The EMFF scheme in England will be opened for applications on a phased basis. The first phase opens over €33m of the €46m available budget and will provide funding for:
assisting the fisheries sectors with the implementation of the reformed CFP including the Landing Obligation
improving health and safety on fishing vessels
improving the added value or quality of fish caught including use of unwanted catches
investments in fishing ports, landing sites, auction halls and shelters
processing of fishery and aquaculture products
investments in aquaculture
Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAG)
You can apply for funds to support the fishing and maritime sectors under the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
EMFF follows the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) and will run until 2020 or until all available money has been allocated. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) will accept applications for EMFF funding from early 2016, but you can learn all about the scheme and prepare your application now.
About the EMFF
The EMFF is a European funding scheme which will support fisheries, inland waters, aquaculture and maritime sectors. The fund provides support for sustainable development within the fishing and aquaculture sectors and conservation of the marine environment, alongside growth and jobs in coastal communities. The purpose of the scheme is to provide European Member States with a financial support mechanism to the fisheries, inland waters, aquaculture and maritime sectors. The scheme will help reach economic, environmental and social goals and will enable European Member States to:
help fishermen in the transition to sustainable fishing
support coastal communities in diversifying their economies
finance projects that create new jobs and improve quality of life along European coasts
make it easier for applicants to access financing
The UK has €243 million (around £190 million) of the programme which is split between England (€92.1 million), Scotland (€107.7 million) Northern Ireland (€23.5 million) and Wales (€19.7 million).
EMFF priorities
The aims of the EMFF are structured around 6 priorities, each with several specific objectives. All of these are supported by specific measures.
Promoting sustainable, resource efficient, innovative, competitive and knowledge based fisheries
EMFF support under this priority will focus on innovation and added value that can make the fisheries sector economically viable and resilient to external shocks and to competition from countries not in the European Union. This will promote environmentally sustainable, resource efficient, competitive fisheries which are more selective, produce less discards, and do less damage to marine ecosystems. Projects that fall under this priority could be for:
research and innovation in new technologies that increase the selectivity of gear
energy efficiency improvements to fish processing technology
restoration of marine ecosystems
Fostering sustainable, resource efficient, innovative, competitive and knowledge based aquaculture
Aims to ensure the aquaculture sector is environmentally sustainable, resource efficient and competitive, and help such businesses to become green, economically viable and competitive, while providing EU consumers with healthy and highly nutritional products. Projects that fall under this priority could be for:
investment in technology which improves aquaculture potential
sharing best practice on sustainable aquaculture
Fostering the implementation of the CFP
Supports the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) through the collection and management of data to improve scientific knowledge. This also supports the monitoring, control and enforcement of fisheries legislations.
Increasing employment and territorial cohesion
Aims to increase employment and promote of economic growth and social inclusion in coastal and inland communities depending on fishing. Projects that fall under this priority could be for:
implementing community-led local development strategies though Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs)
Fostering marketing and processing
Aims to improve market organisation for fishery and aquaculture products, processing and marketing sectors. Projects that fall under this priority could be for:
setting up Producer Organisations
organising certification schemes to increase the value of catches
investment in technology to increase opportunities to use by-catch
Fostering the implementation of the Integrated Maritime Policy
The Integrated Maritime Policy is a European policy which aims to provide a more coherent approach to maritime issues. It focuses on issues that do not fall under other sector-based policies and where coordination of different sectors is required.Projects that fall under this priority could be for:
increased international cooperation in areas that support the overall aims of the policy
What EMFF funds can support
The fund provides support for sustainable development within the fishing and aquaculture sectors and conservation of the marine environment, alongside growth and jobs in coastal communities in the UK.
You can apply for funding for things like:
investments on board fishing vessels
gear replacements
improvements to shore-based facilities
advisory services, partnerships, training and innovation
investments in fisheries management and seafood processing
investments in aquaculture, animal health and inland fishing
Details on eligibility criteria can be found in the guidance documents on our applying for EMFF funding page.
Later in 2016, you will be able to view and download a list of projects that have already been offered EMFF funds.
If you work in the fishing industry, you can apply for an EMFF grant to fund sustainable development and support growth and jobs in EU coastal communities.
The following organisations run the scheme:
Marine Management Organisation (MMO) – In England
Marine Scotland – In Scotland
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Northern Ireland (DARDNI) - in Northern Ireland
Welsh government – in Wales
Expression of interest form
You can use the expression of interest form if you would like an initial assessment of the potential eligibility of your project before submitting a full application form. Any advice you receive on an expression of interest is only an indication of potential eligibility and is not a guarantee of funding. No offers of funding will be made until after a full application has been submitted, assessed by MMO and approved and you have received an offer letter.
Expressions of interest guidance note
(PDF, 128KB, 9 pages)
Expressions of interest form
(MS Word Document, 141KB)
Funding you can apply for
To apply, you need to propose a project. There are 6 grant areas you can apply for.
Each grant has its own application form - you can also read instructions on how to fill out the application form.
Fishing vessel energy improvements
Investments on board vessels
Shore-based improvements
Partnerships, information sharing, advisory services, job creation and training
The marine environment and inland fishing
Support for Aquaculture, Processing and Marketing
Activities you can apply to fund
You can apply for funding to:
improve the energy efficiency of your gear or vessel
expand your business into new markets and find new ways of increasing productivity and throughput
improve health and safety
boost the value and quality of your product and including ways to use unwanted catch
improve fishing ports, landing sites, auction halls and shelters
try innovations in fisheries, the maritime sector and aquaculture
marketing measures
process fishery and aquaculture products
start a partnership between scientists and fishermen
create jobs in the fishing or aquaculture sectors
create social dialogue,
create support for the systems of allocation of fishing opportunities
production and marketing plans
implement conservation measures and regional co-operation
limit the impact of fishing on the marine environment and adapt fishing methods to protect species
innovation that could conserve marine biological resources protect and restore marine biodiversity and ecosystems and inland waterways for migratory species
investments in aquaculture
projects that promote human capital and networking in aquaculture
Contact the MMO if you’re unsure whether the activity you want to fund is eligible.
Activities you can’t apply to fund
You won’t get an EMFF grant to:
increase the fishing capacity of your vessel or increase the ability of your vessel to find fish
increase the capacity of fish holds
build fishing vessels or import them
stop fishing activities temporarily or permanently, unless otherwise provided for in the EMFF regulations carry out exploratory fishing
transfer ownership of a business
fund direct restocking unless explicitly provided for as a conservation measure by a European Union legal act or in the case of experimental restocking
fund the purchase of inland fishing vessels.
fund the construction of lobster hatcheries.
Contact the MMO if you’re unsure whether your project is eligible or ineligible.
Who can apply
You can usually apply for the scheme if you’re at least one of the following, but you should read the guidance for each individual grant:
the owner of an EU or UK registered fishing vessel and you commercially fish from a port based in England
fisherwoman, spouses or legal partners
a producer organisation a public or semi-public organisation
an aquaculture organisation
an organisation of fishermen or fisherwomen
involved in production, processing, marketing, distribution or retail of fisheries and aquaculture products
non-governmental organisations
an association, including new aquaculture farmers or
universities and research institutes
small, micro and medium-sized businesses
scientific organisations working in the maritime sectors
Micro, small and medium-sized businesses
You can also apply for funding if you represent a small, micro or medium-sized business, ie a business which:
employs fewer than 250 people
has a turnover of less than £34,525,001 or a balance sheet total of less than £36,596,502
Contact the MMO if you’re unsure if your company qualifies.
Who can’t apply
You can’t apply for an EMFF grant if you’ve been convicted of an offence that the MMO or European Union considers to be a ‘serious infringement’ or fraud.
a fraud conviction – excludes you from applying to the EMFF scheme
a serious infringement conviction – excludes you from applying in the 12 months following your conviction, this may be longer depending of the severity of the infringement.
If you think this applies to you please read the Guidance on Inadmissibility and fraud for further information on the effect infringements have on your eligibility for funding.
How much is available
The amount of money you can apply for and receive depends on the type of project you are applying for.
A total of around €92 million from the European Union is available to the MMO to be used for projects under the EMFF until 2020. You can learn more about the EMFF about how this money will be allocated between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and according to the European Commission’s priorities for the fund.
How to apply for a funding
You need to read the guidance documents relevant to your project and fill out an application form on the in order to get funds. Not all projects will be successful in getting funds as the scheme is competitive. Once you submit your application to us, we will consider whether to approve it or not. You can read more about the application process on the apply for a funding page.
What happens after you receive your EMFF funds
Once you have started working on your project, you will need to send us reports to show what progress you are making. You can see how often you need to send us these reports in your offer letter. We may also contact you additionally to receive further information about your project.
How to make a claim
If your application for EMFF funding is approved you will receive an offer of EMFF funding letter. You will then have to carry out your project and claim your EMFF funds. Your funding offer letter will explain how to do this. You will only be able to reclaim funds once you have paid for the items outlined in your offer letter. You can make interim claims if this is agreed.
Information about recipients of EMFF funding
The European Commission requires that information about each project which has been funded under the EMFF is published; this is called the transparency initiative.
Transparency initiative
(CSV, 884Bytes)
By accepting an offer of EMFF funds high level details of your project and the funds offered will be included on this list. Every six months, this website will be updated with a list of all projects which have been offered funding. The following information will be published about each project:
name of the recipient of the funds
community fleet register identification number (if the project is linked to a fishing vessel)
name of the project
brief summary describing the project
start and expected completion date for the project
total of eligible costs and how this is funded (for example from EMFF funds or national match funds)
total size of the funds awarded and how the funding is made up (for example from EMFF funds or national match funds)
post code and country that the project is based in
union priority the project is related to
Contact us
European Grants Team
Marine Management Organisation
West Wing
Lancaster House
Hampshire Court
Newcastle Business Park
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE4 7YH
Telephone: 0208 026 5539
Fax: 0191 376 2681
Email: emff.queries@marinemanagement.org.uk
Further information
You can read more about the EMFF on the European Commission’s website.