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CORDIS

Center of Excellence in Nature-Based Solutions and Technologies for Protected Areas

Objective

The main goal of the project CENNA is to establish a new Centre of Excellence for Smart Environmental Monitoring and Nature-Based Solutions for Protected Areas (CoE CENNA) that will strengthen Montenegro's capacity for sustainable environmental management in strategic partnership with the University of Antwerp and Aarhus University.
CENNA will enhance Montenegrin R&I excellence in three key areas: (i) Smart environmental monitoring technologies, (ii) Nature-based solutions, and (iii) Environmental data science and predictive analytics. It will address critical challenges in protected area management, such as sustainable sensor network design, low-power communication, energy harvesting, multi-sensor fusion, autonomous vehicle coordination, AI-driven environmental analytics, and adaptive ecosystem restoration, with a focus on scalable nature-based solutions like bioengineered wetlands to improve water quality and ecosystem resilience. Flagship pilot projects at Skadar Lake and Durmitor National Park will serve as test environments for developing and improving environment monitoring systems, and strengthening biodiversity protection and ecosystem health.
CoE CENNA will engage national stakeholders to ensure policy alignment and implementation support, with the National Parks of Montenegro facilitating field testing and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation supporting research alignment with national priorities. Sustainability is ensured through strategic measures focused on knowledge transfer, securing competitive funding, and creating added value for environmental management, backed by 15 MEUR in complementary funding and strong support from governmental organizations, industry, and research institutions.

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-ACCESS-01

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Coordinator

JAVNA USTANOVA UNIVERZITET CRNE GORE PODGORICA
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 12 514 052,50
Address
CETINJSKA 2
81000 Podgorica
Montenegro

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Region
Црна Гора Црна Гора Црна Гора
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 12 514 052,50

Participants (4)