Community-led Restoration of the Danube basin and the Black Sea region (SoS2LearnDBS)

SoS2LearnDBS strives for community-led restoration of oceans, seas, and waters, by applying a comprehensive, multi-pillar approach to the Danube River basin and Black Sea region. Through enhancing water literacy and community engagement through cooperative learning and capacity-building programs, the project will empower local stakeholders to implement innovative solutions across multiple areas, including technological, nature-based, social, cultural, regulatory, financial, and governance approaches.

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum, as a project partner, centrally supported the coordinator INOVA+ with its extensive experience within the EU Mission Ocean and Waters during the project’s conception and proposal submission. In addition to planning communication and IP activities, SEZ leads the work package for integration with EU initiatives for the restoration of oceans, seas, and waters during project implementation, ensuring complementarity and the utilization of previous project results within the Mission.

SoS2LearnDBS will support communities of actors through cascade funding and technical support will be provided to communities of actors, emphasizing practical skills, resource access, and social innovation to ensure sustainable and scalable restoration efforts to make a clear contribution to the Mission Ocean objectives.  

As a project partner, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum supports:

• Lead of Integration with EU Initiatives for Oceans, Seas and Waters restoration
• Formation of a cross-basin learning platform of community-led actions contributing to the Mission Ocean objectives
• effective collaboration with the Mission Lighthouses projects and other EU-Funded Research and Innovation Projects
• Quality assurance and risk management
• Supporting Communication & Dissemination
• IPR Management

Further Information:

• Project Acronym: SoS2LearnDBS (Source to Sea: Leveraging community knowledge and action for restoring the Danube River basin and the Black Sea region)
• Funding: HORIZON EUROPE
• Total project funding for all partners: 12.499.525,00 €
• Participating countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Portugal (Coordinator), Romania, Serbia, Spain
• Project duration: 09/2025 - 08/2029