
Do you have a great idea to tackle a common challenge in the North Sea region? Do you have a team ready that can hit the ground running?
Then we invite you to join the third call in the 2021-2027 North Sea Programme.
In the first two calls, interest for funding has been especially intense. Due to limited remaining funds, not all categories are open.
The programme welcomes the following applications:
- Full applications in all four priorities. Full applications must be based on approved expressions of interest or a rejected full application submitted in Calls 1 or 2.
- Expressions of interest in priority 1.
- Small-scale projects for priorities 1, 3 and 4.
The infographic below gives an overview of the project types you can submit in the four priorities of the programme.

If you have been contemplating applying in a priority that is now closed, it might be worth considering how your project idea might fit under another priority or as a small-scale project. Feel free to get in touch with us to discuss these options.
Organisations based in the North Sea Region may apply.
In special cases, partners can be located outside of the region, providing they are based in one of the six EU member states that participate in the programme (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Sweden). More information on this is available here.
Partners from Norway
Projects planning to submit an expression of interest in Call 3 in priority 1 can include partners from Norway. There will be some limited funding in Call 4 for Norwegian partners to join full applications. Norwegian funding is restricted to EUR 200,000 per project. This means that if there is more than one Norwegian partner in the partnership, they must split the EUR 200,000 Norwegian funding (EUR 400,000 total budget) amongst themselves.
Please note that Norwegian funding is not available for small-scale project applications or for full applications in Call 3
We have set out four priorities including 10 specific objectives. Your proposal must address one of the specific objectives.
To get started read the guidance note of Call 3. In this document the most important rules and requirements for this call are described.
Types of project: The difference between small-scale and regular projects.
Steps to apply: An easy step by step guide on the application process.
Guidance by stage: Tailored guidance for each type of application.
Partner search: Our platform dedicated to posting project ideas and finding partners.
A Get Ready! event took place in February to prepare for Call 3. The presentations of the event are a great source of information to prepare for Call 3.
All material of the day can be found here.
A summary of the event with key takeaways can be found here.
We highly encourage you to discuss your project idea with us and schedule a consultation to help you with your idea and learn what is important to a successful application.
Reaching out to your National Contact Point is always a good idea. They are ready to help with any questions you might have.
You are also welcome to contact our Project Advisors.