Calling for zero-emission waterborne transport technologies
The EU-funded MarLEN(opens in new window) project recently issued its first transnational call(opens in new window) for projects supporting the decarbonisation of maritime and inland waterway transport. The call offers researchers and innovators the opportunity to secure funding that will help propel their work from early-stage research and development to market deployment. Launched at the start of 2025, MarLEN has brought together 13 ministries and funding organisations from nine European countries to support research and innovation in waterborne technologies with zero emissions as the goal. The project is working to strengthen European research in this field by coordinating and developing synergies between national and regional maritime and inland waterway research programmes and policies in line with the aims of the EU’s Zero Emission Waterborne Transport partnership(opens in new window) (ZEWT).
Who can apply
The call is part of MarLEN’s efforts to promote knowledge exchange and collaboration across countries and support joint actions spanning the entire innovation chain, from research to market. A related news item(opens in new window) notes the call is open to applicants from the nine MarLEN participating countries: Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Applicants from countries that are not partners in the MarLEN consortium are welcome to participate in the call, provided they can secure national funding and consortium approval. Projects must involve at least two independent legal entities from at least two different countries, with industry participation required. SME involvement is strongly encouraged. Consortia should include ports and shipping operators on relevant routes on which the proposed solutions can be implemented.
What topics are funded
The projects’ research and development should be original and innovative, and it must align with ZEWT objectives, focusing on fuels and technologies that will enable the early adoption of promising long-term solutions for today’s polluting waterborne transport sector. Projects should cover technological innovations in the following fields: sustainable alternative fuels; electrification; energy efficiency, design and retrofitting; digital green tech; and ports and related infrastructure. The first call focuses on three main priority areas, namely early concepts and industrial research, experimental development and innovation, and end-user involvement and demonstration. Maximum project duration is up to 36 months, and funding is dependent on national rules and availability. The project’s call announcement, specific application rules for Turkish applicants, and national guidelines and regulations for Norwegian applicants can be all be accessed through this link(opens in new window). Consortia interested in participating in the call must apply by 30 September 2025. The first MarLEN call will help to deepen, broaden and strengthen existing transnational cooperation, consolidating it in a way that it becomes self-sustaining. It will also boost transnational research covering the entire innovation chain, identifying and responding to current research gaps. Ultimately, it will enhance the competitiveness of the European research community in the field of maritime technologies and play a role in ushering the European maritime industry into a zero-emission future. The MarLEN (Maritime Low Emission Network) project ends in 2029. For more information, please see: MarLEN project website(opens in new window)
