Are you in pursuit of some new EU project funding opportunities? Here are some openings worth looking into!
In line with the new Multiannual Financial Framework programme 2021-2027 which aims for more inclusivity and to support green and digital transitions, the AER Project Unit has mapped EU funding opportunities and calls for project proposals that are linked to green issues, digitalisation, and democracy & citizens participation.
Green Transition
Climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world. Among the 6 priorities the European Commission proposed for the years 2019-2024 Climate Action is at their top concern. According to the Commission, “EU policy protects the environment and seeks to minimise risks to climate, human health and biodiversity. The European Green Deal aims to make Europe the world’s first climate-neutral continent, in part by developing cleaner sources of energy and green technologies.”
| Recovery of coastal and maritime tourism in the Western Mediterranean | |
| Programme: European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) | |
| Deadline: 12 January 2022 | |
| Eligibility: EU and eligible non-EU member states | |
| In line with the priorities of the European Commission, this call topic aims to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of the coastal and maritime tourism ecosystem in the Western Mediterranean, as part of a smart and resilient blue economy. Moreover, it aims at preserving the marine and coastal environment and marine cultural heritage and contributing to the attractiveness of coastal areas as a unique asset for competitiveness in the Mediterranean. The action particularly looks at supporting tourism stakeholders to tap into the growing ecotourism niche tourism market and boosting innovation and digitalisation in the tourism sector, thus increasing its contribution to economic growth and jobs in the Mediterranean. |
| Local Green Deals | |
| Programme: Single Market Programme (SMP) | |
| Deadline: 24 November 2021 | |
| Eligibility: EU and eligible non-EU member states | |
| The new The Single Market Programme (SMP) was adopted on 28 April 2021 and provides an integrated package to support and strengthen the governance and functioning of the Single Market. The call within this programme contributes to the European Green Deal objectives of climate-neutrality, sustainability, prosperity and inclusiveness and in parallel to develop more sustainable regional or local strategies and resilient business models. The general objective of this topic is to provide support to SMEs, regional and local economic operators to lead the twin green and digital transition and implement actions aiming to direct the local economy towards a sustainable and inclusive pathway, create new jobs, mitigate the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis and accelerate a new, green and fairer recovery. To achieve this, this call will support projects that boost transnational and cross border cooperation among local administrations and local businesses to co-create, co-design and deliver Local Green Deals. |
| Integrated Disaster Risk Reduction for extreme climate events: from early warning systems to long term adaptation and resilience building | |
| Programme: Horizon Europe | |
| Deadline: 23 November 2021 | |
| Eligibility: EU Member States and eligible non-EU countries | |
| The focus of this call is to improve dialogue and cooperation among scientific and technical communities, stakeholders, policy-makers and local communities in the field of extreme climate events and associated events (e.g. forest fires, droughts, floods, heatwaves and storms) and disaster risk reduction. It aims to enhance community engagement for prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and learning to extreme climate events by strengthening knowledge and involvement of volunteers linked to recognised organisations into the planning, design, and implementation of prevention, including building with nature, preparedness, and emergency response activities. |
| Sustainability and educational aspects for renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies | |
| Programme: Horizon Europe | |
| Deadline: 5 January 2022 | |
| Eligibility: EU Member States and eligible non-EU countries | |
| This funding calls for a framework to be established where sustainability and educational aspects for renewable energy and fuel technologies are addressed in the context of the current climate crisis. In this context, and taking into consideration circularity and sustainability, projects should aim to enhance and promote sustainability by addressing social and environmental aspects (air pollution, waste management, job opportunities, wildlife concerns, etc.) of renewable energy and renewable fuel technologies at a global level, thus ensuring the European Green Deal priorities are met. |
| Technical support to clean energy transition plans and strategies in municipalities and regions |
| Programme: Programme for Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) |
| Deadline: 12 January 2022 |
| Eligibility: EU Member States and eligible non-EU countries (associated with LIFE programme) |
| The call aims to provide local and regional authorities with the necessary capacity to deliver sustainable plans and strategies for the energy transition. To successfully support the achievement of energy and climate targets, transition strategies and plans need to be institutionalised, cross-sectoral and tailored to the level of innovation, ambition and specific geographic context of the involved authorities. Local and regional authorities are a decisive lever for the EU to achieve its carbon neutrality target by 2050. Policy-makers and administrations at all sub-national levels need to commit to and effectively plan the clean energy transition of their respective territory, energy systems and infrastructures at an unprecedented level of ambition and pace with a long-term time horizon. |
| Community-driven clean energy transition in coal, peat and oil-shale regions |
| Programme: Programme for Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) |
| Deadline: 12 January 2022 |
| Eligibility: EU Member States and eligible non-EU countries (associated with LIFE programme) |
| This call aims to empower coal, peat and oil-shale regions to advance the clean energy transition in their territories by developing and implementing the sustainable energy-related elements of their territorial just transition plans and effectively combining the support provided by the Just Transition Mechanism and/or and other sources of available funding. |
Digital Transition
Over the last years, digital technology has played an increasingly important role in the lives of many around the world. This is why the Commission adopted the EU’s digital strategy as one of its top priorities in the upcoming years. The strategy aims to make this transformation work for people and businesses, while helping to achieve its target of a climate-neutral Europe by 2050.
The Commission is determined to make this Europe’s “Digital Decade”. Europe must now strengthen its digital sovereignty and set standards, rather than following those of others – with a clear focus on data, technology, and infrastructure. Under this priority falls Digital Europe (DIGITAL), a new funding programme adopted by the European Commission and will be focused on bringing digital technology to businesses, citizens and public administrations.
| Reinforcing digitalisation related know how of local energy ecosystems |
| Programme: Horizon Europe |
| Deadline: 5 January 2022 |
| Eligibility: EU Member States and non-EU countries |
| This call aims to increase the autonomy of local ecosystems to participate in the decentralisation of energy systems and energy transition and the number of participants in flexibility markets. It also wants to cover the gap on knowledge around digitalisation of energy services and contribute to the reskilling & upskilling of individuals and organizations. Furthermore, it will facilitate the creation of a network of parties interested in joining forces for public procurement of energy related digital services. |
Democracy & Citizens Participation
The European elections of 2019 have shown a record-high turnout and with that demonstrate a new vibrancy of European democracy. Yet, the Commission feels that Europeans need a stronger role in the decision-making process and a more active role in setting their priorities. In that light, in order to protect our democracy from external interference, a joint approach is considered necessary to tackle issues such as disinformation and online hate messages. This makes for democracy and citizens participation to go hand in hand regarding the approach of the Commision for the coming years.
| Social Economy Missions for community resilience |
| Programme: Single Market Programme (SMP) |
| Deadline: 24 November 2021 |
| Eligibility: EU Member States and eligible non-EU countries |
| The objective of this call within the new SMP programme is to co-fund projects, which will build resilience and increase the capacity of regional or local public administrations, social economy SMEs and civil society to overcome difficulties and crises. The call will support building local resilience through transnational and inter-regional peer-learning and collaboration in the field of social economy, also, developing social economy local action plans with the cooperation of social economy stakeholders and formulating recommendations to be potentially replicable in other parts of Europe. |
| Smart solutions for smart rural communities: empowering rural communities and smart villages to innovate for societal change |
| Programme: Horizon Europe |
| First deadline: 15 February 2022 |
| Second deadline: 6 September 2022 |
| Eligibility: EU Member States and non-EU countries |
| The successful proposal will contribute to fostering a sustainable, balanced and inclusive development of rural areas, supporting the implementation of the European Green Deal, in particular its fair and just transition component, the European digital strategy, the European pillar of social rights and the EU long-term vision for rural areas. It will do so by supporting digital, social and community-led innovations and by equipping rural communities with innovative and smarter solutions that increase access to services, opportunities and adequate innovation ecosystems, including for women, youth and the most vulnerable groups, improve attractiveness and reduce the feeling of being left behind, even in the most remote locations. |
| Support for information measures relating to the EU Cohesion policy |
| Programme: DG Regio |
| Deadline: 11 January 2022 |
| Eligibility: EU Member States |
| The main aim is to provide support for the production and dissemination of information and content linked to EU Cohesion policy, including inter alia the Just Transition Fund and the recovery plan for Europe, while respecting the complete editorial independence of the actors involved. The specific objectives of this call are to promote and foster a better understanding of the role of Cohesion policy in supporting all EU’s regions and to increase awareness of projects funded by the EU – through Cohesion policy in particular – and of their impact on people’s lives. Moreover, it aims to encourage civic participation in matters related to Cohesion policy and to foster citizens’ participation in setting priorities for the future of this policy. |
| Assessing the socio-politics of nature-based solutions for more inclusive and resilient communities |
| Programme: Horizon Europe |
| Deadline: 15 February 2022 |
| Eligibility: EU Member States and non-EU countries |
| The objective of this call is to contribute to the EU’s goal of leading just digital, economic and ecological transitions that will leave no one behind, supporting, in particular, European Green Deal priorities such as the biodiversity strategy for 2030. R&I will contribute to developing rural, coastal and urban areas in a sustainable, balanced and inclusive manner thanks to the deployment of nature-based solutions and to a better understanding of the environmental, socio-economic, behavioural and cultural drivers of change. R&I will also further support the empowerment of communities to deploy nature-based solutions to adapt to climate change and turn digital and ecological transitions into increased resilience, well-being and positive long-term prospects, such as jobs for all (including for women, young people and vulnerable groups). |
| Strengthening European coordination and exchange for innovation uptake towards sustainability, quality, circularity and social inclusion in the built environment as a contribution to the new European Bauhaus (Built4People) |
| Programme: Horizon Europe |
| Deadline: 25 January 2022 |
| Eligibility: EU Member States and non-EU countries |
| In line with the New European Bauhaus, this proposal aims to better acknowledgement and integration of quality architecture and design principles, blending design and sustainability in innovative solutions to improve the sustainability of the built environment, including, if appropriate, cultural heritage, also ensuring compliance with the principles of circular economy, with due consideration of relevant aspects such as style, human-centric inclusivity and accessibility for persons with disabilities. |
For more information on EU funding programmes and calls for proposals, please take a look at the funding and tender portal of the European Commission. Additionally, you can find further information by consulting our series of webinars “Unboxing the Multiannual Financial Framework” available on the AER website.
If you require any further information or assistance in finding partners or putting together a project proposal, please do not hesitate to contact the AER Project Unit.
