SWIM Open Call for associated regions – freshwater ecosystem restoration: Up to €60,000 for local and regional authorities
The SWIM project’s Open Call for Associated Regions offers local and regional authorities up to €60,000 in direct financial support, plus technical guidance and access to proven tools, to replicate freshwater ecosystem restoration solutions addressing migratory fish habitat connectivity, water quality, and ecological resilience across Europe’s four EU Mission basins.
About SWIM
SWIM (Sustainable Water and Integrated Management of Fish Migration and their Habitats in the Danube River Basin and NW Black Sea) is aligned with the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters.” The project’s goal is to restore, protect, and enhance the habitats of migratory fish species across the Danube River Basin and the Northwestern Black Sea region, through 13 innovative activities at 7 pilot sites. SWIM builds on earlier work carried out under projects such as MEASURES, WE PASS 1 and 2, SIMONA, EcoAdvance, and the Danube Lighthouse projects DALIA, DaWetRest, and Restore4Life, and it forms part of the Danube Lighthouse community.
A defining feature of SWIM is transnational cooperation: governmental bodies, NGOs, researchers, and local communities work jointly through the SWIM Alliance to co-design solutions, with the aim of shaping future EU environmental policy and serving as a model for habitat restoration efforts elsewhere in Europe.
About SWIM Open Call for Associated Regions
Through this open call, SWIM intends to engage at least six Associated Regions (AR) across the four reference basins of the EU Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters”: Danube–Black Sea, Mediterranean, Baltic–North Sea, and Atlantic–Arctic. Associated Regions are conceived as active institutional partners rather than passive recipients: their role goes beyond replicating individual technical solutions and extends to contributing to the strategic, governance, and planning frameworks needed to improve river connectivity and protect migratory fish habitats at a broader territorial scale.
SWIM provides methodologies, tools, and lessons learned from its pilot and reference sites, while Associated Regions contribute their institutional expertise, regulatory responsibilities, local priorities, and governance practices. Applicants can build their proposed action around one or more of the following focus areas:
- Improvement of habitat and habitat connectivity for migratory fish
- Long-term sustainability and ecological resilience of migratory fish habitats
- Monitoring and rehabilitation of ecosystems
- Engagement of local communities and fisheries communities
- Sustainable aquaculture
- Biodiversity improvement through restocking actions
- Capacity enhancement and commissioning of hatchery areas
- Reconstruction and operational deployment of fish farms
- Removal or mitigation of migration barriers
- Sediment management and river morphology restoration
- Contribution to the SWIM Alliance
- Dredging activities
- Water quality testing
- Bathymetry within the project area
Why apply to SWIM Open Call for Associated Regions
Selected Associated Regions receive up to €60,000 in financial support, paid as a lump sum in two instalments: 60% on signature of the adhesion contract and 40% upon completion, delivery, and validation of the final activity report. Beyond the funding, SWIM partners provide technical assistance and tailored guidance, access to SWIM’s own methodologies and project knowledge, and opportunities for collaboration and peer exchange with experts and stakeholders across the wider SWIM Alliance — a package designed to help regions adapt and replicate solutions in their own context rather than start from scratch.
Who can apply?
Eligible applicants are local and/or regional authorities, applying either individually or as a consortium, from the following countries: Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom.
Note that authorities from the SWIM consortium countries aren’t eligible and that each Associated Region can benefit from this financial support to third parties only once under the same Horizon Europe topic. In case of a tie, priority is given to regions that have not yet participated in Mission projects.
How to apply to SWIM Open Call for Associated Regions
This is a single-stage call. Applications are submitted through the online application form on the SWIM website, which covers general information about the applying entity, the objectives and planned actions, a detailed budget breakdown (personnel, travel and accommodation, equipment, other goods/works/services, with indirect costs calculated automatically at 25%), expected impact, and supporting annexes (legal status documentation, prior intervention plans, and — where relevant — a consortium mandate). Applications should be submitted in English.
Important dates
- Call opening: 4 May 2026
- Call deadline: 31 August 2026, 17:00 CEST
- Evaluation and selection: until 30 September 2026
Proposal requirements
Supported activities include desk research, in-situ fieldwork, travel within the scope of the action, technical meetings, and the organisation of events, workshops, or meetings. They also cover preparatory work such as baseline assessments, technical scoping, administrative preparation, stakeholder consultation setup, and logistical planning, as well as local actions, procurement of external expertise, and the preparation, issuing, or revision of technical documents and reports.
Selected Associated Regions are expected to deliver a due report on the activities performed, which forms the basis for release of the second and final payment.
Evaluation and selection process
Proposals are assessed by a jury made up of senior SWIM consortium members together with members of the project’s Advisory Board, against a set of weighted criteria scored on a scale of 1 to 5 (half-points allowed):
- Eligibility. Scored 0 or 1 only. If 0, the proposal isn’t evaluated.
- Degree of complementarity and/or synergy with SWIM’s pilot activities and scope. Minimum threshold of 3.
- Quality and credibility of the proposed activities. At least 3 out of 5.
The proposal score at application stage is calculated as: C#0 × [(C#1 × 1.3) + (C#2 × 2)] ÷ 3.3, with an overall minimum threshold of 3. The resulting score also determines the funding amount:
- 2.5 or below: not eligible for funding (proposal rejected).
- 3.0 or above: 100% of €60,000, or 100% of the amount requested, whichever is lower
After project completion, the quality of completion of tasks upon selection, assessed through progress review reports determines what share of the second/final payment is released:
- Below 3.0: payment suspended pending corrective action, or cancelled if unresolved
- 3.0: 50% of the amount due
- 3.5 or above: 100% of the amount due
Additional support beyond funding
Beyond the €60,000 in financial support, selected Associated Regions gain access to knowledge transfer and technical guidance from SWIM partners, insight into SWIM’s own project experience and methodologies, and ongoing stakeholder and network exchange through the wider SWIM Alliance — support intended to help regions build lasting capacity for ecosystem restoration and management, not just deliver a one-off action.
Final thoughts on SWIM Open Call for Associated Regions
This call suits local and regional public authorities, individually or as a consortium, that already have a freshwater or migratory-fish habitat challenge in mind and want to tackle it with an established methodology and network behind them, rather than from a standing start. It’s a particularly good fit for authorities in eligible EEA, ENP, or Horizon Europe-associated countries working on habitat connectivity, migration barrier removal, water quality, or ecosystem monitoring, since the evaluation explicitly rewards proposals that complement and build on SWIM’s existing pilot activities. Because the maximum award is fixed at €60,000 regardless of applicant structure, it’s best suited to a targeted, well-scoped regional action rather than a large multi-year programme.
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