Third Call for Proposals EUI - Innovative Actions

The third EUI-Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) Call for Proposals is launched now and will close on 14 October 2024 at 14.00 CEST with an allocated indicative budget of EUR 90 million ERDF. Each project can receive up to a maximum of EUR 5 million ERDF co-financing and project implementation should take place within a maximum period of 3,5 years.

Cities interested in applying are invited to begin developing their project proposals as early as possible utilizing the various resources available on this Call page. The following steps are recommended to start with:

1. Read the third EUI-IA Call topics descriptions.
2. Develop a project idea in line with one of the topics answering local challenges in your city.
3. Set up your project partnership by establishing contacts with relevant entities e.g. public and private partners, NGOs, University, SMEs,…
4. Start co-designing the framework of your project work plan with your project partners and stakeholders.

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.

Explore the guidance

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.

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 - registration is open
• 27th June 2024 Prague, Czech Republic - registration is open

Application Form Workshop - in person event

Application Form Workshop is an event dedicated to applicants who are already advanced working on their applications.

During the workshop, participants will take part in practical exercises aimed at helping them better understand what they should pay attention to while drafting their Application Form, how to technically navigate the online application system (Electronic Exchange Platform), and what information is required by the EUI - Innovative Actions at the application stage. The aim of the workshop is to address practical questions applicants face while filling out the Application Form and to allow them to self-evaluate whether the developed content meets the technical requirements of the EUI - Innovative Actions.

Please note that the workshop is NOT dedicated to supporting applicants 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 - the registration will open soon.

Webinar on Call 3 topics

Join us for a Thematic focus for the 3rd Call for Innovative Actions!

The event will take place on 23 May at 14:00 CEST and it will provide you an opportunity to learn more about the 2 new topics that have been announced for Call 3:

• Energy transition
• Technology in cities

You can register here.

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 on Thursdays while the Call is open. The dates of these events can be found below, and links will be available soon. 

• Thursday 6 June 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST Register and join the session here.
• Thursday 20 June 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST Register and join the session here.
• Thursday 4 July 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST Register and join the session here.
• Thursday 18 July 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST Register and join the session here.
• Thursday 29 August 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST Register and join the session here.
• Thursday 12 September 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST Register and join the session here.
• Thursday 26 September 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST Register and join the session here.
• Thursday 10 October 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST Register and join the session here.

One-to-one Consultations

The Permanent Secretariat will make available a limited number of appointments for online 30-minute one-to-one consultations.

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.

Registration for the one-to-one consultations will open in June 2024.

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.

Try it

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.

Visit the Urban Matchmaker