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Call key data

Demonstration of solutions specifically suited to rural areas and small/ medium size population local communities

Funding Program

EU Missions in Horizon Europe

Call number

HORIZON-MISS-2024-CLIMA-01-07

deadlines

Opening
24.04.2024

Deadline
18.09.2024 17:00

Funding rate

100%

Call budget

€ 22,500,000.00

Estimated EU contribution per project

€ 7,500,000.00

Link to the call

ec.europa.eu

Link to the submission

ec.europa.eu

Call content

short description

Successful proposals will support the European Green Deal, the Adaptation Strategy, the Mission on Adaptation to climate change and the implementation of the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas.

Call objectives

While many larger cities and regions have identified the potential impacts of climate change in their territories and have in many cases already developed adaptation scenarios, their smaller and medium-sized counterparts often lack the necessary resources for conducting climate risks analysis and planning and have so far been limited in addressing climate risks effectively. As a very large number of localities are indeed small or medium in size, with large and rural territories, their lack of preparedness translates in a crucial weakness of the overall continent preparedness and response to the changing climate. The shortage of skilled labour and in particular of experts with climate assessment and environmental skills prevent a majority of municipalities from implementing local investments.

This capacity limitation, coupled with the typical large territorial responsibility of the involved authorities and the very diverse risks they are exposed, makes in many cases difficult to leverage efficiencies of scale as it is the case in more densely populated areas. This has unluckily translated in many cases into more deadly impacts of extreme weathers events in relation to the population exposed.

Proposals should identify approaches and innovative solutions leading to an increase of the resilience and adaptation capacity to climate change which are particularly suitable for implementation by small and medium local authorities and the rural context. These solutions could include technological, social and business-related aspects or a combination of those. Nature-based solutions should be explored as priority and be at the very heart of the development whenever possible. Moreover, particular attention should be given to the potential of digital solutions in a rural or small/medium size population entity context, to also support their twin digital transition. Opportunities of circular economy to increase resilience and reduce dependencies should be seized.

The proposed solutions should specifically address the most urgent climate risks identified at the local scale, with tailor-made responses and measures taking into account local specificities, such as, socio-economic, identity characteristics and governance. Alongside the solutions, the proposal should support small and medium local authorities to close skills gaps and strengthen in-house capabilities for climate adaptation. To best focus the approaches and solutions to the local challenges, the proposal is expected to clearly identify the type of actors it addresses, being those either rural areas or small sized urban areas.

The participation of small and medium-sized local authorities in the consortium is strongly encouraged and would be evaluated positively as this can support the development in-house capacities and skills. However, as the capacity and availability for engagement of small / medium size local communities and in the rural area might be too limited to directly participate in the consortium, the proposal should at a minimum include specific considerations on how to facilitate their engagement and how their needs are reflected. This could take, for example, the form of a board or of a consultation body where they are directly engaged singularly or in association and/or grouping between themselves, should this be the preferred approach and form for the local authorities to delegate specific local competences, or could be achieved potentially leveraging the support already put in place by the Mission Implementation Platform.

Under the Mission approach, collaborations to develop and test effective solutions between regions/local authorities/communities facing similar challenges are highly encouraged and considered as a means to secure a larger impact. To this purpose, while the required demonstration is expected to take place in at least three locations, the proposals should already identify other regions/local authorities/ communities, where reapplication of the proposed approach will be suitable as sharing common climate change challenges. Inclusion already in the proposal of at least three “replicating” regions/local authorities/communities, interested in reapplying the lessons learnt (totally, partially or with the required adjustments) in their territories is required; this could take the form of inclusion in the consortium of one or more partners providing support for the technical exchanges and the knowledge uptake in the “replicating” regions. Replicating regions/local authorities/communities are not expected to also conduct a demonstration or carry out on the ground activities in the course of the project but they should at least prepare already the theoretical framework for implementing the replication through the lessons exchanged with the demonstration regions.

Proposals should build (when relevant) upon previous developed or existing knowledge and adaptation solutions, designed and developed from previous projects, including from beyond EU, addressing climate change adaptation and funded by EU and National programmes, in particular the European Union Framework programmes for Research and Innovation (such as Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe under their different pillars and clusters), as well as the LIFE programme. Synergies with other funding sources (EU and national) should be sought, in order to support common approach towards climate adaptation, sustainability, transfer of knowledge and innovative solution and including to identify opportunities to scale up the solutions demonstrated and to foster their broad deployment across Europe through other programmes such as the LIFE programme, and its integrated projects in particular, the European Regional Development Funds, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, or the Just Transition Fund.

Additionally, proposals should connect to other relevant projects funded by Horizon- Europe, in particular on just climate resilience and transformative approach funded by the topic HORIZON-MISS-2024-CLIMA-01-05: Improve design for transformative approaches and build local capacity for implementation of available solutions focused on climate adaptation. Synergies and cooperation could also be beneficial with the projects funded under the topic HORIZON-CL6-2024-COMMUNITIES-02-1-two-stage: Innovating for climate-neutral rural communities by 2050.

Proposals should include a mechanism and the resources to establish operational links and collaboration with the Mission Implementation and the Climate-ADAPT platforms.

Projects funded under this topic will get direct access and are expected to contribute into the Mission Community of Practice and to the networking activities supported by the Mission Implementation Platform. These networking and joint activities could, for example, involve the participation in joint workshops, the exchange of knowledge, the development and adoption of best practices, or joint communication activities. To this extent, proposals should provide for dedicated activities and earmark appropriate resources.

In addition, projects will be requested to feed results and contribution to progress towards the objectives of the Mission to Mission Implementation Platform, as the central Mission action for monitoring, support and visualisation of the Mission progress in Regions in EU Member States and Associated Countries. Regions participating in the projects will also be required to feed their results to the Climate-ADAPT and EEA assessments. Applicants should acknowledge this request and already account for these obligations in their proposal, making adequate provisions in terms of resources and budget to engage and collaborate with the Mission governance.

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Expected results

Projects results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

  • communities in rural areas provide examples for reapplication on how to become better prepared for the anticipated effects of climate change, as they have designed and experimented measures and implemented interventions that increase resilience.
  • small and medium size local communities have been directly involved in development and testing of transformative solutions, which improve their capacity to identify and implement solutions that improve climate resilience of their territories, becoming active actors of change.

Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT)
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan), Belarus (Беларусь), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom

eligible entities

Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)

Mandatory partnership

Yes

Project Partnership

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:

  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
  • third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries

Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:

  • at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
  • at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.

Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.

A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.

Specific cases:

  • Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
  • Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
  • Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
  • EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
  • Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
  • Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.

other eligibility criteria

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project.

The following additional eligibility criteria apply: proposals must include demonstration activities to be carried out in 3 different regions/localities/ communities located in 3 different Member States /Associated Countries, involving and including as beneficiaries in the consortium legal entities established in these three countries.

Additional information

Topics

Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management, 
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)

Additional Information

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.

Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.

The application form will have two parts:

  • Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
  • Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.

Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).

The limit for a full application (Part B) is 45 pages.

Call documents

Horizon Missions 2023-2024Horizon Missions 2023-2024(2860kB)

Contact

EU Missions in Horizon Europe
RTD-HORIZON-EUROPE-MISSIONS@ec.europa.eu
Website

National Contact Points for Horizon Europe
Website

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