Third Call for Proposals EUI - Innovative Actions
The Call for Proposals is closed.
The third EUI-Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) Call for Proposals was launched on 6 May 2024 and closed on 14 October 2024 at 14.00 CEST with an allocated indicative budget of EUR 90 million ERDF.
110 applications were received from 23 Member States.
Topics of the Call
The Call will fund projects to deliver tangible, real-life examples under the topics ‘energy transition’ and ‘technology in cities’.
Topic 1: Energy transition
Under the topic ‘energy transition’, the European Urban Initiative 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.
Topic 2: Technology in cities
Under the topic ‘technology in cities’ the European Urban Initiative 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.
Timeline
EUI-IA Call 3 has been launched on 6 May 2024.
EUI-IA Call 3 will be closed on 14 October 2024 at 14.00 CEST.
Assessment of the applications (Eligibility check, Strategic Assessment and Operational Assessment) will be conducted from October 2024 until March 2025.
EUI-IA Call 3 project selection results will be announced in March 2025.
Initiation Phase for EUI-IA Call 3 projects will start on 1st April 2025 and will last 6 months until 30th September 2025.
Implementation Phase for EUI-IA Call 3 projects will start on 1st October 2025.
The EUI Permanent Secretariat will assist applicants during the Call for Proposals. This support will be provided via:
EUI-IA Guidance
Explore the EUI-IA Guidance to learn more about the context and rationale behind establishing EUI – Innovative Actions, and get familiar with the frameworks, rules and procedures related to project generation and development, the application and selection, the Initiation Phase and contracting, the transfer component, project implementation, eligibility of expenditure, and project communication and capitalisation. Dedicated FAQ section provides further and complementary information.
Info session: third Call for Innovative Actions
Couldn’t join us for the third EUI - Innovative Actions Call for Proposals launch?
Watch the recording of the online kick-off event here.
Discover the topics, hear answers to the most important questions, learn about the testimonial of the UIA project GUARDIAN from Riba-roja de Túria in Spain and explore support to applicant opportunities offered by the EUI-IA.
Thematic Focus: Energy transition & Technology in cities
Did you miss our recent thematic focus for the third Call for Innovative Actions?
We've got you covered with the recording now available here.
In this session, you'll find a detailed presentation of the topics by the European Commission, including valuable tips on what makes a good project. You can also hear the inspiring story of the "Rock the Block" project, from EUI Call 1.
Applicants Seminars - in person events
During the Applicant Seminars, participants will have the opportunity to take part in several plenary and break-out sessions dedicated to different aspects of the EUI – Innovative Actions. They will receive information about its goals and rules; thematic coverage and main features of EUI - Innovative Actions; the topics of the 3rd Call for proposals; as well as technical information related to the projects: application form; intervention logic; finance, eligibility rules, project budget; transfer mechanism; knowledge and communication.
There will be a limited number of spots available and priority will be given to urban authorities. Additionally, during the Applicant Seminars there will be the opportunity to register to 30-minute one-to-one consultations with the EUI Permanent Secretariat.
Two Applicant Seminars take place on the following dates and locations.
- 13th June 2024 Bucharest, Romania
- 27th June 2024 Prague, Czech Republic
Application Form Workshop - in person event
The Application Form Workshop is an event dedicated to applicants who are already advanced working on their applications.
During the workshop, participants will benefit from practical sessions designed to help them better understand what to focus on while drafting their application form, how to navigate the online application system (Electronic Exchange platform), and how to self-assess their proposal.
The aim of the workshop is to address last practical questions that applicants face while filling out the application form and to allow them to finetune their proposal.
Please note: The workshop is NOT intended to support in generating project ideas or providing feedback on the content of individual application forms.
There will be a limited number of spots available and priority will be given to urban authorities.
- 10th September 2024 Brussels, Belgium
You can find the resources used at our Application Form Workshop held in Brussels at the following links:
Online webinars
Watch our online webinars to learn more about the development of a good project proposal. These videos were developed as part of our applicant support activities in the framework of Call 2, but are still relevant for Call 3.
Online collective Q&A sessions
Eight collective Q&A sessions will take place online until the closure of the Call. The recordings from previous sessions are available in our YouTube channel.
- 6 June 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
- 20 June 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
- 8 July 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
- 18 July 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
- 29 August 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
- 12 September 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
- 19 September 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
- 10 October 2024, 10.00 – 11.30 CEST
National events
National events are organised in Member States by Urban Contact Points. These events will take place in-person or online while the Call is open. The dates of these events and links can be found below, and will be regularly updated.
One-to-one Consultations
The European Urban Initiative (EUI) Permanent Secretariat will make available a limited number of appointments for online one-to-one meetings on the following dates:
- Tuesday, 25 June
- Thursday, 27 June
- Monday, 1 July
- Friday 5, July
- Tuesday, 9 July
- Thursday, 11 July
- Monday, 26 August
- Wednesday, 28 August
- Wednesday, 4 September
- Friday, 6 September
- Thursday, 12 September
- Friday, 13 September
The aim of these meetings is to provide further clarity and support to applicants on how to apply for funding, how to define the work plan, budget, deliverables/outputs and transfer component and how to manage an EUI-IA project. We cannot give feedback on the feasibility and strategic nature of the project proposal.
Please note, bookings for meetings are on a first come, first serve basis. Preference will be given to urban authorities who already have an established/identified project in mind, and we request that attendees are kept to the minimum required.
Registrations for One-to-One Consultations are now closed.
Contact us
Answers to frequently asked questions can be found in the interactive EUI-IA online Guidance at the end of each chapter. You didn’t find the answer to your question or would like to double check the eligibility of your Main Urban Authority/ Associated Urban Authority?
Feel free to contact us using the email address: innovativeactions@urban-initiative.eu
Self-assessment tool
In this section, you will find an easy-to-use “self-assessment tool” reflecting the key requirements to have in mind before submitting a project proposal to EUI - Innovative Actions.
Is your city eligible? Is your project idea relevant? Is your project appropriately addressing urban challenges you are facing? Are you organisationally ready for applying to EUI’s 3rd Call for Innovative Actions?
By answering following 15 questions you will have a chance to get helpful tips and be pointed out to the relevant chapters of the EUI-IA Guidance which you should consult in order to mature and improve your project proposal to a successful application.
Transfer Partners: the Urban Matchmaker tool
The process of identifying Transfer Partners should start already at the application stage, when applicants are asked to identify other European urban areas that could benefit from replicating the proposed solution in view of the favourable conditions for transfer (similar characteristic, contexts) or of increasing their innovation potential; to elaborate on how the most suitable Transfer Partners will be identified; and if already identified, specify potential Transfer Partners together with the underlying motivations/rationale.
The selection of the Transfer Partners should allow: (i) to maintain a good balance in terms of variety of cities involved in the Partnership (their size (small, medium-sized, large cities) and localisation (less-developed, transition and more developed regions), and (ii) to gather the most relevant Transfer Partners for the quality of the replication activities.
Therefore, the selection of the Transfer Partners will follow some guiding principles:
- Transfer Partners come from different EU Member States;
- At least two of the four cities involved (MUA + the 3 Transfer Partners) are located in less developed or transition regions
- The partnership includes cities of different sizes.
The Urban Matchmaker on Portico, the EUI knowledge platform aims at supporting the development of the Transfer Component under EUI-IA projects (see also EUI-IA Guidance, Chapter 5: Transfer) and at facilitating the contact between urban authorities that are identifying potential Transfer Partners and urban authorities interested in transferring an innovative action.
FAQs
Visit our dedicated FAQ page to find answers to common questions about the EUI-Innovative Actions. These FAQs are based on real inquiries from applicants and are designed to assist you throughout the application process. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, you can submit your question here!
Apply for the Call
The submission of the Application Form is 100% paperless through the use of EUI’s Electronic Exchange Platform (EEP).
Applicants are strongly invited to register and create their Application Form early in the application process. Going through the different sections of the Application Form and reading the information bubbles in each field (available in all EU languages) will help applicants to better structure and design their project proposals.
