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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

DUT Call 2026

Funding Program

Driving Urban Transitions Partnership (DUT)

deadlines

Opening
01.09.2026

Deadline
17.11.2026 13:00

Call budget

€ 49,000,000.00

Link to the call

dutpartnership.eu

Link to the submission

Call content

short description

The aim of this call for proposals is to support transnational research and/or innovation projects that help cities tackle urban challenges and transition towards a climate neutral and resilient future for all. Projects should contribute to one or more of our three thematic areas, the Transition Pathways: 15-minute City, Circular Urban Economies and Positive Energy Districts.

Call objectives

The 15-minute City Transition Pathway (15mC TP) addresses challenges of urban mobility, logistics, public space and proximity-based policies to promote implementation of climate neutral, resilient neighbourhoods for all. It draws on research and innovation projects to showcase a diverse mosaic of approaches that drive mobility transitions. The 15mC TP aims to enable analysis, development and testing of ideas, tools and innovations for 15-minute cities within co-creative and transdisciplinary settings.

The Circular Urban Economies Transition Pathway (CUE TP) aims to foster urban places, communities and neighbourhoods that are sustained by circular resource flows and enhance the wellbeing of their inhabitants and ecosystems. It encourages urban planning and design characterised by regenerative urbanism, favouring the combination of circular principles, urban greening, and equal access to urban spaces and resources.

The Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway (PED TP) aims to develop innovative solutions for planning, large-scale implementation, and replication of PEDs across Europe’s urban and peri-urban areas. By combining energy efficiency, renewable energy production, and energy flexibility at the local level, PEDs offer and contribute to affordable energy systems, affordable quality housing, and competitive, resilient and inclusive local economies for cities through energy communities, contributing to European goals such as the SET Plan and the EU Mission on Climate-neutral and Smart Cities.

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Expected results

The Call topic descriptions are organized under the three Transition Pathways (TPs): CUE, 15mC, and PED. For each TP, two topics have been identified as focus areas for this year’s Call.

As urban transition challenges are inherently interconnected, proposals may address multiple topics across one or more TPs. Therefore, DUT encourages cross-cutting projects that combine aspects from different TPs. However, each proposal must select one primary TP topic, which is most closely aligned with the proposal’s core focus and against which it will be evaluated. Additionally, proposals may indicate any additional TP topics addressed, to make sure that cross-cutting aspects will be considered during the assessment.

To further strengthen real-world impact, scaling and accelerate the uptake of solutions, this Call introduces a dedicated cross-cutting topic open to Innovation Oriented Approaches (IOA) only. This topic explicitly spans all three TPs and responds to the need for projects that move beyond conceptual development towards pilots, demonstrations, transformation and implementation in real urban contexts. By focusing this topic exclusively on IOA projects, the Call aims to support initiatives with a high degree of maturity, strong cross-sector collaboration, and clear pathways to deployment, replication, and scaling.

Applicants are therefore invited to carefully select the approach, Research Oriented Approach (ROA) or Innovation Oriented Approach (IOA), that best aligns with their project objectives, and to note that the cross-cutting topic is open for IOA proposals only, with the explicit ambition to maximize impact and solution uptake across European cities.

Cross-cutting Topic 1: Adaptive reuse of existing urban structures and spaces - Call document pages 14-17

Transformative projects in urban contexts require holistic approaches, and the integration of thematic and organisational layers. The connected level of complexity asks for systemic approaches, balancing conflicting objectives, and engagement of a diversity of stakeholder groups. For this cross-cutting innovation-oriented topic, we encourage potential applicants to compile inter- and transdisciplinary consortia that go beyond single-sector perspectives and explore combinations of aspects from all DUT Transition Pathways.

Please note that:

  • This topic is only open for applications making use of the Innovation Oriented Approach (IOA).
  • Beyond the general DUT criteria to include an urban public authority in the consortium, this topic has a specific transnational eligibility criteria to include at least one private sector organisation (see section 3.1 of the call document).
  • For administrative reasons, proposals need to select one main thematic focus / one Transition Pathway (15mC / CUE / PED) in the submission system. However, an integrated approach is expected, combining specific aspects (see below) of at least two of the three Transition Pathways.
  • Please consult Table 1 and 2 in Annex A of the call document for an overview of which of the Funding Agencies that fund this as well as the TP-specific topics.

15-minute City Transition Pathway Topic 2 : Align ambitions for mobility transitions across sectors - Call document pages 17-19

Extensive commuting to work – predominantly by private car – is a daily reality for millions of Europeans, with significant implications for both individuals and society as a whole. While some companies (e.g. office and shopping centres as well as industrial sites) and large institutions, such as hospitals or universities, are taking steps to support employees and customers in choosing active mobility, public transport and e-mobility as their first and default option, such efforts remain relatively rare, fragmented and uncoordinated. More coordinated and ambitious action is needed, specifically in times of energy crisis.

This topic therefore aims to align ambitions for shifting towards and building infrastructure for sustainable mobility modes between public authorities and (especially large) private and public organisations. Building on goals and requirements set out in city strategies such as Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) and Climate City Contracts on the one hand, and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and EU Taxonomy on the other, both sides are obliged to take shared action and increase ambition, effort and output, when it comes to sustainable travel of employees and customers. The challenge is to stimulate effective and scalable forms for collaboration that jointly shape an urban future with sustainable mobility at its core.

15-minute City Transition Pathway Topic 3 : Nurture neighbourhood economies – activate innovation in local everyday offers - Call document pages 19-21

A functioning mix of commerce, services and production plays a central role in everyday urban life. It enables residents to meet daily needs locally, provides employment opportunities, fosters social interaction and contributes to vitality and resilience in neighbourhoods. Across cities of different sizes and contexts, rising e-commerce and competition from out-of-town shopping centres have weakened traditional district structures. This resulted in high vacancies and increasingly fragile and unbalanced local offers, which in turn drive greater everyday mobility and reduce access to nearby services. Yet being able to satisfy daily needs locally is a key determinant of quality of life and building local resilience, and a cornerstone for 15-minute City concepts.

This topic focuses on neighbourhood economies, understood as systems of diverse local commerce and social exchange, embedded in community relationships. Such systems generate shared wealth by circulating value locally, reducing travel distances and strengthening trust, identity and resilience – while acknowledging its embeddedness in bigger city-regional systems. Accordingly, the topic invites research and innovation on how to rethink and revitalise neighbourhood economies as multifunctional, pedestrian-friendly centres that integrate commerce, services, workplaces and small-scale production, while also considering key dimensions of urban mobility transitions. All proposals should foresee active engagement of critical local stakeholders needed to fulfil selected themes and laid out objectives.

Circular Urban Economies Transition Pathway Topic 2: Innovative maintenance of urban green and blue spaces - Call document pages 21-22

Urban green, blue, and blue-green spaces, such as parks, gardens, street trees, rivers, ponds, and wetlands, are vital components of city ecosystems. They provide critical services including biodiversity habitat, stormwater management, urban cooling, and recreational and social value. However, the long-term maintenance of these spaces is often undervalued or under-resourced, leading to degraded ecological health and diminished benefits. Conventional maintenance regimes that prioritize neatness or minimal cost can inadvertently harm biodiversity (e.g. over-mowing or removing natural debris) and limit the climate resilience potential of urban nature elements. With climate change intensifying and biodiversity in decline, cities urgently need to reimagine maintenance as a proactive strategy for adaptation and ecological health. European policy developments underscore this urgency: the new EU Nature Restoration Law aims to halt net loss of urban green spaces by 2030 and increase urban nature area in following decades, and it mandates restoring urban ecosystems and ensuring access to quality green space for all residents. This calls for innovative, systemic approaches to maintenance, not just technical fixes, but new governance, financing, and collaborative models, to enhance the biodiversity, climate adaptation capacity, and social value of urban green and blue assets.

Circular Urban Economies Transition Pathway Topic 3: Rethinking urban production for circular and resilient cities - Call document pages 22-24

In the transition to circular urban economies, cities can reinvent themselves not only as consumers of goods but also as sustainable producers. Urban production activities, ranging from local food cultivation and repair workshops to small-scale manufacturing, makerspaces and creative industries, can significantly shorten value chains and keep resources circulating locally. By localising production, cities can reduce the environmental footprint of goods (through lower transport emissions and less waste) and strengthen community resilience with local jobs, skills and enterprises. Such approaches can also foster economic inclusion by creating opportunities for diverse groups within the urban population. However, most cities today are not structured to support production: industrial activities have often been zoned to the periphery or entirely outside city boundaries, and urban plans and infrastructure typically prioritise housing and services over manufacturing or agriculture. There is an urgent need for novel strategies and governance to embed production back into urban systems in a sustainable, low-impact way. This means allocating space and facilities for production (from rooftops and brownfields for urban farming to shared workshops for repair and fabrication), enabling the use of urban waste streams as raw materials for new products, and updating policies that currently hinder circular local enterprise (for example, regulations on reuse or permitting of craft industries). Recent global supply chain disruptions and EU policy initiatives (such as the Circular Economy Action Plan and emerging “right to repair” regulations) highlight the importance of rebuilding localised, circular production capabilities. By rethinking urban production, cities can increase their self-sufficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and improve social cohesion and innovation. This topic calls for creative, systemic approaches to integrate production into the urban fabric as a key driver of circularity and resilience.

Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway Topic 2: PED solutions in private housing across different urban contexts - Call document pages 24-25

85% of buildings in the EU were built before 2000, and 75% have poor energy performance. A large share of these buildings is privately owned residential buildings. Considering these numbers, improving the energy performance of existing buildings is key to saving energy, reducing bills for citizens and enterprises, and achieving a zero-emission and fully decarbonised building stock by 2050.

Across Europe, housing providers face declining new construction due to rising costs and limited financing, while renovation activities progress slowly. Residential construction is projected to reach a ten-year low by 2025, underscoring the urgent need for innovative and scalable refurbishment solutions.

At the same time, cities with 45.000 or more inhabitants are obliged to develop local heating and cooling plans with the aim to decarbonise heating and cooling. The heating and cooling sector represents 80% of all energy consumed by buildings, with 72% of that energy coming from fossil fuels. Decarbonising the heating and cooling sector is therefore essential to achieving the wider objective of a climate-neutral building stock, while also supporting the EU’s objectives of competitiveness, strategic autonomy, power grid limitations and reducing (energy) poverty. 

The PED concept offers a transformative framework to upgrade existing urban areas by improving energy performance, reducing carbon emissions, and promoting integrated, sustainable approaches. However, deep renovation remains constrained by outdated building stock, structural challenges, cultural, heritage and architectural limitations, and the high costs of both renovation, renewable energy integration and administrative constraints.

Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway Topic 3: Sustainable PEDs, flexibility in energy systems, and integrated technologies - Call document pages 26-27

Flexibility in energy systems and the integration of energy technologies are core pillars of PEDs, enabling districts to balance demand with variable renewable generation, manage local surplus, and ensure secure and resilient energy supply. However, despite extensive modelling and design efforts, real-world implementation and long-term validation of integrated, flexible energy systems remain limited. Natural fluctuations, combined with user behaviour and infrastructural capacities in renewable energy supply pose significant challenges for grid stability and efficient system operation. The diversity of energy carriers, technologies and stakeholders, combined with fragmented data standards, proprietary protocols and misaligned regulatory frameworks, hinders interoperability and coordinated operation. As a result, there is insufficient evidence on technical performance, economic viability and social acceptance, including user engagement. Addressing these challenges through real-world urban demonstrations is essential to understand behavioural drivers, validate system integration, and support the scalable deployment of flexible, integrated energy solutions.

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Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

Austria (Österreich), Belgium (Belgique/België), Bulgaria (България ), Cyprus (Κύπρος ), Czechia (Česko), Denmark (Danmark), Estonia (Eesti), Finland (Suomi/Finland), France, Germany (Deutschland), Greece (Ελλάδα ), Hungary (Magyarország), Iceland (Ísland), Latvia (Latvija), Lithuania (Lietuva), Netherlands (Nederland), Norway (Norge), Poland (Polska), Portugal, Romania (România), Slovenia (Slovenija), Spain (España), Sweden (Sverige), Switzerland (Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera), Türkiye

eligible entities

Education and training institution, 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

Applicants can be: 

  • research organisations (higher education institutions including universities, university colleges; research institutes or other entities with research undertakings), 
  • companies and commercial organisations, including SMEs
  • urban government authorities (such as regional and local government institutions, municipalities and municipal organisations, city authorities, urban public administrations, and infrastructure and service providers), 
  • consumers and civil society representatives (e.g. local and community organisations, non-governmental organisations, not-for-profit organisations, citizens’ representatives, etc.). 
  • From the culture and creative sectors (e.g. artists and designers)

Eligibility rules for the consortia and Applicants:

Transnational eligibility rule 1:

  • Each proposal must be submitted by a consortium consisting of at least three eligible Applicants from at least three different participating countries (see Annex A). Only Applicants eligible for funding by the participating Funding Agencies from the following countries are eligible to apply as Main Applicant or Co-applicant: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Tunisia and Türkiye. 
  • In addition, at least two of the eligible Applicants must be from different EU Member States (MS) or Associated Countries (AC) to the Horizon Europe eligible for EC co-funding in this Call: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands and Türkiye. 
  • All legal entities must be independent from each other to be considered as different applicants. 
  • Please pay careful attention to the specific Funding Agencies’ rules regarding eligibility of applicants in Annex A since not all Funding Agencies can support all types of Applicants.
  • Ineligible Applicants (e.g. from other countries or ineligible to receive funding from a participating Funding Agency) may participate as a Cooperation Partner.

Transnational eligibility rule 2: Consortia must include at least one urban public authority (city, municipality or entity providing key urban services, so long as this entity is owned by a local government (confirmation of this by the local government may be requested by the Call Secretariat)) either as a Main Applicant, Co-applicant, or Cooperation Partner depending on the national/regional eligibility criteria.

Transnational eligibility rule 3: The Main Applicant (project coordinator) must be eligible to be funded and request funding by its national/regional participating Funding Agency.

Transnational eligibility rule 4: A Principal Contact Point (PCP) must only participate in a maximum of two proposals, and only once as the PCP of a Main Applicant. If the DUT Call Secretariat, in charge of checking transnational eligibility, identifies the same person as PCP in more than two pre-proposals, or as PCP of the Main Applicant of more than one pre-proposal, all pre-proposals/full proposals in which they are a PCP, will be declared ineligible.

Transnational eligibility rule 5: Consortia submitting a proposal in the cross-cutting topic must include at least one private sector organization (industry, company, business, SME, branch/sector organization) as a funded partner (Main or Co-Applicant).

other eligibility criteria

Recommendations for the consortia composition

Consortia are strongly encouraged to include at least one representative from civil society, either as a Main Applicant, Co-applicant, or Cooperation Partner, depending on the national/regional eligibility criteria. For the cross-cutting topic, involvement of at least one such representative who receives funding is strongly recommended.

Moreover, consortia may include partners active across several positions within the research and development system (i.e., innovation, applied research, strategic/fundamental research) and across disciplines (natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, engineering, etc.).

Typically, small to medium sized consortia (involving funding requests to 3-5 Funding Agencies on average per proposal), are expected. However, there is no upper limit, and consortia may involve as many partners as necessary for a convincing proposal, ensuring that all participants have a justified role. Each partner within the consortium should clearly add value to the objectives of the proposed project. Depending on the nature of the project, each partner in the consortium must demonstrate how they will exploit the expected results.

Consortia are expected to be balanced between countries, both in terms of number of partners and distribution of budget and no individual Applicant or Cooperation Partner may represent more than 50% of the workload calculated in terms of person-months.

Consortia must integrate gender balance and other diversity aspects in the dedicated section of the proposal (see the Evaluation Criteria in section 4.5).

It is also possible to include “widening” countries, if they are participating in the Call (see Annex A for a list of participating Funding Agencies). Please note that all consortium partners should serve a purpose that enhances the proposal; therefore, it is only recommended to add a widening partner (or any partner, for that matter) if their tasks provide a clear benefit to the success of the project.

Also, Applicants should consider the budgets and expected number of projects of all involved Funding Agencies (listed in Annex A of this document) when building the project consortium. A Funding Agency that receives too many applications will likely encounter budget issues, which may lead to most of those Applicants being eliminated due to financial constraints.

Funding recommendations

Transnationally, there are no fixed minimum or maximum limits for a project size. Please see Annex A for limits set by specific Funding Agencies. In the proposal, a justification of the requested budget is required. The estimated budget must be given in euros only and be tabulated according to the proposal template provided. All costs must be elig ible according to the Funding Agencies’ rules (see Annex A). In case of doubt, Applicants should consult their respective Funding Agencies.

Additional information

Topics

Air Quality, Biodiversity & Environment, Climate & Climate Change, Water quality & management, 
Arts & Culture, Cultural Heritage, Tourism, 
Circular Economy, Natural Resources, 
Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy , 
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

max. 36 months

Additional Information

Pre-proposals/full proposals must be prepared in English using the designated mandatory proposal form. Proposals written in other languages will be ineligible.

The proposal form should be filled in completely.

Pre-proposals and full proposals must respect the total number of pages using a standard font size and normal page margins as indicated on the proposal form.

Pre-proposals and full proposals must be submitted on the UEFISCDI electronic submission system, UDiManager (www.uefiscdi-direct.ro), before each associated deadline:

  • the Call for pre-proposals is open until 17 November 2026, 13:00 (CET)
  • In March 2027, applicants will be invited to enter the second stage of the procedure: the Call for full proposals will close on 15 April 2027, 13:00 (CEST)

An online help document with guidelines for submission will be provided, detailing the procedures and duties of the Main Applicant and of other consortium partners.

It is not possible to resubmit or revise the pre-proposal/full proposal after the submission deadline, unless it pertains to corrections to technical administrative details and is requested by the Call Secretariat.

Only pre-proposals invited to submit a full proposal will be eligible in the second stage of the selection procedure. If a Main Applicant decides to submit a full proposal rejected at the end of the first stage, this full proposal will be declared ineligible.

No fundamental changes initiated by the applicants alone between the pre-proposal and the full proposal will be accepted. Namely:

  • the project objectives stated in the pre-proposal cannot be changed,
  • the Main Applicant (and its PI) must stay the same, except in case of force majeure,
  • the consortium (co-applicants) should stay the same (with the exception of the Inclusion possibilities allowed explicitly by the Call Secretariat, see call document section 4.1),
  • only minor changes on the funding demand per Funding Agency can be allowed (except in the case adding Inclusion Procedure partners).
  • changes in the consortium structure requested as part of the Fallback Procedure (see section 3.7 of the call document) are considered modifications requested by the Call Secretariat and are therefore exempt from this rule. The Call Secretariat may allow such modifications in exceptional cases, if duly justified.

Modifications requested by a Funding Agency do not count as changes between the pre-proposal and the full proposal stages.

By submitting a pre-proposal/full proposal, applicants agree that it will be forwarded to all Funding Agencies, which are receiving a request to provide funding for that proposal.

Some Funding Agencies require submission of information on a national/regional level as well (see Annex A).

Call documents

DUT 26 Call documentDUT 26 Call document(3465kB)

Contact

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