What is PCP-WISE?
PCP WISE is a Pre-commercial Procurement (PCP) action funded by the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Programme and selected under the call HORIZON-CL6-2024-GOVERNANCE-01-5. PCP WISE plays a key role in advancing the European Green Deal’s objectives by enhancing
the use of Environmental Observation (EO), data and products. The project starts in January 2025 and runs for 36 months. PCP WISE has an allocated budget of €19 million, including €12 million for financing the R&D phases of the PCP.
PCP-WISE is an innovative project aimed at developing cutting-edge solutions (up to TRL 8) for water management and climate resilience across Europe using the Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) instrument. By leveraging space technology and Environmental observation data, PCP-WISE seeks to address critical challenges related to floods, fires, and infrastructure impacts both in rural an urban areas. This collaborative effort brings together public buyers, research institutions, and industry experts to create and implement advanced climate services that will enhance Europe’s ability to adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change.
What is the context behind the project?
The PCP WISE project builds on the activities, documents, case studies, tools and achievements of PROTECT project, a Horizon Europe coordination and support action (CSA). Notably, PROTECT established a community of over 200 public buyers and suppliers, who are key target stakeholders in the implementation of the PCP WISE project.
The PCP WISE initiative builds upon the outcomes, shared challenges, and synergies identified by the PROTECT. Focused on five key application domains —marine and coastal environments, energy and utilities, sustainable urban communities, agriculture and forestry, and civil security protection — PROTECT highlighted the necessity for new solutions to tackle complex challenges like floods, fires, and resilient infrastructure. PCP WISE refines this approach by addressing one overarching challenge, water, through the exploration of 22 use cases across diverse settings, including rural and urban areas, as well as fast and slow-onset crises. Its goal is to tackle large-scale issues with broad European applicability while ensuring scalable, practical solutions that benefit public buyers and multiple regions.
What is Pre-Commercial Procurement?
Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) challenges industry from the demand side to develop innovative solutions for public sector’s needs. PCP is a public procurement process that allows public procurers to test and procure innovative solutions that are not yet available on the market.
To do so, public procurers buy R&D services from several market suppliers and technology vendors in parallel to steer the development of solutions tailored to the public sector’s needs. Public procurers compare alternative potential solution approaches and filter out the best possible solutions that can be delivered to address procurers’ needs. The end result including the intellectual property rights remain with the contractors.
What are the objectives of PCP-WISE?
What are the expected impacts on PCP-WISE?
How is the project organised?
PCP WISE is organised around 5 Work Packages (WPs) to structure tasks, responsibilities and deliverables. The work plan of PCP WISE is detailed below:
What is the timeline of the project?
Who is driving the project?
PCP WISE brings together
26 partners
Including 12 public buyers
14 technical and support partners
coming from 9 EU countries
Project coordinator: Barrabés
Lead buyer: hetWaterschapshuis
How to engage in the PCP-WISE Climate Resilient Journey?
A vital component of PCP WISE is its commitment to stakeholder engagement. Building on the network established by PROTECT, the project will involve new beneficiaries. A Stakeholder Observatory Group will be established to provide continuous feedback and ensure solutions meet market needs; therefore we invite all interested parties to join us!