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Strategic Analysis
The Water4All 2026 Joint Transnational Call funds transnational research and innovation on sustainable water management (extreme events and circularity excluded), across four overlapping topics: integrated monitoring and assessment, nature-based approaches at hydrological system scale, smart and adaptive water infrastructures, and systemic change, policy coherence and inclusive governance. Winning proposals go beyond the state of the art while proving uptake: stakeholders involved from problem definition to use, solutions transferable to other regions, and a clear pathway to support EU water policy such as the Water Framework Directive and the Water Resilience Strategy. For Dutch partners, NWO funds at most EUR 400,000 per proposal, and only consortia invited after the pre-proposal step can submit a full proposal.
Everything the call asks for, seen from the call's point of view. Each line shows what answers it, and which partner carries it.
This matrix lists everything the call asks for: outcomes, impacts, scope, the requirements buried in the call text, and policy alignment. Sign up free and GrantForge tracks each line against the concept you build.
| Requirement | Covered by | Carried | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope activities | |||
| SC011.1 Advanced Monitoring Technologies and Data InteroperabilityAdvanced automated monitoring (IoT sensors, real-time and in-situ) of water quality and quantity across the whole water cycle; remote sensing and Earth observation for surface-groundwater and surface-soil interactions, land-use impacts and climate pressures; data integration, interoperability and accessibility. Particular attention must be paid to representativeness over time and space, and to the accuracy of automated monitoring data against real environmental levels. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC021.2 Data Integration, Analysis, and ModellingGIS-based integration of heterogeneous cross-sectorial monitoring, observational and socio-environmental data; rigorous water accounting frameworks such as SEEA-Water; big-data analytics, AI and machine learning (anomaly detection, prediction of flows and levels, extractable volumes, contaminant dynamics, drought and flood risks); coupling of hydrological, hydrogeological and socio-economic models, with model transparency, uncertainty management and decision-relevant interfaces. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC031.3 Assessment Frameworks, Decision Support, and Socio-Economic DimensionsDecision support systems that integrate monitoring data, analytical tools and modelling for scenario analysis under uncertainty, co-designed with policymakers, water managers and end users; directly operational results addressing governance structures, institutional coordination and the cost-efficiency of management measures. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC042.1 Nature-Based Approaches and Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) for Sustainable Groundwater ManagementEffects of nature-based approaches on groundwater recharge, infiltration and quality; design and operation of MAR systems under droughts and floods; surface-groundwater interactions under climate and land-use change, including thermal influences; scalable and transferable approaches for adaptive groundwater management. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC052.2 River-Basin Restoration to Enhance Water Resilience at Catchment ScaleRetention and restoration measures at catchment scale (sponge functions of landscapes, sponge targets at landscape and urban levels) for recharge, water quality and long-term retention; integrated assessment of surface-groundwater responses to hydrological variability; digital twins coupling surface water and groundwater are strongly encouraged. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC062.3 Economic Valuation and Stakeholder Engagement models for Nature-Based Groundwater and River-Basin ManagementEconomic value of nature-based approaches for farmers, water utilities, industry, tourism and local communities; incentive mechanisms (co-financing, compensation models, innovative funding); frameworks integrating valuation, governance, cross-sector collaboration and stakeholder engagement to scale nature-based water management. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC073.1 Digital and Risk-informed Water InfrastructuresAdvanced monitoring, smart metering, leakage detection and AI-based analytics; interoperable data platforms, digital twins and real-time data integration; risk and hazard assessment, early warning systems and operational security against cyber and physical threats. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC083.2 Modernisation and Adaptive Asset Management of Ageing InfrastructuresUpgrading, retrofitting and extending the lifetime of existing water infrastructures with modular, flexible and cost-efficient solutions; integration of smart technologies into legacy systems; long-term planning, investment prioritisation and adaptive asset management. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC093.3 Integrated and Hybrid Infrastructures for Basin-scale ManagementCoordination between built infrastructures and natural water systems, including surface water and groundwater; hybrid grey-green and centralised-decentralised systems; infrastructures for efficient, transparent and equitable water allocation across sectors, water grids and users, avoiding rebound increases in water use. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC104.1 Systemic Approaches for Social, Economic and Environmental ResilienceTransdisciplinary teams examining cascading effects, feedback loops and trade-offs across scales and sectors; system boundary definitions, integration of diverse environmental stressors, and effective stakeholder involvement for systemic solutions towards resilient water systems. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| SC114.2 Policy Coherence and Inclusive Governance for AllConjunctive management of surface water and groundwater; policy coherence across water, agriculture, energy and land use; economic valuation of water and ecosystem services and innovative finance; inclusive and participatory governance (women, minorities, indigenous communities, local actors), transboundary and multi-level governance and water stewardship. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Expected outcomes | |||
| EO1Improved assessment and forecasting of water quantity and quality, groundwater dynamics and related risks across the water cycle | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EO2Increased adoption of integrated water management approaches that account for multiple pressures, cross-sector interactions, and spatial and temporal scales | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EO3Development and implementation of nature-based solutions, including their integration with technological and hybrid approaches | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EO4Enhanced affordability, effectiveness and adaptability of both existing and future water infrastructures | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EO5Strengthened governance and policy frameworks that support coordination across sectors and administrative levels in water allocation and management | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EO6Project results that support the implementation of European and international water-related policy frameworksProposals should describe how their outcomes may support relevant European and international policy frameworks, including the implementation of European strategies, directives and frameworks. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Other requirements | |||
| REQ1Water4All Knowledge Hub: at least two person-months and a project ambassadorProjects include the Knowledge Hub activities in their communication and dissemination work package with dedicated personnel costs, allocate at least two person-months to them, and nominate at least one expert as project ambassador. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ2Stakeholder involvement integrated throughout the projectCredible impact depends on active collaboration with stakeholders from problem definition to uptake; ideally at least one stakeholder is an end user. This interaction is an integrated part of the project, not a separate work package. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ3Transferability of solutions to other contexts and regionsProposals avoid too specific and narrowly defined cases, address cross-cutting aspects and show where solutions can be transferred to other contexts, regions and scales. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ4Build on previous projects without duplicating themProposals must not duplicate past efforts of Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, Water JPI, Water4All, Biodiversa+, PRIMA and JPI AMR calls; approaches built on their results (e.g. BiodivNBS Call 2023-2024) must show substantially new or improved ideas. Collaboration with relevant Horizon Europe projects and EU Missions is encouraged. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ5Transnational added value, not a collage of national projectsThe proposal demonstrates integration and collaboration between partners and a strong transnational added value. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ6Gender dimension in the research and innovation contentAll proposals integrate the gender dimension of their research and innovation activities; it is assessed under the Excellence criterion. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ7Open science practices, sharing and management of research outputsQuality of open science practices, including sharing and management of research outputs and engagement of citizens, civil society and end users, is assessed under Excellence. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| REQ8Dissemination plan reaching national end users in all partner countriesA dissemination plan is requested for the full proposal and should specify how the planned activities contribute to impact, proposing communication routes such as scientific papers, posters, courses or training material, web-based tools, workshops or direct intervention towards end users. Dissemination to national end users is necessary in all partner countries, with appropriate resources for dissemination, including the three Water4All project events. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Expected impacts | |||
| EI1Improved understanding of water systems and stronger decision-support capacity | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EI2Improved resilience of water systems and water-dependent sectors, and increased long-term water availability | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EI3More effective responses to current and emerging water management challenges | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EI4Enhanced protection of water resources and dependent ecosystems and stronger preparedness for long-term pressures on water systems | · | · | Sign up to track |
| EI5Improved water security, more efficient use of public and private resources, and reduced risks and costs of water stress and poor water managementSocietal and economic impacts are expected to be clearly addressed, including solutions that are transferable to other regions and contexts. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| Underlying policies | |||
| POL1Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC), Groundwater Directive, EQS DirectiveThe EU framework for the protection and good status of surface water and groundwater bodies, managed by river basin. The call names the WFD and its two daughter directives first among the policies its results should help implement. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| POL2EU Water Resilience StrategyThe EU strategy to restore and protect the water cycle, secure clean and affordable water for all and build a water-smart economy. Cited in the strategic aim and in Topic 4. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| POL3Nature Restoration Regulation (EU) 2024/1991Binding EU targets to restore degraded ecosystems, including rivers, floodplains and wetlands. | · | · | Sign up to track |
| POL4Water4All SRIAThe partnership's strategic document from which the call topics are drawn; the context of this call is SRIA Theme III Integrated water management, with the cross-cutting Themes VI International cooperation and VII Governance. | · | · | Sign up to track |
The binding rules of this call. Items marked auto are verified by GrantForge from the call and the template. The others are yours to confirm.
Three funded partners from three countries
At least three eligible partners requesting funding from participating funding organisations of three different countries, including at least two independent legal entities from two different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
At most seven partners
Seven partners at most, including at most one self-funded partner; eight if at least one partner comes from an undersubscribed funding organisation. National regulations may limit the number of partners from one country.
Water4All beneficiaries
Only the Water4All beneficiaries listed in Annex B may take part: at most two of them in a proposal with up to five partners, three in a larger one.
Coordinator
The coordinator is eligible for funding by a participating funding organisation; the PI of the coordinating entity takes part in only one proposal of the call (JTC or ECR modality), in any role. No co-coordinators.
Balanced workload
The workload distribution within a consortium must be balanced: no partner (including a self-funded partner) shall have more than 50% of person months, and partners from the same country shall not have, altogether, more than 50% of person months.
Self-funded partner
At most one self-funded partner, which cannot coordinate and does not count towards the minimum of three funded partners.
Two-step procedure
A pre-proposal is mandatory; only consortia invited after Step 1 can submit a full proposal. Core data (partners, budget) are binding, with limited changes allowed between the steps.
English
Pre-proposals and full proposals are written in English and submitted via the Electronic Proposal Submission System.
National regulations
Each partner complies with the regulations of its funding organisation; an ineligible coordinator, or a proposal that no longer meets the general criteria without an ineligible partner, is rejected.
NWO: eligible main applicant
The Dutch main applicant holds a permanent or tenure-track contract at a Dutch university, university medical centre, KNAW or NWO institute, TO2 institution or another listed organisation (universities of applied sciences and TO2: a salaried fixed-term position is enough). Zero-hour and fixed-term contracts cannot apply.
NWO: co-applicants from other organisations
A Dutch co-applicant from an organisation outside the list is assessed by NWO beforehand; for the full proposal, its documents are due at water4all@nwo.nl by 9 March 2027, 14:00 CET.
NWO: one project per researcher
A researcher requests NWO funding for one project of the call only, as main applicant or co-applicant.
NWO: budget
At most EUR 400,000 per proposal from NWO. At least one postdoc (12 months, 0.5 FTE); materials up to 25%; knowledge utilisation mandatory, up to 20%; project management up to 5%; research leave up to 10%. No PhD positions, no overhead. NWO does not fund the Early Career Researchers modality.
Partners from countries not participating in the call
They may join only as partners, never as coordinator, at their own expense, and must demonstrate that they will achieve their tasks; the commitment of these partners (formal signed letter of availability of funds) must be provided with the full proposal. The JRC can participate as a partner at its own expense and does not count towards the three funded partners.
International institutions
International institutions, e.g. UN institutions, need to investigate their respective national eligibility guidelines and make sure they can fulfil the duties of funded projects, such as signing the consortium agreement.
NWO: part-time and ending contracts
Applicants with a part-time appointment must ensure adequate supervision of the project and all project members; if the applicant's tenure-track contract or tenure ends before the end of the project, the proposal must include a statement from the employer guaranteeing adequate supervision for the full duration.
NWO: grant rules
The NWO Grant Rules 2024 and the European legislation on state aid apply; knowledge utilisation activities must fit the EU definition of knowledge transfer activities.
What the call requires for your dossier to be receivable: a mandatory section, a declaration, a document to attach. Nothing here can be checked automatically — confirm each one yourself once it's done.
Ethics self-assessment
Applicants complete the ethics self-assessment of the application form (Y/N questionnaire at pre-proposal stage, detailed self-assessment at full proposal stage).
Do No Significant Harm assessment
Applicants indicate which of the six environmental objectives of the EU Taxonomy need further evaluation and give a substantive justification for each one marked yes.
Letter of commitment of the self-funded partner
A self-funded partner provides a signed letter of commitment showing that its activities are funded; it is uploaded with the full proposal.
NWO budget form submitted at the full proposal deadline
Dutch applicants must send the NWO budget form for the funding requested from NWO to water4all@nwo.nl at the transnational full proposal deadline.
The call requires you to pick or distribute several structuring elements before submission. These are locked at proposal creation time and drive the project backbone. Read-only here.
water4all-2026-topics
Topic 1: Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Sustainable Water Management
Topic 2: Nature-Based Approaches for Resilient Water Management at Hydrological and Hydrogeological System Scale
Topic 3: Smart, Secure and Adaptive Water Infrastructures for Sustainable Water Management
Topic 4: Resilient Water Systems Through Systemic Change, Policy Coherence and Inclusive Governance
water4all-2026-main-topic
Topic 1: Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Sustainable Water Management
Topic 2: Nature-Based Approaches for Resilient Water Management at Hydrological and Hydrogeological System Scale
Topic 3: Smart, Secure and Adaptive Water Infrastructures for Sustainable Water Management
Topic 4: Resilient Water Systems Through Systemic Change, Policy Coherence and Inclusive Governance
water4all-2026-modality
Joint Transnational Call (regular modality)
Early Career Researchers modality
5 key insights you must internalise before writing. Each is grounded in the call text and tells you what evaluators will actually look for. Share these with your consortium before drafting.
Information given in the pre-proposal is binding: no major change of content is allowed at Step 2, the coordinator cannot change and at most one or two partners can be replaced. Write the full proposal as a development of the pre-proposal, never as a new project.
Source: Call Announcement §6.2
Step 1 scored only Excellence and Impact. The full proposal adds Quality and efficiency of implementation (work plan, risks, effort per work package, capacity of each partner). Each criterion needs 3 out of 5, and no project below 10 out of 15 is funded; a consensus below threshold on one criterion can end the discussion.
Source: Call Announcement §5.1, §5.3
The call wants knowledge transfer made credible by stakeholder involvement from problem definition to uptake. The FAQ is explicit: this interaction is an integrated part of the project, not a separate work package. Name the end users and show where they co-design.
Source: Call Announcement §2.4, §2.5; FAQ 1.3
Plan at least two person-months for the Water4All Knowledge Hub in the communication and dissemination work package, name the project ambassador, and keep resources for the three Water4All project events (spring 2028, autumn 2029, spring 2031).
Source: Call Announcement §1.1, §3.1.2, §7.4
NWO funds at most EUR 400,000 per proposal, with at least one postdoc, a mandatory knowledge utilisation module (up to 20%) and no PhD positions or overhead. The NWO budget form is due at water4all@nwo.nl at the full proposal deadline.
Source: National regulations, Netherlands (NWO)
Specific requirements
Three funded partners from three countries
At least three eligible partners requesting funding from participating funding organisations of three different countries, including at least two independent legal entities from two different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
At most seven partners
Seven partners at most, including at most one self-funded partner; eight if at least one partner comes from an undersubscribed funding organisation. National regulations may limit the number of partners from one country.
Water4All beneficiaries
Only the Water4All beneficiaries listed in Annex B may take part: at most two of them in a proposal with up to five partners, three in a larger one.
Coordinator
The coordinator is eligible for funding by a participating funding organisation; the PI of the coordinating entity takes part in only one proposal of the call (JTC or ECR modality), in any role. No co-coordinators.
Balanced workload
The workload distribution within a consortium must be balanced: no partner (including a self-funded partner) shall have more than 50% of person months, and partners from the same country shall not have, altogether, more than 50% of person months.
Self-funded partner
At most one self-funded partner, which cannot coordinate and does not count towards the minimum of three funded partners.
Duration
Projects last 36 months, starting no later than 31 March 2028.
Two-step procedure
A pre-proposal is mandatory; only consortia invited after Step 1 can submit a full proposal. Core data (partners, budget) are binding, with limited changes allowed between the steps.
English
Pre-proposals and full proposals are written in English and submitted via the Electronic Proposal Submission System.
National regulations
Each partner complies with the regulations of its funding organisation; an ineligible coordinator, or a proposal that no longer meets the general criteria without an ineligible partner, is rejected.
NWO: eligible main applicant
The Dutch main applicant holds a permanent or tenure-track contract at a Dutch university, university medical centre, KNAW or NWO institute, TO2 institution or another listed organisation (universities of applied sciences and TO2: a salaried fixed-term position is enough). Zero-hour and fixed-term contracts cannot apply.
NWO: co-applicants from other organisations
A Dutch co-applicant from an organisation outside the list is assessed by NWO beforehand; for the full proposal, its documents are due at water4all@nwo.nl by 9 March 2027, 14:00 CET.
NWO: one project per researcher
A researcher requests NWO funding for one project of the call only, as main applicant or co-applicant.
NWO: budget
At most EUR 400,000 per proposal from NWO. At least one postdoc (12 months, 0.5 FTE); materials up to 25%; knowledge utilisation mandatory, up to 20%; project management up to 5%; research leave up to 10%. No PhD positions, no overhead. NWO does not fund the Early Career Researchers modality.
Partners from countries not participating in the call
They may join only as partners, never as coordinator, at their own expense, and must demonstrate that they will achieve their tasks; the commitment of these partners (formal signed letter of availability of funds) must be provided with the full proposal. The JRC can participate as a partner at its own expense and does not count towards the three funded partners.
International institutions
International institutions, e.g. UN institutions, need to investigate their respective national eligibility guidelines and make sure they can fulfil the duties of funded projects, such as signing the consortium agreement.
NWO: part-time and ending contracts
Applicants with a part-time appointment must ensure adequate supervision of the project and all project members; if the applicant's tenure-track contract or tenure ends before the end of the project, the proposal must include a statement from the employer guaranteeing adequate supervision for the full duration.
NWO: grant rules
The NWO Grant Rules 2024 and the European legislation on state aid apply; knowledge utilisation activities must fit the EU definition of knowledge transfer activities.
A pre-proposal is mandatory; it is not possible to enter the procedure at a later stage. Only consortia invited after Step 1 submit a full proposal. Submission via the Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS), by the coordinator; partners create an account and accept the invitation themselves (the EPSS sends no invitation email). Some funding organisations also require a national application or documents.
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| 8 September 2026 | Call publication, Step 1 opening |
| 13 October 2026, 14:00 CET | NWO: documents of Dutch co-applicant organisations outside the eligible list (pre-proposal) |
| 10 November 2026, 15:00 CET | Pre-proposal deadline |
| 9 February 2027 | Step 1 results; Step 2 opens for invited consortia |
| 9 to 23 February 2027 | Requests for redress (Step 1) |
| 9 March 2027, 14:00 CET | NWO: documents of new Dutch co-applicant organisations (full proposal) |
| 6 April 2027, 15:00 CEST | Full proposal deadline (to be confirmed after Step 1); NWO budget form due the same day |
| September 2027 | Step 2 results, ethical clearance, redress |
| End 2027 / Q1 2028 | Project start (no later than 31 March 2028) |
Step 1: eligibility checks, then three panel members score Excellence and Impact; pre-proposals scoring at least 3/5 on each are ranked into groups A (all invited), B (invited by ranking, representativeness of funders, ECR participation and funding ratios) and C (dismissed). Step 2: three panel members score Excellence, Impact and Implementation; ranking lists, possibly per modality or per topic; the Call Steering Committee follows the ranking until funds are exhausted, and each funder then signs its national grants. Between the steps, a widening option and a fallback procedure may add or replace a partner.
Contacts: Call Secretariat (PTKA) water4all.call@ptka.kit.edu; EPSS helpdesk epss.water4all@g.etag.ee; NWO water4all@nwo.nl.
The information given in the pre-proposal is binding. A minor budget change must be submitted to the funding organisation for approval, and a request for change of partner (addition, removal or replacement) must be submitted to the Call Secretariat, at least one week before the full proposal deadline; both are subject to approval by all funders involved. At most 2 partner changes for proposals with more than 5 partners, 1 for proposals with 5 or fewer; no change of coordinator except force majeure. Adding a partner from an underrepresented funder (widening option) or removing one from an oversubscribed funder (fallback procedure) does not count.
Within 14 calendar days of the outcome email, the coordinator may send one request to redress per proposal to redress_water4all@agencerecherche.fr and the Call Secretariat, addressed to the Water4All Vice-Chair, with the call name, proposal number, title and the alleged procedural shortcoming. It covers procedure only, never the experts' scientific judgement.
Scores from 0 to 5 per criterion (0 Limited, 1 Poor, 2 Fair, 3 Good, 4 Very good, 5 Excellent); half marks only at Step 1. Threshold 3/5 per criterion; at Step 2 the overall threshold is 10/15. Each proposal is reviewed by three panel members; a rapporteur presents it and the panel agrees a consensus report.
| Criterion | Sub-criteria |
|---|---|
| Excellence (Step 1 and 2) | 1.1 Clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives to the Water4All 2026 JTC topics, and the extent to which the proposed work is ambitious and goes beyond the state of the art. 1.2 Soundness of the proposed methodology (overall methodology at Step 1), including the underlying concepts, models, assumptions, inter-disciplinary approaches, appropriate consideration of the gender dimension in research and innovation content, and the quality of open science practices, including sharing and management of research outputs and engagement of citizens, civil society and end-users where appropriate. |
| Impact (Step 1 and 2) | 2.1 Credibility of the pathways to achieve the expected outcomes and impacts specified in the work programme, and the likely scale and significance of the contributions from the project. 2.2 Suitability and quality of the measures to maximise expected outcomes and impacts, as set out in the dissemination and exploitation plan, including communication activities. |
| Quality and efficiency of implementation (Step 2 only) | 3.1 Quality and effectiveness of the work plan, assessment of risks, and appropriateness of the effort assigned to work packages, and the resources overall. 3.2 Capacity and role of each participant, and the extent to which the consortium as a whole brings together the necessary expertise. |
Panel members score proposals as submitted, not on their potential. When an EP member identifies substantial shortcomings and weaknesses, he/she must reflect this by awarding a lower score for the criterion concerned. There should be consistency between the numerical scores and written comments. The decisions of the EP should be taken collectively, preferably by consensus or by simple majority of the panel members. Ties are broken uniformly by principles such as maximising funded projects and countries, ECR priority and topic balance. Gender balance of teams is not a criterion. Letters of support are not considered.
About EUR 34.2 million from 32 funding organisations of 30 countries with the support of the European Commission (EUR 7.49 million). Each funder pays its own national partners under its own rules; there is no ceiling per proposal at call level, only the national limits. NWO (Netherlands) commits EUR 2,000,000 for 4 to 5 projects, with at most EUR 400,000 per proposal. NWO modules: personnel (at least one postdoc of at least 12 months at 0.5 FTE with a EUR 5,000 bench fee; non-scientific staff; research leave up to 10% of the grant; HOT rates for universities of applied sciences, TO2 and other organisations), materials up to 25% (of which up to 50% for third-party work), knowledge utilisation mandatory up to 20%, project management up to 5% (at most EUR 121 per hour). No PhD positions (3-year projects), no overhead; personnel costs may be indexed once at award.
Collaboration with relevant Horizon Europe projects and EU Missions is encouraged; proposals should identify and cooperate with ongoing research funded by other programmes. Results of Water JPI, Water4All, Biodiversa+ (e.g. BiodivNBS Call 2023-2024), PRIMA and JPI AMR projects can be built on, without duplication. Researchers of funded projects join the Water4All Knowledge Hub (policy briefs, foresight exercises, joint publications, online events, input to the SRIA update). A Water4All partner search tool helps build consortia.
No work plan is imposed. Projects last 36 months. The communication and dissemination work package includes the Water4All Knowledge Hub activities with dedicated personnel costs (at least two person-months) and at least one project ambassador. Stakeholder interaction is integrated into the project rather than set apart in a separate work package. Funded projects take part in three Water4All events (kick-off spring 2028, mid-term autumn 2029, final spring 2031), deliver a mid-term and a final report to the Call Steering Committee, and report nationally to each funder. The financial plan must be coherent with the work plan: unjustified funding requests may lower the score.
Intellectual property is regulated in the consortium agreement signed by funded consortia; national rules apply, and for NWO the NWO Grant Rules 2024 and EU state aid rules. Open access opt-out may be used for IPR reasons.
Highest ethical standards and applicable EU, international and national law; applicants describe ethical aspects and complete the ethics self-assessment (Y/N questionnaire covering embryos, humans, cells, personal data, animals, non-EU countries, environment, health and safety, artificial intelligence), with a detailed self-assessment at full proposal stage; approvals are needed before ethics-sensitive tasks start. The Do No Significant Harm principle applies, with a DNSH assessment against the six environmental objectives. Proposals and evaluations are confidential; panel members sign confidentiality and conflict-of-interest declarations.
Green or Gold open access for all scientific publications; deposit of a machine-readable copy in a repository at the latest on publication, with access to bibliographic metadata and to the tools needed to validate conclusions. Opt-out possible for confidentiality, personal data or other legitimate reasons, covered by the consortium agreement. A data management plan within the first six months (Horizon Europe MGA art. 17), FAIR contact points, and metadata on all resources generated. NWO: open access publication costs can be budgeted under its open access policy.
Multi-actor: stakeholders as partners are encouraged but not required; engagement of end users, policy actors, water managers, industry and civil society throughout the project is expected. Interdisciplinarity: expected where it helps to define problems and deliver solutions, assessed under Excellence. Transdisciplinarity: co-design with policymakers, water managers and end users, explicit in Topics 1.3 and 4.1. SSH: socio-economic and participatory aspects are a cross-cutting consideration, central to Topics 2.3 and 4.
Each funder awards a national grant under its own terms after the transnational recommendation; partners contact their national contact point to start negotiation, and the coordinator synchronises the project start. A consortium agreement is signed before the project starts (support: DESCA); NWO makes it a condition for the start. Dutch decisions can be challenged within six weeks under the General Administrative Law Act.
Mid-term and final reports to the Call Steering Committee on common templates, plus deliverables to monitor progress, in addition to national reporting (NWO: financial and scientific reports). Projects take part in the Water4All kick-off, mid-term and final events and in the Knowledge Hub.
Grouped by topics addressed — a proposal targets one branch.
1.1 Advanced Monitoring Technologies and Data Interoperability
1.2 Data Integration, Analysis, and Modelling
1.3 Assessment Frameworks, Decision Support, and Socio-Economic Dimensions
2.1 Nature-Based Approaches and Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) for Sustainable Groundwater Management
2.2 River-Basin Restoration to Enhance Water Resilience at Catchment Scale
2.3 Economic Valuation and Stakeholder Engagement models for Nature-Based Groundwater and River-Basin Management
3.1 Digital and Risk-informed Water Infrastructures
3.2 Modernisation and Adaptive Asset Management of Ageing Infrastructures
3.3 Integrated and Hybrid Infrastructures for Basin-scale Management
4.1 Systemic Approaches for Social, Economic and Environmental Resilience
4.2 Policy Coherence and Inclusive Governance for All
Improved assessment and forecasting of water quantity and quality, groundwater dynamics and related risks across the water cycle
Increased adoption of integrated water management approaches that account for multiple pressures, cross-sector interactions, and spatial and temporal scales
Development and implementation of nature-based solutions, including their integration with technological and hybrid approaches
Enhanced affordability, effectiveness and adaptability of both existing and future water infrastructures
Strengthened governance and policy frameworks that support coordination across sectors and administrative levels in water allocation and management
Project results that support the implementation of European and international water-related policy frameworks
Improved understanding of water systems and stronger decision-support capacity
Improved resilience of water systems and water-dependent sectors, and increased long-term water availability
More effective responses to current and emerging water management challenges
Enhanced protection of water resources and dependent ecosystems and stronger preparedness for long-term pressures on water systems
Improved water security, more efficient use of public and private resources, and reduced risks and costs of water stress and poor water management
Water Framework Directive and its daughter directives on groundwater and on environmental quality standards for surface water
highEU Water Resilience Strategy
highNature Restoration Regulation
highWater4All Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA)
highEuropean Green Deal
mediumZero Pollution Action Plan
mediumEU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
mediumUrban Wastewater Treatment Directive
mediumWater Reuse Regulation
mediumUN Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 6 first
mediumJust Transition Mechanism
lowTalk to the Grant Coach to build your concept. There is no set order: start wherever your project starts. The sections below mirror what the conversation produces, and your coverage tracks the progress. You can refine everything once your project workspace is created.
The branch you're building for — it shapes what the call expects of you, and what your coverage is measured against.
The call requires you to pick or distribute several structuring elements before submission. These are locked at proposal creation time and drive the project backbone. Read-only here.
water4all-2026-topics
Topic 1: Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Sustainable Water Management
Topic 2: Nature-Based Approaches for Resilient Water Management at Hydrological and Hydrogeological System Scale
Topic 3: Smart, Secure and Adaptive Water Infrastructures for Sustainable Water Management
Topic 4: Resilient Water Systems Through Systemic Change, Policy Coherence and Inclusive Governance
water4all-2026-main-topic
Topic 1: Integrated Monitoring and Assessment for Sustainable Water Management
Topic 2: Nature-Based Approaches for Resilient Water Management at Hydrological and Hydrogeological System Scale
Topic 3: Smart, Secure and Adaptive Water Infrastructures for Sustainable Water Management
Topic 4: Resilient Water Systems Through Systemic Change, Policy Coherence and Inclusive Governance
water4all-2026-modality
Joint Transnational Call (regular modality)
Early Career Researchers modality
Fully managed by GrantForge
Click Create proposal above to start writing this form inside GrantForge. The structure below is what we generate for you.
Pre-proposal (Step 1, closed): online forms in the EPSS (project data, partners, budget per partner, summary of 500 to 4000 characters with general objectives, scientific and/or technological aims and relevance to the call, topic and subtopic percentages, disciplines, Knowledge Hub ambassador, optional exclusion or suggestion of reviewers, ethics self-assessment and DNSH assessment) and a project description of at most 7 pages including title and citations, Arial 11, single spaced, margins of 1.27 cm, no links, uploaded as one PDF: a) state of the art, own work and previous activities of the consortium; b) objectives; c) relevance to the call; d) concept and methods; e) novelty compared with the state of the art; f) expected results and how they lead to impact; g) transnational added value; h) work plan; i) exploitation and dissemination, including open science, sharing and management of research outputs and engagement of citizens, civil society and end users. Pages beyond 7 are removed.
Full proposal (Step 2): a more extensive project description, uploaded as a single PDF; pre-proposal data are imported automatically. The full proposal template is announced on the call page but not yet published (expected at the opening of Step 2, 9 February 2027).
Administrative data are entered directly in the EPSS: project acronym (20 characters) and title (150 characters), keywords, start date (between 1 December 2027 and 31 March 2028), modality, then for each partner the principal investigator (status, career stage, employment), the organisation (legal name, PIC, type, SME status, NACE code, address), other team members with ORCID and career stage, and a short CV of each PI (education, positions, up to 5 achievements of 2021-2026, awards, expertise). Every partner, including self-funded and subcontracted partners, needs a PIC.
Each partner fills a budget table in the EPSS: total cost and funding requested per category (personnel, equipment, consumables, subcontracting, travel, other, overhead), own funding computed automatically, person-months and a justification of up to 1000 characters; self-funded partners give their total cost and how it is funded. Dutch applicants: the NWO budget template is recommended at pre-proposal stage and the NWO budget form is mandatory at the full proposal deadline (to water4all@nwo.nl).
Canonical EU Funding & Tenders Portal page for this call.
https://www.nwo.nl/en/calls/partnership-water4all-sustainable-water-management
Institutional / marketing website of the parent programme.
https://www.water4all-partnership.eu/joint-activities/water4all-2026-joint-transnational-call
Where you submit your proposal (F6S, opencalls.fund, EPSS, MS Forms…).
https://epss.proposals.ee/water4all/2026
Official documents pack (applicant guide, templates, annexes).
https://www.water4all-partnership.eu/joint-activities/water4all-2026-joint-transnational-call