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  1. An institution, body, office or agency established by or based on the Treaty on European Union and the Treaties establishing the European Communities.

    All education and training facilities for people of different age groups.

    An intergovernmental organization having legal personality under public international law or a specialized agency established by such an international organization. An international organization, the majority of whose members are Member States or Associated Countries and whose main objective is to promote scientific and technological cooperation in Europe, is an International Organization of European Interest.

    A person with legal rights and obligations. Unlike a legal entity, a natural person does not have a legal act (e.g. association, limited liability company, etc.).

    An NPO is an institution or organization which, by virtue of its legal form, is not profit-oriented or which is required by law not to distribute profits to its shareholders or individual members. An NGO is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that does not represent business interests. Pursues a common purpose for the benefit of society.

    A partnership, corporation, person, or agency that is for-profit and not operated by the government.

    Any government or other public administration, including public advisory bodies, at the national, regional or local level.

    A research institution is a legal entity established as a non-profit organization whose main objective is to conduct research or technological development. A college/university is a legal entity recognized by its national education system as a university or college or secondary school. It may be a public or private institution.

    A microenterprise, a small or medium-sized enterprise (business) as defined in EU Recommendation 2003/361. To qualify as an SME for EU funding, an enterprise must meet certain conditions, including (a) fewer than 250 employees and (b) an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million. These ceilings apply only to the figures for individual companies.

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  1. Administration & Governance, Institutional Capacity & Cooperation 

    This topic focuses on strengthening governance, fostering institutional capacity, and enhancing cross-border cooperation. It includes promoting multilevel, transnational, and cross-border governance by designing and testing effective structures and mechanisms, as well as encouraging collaboration between public institutions on various themes. 

    Innovation capacity and awareness are also key, with actions aimed at increasing the ability of individuals and organizations to adopt and apply innovative practices. This involves empowering innovation networks and stimulating innovation across different sectors. 

    Institutional cooperation and network-building play a crucial role, supporting long-term partnerships to improve administrative processes, share regional knowledge, and promote intercultural understanding. This also includes cooperation between universities, healthcare facilities, schools, sports organizations, and efforts in management and capacity building. 

    This topic focuses on strengthening the agricultural, forestry, and fisheries sectors while ensuring sustainable development and environmental protection. It covers agricultural products (e.g., fruits, meat, olives), organic farming, horticulture, and innovative approaches to sustainable agriculture. It also addresses forest management, wood products, and the promotion of biodiversity and climate resilience in forestry practices.

    In the food sector, the focus lies on developing sustainable and resilient food chains, promoting organic food production, enhancing seafood products, and ensuring food security and safety. Projects also target the development of the agro-food industry, including innovative methods for production, processing, and distribution.

    Fisheries and animal management are essential aspects, with an emphasis on sustainable fishery practices, aquaculture, and animal health and welfare. This also includes efforts to promote responsible fishing, marine conservation, and the development of efficient resource management systems.

    Soil and air quality initiatives play a crucial role in environmental protection and public health. This includes projects aimed at combating soil and air pollution, implementing pollution management systems, and preventing soil erosion. Additionally, innovative approaches to improving air quality—both outdoors and indoors—are supported, alongside advancing knowledge and best practices in soil and air management.

    This topic focuses on protecting the environment, promoting biodiversity, and addressing the challenges of climate change and resource management. It includes efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, develop low-carbon technologies, and reduce GHG emissions. Biodiversity promotion and natural protection are key aspects. 

    It also covers improving soil and air quality by reducing pollution, managing contamination, preventing soil erosion, and enhancing air quality both outdoors and indoors. Water management plays an essential role, including sustainable water distribution, monitoring systems, innovative wastewater treatment technologies, and water reuse policies. Additionally, it addresses the protection and development of waterways, lakes, and rivers, as well as sustainable wetland management. 

    This topic focuses on preserving, promoting, and enhancing cultural and natural heritage in a sustainable way. It includes efforts to increase the attractiveness of cultural and natural sites through preservation, valorisation, and the development of heritage objects, services, and products. Cultural heritage management, arts, and culture play a key role, including maritime heritage routes, access to cultural sites, and cultural services like festivals, concerts, and art workshops. 

    Tourism development is also central, with actions aimed at promoting natural assets, protecting and developing natural heritage, and increasing touristic appeal through the better use of cultural, natural, and historical heritage. It also covers the improvement of tourist services and products, the creation of ecotourism models, and the development of sustainable tourism strategies. 

    This topic focuses on the sustainable management, protection, and valorisation of natural resources and areas, such as habitats, geo parks, and protected zones. It also includes preserving and enhancing cultural and natural heritage, landscapes, and protecting marine environments. 

    Circular economy initiatives play a key role, with actions aimed at innovative waste management, ecological treatment techniques, and advanced recycling systems. Projects may focus on improving recycling technologies, organic waste recovery, and establishing repair and re-use networks. Additionally, pollution prevention and control efforts address ecological economy practices, marine litter reduction, and sustainable resource use. 

    This topic covers labour market development and employment, focusing on creating job opportunities, optimizing existing jobs, and addressing academic (un)employment and job mobility. It also includes attracting a skilled workforce and improving working conditions for various groups. 

    Strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and boosting entrepreneurship are key priorities. This includes enhancing SME capacities, supporting social entrepreneurship, and promoting innovative business models. Activities may focus on creating advisory systems for start-ups, spin-offs, and incubators, fostering business networks, and improving the competitiveness of SMEs through knowledge and technology transfer, digital transformation, and sustainable business practices. 

    This topic focuses on fostering community integration and strengthening a common identity by promoting social cohesion, positive relations, and the development of shared spaces and services. It supports initiatives that enhance intercultural understanding and cooperation between different societal groups. 

    Demographic change and migration address key societal challenges, such as an aging population, active aging, and silver economy strategies. It also includes adapting public services and infrastructure to demographic shifts, tackling social and spatial segregation, and addressing brain drain. Migration-related actions cover policy development, strategic planning, and the integration of migrants to create inclusive and resilient communities. 

    All projects where ICT has a significant role, including tailor-made ICT solutions in different fields, as well as digital innovation hubs, open data, Internet of Things; ICT access and connecting (remote) areas with digital infrastructure and services; services and applications for citizens (e-health, e-government, e-learning, e-inclusion, etc.); services and applications for companies (e-commerce, networking, digital transformation, etc.).

    This is about the mitigation and management of risks and disasters, and the anticipation and response capacity towards the actors regarding specific risks and management of natural disasters, for example, prevention of flood and drought hazards, forest fire, strong weather conditions, etc.. It is also about risk assessment and safety.

    This topic focuses on enhancing education, training, and opportunities for children, youth, and adults. It covers the expansion of educational access, reduction of barriers to education, and improvement of higher education and lifelong learning. It also includes vocational education, common learning programs, and initiatives supporting labour mobility and educational networks. Additionally, it addresses the promotion of media literacy, digital learning tools, and the development of innovative educational approaches to strengthen knowledge, skills, and societal participation. 

    This topic emphasizes the role of culture and media in education and social development. It supports initiatives that foster creativity, cultural awareness, and artistic expression among children and youth. Activities include promoting cross-border cooperation in the audiovisual sector, enhancing digital content creation skills, and boosting the distribution of educational and cultural media products. Furthermore, it encourages the development of media literacy initiatives, helping young audiences critically engage with digital and media content. By connecting education, creativity, and media, this topic strengthens cultural identity and supports inclusive, knowledge-based societies. 

    This topic covers actions aimed at improving energy efficiency and promoting the use of renewable energy sources. It includes energy management, energy-saving methods, and evaluating energy efficiency measures. Projects may focus on the energy rehabilitation and efficiency of buildings and public infrastructure, as well as promoting energy efficiency through cooperation among experienced firms, institutions, and local administrations. 

    In the field of renewable energy, this encompasses the development and expansion of wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric, geothermal, and other sustainable energy sources. Activities include increasing renewable energy production, enhancing research capacities, and developing innovative technologies for energy storage and management. Projects may also address sustainable regional bioenergy policies, financial instruments for renewable energy investments, and the establishment of cooperative frameworks for advancing renewable energy initiatives. 

    This topic focuses on promoting equal rights and strengthening social inclusion, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable groups. It covers activities enhancing the capacity and participation of children, young people, women, elderly people, and socially excluded groups. Activities can address the creation of inclusive infrastructure, improving access and opportunities for people with disabilities, and fostering social cohesion through innovative care services. It also includes initiatives supporting victims of gender-based violence, promoting human rights, and developing policies and tools for social integration and equal participation in society. 

    This area focuses on improving health and social services, enhancing accessibility and efficiency for diverse groups such as the elderly, children, and people with disabilities. It includes the development of new healthcare models, innovative medical diagnostics and treatments (e.g., dementia, cancer, diabetes), and the management of hospitals and care facilities. Additionally, activities addressing rare diseases, promoting overall wellbeing, and fostering preventive health measures fall under this theme. It also covers sports promotion, encouraging physical activity as a means to improve public health and social inclusion. 

    This area focuses on strengthening justice, safety, and security through cross-border cooperation and institutional capacity-building. It includes initiatives aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of police, fire, and rescue services, enhancing civil protection systems, and rapid response capabilities for emergencies like chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents. Activities also target the prevention and combatting of organized crime, drug-related crimes, and human trafficking, as well as ensuring secure and efficient border management. Furthermore, it covers initiatives promoting the protection of citizens, community safety, and the development of innovative security services and technologies. 

    This area focuses on the development and improvement of transport and mobility systems, covering all modes of transport, including urban mobility and public transportation. Actions aiming at improving transport connections through traffic and transport planning, rehabilitation and modernisation of infrastructure, better connectivity, and enhanced accessibility. Projects promoting multimodal transport and logistics, optimising intermodal transport chains, offering sustainable and efficient logistics solutions, and developing multimodal mobility strategies. Also, initiatives establishing cooperation among logistic centres and providing access to clean, efficient, and multimodal transport corridors and hubs. 

    Activities focusing on the sustainable development and strategic planning of urban, regional, and rural areas. This includes urban development such as city planning, urban renewal, and strengthening urban-rural links through climate adaptation, sustainable mobility, water efficiency, participatory processes, smart cities, and the regeneration of public urban spaces. Regional planning and development cover the implementation of regional policies and programmes, sustainable land use management plans, integrated regional action plans, spatial planning, and the efficient management of marine protected areas. Rural and peripheral development addresses the challenges of remote and sparsely populated areas by fostering rural community development, enhancing rural economies, improving access to remote regions, and promoting tailored policies for rural sustainability and growth. 

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Call key data

European Urban Initiative - Innovative Actions - 3rd Call

Funding Program

European Urban Initiative - Innovative Actions

Call number

EUI-IA-2023-03

deadlines

Opening
06.05.2024

Deadline
14.10.2024 14:00

Funding rate

80 %

Call budget

€ 90,000,000.00

Estimated EU contribution per project

max. € 5,000,000.00 Co-funding

Link to the call

www.urban-initiative.eu

Link to the submission

connect.urban-initiative.eu

Call content

short description

The third EUI-Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) Call for Proposals is launched now and has an allocated indicative budget of EUR 90 million ERDF. For the third Call for Proposals, applicants can submit project proposals focussing on one of the two topics: Energy transition and Technology in cities.

Call objectives

Energy Transition

Under the topic ‘Energy transition’, the EUI aims at supporting the testing of transferable and scalable innovative solutions in real-life settings for economically viable, smarter and more integrated local energy networks, zero carbon and demand driven while empowering citizens and stakeholders to accelerate the transition.

The topic ‘Energy transition’ contributes to and has interconnections with a number of EU policies and initiatives such as the EU Green Deal, REPowerEU Plan, EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change, EU’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan, EU Zero Pollution Action Plan, New European Bauhaus Initiative, EU Renovation Wave Strategy, Affordable Housing Initiative, New European Mobility Framework, EU Missions on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and Adaptation to Climate Change, European Partnership Driving Urban Transitions of Horizon Europe, EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, and Intelligent Cities Challenge.

It also builds on the achievements from the Urban agenda for the EU thematic partnership on ‘Energy transition’ and the actions developed for better regulation, funding and knowledge in the area.

The European Commission aims at reaching a balanced portfolio of projects meeting the highest quality standards while reflecting the geographical, spatial and demographic diversities of European cities. Project proposals are expected to be highly experimental, consequently not likely to be funded by traditional or mainstream sources of funding.

Project proposals on the ‘Energy transition’ topic should not be elaborated in isolation from medium to long term action aimed at tackling in a holistic way the socio-economic and environmental challenges of the energy transition and are expected to be embedded into existing strategic and systematic approaches towards greening and/or climate neutrality and resilience of a city. Such approaches may, for example, include Sustainable Urban Development Strategies of Cohesion policy, Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs) developed under the EU Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy, Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), Local Green Deals of the Intelligent City Challenge or Climate City Contracts prepared by the cities involved in or adhered to the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. Such an embedding in relevant urban strategies and plans will be weighted in project proposals’ Strategic Assessment.

Technology in Cities

Cohesion funds contribute to the development of an inclusive digital society where citizens, research organisations, businesses and public administrations take full advantage of the opportunities that digitalisation offers. Effective e-government at national, regional and local level involves developing tools as well as rethinking organisation and processes, in order to deliver public services more effectively, easily, quickly and at a lower cost. In particular, digital and telecommunication technologies can be used to enhance traditional networks and services for the benefit of local communities through developing projects such as smart cities and villages.

Special attention is given by Cohesion policy to tackling environmental and climate challenges, in particular the transition towards a climate-neutral economy by 2050, to harnessing the potential of digital technologies for innovation purposes, and to support the development of functional urban areas.

Cohesion policy has been contributing to Europe’s efforts to deploy digital technology to reach growth and sustainability goals for over a decade. For the 2021-2027 period, Cohesion policy has planned more than EUR 40 billion of investments in digitisation through the 2021-2027 programmes funded by ERDF, ESF+, the Cohesion Fund, Interreg and the Just Transition Fund.

Under the topic ‘Technology in cities’ the EUI aims at supporting the testing of innovative solutions powered by new technologies in real life settings for better services to citizens and/or for boosting local authorities’ capacities to offer these services, via experimentations that could be replicated at a wider scale with the help of the Cohesion policy investments.

The topic ‘Technology in the cities’ contributes to and has links with a number of EU policies and initiatives such as the EU Green Deal, EU fit for the Digital Age, EU Mission on Climate-neutral and Smart Cities, EU Security Union Strategy, EU Cybersecurity Strategy, New European Bauhaus Initiative, Harnessing Talent in Europe’s Regions, European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing.

It also builds on the achievements from the Urban agenda for the EU thematic Partnership on “Digital transition” and the actions developed for better regulation, funding and knowledge in the area.

The European Commission aims at reaching a balanced portfolio of projects meeting the highest quality standards while reflecting the geographical, spatial and demographic diversities of European cities. Project proposals are expected to be highly experimental, consequently not likely to be funded by traditional or mainstream sources of funding.

Local authorities should focus on finding new place-based, citizen-centric solutions that address the community needs and respond to economic, social and environmental local challenges, while ensuring data privacy and security. These technologies used in urban context will need to work together seamlessly and be inclusive to benefit all citizens.

Issues of public control and ownership of local data accumulated via new technologies should be carefully and transparently assessed, particularly in cases where services are externalised to third parties that could potentially misuse such information. Applications created for the benefits of the community should be free, open source and user-friendly. Technologies in themselves are neutral – but the way they are managed will determine the real impacts on city life.

Project proposals on the ‘Technology in cities’ topic should therefore not be elaborated in isolation from medium to longer term goals of applicant cities, as expressed for instance, in Sustainable Urban development strategies of Cohesion policy or any other city-level strategic document. Such an embedding in relevant urban strategies and plans will be weighted in project proposals’ Strategic Assessment.

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Expected effects and impacts

Energy Transition

Cohesion Policy Targets:

  • Specific objective 2.1 for a greener Europe by “promoting energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions”,
  • Specific objective 2.2 for a greener Europe by “promoting renewable energy in accordance with Directive (EU) 2018/2001, including the sustainability criteria set out therein”,
  • Specific objective 2.3 for a greener Europe by “developing smart energy systems, grids and storage outside the Trans-European Energy Network (TEN-E)”,
  • Specific objective 2.6 for a greener Europe by “promoting the transition to a circular and resource efficient economy”,
  • Specific objective 2.8 for a greener Europe by “promoting sustainable multimodal urban mobility, as part of transition to a net zero carbon economy”,
  • Specific objective 5.1 for a Europe closer to citizens by “fostering the integrated and inclusive social, economic and environmental development, culture, natural heritage, sustainable tourism and security in urban areas”.

Technology in Cities

Cohesion Policy Targets:

  • Specific objective 1.1 for a more competitive and smarter Europe by “developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies”.
  • Specific objective 1.2 for a more competitive and smarter Europe by “reaping the benefits of digitisation for citizens, companies, research organisations and public authorities”.
  • Specific objective 1.4 for a more competitive and smarter Europe by “developing skills for smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship”.
  • Specific objective 1.5 for a more competitive and smarter Europe by “enhancing digital connectivity”.
  • Specific objective 2.4 for a greener Europe by “promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account eco-system based approaches”.
  • Specific objective 4.1 for a more social and inclusive Europe by “enhancing the effectiveness and inclusiveness of labour markets and access to quality employment through developing social infrastructure and promoting social economy”.
  • Specific objective 4.2 for a more social and inclusive Europe by “improving equal access to inclusive and quality services in education, training and lifelong learning through developing accessible infrastructure, including by fostering resilience for distance and on-line education and training”.
  • Specific objective 4.3 for a more social and inclusive Europe by “promoting the socioeconomic inclusion of marginalised communities, low-income households and disadvantaged groups, including people with special needs, through integrated actions, including housing and social services".
  • Specific objective 5.1 for a Europe closer to citizens by “fostering the integrated and inclusive social, economic and environmental development, culture, natural heritage, sustainable tourism and security in urban areas”.

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Expected results

Energy Transition

Without being prescriptive in terms of response expected, that may vary significantly from one city to the other in view of their size, inner characteristics and challenges, applicants are invited to consider the themes and issues listed below when preparing their project proposals. Testing measures linked to more than one of these themes and issues, in an integrated manner, is also possible and highly recommended for the topic of this Call.

  • Minimizing the energy demand in cities through:
    • retrofitting of public buildings and of the housing sector, and other energy measures encouraging real estate companies, businesses and/or individuals to make such types of investments, with a particular focus on deprived neighbourhoods and/or vulnerable households, to tackle energy poverty and the costs of the accelerated energy transition.
    • decarbonisation of urban public transport as an alternative to passenger cars, using the combined potential of electrification (in particular sourced by renewable energy), of connectivity, automation or smart fleets, road traffic and energy management. Emerging solutions in the field of micromobility and Mobility as a Service (MaaS), new technologies and logistic hubs aimed at accelerating the modal shift to cleaner and more affordable mobility modes (walking, cycling), with additional benefits in terms of health, congestion, accidents, noise and growing transport urban poverty could also be explored, same as coordinated decarbonisation measures and incentives at functional urban area’s level to allow commuters from outside city’s administrative boundaries to contribute to, and benefit from, the shift to cleaner mobility modes.
  • Diversifying local energy sources, by maximising endogenous potential for the production and use of renewable energy (wind, water, ocean, solar, geothermal, biomass) or of local secondary energy sources, including through the recovery and use of diverse range of waste and/or secondary heat sources available in the city and its surroundings, removing the barriers of circularity and resource efficiency.
  • Deploying smart and integrated local energy systems, by fostering innovative approaches to energy storage and supply to reduce reliance on external sources, and/or increasing the interaction between buildings and transport energy systems through smart (power or thermal) grids, or by further testing and expanding the model of Positive Energy Districts (PED).
  • Maximizing multi-stakeholder and citizens’ engagement by developing incentives and/or innovative supporting schemes and/or business models to develop energy communities and any other formula of the kind to enable various customers to become energy ‘prosumers’, i.e. both consumers and producers of energy on the local market. Digital solutions (smart apps, data sharing) to accelerate co-participation and behaviour changes could also be considered.
  • Boosting jobs and skills for the energy transition by identifying and addressing existing gaps in local labour markets in terms of qualified staff for clean transport and energy sectors and/or exploring the potential for new sustainable products, innovative jobs and upgraded knowledge and skills that the transition can enable. In particular, social innovation, leading to the employability of the most vulnerable and/or flourishing of proximity services, start-ups (including micro-enterprises) based on repair, reuse and/or commercialisation of high-quality recycling of products could be considered.

Technology in Cities

Without being prescriptive in terms of response expected, that may vary significantly from one city to the other in view of their size, inner characteristics and challenges, applicants are invited to consider the themes and issues listed below when preparing their project proposals. Testing measures linked to more than one of these themes and issues, in an integrated manner, is also possible and highly recommended for the topic of this Call.

  • Ensuring better and adapted public services by facilitating the access to quality services, lowering the administrative burden for citizens, creating new adaptive services, improving the management of the public infrastructure, enhancing the transparency and efficiency, ensuring real time exchange of information with users, reducing costs transaction time and errors. Emphasis must be placed on cost reduction, automation, acceleration, and simplification of administrative procedures. To combat the digital divide, support to the most vulnerable in the digital transition must be part of any proposed change.
  • Consolidating the multilevel and multistakeholder governance, ensuring an effective participatory democracy and stimulate innovation and competitiveness by increasing the number of local stakeholders and citizens actively and structurally involved in the strategic planning and decision-making process but also enhancing the co-design and co-creation approaches for instance, to build gender equality into urban planning; by developing the organisational, regulatory and governance structure that provides the environment and conditions to support a culture of innovation and facilitate partnerships between cities, universities and local businesses, to create/enhance the innovation and smart specialisation dynamics. Smart Communities AR/VR digital twinning could also be used for enabling informed decision-making processes through advanced modelling techniques and natural immersive interfaces empowering city stakeholders and citizens (CitiVERSE).
  • Mastering the digital transformation, local data collection and sharing while ensuring the highest standards for data privacy by exploring how cities can collect, use, store, share sub-city level data, with increased granularity, in order to facilitate and to improve the delivery of services to their citizens, to help to the decision-making process based on data management, to contribute to the local economic development and innovation, to the skilling and reskilling of the most vulnerable, to promote jobs and new businesses creation and to attract and retain talents.
  • Perfecting the spatial planning and land use and industrial zoning by using technologies in the strategic and spatial planning, for ensuring harmonious and optimal urban and peri-urban development. Cities need to find innovative ways in using new technologies to optimise the balance between the needs of various land uses such as housing, spatial activation of industrial zones, brownfield remediation and redevelopment, public space, social services.
  • Ensuring better services, digital and physical accessibility, and inclusion of persons with disabilities and older population by increasing active participation in the governance system of the city, by collecting and analysing specific data on the local specific needs and experiences, in order to create/adjust local policy, allocate resources, improve services and create adapted smart street and/or infrastructure equipment/furniture for the sake of equal access to urban spaces, public transport and/or buildings; by developing free and open source, user-friendly mobile applications that cater to various disabilities (e.g. screen readers, voice commands, large fonts). The proposed projects should support the integration of persons with disabilities and an active ageing policy, with a specific attention on measures for labour market inclusion, lifelong  learning, and retaining talent.
  • Safe, secure and resilient cities by redesigning urban spaces for the citizens to be less exposed to climate change and other threats based on vulnerability assessment and scenarios, by proposing new innovative services, infrastructure and equipment contributing also to the resilience of critical infrastructures and public spaces, by elaborating and using prevention and crisis management plans and techniques, accompanied by specialised trainings for local practitioners and raising awareness techniques among citizens; by enhancing capacities of local administrations in cooperation with citizens and stakeholders to fight organised (cyber)crime. Among the various areas to be explored to make EU cities safer, secure and more resilient, applicants could consider:
    • Strengthening prevention and mitigation of natural and man-made disasters (industrial risks, extreme weather, wildfires, earthquakes, public health risks, security threats) in urban areas by integrating technologies in predictive and preventive policies, plans and projects used as new ways to build diverse scenarios, to anticipate environmental and climate challenges and economic risks as well as associated social transformations and health concerns.
    • Ensuring food security in urban and functional areas: considering the increased impacts of climate change and the biodiversity crisis, cities have a key role in shaping "food environments”. New technologies could be used in urban areas in a way that may create innovative, inclusive, and integrated ways to connect with local farmers, with the aim of creating functional areas for sustainable and resilient food systems.
    • Cybersecurity: by including strategic foresight and proactive cybersecurity risk management processes in their plans and designs for integrating new technologies into their infrastructure systems; by proactively managing the ICT supply chain risk of any new technology used in cities’ infrastructure and/or services. Ensuring cybersecurity in cities while actively involving citizens requires a multifaceted approach with due account of education and awareness raising with a focus on most vulnerable publics.

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Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

EU Member States

eligible entities

Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs)

Mandatory partnership

Yes

Project Partnership

The following authorities may apply for support to undertake the EUI-IA:

  • First category: Any urban authority of a local administrative unit defined according to the degree of urbanisation (DEGURBA) of Eurostat as city, town or suburb (corresponding to DEGURBA code 1 or DEGURBA code 2 of Eurostat) comprising at least 50 000 inhabitants.
  • Second category: An association or grouping of urban authorities with legal status of organised agglomeration composed by Local Administrative Units, where the majority (at least 51%) of inhabitants lives in Local Administrative Units defined according to the degree of urbanisation (DEGURBA) of Eurostat as cities, towns or suburbs (corresponding to DEGURBA code 1 or DEGURBA code 2) and where the total combined population is at least 50 000 inhabitants.
  • Third category: An association or grouping of urban authorities without legal status of organised agglomerations where all the urban authorities involved (Main Urban Authority and Associated Urban Authorities) are Local Administrative Units defined according to the degree of urbanisation (DEGURBA) of Eurostat as cities, towns or suburbs (corresponding to DEGURBA code 1 or DEGURBA code 2) and where the total combined population (Main Urban Authority and Associated Urban Authorities) is at least 50 000 inhabitants.

Within the EUI-IA, the Main Urban Authority is expected to be directly involved in the experimentation and to play a strategic leading role in the development of the EUI-IA project by establishing and chairing a strong Project Partnership to make it technically, scientifically, and financially viable.

Project Partnership involves:

  • Delivery Partners – key institutions and organisations able to contribute to the implementation of the project, having an active role in the implementation and funding of the project activities by providing financial contribution to the project (the share of the budget ensured by a Project Partner, i.e. co-financing rate);
  • Transfer Partners – cities interested in learning from the experimentation and replicating the innovative solution, following the project implementation and providing the Main Urban Authority with an external perspective related to the transferability and replicability of the experimented innovative solution;
  • (if applicable) Associated Urban Authority(ies).

other eligibility criteria

In addition to the principles outlined above for each specific category of eligible urban authorities, the following principles apply to all eligible urban authorities in the framework of the EUI-IA:

  • All urban authorities shall be located in an EU Member State.
  • Only eligible urban authorities as defined above may submit an Application Form in the framework of the EUI-IA Call for Proposals. An Application Form submitted by a Delivery Partner will be declared ineligible.
  • Urban authorities (as defined above) can be listed in a project proposal only as Main and/or Associated Urban Authorities. The category of Delivery Partners is reserved only to institutions and/or organisations that are not recognised as urban authorities in the framework of the EUI-IA.
  • If innovative solutions require an urban-rural interface or functional area approach, it is possible to include Local Administrative Units defined as rural according to their degree of urbanization (DEGURBA code 3 of Eurostat) as Delivery Partners. Please note that their number of inhabitants does not count to reach the minimum eligibility threshold of 50 000. The reason for including Local Administrative Units defined as rural must be clearly presented and justified in the Application Form.
  • An urban authority or an organised agglomeration can be involved in only one project proposal in the framework of each Call for Proposals (even if these project proposals are submitted under different topics in the same Call for Proposals). The rule applies also to the Associated Urban Authorities (a municipality can be involved in only one project proposal whether it is as Main Urban Authority or as Associated Urban Authority).
  • Urban authorities already supported in an approved project by the EUI-IA in the framework of a previous Call for Proposals cannot submit a new Application Form on the same topic over the entire duration of the Initiative.
  • Urban authorities must comply with the requirements on exclusion from access to funding (more details are provided below in the Section 8.5 “Exclusion criteria for grant applicants” and in the EUI-IA Guidance, Chapter 3.3 “Exclusion criteria for grant applicants”).

Agencies and companies (e.g.: in the field of energy/waste management, economic development, touristic promotion, etc.) fully or partially owned by the municipality/city council are not considered as Local Administrative Units and therefore cannot be recognised as eligible urban authorities. Nevertheless, these organisations can be involved in the Partnership as Delivery Partners (more details on the roles and responsibilities of Delivery Partners are provided in the EUI-IA Guidance, Chapter 2.1.2 ”Typology of the European Urban Initiative – Innovative Actions Partners”).

Please note that, in the case of associations or grouping of urban authorities with legal status of organised agglomerations (second category of eligible authorities – see above for the details), the institution, including all the other urban authorities involved, is considered as a single urban authority in the framework of the EUI-IA and therefore the agglomeration shall be listed as the Main Urban Authority. In the case of associations or groupings of urban authorities without legal status of organized agglomeration (third category of eligible authorities – see above for the details), the urban authorities involved are requested to identify one municipality as Main Urban Authority and the other municipalities as Associated Urban Authorities.

Additional information

Topics

Administration & Governance, Institutional Capacity & Cooperation, 
Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management, 
Circular Economy, Natural Resources, 
Digitalisation, Digital Society, ICT, 
Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy , 
Rural & Urban Development/Planning

Relevance for EU Macro-Region

EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region

UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)

project duration

max 3.5 years

Additional Information

The application consists of:

  • Application Form: The Application Form must be filled in using the online EEP platform. It is composed of sections presenting the project idea and the rationale (including information on the innovativeness of the proposal), the Partnership (including the Main Urban Authority, the Delivery Partners, Transfer Partners, and if relevant the Associated Urban Authorities), the main objectives and expected results, the proposed Work Plan and budget. Editing and submission is only possible during an open Call for Proposals. The application includes a number of automatic links, formulas and checks. These features mean that error messages appear in the form if it is not properly filled in (including missing Confirmation Sheet), and it cannot be submitted. This helps to significantly reduce the risk of submitting ineligible applications.
  • Annex: Applicants can upload one annex in the EEP system that will be attached to the Application Form. This could be a map presenting the area of intervention, a graph, an infographic, etc. The type and size of the file to be annexed are specified in the EEP Guidance.
  • Confirmation Sheet: The Confirmation Sheet is automatically generated by the online platform when the Application Form is being completed or after its completion. It must be printed signed by a legal representative of the Main Urban Authority, scanned and uploaded in the Application Form Part H “Confirmation Sheet”. The Application Form cannot be submitted without the Confirmation Sheet.

Call documents

Terms of Reference EUI-IA Call 3Terms of Reference EUI-IA Call 3(509kB)

Contact

European Urban Initiative (EUI) Permanent Secretariat
+33 (0)3 61 76 59 34
info@urban-initiative.eu
Website

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