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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.

    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

URBACT Action Networks

Funding Program

URBACT IV

deadlines

Opening
17.03.2026

Deadline
17.06.2026 15:00

Estimated EU contribution per project

max. € 1,000,000.00

Link to the call

urbact.eu

Link to the submission

cte-2127.synergie-europe.fr

Call content

short description

The URBACT programme has launched the call for Action Networks, running from 17 March to 17 June 2026, looking for applications from city administrations willing to put their strategies in motion and implement concrete actions in their local contexts. The call for Action Networks enables implementation of city strategies through a set of concrete actions in local contexts for sustainable urban development. Cities from European Union's 27 Member States and Partner States (Norway, Switzerland, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, Moldova and Ukraine) are invited to apply to this call for Action Networks. An URBACT Action Network is composed of 6-8 city partners. With expertise support and more funding for implementation of actions, partners will embark on a 2,5 year journey of learning and exchange with European peers to prepare their Action Portfolios, benefitting from capacity-building and knowledge opportunities, while gaining visibility and recognition at European level.

Call objectives

URBACT Action Networks support cities to implement concrete urban actions addressing identified local challenges, building on existing local strategies or policy frameworks. The primary objective is to strengthen local institutional and stakeholders’ capacities to manage and deliver sustainable urban development policies through action implementation, peer learning, and the production of transferable implementation knowledge.

By taking part in an Action Network, partner cities exchange and share experience on specific policy challenges, co-create possible solutions and implement a portfolio of actions, in order to collectively generate transferable knowledge on how urban change can be delivered in practice. Implementation of actions is the core engine for learning, helping cities to experiment, adjust and identify what works in practice, gather insights, and prepare for evidence-based scaling up of successful initiatives through local or European funding.

As a starting point, cities willing to get involved in Action Networks shall already have an existing local strategy, policy framework or action plan, ensuring strategic coherence and political relevance. Cities shall commit to:

  • Design, implement and monitor a limited number of concrete actions addressing clearly identified local challenges. Actions should be realistic in scope, feasible within the network duration, and designed to produce tangible outputs and observable change.
  • Ensure the participatory approach by mobilising an URBACT Local group (local multi-stakeholder group) in each participating city and organise Actions Labs to co-design and co-implement actions and support learning;
  • Use transnational exchange to compare implementation approaches, address common barriers, refine actions throughout the network lifetime, support the transition from tested actions to longer-term urban transformation.

Each partner city is expected to produce an Action Portfolio - a progressively built set of outputs, produced on the way, demonstrating an action system and positive impact.

At network level, partners shall jointly produce a bespoke Actions Playbook that captures the learning from all cities and provides clear recommendations to other cities, policy-makers and European organisations. In addition to the bespoke Actions Playbook, networks are also free to develop any other outputs they think of relevance for an external audience (tools for cities, recommendations to European policy makers, manifestos, etc). More information on these deliverables can be found in the Guide to Action Networks.

Throughout the network duration, cities will also be communicating to an external audience about their work and results. The URBACT Secretariat will provide specific tools and guidance for this purpose.

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Expected results

URBACT supports networks in any thematic issues on better cooperation governance. The present Call for Proposals for Action Networks is open to any specific urban challenge or topic that is relevant to the candidate cities and connected with EU Cohesion Policy objectives.

Cities are encouraged to propose projects related to key areas of action identified in the European Agenda for Cities (i) competitiveness, digitalisation, innovation and investment; (ii) social inclusion and equality; (iii) security, safety and preparedness; (iv) affordable, sustainable, decent quality and inclusive housing and buildings; (v) climate action, environment and clean energy; (vi) mobility.

However, networks may also propose other or more specific topics that are relevant for cities, for example public services, urban regeneration, health, youth, culture, democracy, city science, resilience, demography, education and training, circular economy, water management, urban governance, urban planning.

Nevertheless, projects will need to explain how their proposal links to the Cohesion Policy Objectives in their application form.

While addressing the main policy area the URBACT networks will choose to work on, they will also have to reflect on how their activities address the cross-cutting principles of green transition, digital transformation, and gender equality and to consider how these holistic themes can be part of the analysed challenges and solutions.

Proposals should demonstrate added value compared to the networks already financed by URBACT in the past, and how they build on the knowledge and solutions already developed. The details of the topics tackled under previous networks can be found on the URBACT website.

Activities and Work Packages

Action Networks shall operate and implement the network activities structured into three stages around three work packages:

  • Work package 1 (WP1) – Network management
  • Work package 2 (WP2) – Network Level Activities
  • Work package 3 (WP3) – Local Level Activities

The activities to be implemented by Action Networks, in each of the stages, are organised around work packages. Work packages allow partners to develop a shared understanding about the project’s structure. Each work package has specific objectives, defined activities and related expected deliverables.

Communication and visibility activities shall be implemented as part of all three work packages. More information about communication/visibility requirements are provided in the URBACT Programme Manual. More detailed information about the Action Network journey is available in the Guide to Action Networks.

Under this call, networks are approved for a total duration of 30 months, from 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2029. The Network Journey will be structured around three core stages:

Stage 1 – Activation stage – 7 months (November 2026 – May 2027)

All networks start with an activation stage. This stage is dedicated to the development of a detailed roadmap of network activities and a consolidation of a well-balanced and coherent partnership. During Stage 1, partners involved in approved networks will work, with the support of an URBACT validated Lead Expert. The main deliverables of the Activation stage shall include:

  • Contracting and onboarding for Lead partners and Lead experts (during first two months);
  • Production of a Baseline Study and Network Roadmap presenting the policy challenge of the network, the strategic anchor and project scope for all the partners, as well as the methodological framework and workplan for the exchange and learning activities;
  • Finalisation of the budget based on the Network Roadmap and proposed actions;
  • Consolidation of the partnership;
  • Organisation of at least one in-person transnational meeting gathering all partners;
  • Set-up of local teams and the identification of stakeholders to be involved in URBACT Local Group in each partner city;
  • To develop a visual identity for the network;
  • To develop and produce a Communication Plan for their network.

Stage 2 – Develop & Deliver – 20 months (June 2027 – January 2029)

Main activities and deliverables of Stage 2 shall include:

  • Transnational exchange and peer learning activities inspiring the design and the delivery of possible solutions;
  • Organisation of stakeholders meetings (Action Labs) in each partner city for the development and delivery of concrete actions on the ground;
  • The co-production of the Action Portfolio by stakeholders gathered in an URBACT Local Group in each partner city;
  • Implementation of actions at local level;
  • The network Mid-Term Reflection process;
  • Communication and outreach activities including the management of a network webpage on the URBACT website, production of periodical Network Journals and articles communicating on social media, organisation of dissemination events, etc.
  • Co-Production of the bespoke Actions Playbook and other additional outputs.

Final stage – 3 months (February 2029 – April 2029)

The final three months of the project are dedicated to the finalisation of the expected network outputs and sharing of results. During this stage, networks are expected to organise a final network event with the focus on showcasing the results of the network and or local stakeholders.

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Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

EU Member States
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Montenegro (Црна Гора), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Switzerland (Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera), Ukraine (Україна)

eligible entities

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

Mandatory partnership

Yes

Project Partnership

Transnational partnerships are cornerstones of all URBACT Networks. The rules defined below apply to all partnerships involved in Action Network proposals. These rules translate into eligibility criteria (see section 7) and shall therefore be respected. Eligibility criteria are requirements, which must all be fulfilled for a proposal to be declared eligible. Only eligible proposals shall be considered for further assessment and approval.

Lead Partners

Lead Partners are key actors of transnational partnerships for Action Networks. They have full responsibility for network management, coordination of activities among the transnational partners, communication at network and EU levels, and implementation of the work programme. The Lead Partner also bears financial and legal responsibility and liability for the whole partnership towards the URBACT Managing Authority.

Cities from EU Member and Partner States can be Lead Partners of Action Networks.

Considering the responsabilities of the Lead Partners, a city should assess carefully its capacity to assume such a role. This capacity of the Lead Partner to fulfil this role will be subject of the evaluation process.

In case the Lead Partner is a city from a a Partner State (Norway, Switzerland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine) a specific provision will be included in the subsidy contracts as regards responsibility for the EU funds allocated to the network and financial flows between the URBACT Managing Authority and programme beneficiaires (Lead Partner and Partners).

The candidate Lead Partner can be candidate Lead Partner in one URBACT proposal only under this call.

Further information on the roles and responsibilities of Lead Partners and Project Partners is available in the Programme Manual, Book 1 (Section Managing an URBACT Network & Section F. Communication at network level).

Action Network Partnership

The partnership shall be set up for the submission of the application.

The partnership to be proposed must include a minimum of 6 partners and a maximum of 8 partners from eligible countries.

Eligible partners to funding

  • ERDF PARTNERS: The project partners that are located in the 27 EU Member States are co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). They can be involved as Project Partners under this call for proposals, provided all eligibility criteria are respected. Compliance with the eligibility criteria will be confirmed during the eligibility check.
  • IPA PARTNERS: Countries concerned by the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA fund) within the URBACT Programme are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. IPA partners can apply as Project Partners, provided all eligibility criteria are respected.
  • UKRAINE & MOLDOVA: Ukraine and Moldova, as countries covered by the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) within the URBACT Programme, can apply as Project Partners, provided all eligibility criteria are respected.
  • SWITZERLAND AND NORWAY: The partners from Switzerland and Norway are receiving a co-financement from the national budget of the concerned country.

Partnership composition

  • A partnership must include 6 to 8 partners;
  • Partners should be eligible institutions from all types of EU Member States regions, as well as from Norway, Switzerland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine or Moldova.
  • At least half of the partners must come from EU Member States (4 in case of a partnership of 7).
  • A partnership may include a maximum of 1 partner from IPA and NDICI countries.
  • A partnership cannot include two partners from the same Member/Partner State.
  • A partnership may include 1 “non-city partner” maximum (as defined in section 2.2).
  • A partner cannot be a partner in more than two approved Action Networks at the same time.
  • A candidate city can be candidate Lead Partner of one Action Network proposal only but can also be a Project Partner in another network at the same time.

To keep in mind while working on applications:

  • There is no minimum or limit of population size for cities wishing to participate in URBACT activities. URBACT supports urban authorities from the neighbourhood to functional urban area level depending on the topic covered and the impact that can be made. This includes urban-rural linkages and cross-border functional urban areas.
  • Cities with no previous URBACT experience are invited to apply. Specific support will be provided to newcomer cities.
  • The proposed actions to be implemented at local level should be based on an already existing strategy, local policy or action plan.
  • The work of the Action Networks in developing the capacity of cities to design and implement integrated sustainable urban policies is relevant for many cities working on sustainable urban development as referred in the Article 11 of the ERDF Regulation9. The involvement of Article 11 cities and other cities benefiting from Cohesion policy funds will be sought for, as well as the alignment with Cohesion policy principles.
  • In terms of assessment, it is recommended to build a diverse partnership.
  • It is also encouraged to include in the partnership, cities which are newcomers to URBACT, i.e. cities which have not been financed yet under URBACT UIV (list of cities involved in UIV available here).

other eligibility criteria

The URBACT IV programme area consists of:

  • The 27 EU Member States States (including insular and outermost regions) ;
  • Partner States Norway and Switzerland. Partners from Norway and Switzerland cannot make use of ERDF allocations. Partners from Switzerland can be co-financed at 50% by a national fund. Partners from Norway may participate in Transfer Networks with Norwegian national funds covering up to 50% of the costs;
  • The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Partners from IPA countries can participate in operations receiving IPA co-financing.
  • Ukraine and Moldova, as countries covered by the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI). Partners from Ukraine and Moldova can participate in operations receiving NDICI co-financing.
  • Partners from other countries, anywhere in the world, can participate with their own funding.

For transnational exchange and learning activities, the URBACT IV Cooperation Programme identifies the Programme area and defines two categories of beneficiaries: the main beneficiaries (city partners) and other beneficiaries (non-city partners).

The main beneficiaries for Action Networks shall be cities from the above-mentioned Programme area, willing to develop integrated strategies and action plans for sustainable urban development.

As “city”, the URBACT IV Programme refers to the public local authority representing:

  • Cities, municipalities, towns;
  • Local agencies defined as public or semi-public organisations set up by a city, partially or fully owned by the city authority, responsible for the design and implementation of specific policies (economic development, energy supply, health services, transport, etc.)
  • Infra-municipal tiers of government such as city districts and boroughs in cases where they are represented by a politico-administrative institution having competences for policy-making and implementation in the policy area covered by the URBACT network concerned in which they are willing to get involved;
  • Metropolitan authorities and organised agglomerations in cases where they are represented by a politico-administrative institution having delegated competences for policy-making and implementation in the policy area covered by the URBACT network concerned.

In addition to city partners, Transfer Networks can also include a limited number of other eligible beneficiaries (non-city partners). In the case of Tranfer Networks, the list of other eligible beneficiaries is defined as follows:

  • Provincial, regional and national authorities, as far as urban issues are concerned;
  • Universities and research centres, as far as urban issues are concerned;
  • Managing Authorities of Cohesion Policy and EU Solidarity Funds.

In order to be eligible, non-city partners must be public authorities or Equivalent Public Bodies.

Additional information

Topics

Administration & Governance, Institutional Capacity & Cooperation, 
Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management, 
Arts & Culture, Cultural Heritage, Tourism, 
Circular Economy, Natural Resources, 
Competitiveness of Enterprises, Employment/Labour Market, SME & entrepreneurship, 
Demographic Change, European Citizenship, Migration, 
Digitalisation, Digital Society, ICT, 
Disaster Prevention, Resilience, Risk Management, 
Education & Training, Children & Youth, Media, 
Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy , 
Equal Rights, Human Rights, People with Disabilities, Social Inclusion, 
Health, Social Services, Sports, 
Justice, Safety & Security, 
Mobility & Transport, 
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

30 months

Additional Information

The applications need to be submitted through the online system SYNERGIE-CTE by 17 June 2026, 15.00 CEST.

There are several info sessions available at European and national level. Please consult the call page for more information.

The submission of the Application package is paper-free. Detailed information on how to create and submit applications through the online system SYNERGIE-CTE is provided in the Practical guide to SYNERGIE application.

To submit a network proposal, applicants shall complete the following steps:

  • Complete and submit their application through SYNERGIE-CTE in English. Only applications submitted using SYNERGIE-CTE will be accepted. The deadline for the online submission of the Applications is Wednesday 17 June 2026, 15:00 CEST. After this deadline, the SYNERGIE-CTE system will be closed.
  • Send the application package composed of the scan of the signed PDF document of the application generated through SYNERGIE-CTE and all additional requested documents (a list of additional documents is provided below) by email to AN@urbact.eu. The e-mail shall be received by the URBACT Joint Secretariat no later than Thursday 18 June 2026, 15:00 CEST.
    • Applicants must send by email all of the following documents:
      • Scanned signed PDF version of the submitted Application generated through SYNERGIE-CTE. It must be duly signed by the Project Coordinator in the Lead Partner city;
      • Letters of commitment in English for ALL partners included in the partnership (one letter for the Lead Partner plus one letter for each Project Partner) using the templates provided in annexes 2 and 3 of this Call for Proposals. Letters of Commitment shall be signed by the legal representative of the partner institution;
      • CV of the Project Coordinator at the Lead Partner;
    • Applicants should expect an email acknowledging receipt of the application package which will be sent by the URBACT Secretariat and will confirm the successful sending.
  • In parallel, each partner within a proposal needs to submit until the end date of the call, by 17 June 2026 - 15.00 CEST, the State aid self assessment questionnaire (Annex 4 of the Terms of Reference) through the following EU Survey link. Each partner will fill in the questionnaire trough EUSurvey and submit it individually.

The EU co-financing rate for an Action Network is calculated at network level on the basis of the different co-financing rates for each partner.

  • Partners from “more developed regions” are co-financed up to 65% by ERDF.
  • Partners from “transition regions” are co-financed up to 70% by ERDF.
  • Partners from “less developed regions” are co-financed up to 80% by ERDF.
  • Switzerland is a Partner State of the URBACT programme. Partners from Switzerland are co-financed up to 50% by a Swiss national fund.
  • Norway is a partner state of the URBACT programme. Partners from Norway may participate in Action Networks with Norwegian national funds covering up to 50% of the costs.
  • Partners from IPA countries are co-financed by up to 95% by IPA Funds.
  • Partners from Ukraine and Moldova are co-financed by up to 95% by NDICI Funds
  • Partners from other countries may participate in Action Networks at their own cost for this call.

Action Network Budgets

The maximum total eligible budget for an Action Network shall be EUR 1 000 000 (including ERDF, IPA, NDICI funds and local co-financing). The budget should be proposed considering the number of partners and actions to be implemented within the project.

50% of the budget should be allocated to the implementation of concrete actions at local level.

The budget allocated for the implementation of concrete actions will be detailed after the Activation stage and validated by the URBACT Joint Secretariat. The budget allocated to the implementation of concrete actions can be reimbursed either based on real costs or following a simplified cost option methodology – draft budgets.

Detailed instruction on the budget, including on draft budgets methodology are presented in the Guide for Action Networks.

Call documents

URBACT Guide for Action NetworksURBACT Guide for Action Networks(698kB)
Urbact ToR Call for Action NetworksUrbact ToR Call for Action Networks(690kB)

Contact

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

URBACT National Points
Website

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