Call 1 – “Collection & Valorisation”

Submission procedure

How to apply. Submit online form + Technical Document + Declaration of Honour + legal status proof (in .pdf) to [email protected] with the subject: name of the call. Language: English. One application per authority. More information, FAQs, annexes and templates in https://upstream-project.eu/

Who can apply. Regional/local public authorities (or directly‑representing bodies) from associated regions (EU MS/AC) outside UPSTREAM beneficiary countries^(*) and regions receiving FSTP funding from the INSPIRE project. (INSPIRE project is funded under the same Horizon Europe programme topic call HORIZON-MISS-2022-OCEAN-01-04).

Admissibility: Application complete; submitted via official portal before deadline; in English; all mandatory annexes provided.

Eligibility (all must hold):

- Applicant is a regional/local public authority or body directly representing it; legal status proof attached;

- Located in an eligible associated region (EU MS/AC) outside UPSTREAM beneficiary countries^(*);

- Proposal aligns with Call objectives and eligible activities list;

- No double funding (self‑declaration); activities not started before grant;

- EU restrictive measures do not apply to applicant or key subcontractors.

^(*)Primary geographies. Eligible associated regions in EU Member States/Associated Countries not covered by the UPSTREAM consortium (Spain, Belgium, Slovenia, Portugal, Serbia, Greece, Germany, The Netherlands, France, Italy, UK), with indicative priority to regions with high leakage to rivers/sea (e.g., selected Balkans/Mediterranean/ North African basins). See list of eligible and non-eligible countries using this link: (list-3rd-country-participation_horizon-euratom_en.pdf)

Geographical diversity rule: One award per region across the whole programme.

Resubmissions: Allowed across calls if not yet funded.

Evaluation methodology & scoring

Evaluation: Two external experts score per criteria; internal consensus ranks; awards by the Call Owner. All eligible applicants receive an Evaluation Summary Report (ESR).

Process: (1) Admissibility & eligibility screening; (2) Remote evaluation by three internal consortium experts; (3) Internal consensus meeting for final ranking and funding cut‑off; (4) Ethics/risk checks; (5) Awards & grant prep.

Criteria & weights (100 pts total; minimum quality thresholds apply): 1. Concept & innovation – 25 pts: clarity, credibility, interoperability, novelty (tech/strategic/implementation/practice). 2. Team capacity & excellence – 25 pts: skills, roles, governance, delivery track‑record; access to required permits/sites. 3. Alignment & work plan – 25 pts: logic, milestones, deliverables, verification means; budget realism; subcontracting justification. 4. Impact & European dimension – 25 pts: fit with Mission Ocean goals; scalability/replicability; cross‑border relevance; KPIs.

Thresholds: Min 60/100 overall and ≥12/25 in each criterion. Ties broken by higher Impact score, then Concept score, then geographic balance.

Outputs to applicants: ESR with strengths/weaknesses & scores; ineligible applicants receive reasoned notice and appeal route.

Objective

Support regional/local authorities to deploy collection & recovery schemes for riverine litter/plastics/MP and pilot valorisation pathways aligned with UPSTREAM.

Funding model & payments

Lump‑sum grant fixed at award; paid against milestones/deliverables set by awarded applicants.

Indicative tranches: 40% at Grant Agreement signature; 40% after mid‑term deliverables; 20% at final acceptance.

Cost basis: No cost statements; beneficiaries keep evidence of task completion and outputs (deliverables, logs, datasets, photos, beneficiary reports) for audit.

Subcontracting: Subcontracting is limited to a maximum of 30% of the total eligible grant amount. Only the procurement of Specialised Technical Services ancillary to the project’s core objectives is eligible.

1. These are services that require expertise not available within the lead FSTP beneficiary organisation. Specialised tasks may include for example: technical studies, surveys, advanced IT development, regulatory compliance services, monitoring and impact assessment, and fabrication/installation of complex technical components.
2. The core responsibilities of project management, strategic steering, financial oversight, citizen engagement and public services delivery must remain with the local authority lead and can not be subcontracted.

Any subcontracting must be justified in the proposal application and awarded via the beneficiary’s compliant public procurement procedures.

Deliverables, KPIs & reporting (for grantees)

Mandatory deliverables:

1. D1: Kick‑off package (work plan, risk & ethics checklist, data plan, comms plan) – M1;
2. D2: Mid‑term update (evidence of activities, preliminary results) – mid‑point;
3. D3: Final pack (technical report, datasets, photos/videos, replication & exploitation plan, communication assets) – final month.

Illustrative KPIs (select per project): capture efficiency; tonnes/items collected; MP concentration trends; citizens engaged; policy changes enacted; % bio‑based substitutions; valorisation outputs; open datasets published.

Visibility. Use MISSION OCEAN/EU/UPSTREAM logos and funding statement on all outputs; provide consented media assets; follow project visual ID.

Open data. Publish non‑sensitive results to UPSTREAM platforms/Portal as applicable.

Appeals & complaints

Applicants may lodge an appeal within 7 calendar days of notification where they believe a procedural error occurred. Appeals are reviewed by an internal panel uninvolved in the original decision. Appeals cannot re‑evaluate scientific/technical merit unless a manifest error is evidenced. Applicants will receive an appeal response within 14 days of confirmed receipt of the appeal.

Risk, ethics & environment

Screen for environmental risks (e.g., disturbance to habitats during clean‑ups); require mitigation plans and permits; exclude actions with net negative impacts. Ensure health & safety standards for fieldwork. Ethics self‑assessment required; escalate to Ethics Advisor when needed.

Further information

More information, FAQs, annexes and templates in https://upstream-project.eu/ or for specific questions in [email protected] subject: Question