data among management authorities and scientific advisory institutions.
• Boost digital readiness of SSF, recreational and long-distance fisheries by identifying business models and incentive schemes that encourage technology uptake and data sharing among fishers, policy makers and scientists.
• Contribute to the UN 2030 Agenda SDGs and the COP-15 global biodiversity framework targets for marine ecosystems and fishing areas.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Proposals must:
• Align with the revised Fisheries Control Regulation (EU 2023/2842), the Data Collection Framework (EU 2017/1004) and related implementing acts.
• Provide tools for high spatial and temporal resolution pattern recognition, anomaly detection and data validation/cross-checking in electronic reporting.
• Deliver secure, tamper-resistant, cost-effective vessel tracking systems tailored to small-scale, recreational and long-distance fisheries.
• Develop new strategies and tools for monitoring and controlling catch reporting by millions of recreational fishers and estimating ecological impacts.
• Integrate innovative remote sensing and satellite imaging with automatic detection capacities to complement observer data and combat IUU activities.
• Extend data collection to all target fisheries, including DCF and Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management data (biological, environmental, economic, social, fishers/vessels/gear).
• Innovate MCS methods for cost and efficiency gains in compliance monitoring and enforcement.
• Emphasise automatic real-time data collection and explore interoperability between VMS, electronic monitoring systems and e-logbooks to enhance resolution.
• Apply AI technologies for timely, cost-efficient data mining, cross-verification and compliance monitoring.
• Increase the volume and resolution of fisheries-dependent datasets (including non-commercial species and discards) while standardising and harmonising collection and processing methods.
• Demonstrate solutions through four mandatory case studies and involve fishers, citizens and end users at all stages.
• Cooperate with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre for data provision or analysis and allocate tasks/resources to link with Fish-X, Every Fish, Opti Fish, SURIMI, SEADITO, OBAMA-NEXT, MARCO-BOLO, Diver Sea, B-USEFUL and other relevant projects.
• Incorporate the 2025 SCAR-Fish recommendations.
• Ensure all produced data are FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable) and, where possible, available via EMODnet, EDITO, EOSC and relevant data spaces.
• Align with the revised Fisheries Control Regulation (EU 2023/2842), the Data Collection Framework (EU 2017/1004) and related implementing acts.
• Provide tools for high spatial and temporal resolution pattern recognition, anomaly detection and data validation/cross-checking in electronic reporting.
• Deliver secure, tamper-resistant, cost-effective vessel tracking systems tailored to small-scale, recreational and long-distance fisheries.
• Develop new strategies and tools for monitoring and controlling catch reporting by millions of recreational fishers and estimating ecological impacts.
• Integrate innovative remote sensing and satellite imaging with automatic detection capacities to complement observer data and combat IUU activities.
• Extend data collection to all target fisheries, including DCF and Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management data (biological, environmental, economic, social, fishers/vessels/gear).
• Innovate MCS methods for cost and efficiency gains in compliance monitoring and enforcement.
• Emphasise automatic real-time data collection and explore interoperability between VMS, electronic monitoring systems and e-logbooks to enhance resolution.
• Apply AI technologies for timely, cost-efficient data mining, cross-verification and compliance monitoring.
• Increase the volume and resolution of fisheries-dependent datasets (including non-commercial species and discards) while standardising and harmonising collection and processing methods.
• Demonstrate solutions through four mandatory case studies and involve fishers, citizens and end users at all stages.
• Cooperate with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre for data provision or analysis and allocate tasks/resources to link with Fish-X, Every Fish, Opti Fish, SURIMI, SEADITO, OBAMA-NEXT, MARCO-BOLO, Diver Sea, B-USEFUL and other relevant projects.
• Incorporate the 2025 SCAR-Fish recommendations.
• Ensure all produced data are FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable) and, where possible, available via EMODnet, EDITO, EOSC and relevant data spaces.
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
- Single-stage submission by 16 September 2025, 17:00 Brussels time; page limits and layout per WP General Annexes A and E.
• Eligible participants per WP Annex B; financial/operational capacity per Annex C; evaluation per Annexes D, F, G.
• The Joint Research Centre may participate as a consortium member without additional EU funding.
• Data outputs must be FAIR and, where possible, released via EMODnet, the EU Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO) infrastructure and federated EOSC research infrastructures.
• Four case studies are mandatory (EU SSF in European Seas, SSF in Outermost Regions, recreational fisheries, long-distance fisheries); additional case studies permitted.
• Proposals must actively involve fishers, citizens and end users throughout all phases.
• Must allocate specific tasks to coordinate with listed Horizon Europe projects and follow the 2025 SCAR-Fish recommendations.
• Applicants must comply with MGA rules, legal entity validation, LEAR appointments and financial capacity assessments; IT and administrative support per Funding & Tenders Portal terms.
• Ethical, gender, data protection and IPR requirements apply as per Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
• Eligible participants per WP Annex B; financial/operational capacity per Annex C; evaluation per Annexes D, F, G.
• The Joint Research Centre may participate as a consortium member without additional EU funding.
• Data outputs must be FAIR and, where possible, released via EMODnet, the EU Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO) infrastructure and federated EOSC research infrastructures.
• Four case studies are mandatory (EU SSF in European Seas, SSF in Outermost Regions, recreational fisheries, long-distance fisheries); additional case studies permitted.
• Proposals must actively involve fishers, citizens and end users throughout all phases.
• Must allocate specific tasks to coordinate with listed Horizon Europe projects and follow the 2025 SCAR-Fish recommendations.
• Applicants must comply with MGA rules, legal entity validation, LEAR appointments and financial capacity assessments; IT and administrative support per Funding & Tenders Portal terms.
• Ethical, gender, data protection and IPR requirements apply as per Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
Important dates
Open from: 06/05/2025
Deadline:16/09/2025
Application period has ended
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