Datum publicatie	Organisatie	Jaargang en nummer	Rubriek
04-10-2024 09:00	Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek	Staatscourant 2024, 31500	overige overheidsinformatie

Joint Call for Proposals for Research and Innovation Projects European Partnership, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

DRIVING URBAN TRANSITIONS

DUT Call 2024

Co-funded by the European Commission (Grant N° 101069506)

CALL TEXT

IMPORTANT DATES

Opening of the call for pre-proposals: 2 September 2024

Submission deadline pre-proposals: 14 November 2024 at 13:00 (CET)

Submission deadline full proposals: 24 April 2025 at 13:00 (CEST)

Revisions of the Call text

If the Call text has been updated, the changes are tracked in the table below.

Date	Update in Call text
August 2 2024	National Annexes for LCS and CDTI have been added National Annexes for VLAIO, Innoviris, Innosuisse, NCBR, GSRI have been updated
August 16 2024	National Annexes for FRS-FNRS, FWO, FAPESP, NSTC, TACR, ETAg, JST, RCN, CCDRC, FCT and Formas have been added National Annexes for VLAIO, FZJPtJ, NKFIH, MUR, KAIA, AEI, TUBITAK and UKRI have been updated
September 02 2024	National Annexes for ADEME, BNSF, UEFISCDI, SWEA and Vinnova have been added Annex A has been finalised Finalised list of countries has been added to Call Text

Date

Update in Call text

August 2 2024

National Annexes for LCS and CDTI have been added

National Annexes for VLAIO, Innoviris, Innosuisse, NCBR, GSRI have been updated

August 16 2024

National Annexes for FRS-FNRS, FWO, FAPESP, NSTC, TACR, ETAg, JST,

RCN, CCDRC, FCT and Formas have been added

National Annexes for VLAIO, FZJPtJ, NKFIH, MUR, KAIA, AEI, TUBITAK and UKRI have been updated

September 02 2024

National Annexes for ADEME, BNSF, UEFISCDI, SWEA and Vinnova have been added

Annex A has been finalised

Finalised list of countries has been added to Call Text

Driving Urban Transitions (DUT)

The Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) Partnership builds upon the achievements of the Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) Urban Europe created in 2010 to address global urban challenges with the ambition to develop a European research and innovation (R&I) hub on urban matters and create European solutions by means of coordinated research. JPI Urban Europe implemented fifteen transnational Joint Calls (out of which five were in cooperation with the European Commission (EC), three in international cooperation).

It has contracted EUR 116.8 million, with 111 funded projects, bringing together 765 beneficiaries from 35 countries throughout Europe and the world.

It has published strategic research and innovation agendas (SRIA), in co-creation with urban stakeholders and R&I actors. In addition, active AGORA community and city network groups have been created.

The DUT Partnership builds upon all the achievements of JPI Urban Europe, and will enhance ambition, strongly increase the portfolio of projects, set up new measures towards capacity building, provide urban policy support, as well as demonstrate and mainstream results.

Since 2022, the DUT Partnership has launched two transnational Joint Calls (both in cooperation with the EC). The results can be found on the DUT website.

The DUT Partnership is supported by the EC and funded under the Horizon Europe co-funded Partnership scheme (Topic HORIZON-CL5-2021-D2-01-16), under Grant Agreement N° 101069506.

JPI Urban Europe, a co-lead of the Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) under Mission Innovation (MI), contributes to the mission activities, including the PED sprint implementation, through its current R&I programme, the DUT Partnership. The DUT Partnership’s Call 2024 is part of the MI call series, i.e., MICall24. The Call topics are prepared in collaboration with UTM, and all topics of the Call are open for applications that will directly and/or indirectly contribute to the objectives of UTM. As a co-lead of the UTM, JPI Urban Europe and its current programme, the DUT Partnership, are actively involved in the UTM co-leads meetings, the revision and implementation of the UTM Action Plan, and other strategic documents.

In 2023, DUT started to cooperate with international Funding Agencies as well, specifically Canada (Quebec region, not participating in 2024) and the Republic of Korea. In the future, it is our goal to expand this cooperation with international Funding Agencies and initiatives. In this regard, DUT is also keen to launch Joint Calls with the Belmont Forum and, under DUT Call 2024, bilateral collaboration is advancing with the following international Belmont Forum Members: Brazil, Japan and Taiwan (Chinese Taipei). In 2023 and 2024, the participation of such international partners happened at the individual Funding Agency level.

Contents
1	Introduction			2
	1.1	Structure of the Call text		3
	1.2	Background to urban challenges addressed through the DUT Partnership		3
	1.3	Available budget and funding scheme		4
2	Scope and topics of the Call for proposals			4
	2.1	Aims, approaches and recommendations for proposals		4
	2.2	Types of research and innovation (R&I) activities to be supported		5
	2.3	Call topics		8
		2.3.0	Circular Urban Economies Transition Pathway (CUE TP)	8
		2.3.1	15-minute City Transition Pathway (15mC TP)	11
		2.3.2	Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway (PED TP)	15
3	Eligibility criteria and guidelines for applicants			19
	3.1	Consortium: who can participate and apply		19
	3.2	What can be applied for?1		21
	3.3	Preparing and submitting an application		22
	3.4	Summary of the transnational eligibility criteria2		22
	3.5	National/regional specific eligibility rules		23
	3.6	Eligibility check		23
	3.7	Fallback Procedure		23
4	Assessment and selection procedure			24
	4.1	Pre-proposal stage (stage 1)		24
	4.2	Full proposal stage (stage 2)5		25
	4.3	Right to object a decision, redress procedure		25
	4.4	Time schedule		25
	4.5	Evaluation criteria		26
	4.6	Conflicts of interest (Expert Panel)		27
5	Project implementation			27
	5.1	Consortium agreement		27
	5.2	Project monitoring and reporting		28
	5.3	The Call Secretariat will publish detailed guidelines to assist projects with their transnational reporting duties		28
		5.3.0	Programme activities	28
		5.3.1	Mandatory project events	28
		5.3.2	Reports and summaries for the general public	28
		5.3.3	Support for the DUT Knowledge Hub(s)	28
	5.4	Publications and dissemination		29
		5.4.0	Communication Strategy	29
		5.4.1	Acknowledgements	29
		5.4.2	Open science practices, data management and data sharing	29
	5.5	Personal data protection		29
	5.6	“Do No Significant Harm” (DNSH) principle		30
6	Contact details and other information			30
Annex A: Specific Funding Agencies’ Budgets and Rules of Eligibility				31
Annex B: Data Management				84
Annex C: Definitions of strategic and applied research and innovation				85
Annex D: Urban Living Labs				86
Annex E: Glossary				88

1 Introduction

The purpose of this Call for proposals is to support transnational research and/or innovation projects addressing urban challenges to help cities in their transition towards a more sustainable economy and functioning. The challenges are grouped into three themes called ‘Transition Pathways’: Positive Energy Districts (PED), the 15-minute City (15mC) and Circular Urban Economies (CUE).

It is the third Call of the DUT Partnership funded by the EC under the Horizon Europe Partnership scheme.

The projects selected within this Call will be funded directly by national/regional Funding Agencies from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Türkiye, and the United Kingdom.

Each proposal must involve, at least, three partners from three countries on this list that are eligible for funding by their respective national/regional Funding Agency. At least two of those partners must be from countries eligible for EC Co-Fund (see transnational eligibility rules in section 3.4 for details)

The added value of transnational collaboration should be clearly stated.

Out of the countries listed above, only Funding Agencies from the following countries are eligible for EU Co-Fund (EU Member States and Associated Countries): Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom. The Call is open to a wide range of scientific disciplines and welcomes interdisciplinary approaches. It intends to support a large range of activities, from research to innovation and implementation.

It also asks applicants to engage explicitly with stakeholders (including, but not limited to, public authorities, companies and NGOs) in the projects and to consider users’ needs in the identification of project goals. Projects are expected to take a transdisciplinary and preferably co-creative approach from the early stage of the project formulation.

This document describes the objectives, scope, and topics of the Call, rules for participation and procedures for proposal development and project implementation.

Further information on this Call (mandatory templates to use when applying, link to the submission platform, etc.) can be found on the DUT Website.

1.1 Structure of the Call text

This Call text is structured as follows:

• Section 2 describes the aims and topics of the Call.
• Section 3 presents the eligibility criteria for an application, as well as the instructions for submission.
• Section 4 covers the assessment and selection procedure and presents the evaluation criteria.
• Finally, Section 5 describes the implementation of the project regarding the consortium agreement, project monitoring and programme activities.

1.2 Background to urban challenges addressed through the DUT Partnership

Our future relies on tackling complex grand challenges. Many of these must be addressed within cities and by urban communities. Cities and urban areas are the nexus for the transformations required if the European Union (EU) is to achieve the targets of the European Green Deal (EGD) and to fulfil commitments related to the United Nations (UN)’ Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN-Habitat’s New Urban Agenda, the Urban Agenda for the European Union, and the Paris Agreement (COP21). Additionally, they play a crucial role in implementing initiatives, such as the European Climate- Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative.

The DUT Partnership aims to address these challenges with an integrated approach to offer decision makers in public authorities including municipalities, companies and, more generally, society, the means to enact and enable necessary urban transformations. Furthermore, the DUT Partnership, through research and innovation (R&I) projects, aims to develop skills and tools (including technology) that facilitate urban change, boost urgently needed urban transformations, and bring existing and new knowledge and evidence into action.

The DUT Partnership focuses on three critical urban sectors (and their interrelationships) which are laid out in its roadmap1 as Transition Pathways (TPs):

• The Circular Urban Economies (CUE) TP aims to support the planning and design of inclusive urban spaces sustained by circular resource flows. The CUE TP operates from the assumption that such spaces can only emerge if transformative interventions understand and address urban areas as simultaneously characterised by their resource use and socio-economic aspects. Thus, it encourages a multitude of tools and approaches that combine efforts towards increased urban resource efficiency and liveability. By collecting examples and grouping them according to topic and context, the CUE TP will provide a portfolio of 50+ solutions that can contribute to the circular transformation of urban areas until the end of the DUT Partnership.
• The 15-minute City (15mC) TP sets out to connect measures of mobility, logistics, public space and planning to promote liveable neighbourhoods and climate-neutral cities. The 15mC TP coordinates and drives DUT’s activities on urban mobility transitions, in a broad and holistic understanding of the city as a system. Thus, it connects to the ambition of the 15mC concept and sees it as attractive narrative advocating the qualities of a polycentric city, consisting of integrated neighbourhoods. The 15mC TP approaches to work with the 15mC concept in a curious, open-ended manner. To this end, it promotes a mosaic of innovations and policies – partially ranging under different names but following the same objectives – for urban transitions in the field of sustainable urban mobility and transport by improving accessibility and connectivity. Its objective is to facilitate analysis, elaboration, experimenting and testing of ideas, tools and innovations for 15-minute cities in co-creative settings. As a central output of its activities, these learnings will be brought together and disseminated in a portfolio of 50+ experiences and practices, recognising different urban contexts and focusing on transferability.
• The Positive Energy Districts (PED) TP aims at supporting urban energy transitions through innovative solutions for the planning, large-scale implementation and replication of PEDs with the mission to have at least 100 PED by 2025. Furthermore, it will contribute to the European Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities2, by building a portfolio of PED related solutions towards climate neutrality. PEDs build on the optimisation of energy efficiency, (local) energy generation from renewables and energy flexibility and will be synergistically connected to the energy system in Europe. By applying an integrative approach including technology, spatial, regulatory, legal, financial, environmental, social and economic perspectives, PEDs raise the quality of life in cities, contribute to achieving the COP21 targets and the EGD objectives and enhance European capacities and knowledge to become a global role model.

For the DUT Partnership to maximise impact for European and global policies, these three TPs are to be considered in an integrated manner and with a firm commitment to urban, regional and city authority capacity building in terms of ambitious policymaking and implementation. Evidence will be created with and for city administrations, municipalities, businesses and society, aiming at all kinds of innovation and capacity building needed to transform our neighbourhoods and urban areas. The DUT Partnership will offer a framework for innovation, demonstration and preparation of larger scale translation of solutions and approaches into local urban settings. Therefore, these insights and solutions generated by the DUT Partnership might also support the Cities Mission implementation, empowering local authorities and stakeholders with the knowledge and tools needed to achieve the ambitious goal of delivering 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030.

This third DUT Partnership Call aims to create and reinforce a portfolio of R&I projects that address issues and challenges identified in one of the three TPs. Proposals addressing subjects from across different TPs can be submitted and are welcomed, though this is not mandatory3. All proposals are asked to choose a main TP and may indicate which other TP(s) are involved, if any.

1.3 Available budget and funding scheme

The total available budget for this Call is approximately EUR 47 M of budget committed by the participating Funding Agencies. Additionally, the EC will support this Call through Horizon Europe (co-funded action DUT – Grant Agreement number 101069506) with a co-fund of up to 30% of the eligible Funding Agency budget for the 2024 and 2025 DUT Partnership Calls.

The national/regional Funding Agencies (outlined in Annex A), which are partners of the EC grant under the DUT Partnership project, are ineligible for funding under this Call.

Each national/regional Funding Agency will provide funds directly to their eligible beneficiaries in accordance with the agencies’ rules and regulations.

Tables 1 and 2, provided in Annex A, give an overview of the national and regional budgets dedicated to this Call by each Funding Agency and of their positioning on which topics they can fund and who they can fund.

Table 3, provided in Annex A, presents the funding rules and guidelines for each national/regional Funding Agency.

2 Scope and topics of the Call for proposals

2.1 Aims, approaches and recommendations for proposals

Focus on urban areas, in the context of achieving climate neutral and sustainable cities

Projects are expected to be focused on urban areas (including peri-urban areas) and their issues and challenges. Where appropriate, they may also consider the effects and impact on other territories like rural areas or consider urban-rural relationships.

Transdisciplinary, involvement of “stakeholders”, practitioners, citizens and inhabitants, community groups, and NGOs

The complex societal challenges addressed in the DUT Partnership also ask for knowledge on and insight in transition, innovation and implementation processes, acceptance of new systems and services, and insight in mid- and long-term behaviour of stakeholders.

Therefore, collaboration and co-production of knowledge with research users and, in particular, professionals in companies and governments, advocacy groups, citizen and inhabitant groups or NGOs (grouped under the generic name of “stakeholders” below), is highly relevant.

All projects must clearly engage stakeholders and demonstrate user needs relevant to the project goals (see the evaluation criteria in section 4.5).

Stakeholders might, for example, be involved in the choice of the topic of the proposal, in the design and advising on the project and/or in carrying out parts of the work programme. Therefore, consortia submitting proposals to this Call are asked to describe how stakeholders are involved in the project (such as, throughout the various stages of project design, implementation, analysis and dissemination). The extent of involvement may vary according to the context of the project proposed and national/regional regulations of participating Funding Agencies.

Stakeholders may be associated with the project as full partners or as cooperation partners that do not directly receive funding but can contribute to the project in various forms (in steering committees, as advisors, as providers of data, etc.). See Annex A for individual funder rules.

Projects are expected to take a transdisciplinary and preferably co-creative approach from the early project formulation stages.

Scientific disciplines and interdisciplinary approaches

This Call is open to a very wide range of scientific disciplines, in social sciences and humanities and arts, in environmental, natural and technical sciences and applied fields, such as architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, design, art, spatial planning and policy development.

Moreover, the complexity of urban sustainability usually requires interdisciplinary approaches to analyse challenges and find solutions. Projects should mobilise the necessary disciplines required to address all aspects of the issues they wish to tackle.

Inclusion of diversity (including gender dimension) or specific population considerations

Applicants must integrate diversity considerations in submitted proposals, as well as consider underrepresented populations in the planned research (see also the Evaluation Criteria in section 4.5).

This includes not only diversity distribution and gender balance in the consortium composition, but also the inclusion of diversity perspectives and analysis in the R&I activities where this is relevant4.

Transnational benefit

Projects should support collaboration that goes beyond individual national efforts and demonstrates sharing, operationalising and transferring of existing knowledge, resources, and research facilities to mutual, transnational benefit. Clear added value of the transnational consortium should be demonstrated and, if relevant, the added value for national investments.

Connection to earlier transnational European, national, regional, local research and innovation actions

The projects funded in this Call are expected to build on existing knowledge and experience as achieved in earlier relevant transnational European, national, regional and local R&I programmes, pilots, test implementations and field labs5. In the proposal, it is necessary to indicate how projects are positioned with respect to the state-of-the-art.

In particular, projects are expected to articulate how they go beyond the current state-of-the-art and leverage results from previous or ongoing transnational European, national, regional and local R&I initiatives, such as relevant projects in the Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programme (including Cities Mission calls among others), JPI Urban Europe Calls, NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme, etc.

Outputs and outcomes of the projects, broader impacts of the proposed activity

The Call Secretariat recommends that establishment of potential long-term partnerships, leveraging of existing knowledge networks and project co-design between researchers and stakeholders be essential components of the proposed projects.

Additionally, it is recommended that outputs be targeted towards decision-making (including public and private spheres, as well as communities) and innovations (technological, organisational and institutional, as well as social).

The proposals are expected to clearly present:

• how stakeholders will be engaged and contribute to the project and will be involved in the dissemination and use of the results;
• their plan for broadly communicating and disseminating outputs and outcomes, to enhance scientific and technological understanding and transfer their results to end users; and describe their strategy for longer-term utilisation of project outcomes;
• how project measures might support the effective implementation of related urban strategies and action plans, e.g. Climate City Contracts for projects with an EU Mission Label.

The projects are also asked to contribute to, and through their results, feed into the dissemination and valorisation activities of the DUT Partnership (see section 5.3 – Programme activities).

2.2 Types of research and innovation (R&I) activities to be supported

This Call is open for proposals referring to a broad range of research types: strategic urban research, applied urban research, urban innovation and implementation (see definitions in the table below).

Different Funding Agencies have the possibility to fund different parts of the R&I landscape. Table 1 in Annex A indicates the research types that will be funded by each Funding Agency.

The combination of different research types within one project (with potential differentiation at work package level) is possible, as long as the involved Funding Agencies’ eligibility rules are fulfilled.

While some project aspects (purpose, intended impact, roles and level of stakeholder involvement) depend heavily on a project's positioning with respect to R&I activities, it is worth noting that all TPs (and all subtopics) are open to both the research oriented and the innovation oriented approach. Therefore, the assessment framework accounts for differences between the approaches by applying specific sub- criteria (see section 4.5).

To help ensure a balanced portfolio of funded projects covering the R&I landscape, applicants are asked to identify and indicate which of the following approaches is the best fit for their project, depending on the main purpose of their proposal:

− a more “research-oriented approach” (ROA) to support projects aimed at producing knowledge, analysing data, better understanding and modelling phenomena, and developing expertise and tools that will be useful to stakeholders, practitioners and policymakers. This R&I orientation (called ROA moving forwards) welcomes proposals mainly focused on strategic and/or applied research;
− a more “innovation-oriented approach” (IOA) to support projects aimed at developing or improving practical, operational solutions – technological and organisational – for companies, local communities and authorities in charge of urban transport and urban planning, as well as management and testing of such solutions. This R&I orientation (called IOA moving forwards) welcomes proposals mainly focused on applied research and innovation6.
Figure 1: positioning of the ROA and IOA with respect to research and innovation

Note: This figure only applies to the definitions used by the Call Secretariat (which are used to position applications on the Expert Panels etc.). Specific Funding Agencies may have different definitions/criteria – therefore, Applicants must familiarise themselves with the National Annexes (see Annex A) of the Funding Agencies involved in their proposal.

For proposals combining both research and innovation aspects, the project coordinator must choose the R&I approach that is the most relevant considering the main objective and major novelty brought about by their project.

Alignment is expected between the type of activities (ROA/IOA) and the type of partner contribution indicated.

Definitions of strategic research, applied research and innovation (research types)

The key characteristics of the three stages of R&I activities are defined as follows:

• “strategic urban research” (which corresponds to fundamental research in the General Block Exception Regulation (GBER)) is defined as research activities driven by the desire to know, understand, and explain how cities function and interact across domains and sectors. Strategic urban research by this definition encompasses qualitative, as well as quantitative approaches, and examples can be found in any academic discipline. The subject of this type of research can be a specific aspect of a city or a city in its entirety, or even a network of related cities. Strategic urban research can be theoretical, comparative or case specific. For this research approach, the primary goal is to expand on common knowledge about how cities function. In line with this, it places a high value on traditional scientific methods and publication in peer reviewed journals. In many cases, this type of research should still have value to end users so they should be engaged where appropriate.
• Understanding of how cities function (including urban mobility and connectivity) is essential to be able to achieve effective (policy) intervention. Achieving this through knowledge creation is often referred to as “applied urban research” (corresponding to industrial research in the GBER). Applied urban research in this context is about how city officials, citizens and inhabitants, practitioners and others can influence and interact with a city, with the purpose of improving or adapting it, in some respect. In applied urban research, there is good opportunity to involve citizens and inhabitants, and representatives from non-academic institutions (NGOs, advocacy groups, citizen and inhabitant organisations, companies, public authorities…) in projects, to bring a practitioners’ perspective to co-produce knowledge relevant for user stakeholders. Applied urban research is designed to be tangible and applicable to such a degree that the results are likely to have an impact on actual decisions and policy. Apart from publication in peer reviewed journals, knowledge exchange activities such as policy briefings, policy seminars and other events targeted at stakeholders are important, as well as dissemination in popular media.
• While strategic and applied urban research are both focused on producing knowledge, “urban innovation and implementation” (corresponding to experimental development in the GBER) takes things one step further and promotes the actual creation or advancement towards new policies, practices, services, products or processes – such as integrated systems, tools, services and data – in such a manner that the first impact already takes place during the project phase. Initiatives should therefore have a focus on experimentation, testing, implementation, evaluating and disseminating results, and are always carried out in close collaboration with stakeholders. Policies, practices, processes, services or products being developed could be of commercial value, but equally welcome is innovation directed at public governance, management and operation (societal value). Urban innovation should be carried out in close collaboration with stakeholders.

For more details, see Annex C.

The following table provides some key characteristics of the two R&I approaches.

Table 1: Characteristics of the two R&I approaches
Characteristics	Research-oriented approach (ROA)	Innovation-oriented approach (IOA)
Desired impact	Advance towards answering the questions: – “How do cities really function?” in a way that can be generalised and add to the universal body of knowledge about cities and serve as a foundation for future research. – “What works, when attempting to improve cities?” in a way that can be generalised enough to serve as useful knowledge for decision makers and practitioners.	Advance towards the development, implementation, demonstration, testing, evaluation and uptake of approaches for new products, services, policies, practices and processes, with potential for improving economic, social or environmental sustainability in cities.
Importance of generating results fit for publication in reputable academic journals	Very important	Encouraged
Methodological approach	Rigorous scientific method including methodological advancement	Systematic, proven approach
Foundation of work on evaluation and analysis of empirical observations	Encouraged	Required
Involvement of stakeholders	Involved at least as advisors	Directly involved in the workload
Role for applying Urban Living Labs (see Annex D)	Welcomed	Encouraged
Role for policy research	Fits well	May fit
Valorisation of project results	Provision of insights to an important societal issue, production of useful knowledge for stakeholders/decision makers/practitioners	Market potential of the project or capacity to respond to a demand or need (including societal needs)
Interdisciplinary approach	Encouraged	Encouraged
Academic disciplines expected in project	All welcome (especially from social sciences, arts and humanities)
Preference for qualitative or quantitative methods	Both welcomed	Both welcomed
Background of evaluators for project assessment	Knowledgeable researchers from universities and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) with topic relevant disciplinary background and expertise, researchers with strong experience on utilisation of research results, representatives of companies, cities and other relevant stakeholders.

2.3 Call topics

The Call topic descriptions are structured according to the three TPs: CUE, 15mC and PED.

For each TP, three topics are defined as focus areas for this year’s call. Since urban transition issues are intrinsically interconnected, a proposal may address several topics, from one or more TP. While, cross- cutting projects, which combine topics from more than one TP, are encouraged, each project must choose one TP’s topic that is closest to their subject as a guide. The proposal will be evaluated on the criteria of its main TP. Crosscutting characteristics will be considered in the assessment.

2.3.0 Circular Urban Economies Transition Pathway (CUE TP)

The CUE TP aims to support cities to become more resource efficient and reduce their impact on the planet. The CUE TP encourages cities to implement circular measures that address socio-economic inequalities, promote social cohesion, and improve access to urban resources, services, and green and blue spaces. The CUE topics in this Call are focused around creating a new paradigm for urban water cycles; urban biodiversity and circular models for regeneration, repurposing, protection and conservation within urban space; as well as multi-city strategies for circular economy monitoring and management.

2.3.1.1 CUE Topic 1: Creating a New Paradigm for Urban Water Cycles

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

Urban areas worldwide face escalating challenges concerning water resource management exacerbated by climate change impacts. The pressing challenge lies in ensuring sustainable water access amidst escalating demands, contamination risks, and ecosystem alterations resulting from urbanisation and climate change. This topic underscores the need for a paradigm shift in urban water management strategies towards resilience and circularity. It seeks to address the imperative to improve water resource management within cities and urban environments to mitigate scarcity, enhance quality, and bolster resilience against climate impacts, risks and vulnerabilities.

SCOPE

Proposals submitted under this topic must address the multifaceted challenges of urban water management and resilience, in both existing urban areas and new development areas. Projects should focus on redesigning urban water supply chains for enhanced circularity, leveraging blue-green infrastructure to bolster sustainability and resilience, and fostering community capacity building for informed decision – making and sustainable water use practices. Research questions should revolve around identifying innovative solutions for sustainable water management, assessing the impact of climate change on urban water systems, and integrating nature-based approaches into urban planning, design, architecture and landscape architecture to mitigate risks associated with water scarcity and quality.

Proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following questions:

• How can urban water supply chains be redesigned to improve circularity, considering the diverse activities and scales within cities and urban areas?
• How can the efficient use and reuse of diverse water resources as well as blue-green infrastructure contribute to ensure water security in the built environment?
• What strategies are effective for capacity building within urban communities to promote active engagement in decision-making processes related to water management and conservation?
• What innovative measures can be implemented for the maintenance, renovation, and refurbishment of existing water infrastructure in urban (re)developments to improve storage, longevity and effectiveness?
• How can water management within built and living environments, including public spaces, be designed and adapted to mitigate and adapt to water-related effects of climate change (i.e. droughts, floods, urban heat island effect, etc.), and address different conceptualisations and & aspects of resilience and circularity? What economic considerations and measures are essential for ensuring the resilience and robustness of public water services, and how can they be integrated with other sectors for comprehensive planning and management?
• What governance arrangements can be developed to make supported and legitimised decisions on urban water management preparing for crisis, and in times of crisis? (i.e. which areas will be flooded, impacted by drought, which functions / areas are allocated water)?

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

Rather than providing isolated technical solutions, projects are expected to address this topic in a systemic way. Project outcomes should be impact-oriented and process-oriented, and therefore as concrete and user-centred as possible. Expected outputs and outcomes include, but are not limited to:

• Insights for addressing and reshaping urban water management practices, with an emphasis on optimising water resource utilisation, water treatment facilities and water related climate adaptation and mitigation measures in the urban environment and on a water system level.
• Producing measurable enhancements and factual impact in the resilience, sustainability and adaptability of urban environments in relation to water systems.
• Delivering innovative solutions, best practices, and policy recommendations tailored to enhance the sustainability of water management in urban areas.
• Building and extracting knowledge to create cross-border policies on urban water management practices, addressing different water management challenges that exist in different climate zones.

Such outputs may manifest in various forms, including technical reports, policy briefs, toolkits and guidelines targeting practitioners and policymakers alike. These deliverables aim to equip stakeholders with actionable insights and strategies to effectively navigate the complexities of urban water management.

2.3.1.2 CUE Topic 2: Circular Models for Regenerating, Repurposing, Protecting and Conserving Urban Space for Biodiversity

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

Safeguarding and enriching urban ecosystems and biodiversity emerge as critical imperatives for fostering sustainable urban development in the face of mounting ecological challenges. This topic underscores the importance of collaborative efforts among policymakers, urban planners, environmentalists and communities to implement effective strategies for preserving and restoring urban biodiversity; paradigm – level shifts are envisaged and expected. This topic is centered around the reshaping of urban planning policies to rejuvenate ecological landscapes within urban and peri-urban settings and mitigate the adverse effects of urbanisation on biodiversity and ecosystem health.

SCOPE

Proposals submitted to this topic should concentrate on innovative approaches to urban biodiversity conservation, encompassing mitigation and adaptation measures in urban planning, design, architecture and landscape architecture and for both redevelopment and new construction projects in urban environments including but not limited to public and common spaces, urban nature and greenery, and infrastructure. The topic emphasises the importance of preserving and enhancing urban biodiversity through legislative measures, community engagement and sustainable urban planning and design, architecture and landscape architecture practices, as well as the exploration of nature-based solutions (NBS) to address different urban pollution issues. The topic entails circular challenges related to urban biodiversity issues regarding land availability, property management, and unsealing practices, requiring paradigm level shifts. It also emphasises how various legislative and other initiatives, can catalyse change by influencing new planning regulations and policy, and promoting intensified urban renaturing for European cities and beyond.

Proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following questions:

• How can urban green and blue spaces be effectively protected, enhanced and managed to safeguard urban ecosystems and biodiversity?
• How can legislation and other driving forces that negatively affect urban habitats, nature and biodiversity be analysed and addressed? How can legislative targets be utilised to enhance and restore biodiverse urban habitats while actively engaging urban communities in capacity building?
• How can biodiversity considerations be seamlessly integrated into urban planning, design, architecture and landscape architecture to ensure the protection and enhancement of urban landscapes?
• What are the economic and societal, including amenity, health and well-being benefits of biodiversity measures and NBS in urban areas? How can these be effectively demonstrated through practical projects? How can trade-offs between long-term benefits and short-term costs of urban biodiversity measures and NBS be negotiated and researched, leading to a paradigm shift? How can these solutions be upscaled and replicated in other cities, including international ones?
• How can and/or do circular urban business models contribute to circular solutions in relation to effective strategies and policy reshaping?
• How can circular urban business models offer ecosystem services while also considering biodiversity footprints, including material origins and destinations? Additionally, how can we measure the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emission reductions resulting from implementing NBS in these models?
• How can justice – encompassing obligations and rights, the distribution of advantages and disadvantages – be incorporated into urban biodiversity initiatives? Furthermore, how can appropriate goals be incorporated into urban biodiversity initiatives, and incompatible goals be balanced?
• What role do urban circular supply chains, waste management systems, and recycling initiatives play in supporting urban biodiversity conservation efforts, and how can they be optimised to minimise habitat destruction and pollution while maximising resource recovery and reuse in urban spaces?
• How can cities leverage circular business models, such as ecosystem services’ trading, green procurement and biodiversity offsetting, to incentivise private sector involvement in urban biodiversity conservation and sustainable development?
• How can NBS be designed in urban landscapes and green-blue structures and infrastructure to function as adaptation measures against climate's impacts like temperature shifts, extreme weather, flooding, and drought?

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

Rather than provide isolated technical solutions, projects are expected to address this topic in a systemic way. Project outcomes should be impact-oriented and process-oriented, and therefore as concrete and user-centred as possible. Expected outputs and outcomes include, but are not limited to:

• Contributing to paradigm level shifts in urban planning, design, architecture and landscape architecture towards a biocentric perspective, where urban areas and communities are further integrated into nature for sustainable socio-ecological balance across urban-rural gradients.
• Strengthening urban biodiversity and ecosystem services through collaborative stakeholder engagement and widespread dissemination of findings for broader impact.
• Advocating for justice and equity in conservation and restoration initiatives, ensuring actions go beyond mere inclusion of and explanation to citizens and inhabitants, actively catalysing behavioural shifts favouring sustainable transitions.
• Highlighting the diverse values of urban renaturing and circular economy principles, including economic benefits alongside other values, such as environmental, social, and health advantages.

Projects are expected to create strategies for the dissemination of their project results for uptake by stakeholders (outcomes) to contribute to broader impact. Funded projects should strive to instigate profound changes in urban landscapes, fostering symbiotic relationships between human habitats and natural ecosystems while championing principles of justice, equity, and economic viability in urban biodiversity conservation.

2.3.1.3 CUE Topic 3: Multi-City Strategies for Circular Urban Economy Monitoring and Management

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

Access to robust and reliable data is critical for driving the transition to a circular economy within urban areas. However, simply having data available is not enough to catalyse the necessary changes in how materials circulate throughout cities. The true challenge lies in maximising the advantages of this data, leveraging this, ensuring its quality and accessibility, andto enhance awareness, understanding, decision- making, and actionable initiatives at the level of local urban governance. This requires interconnected integration of scientific insights, policy frameworks, and community engagement. Thus, the primary focus of this topic is on devising robust strategies for monitoring and gathering data on circular economy practices specifically tailored to the dynamics of urban environments and their large variety of resource flows.

SCOPE

The topic prioritises multi-city strategies for circularity through localised monitoring and data collection efforts. It is further concerned with how comprehensive circular economy monitoring frameworks can be developed to benefit local urban governance. By fostering collaboration among cities and stakeholders, project proposals should focus on addressing challenges related to data availability, reliability, tracking over time and benchmarking against other cities. They should refrain from limiting data collection to quantitative metrics alone and preferably also incorporate qualitative approaches to understand cultural and emotional effects on implementation. The topic emphasises local anchoring, stakeholder engagement, and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) alignment to underscore the use of holistic approaches to achieve meaningful impact in circular urban economy initiatives.

Proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following questions:

• What data harvesting strategies should be employed to collect trackable resource flow data from reliable sources across different cities?
• How can local actors and stakeholders be integrated into the implementation process to facilitate the deployment of monitoring devices and management tools, fostering citizen science participation?
• What methods should be utilised to map entire resource flow chains (including production, retail, consumption, waste, reverse logistics, refurbishment, reuse, etc.) and assess environmental impacts in the built environment?
• In what ways can the SDGs framework be utilised for local level monitoring within project proposals?
• What are the most effective monitoring and evaluation frameworks for assessing the performance and impact of circular economy initiatives at the city level, and how can these frameworks be standardised or adapted to accommodate diverse urban contexts?
• What role do digital technologies, such as data analytics, blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and digitally derived data/smart data, play in facilitating multi-city monitoring and management of circular urban economy activities? How can cities leverage these technologies to enhance transparency, traceability and resource efficiency in urban circular supply chains, ensuring integration of digitally derived insights for decision-making across multiple urban centres?
• How do cultural and behavioural factors influence the adoption of circular practices in different urban contexts, and what strategies can cities employ to promote public awareness, engagement and participation in urban circular economy initiatives?

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

• Contributing to enhanced trust and collaboration among stakeholders through transparent sharing of resource flow related data and to ensure long-term commitment to circular economy monitoring beyond project funding cycles.
• Resulting in improved decision-making based on accessible and understandable data in the urban administrations involved in the project consortium and facilitating cross-city comparisons and best practice sharing.
• Producing dissemination strategies and measurements for expanding impact, reflected in budgetary considerations as well as acknowledgments of the intricate steps involved in transitioning from data sharing to impactful scale-up, emphasising the need for dedicated resources and funding to bridge these gaps effectively.

2.3.1 15-minute City Transition Pathway (15mC TP)

Mobility provides city dwellers with essential opportunities to organise and satisfy their daily needs. However, at the same time, the mobility sector is responsible for several challenges to sustainability, such as high levels of greenhouse gas (GHG)-emissions, air and noise pollution, which are significantly worse in urban areas. In this context, the 15mC TP in DUT promotes concepts, evidence and interventions that support urban mobility transitions. In order to make our cities more liveable, inclusive and climate- neutral, the focus is set on 15-minute neighbourhoods that recognise different urban contexts. The focus lies on knowledge creation, transferability and implementation. Multiple, possibly diverging, pathways are necessary for reaching sustainable mobility and transport in different contexts – applying place-sensitive approaches.

This call aims to motivate efforts to extend beyond typical scenarios, encouraging projects that enhance experimentation and practical application. It seeks to address challenging obstacles in implementing the 15-minute City concept, and related fields of policy for urban mobility transitions. It underscores the need to acknowledge diverse starting points for cities and adaptability among various social groups. It emphasises the significance of considering lifestyles, inclusiveness, social cohesion and social justice within the proposed ideas and proposals. The 15mC topics in this call are focused on innovation for inclusive and youth-centric mobility systems, system innovation and proximity policies for sustainable city-regions as well as evidence for the urban mobility transition through data and indicators for effective decision-making – which specifically encourages approaches across the three TPs.

2.3.1.1 15mC Topic 1: Advancing Urban Mobility: Innovations for Inclusive and Youth-Centric Mobility Systems

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

The mobility sector continues to be one of the major challenges for urban areas, and central for reaching emission reductions, as well as improving accessibility of opportunities and local quality of life. Recent data on the rise of global temperature calls for faster implementation. Furthermore, access to mobility options is not equal: some target groups are currently underrepresented in planning and policy-making processes and face the risk of being left behind. Advancing urban mobility transition therefore requires attention to critical issues and key target groups of 15-minute cities. With key target groups in mind, it is necessary to advance learning from successful examples, transfer existing solutions, interventions and proven methods, and extend them beyond established domains.

SCOPE

Proposals submitted in this topic should address innovative strategies, policies and solutions to speed up the uptake of active and micro mobility and examine measures to link them better with public transport. This topic therefore emphasises the importance of creating a cohesive, user-friendly network, in order to make sustainable transport modes the backbone and preferred option of urban mobility.

Moreover, it is crucial to focus on enhancing the mobility of children, adolescents and young adults, based on their specific needs, to foster sustainable and healthy transportation habits from an early age. Proposals are invited to investigate the impact of the built infrastructure on youth mobility, the role of educational and cultural institutions, and address the role of participatory planning. Thus, this topic encourages a holistic approach to the mobility of youth and a multi-level perspective on the scope of action.

The 15-minute City concept ambitiously sets out to transform neighbourhoods and cities, which will have to come with major interventions in urban spaces and streets. Proposals under this topic are encouraged to look into effects of such polices, including potentially detrimental effects for local populations and phenomena of mobility poverty. Here, it is expected to apply an intersectional perspective on the term “target groups”, considering factors such as gender, age, socioeconomic status, etc.

Proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following issues:

• Which strategies and policies can be implemented to improve integration of active and micro mobility with public transport systems, particularly making them more accessible and user- friendly for underserved users and new target groups?
• How may urban mobility policies be tailored to promote sustainable mobility choices with children, adolescents and young adults?
• What are effective ways to measure the success of initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable mobility choices among children and youth, and how can these measurements inform future decision-making?
• What is the impact of built infrastructure on the mobility patterns of youth, and how can urban mobility planning better accommodate their needs?
• How can educational institutions contribute to shaping transportation habits and connected health benefits of children and youth?
• How may community engagement and participatory approaches be integrated into urban mobility planning processes to ensure that the voices and needs of children, adolescents and young adults are represented?
• What are the potential effects on local populations of implementing the 15-minute City concept, particularly focusing on issues such as mobility poverty and inequality in access to transportation options?
• How can an intersectional perspective be strengthened in urban mobility planning, considering factors such as gender, age and socioeconomic status, to ensure that policies are inclusive and address the needs of all members of society?

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

• Overviews of good practice, policy recommendations and guidelines for innovative concepts and solutions to accelerate implementation active and sustainable mobility modal use.
• Strategies and frameworks for replication, knowledge transfer and collaboration amongst stakeholders to speed up, expand and adapt proven methods for urban mobility transition.
• Needs oriented experience on ways to redefine school environments together with educational institutions, children and youth.
• Analysis of impacts of implementation of 15-minute City concepts and related urban interventions on local populations, with particular attention to the phenomena of mobility poverty.
• Strategies to mitigate adverse consequences for vulnerable or marginalised communities.
• Engagement of local stakeholders in definition of approaches in co-creative, experimental settings.

2.3.1.2 15mC Topic 2: Reconsidering Urban Mobility Systems: Towards System Innovation and Proximity Policies for Sustainable City Regions

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

The urban mobility system is a complex system: commuters cross municipal boundaries several times daily where local jurisdiction shifts, people often change modes of transport, many levels of governance are involved in regulation, funding and the offer of transport services. In the context of strong population growth in suburban areas, a systemic and dynamic understanding of the urban mobility system is needed, including an analysis of the role of the different actors and level of government involved (e.g. core cities, suburban neighbourhoods, peripheral centres, regional level), and the importance of strategic partnerships, considering that city administrations are not always the core decisional level, especially for transport across city boundaries. This topic encourages unravelling the complexity of the mobility system in cities, functional urban areas and city-regions and elaborating cross-sectoral and multi-scalar perspectives on the urban mobility system, in connection to the 15-minute City concept.

SCOPE

Proposals submitted to this topic are invited to develop and apply innovative approaches to conceptualise and tackle system innovation for urban mobility and proximity of functions. Such a perspective views mobility in cities as a manifested result of strategies, actions and resources invested by all urban actors and sectors, and thus acknowledges the need for a systemic position beyond the city limits and the mobility sector, including fostering partnerships and identifying relevant underlying dynamics and root causes of contemporary challenges at hand. Analysis can start from an examination of which kind of systems can be legitimately sustainable (in its three dimensions: social, ecological, economical sustainability) and how those systems can replace existing ones. Building further, proposals are encouraged to elaborate on concepts, policies and instruments to assess, manage and monitor urban mobility from a systems perspective, connect mobility and logistic planning better, and create efforts to support implementation.

Therefore, the topic sets out to conceptualise policies in order to implement underlying vision of the 15-minute City, reaching beyond city limits, and calls for concepts apt to operationalise the goals and principles of the concept on the scale of metropolitan areas. For mobility and transport policy this can entail, on the one hand, assessing and elaborating approaches to transport-oriented development and creating (poly-)centrality. On the other, measures will be needed for a more flexible system, adapted towards individual needs, and on-demand services, thus aligning the local neighbourhood level to (sub-)centres and the city-region. Proposals are invited to take on a multi-level perspective as well as to conceptualise and lay out innovations in procedures, policies and regulation, when it comes to building partnerships and alliances between levels of governance, municipalities and sectors. The knowledge created should connect to existing planning instruments, e.g. SUMPs7 and SULPs8.

Proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following issues:

• How can frameworks of system innovation, which lay out transformation processes of existing systems towards sustainability in all three dimensions, be elaborated further to support policy implementation?
• Which approaches can be employed to bridge the gap between theoretical frameworks advocating for holistic urban mobility planning and practical implementation?
• What are ways to connect urban mobility planning more effectively with goals and policies of transport of goods and other sectors (e.g. energy, urban greening etc.), highlighting synergies and trade-offs between them, and pointing out pathways to achieving better integration?
• How may policies toward the 15-minute City (and similar fields) be scoped and operationalised in planning tools, governance procedures, and stakeholder collaborations that align neighbourhood- oriented developments with city and city-regional levels, thus tackling urban mobility issues in perspective on the city as a system?

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

• Development and application of conceptual frameworks to analyse and better understand urban mobility systems at the metropolitan level.
• Strategies and instruments to assess, manage and monitor urban mobility from a systems perspective.
• Lessons learnt from ambitious pilots and successful practices that demonstrate alternative development paths and planning approaches to steer city-regions towards sustainable (mobility) goals.
• Analysis and results intended for transfer of existing approaches and embedded learnings on mobility strategies on level of a city-region and polycentric cities.
• Innovative approaches and solution for improving services to better adapt to individual needs.
• Elaboration of innovative governance structures, institutional arrangements and regulatory mechanisms to enhance coordinating and alignment efforts between levels of governance, SUMP and SULPs and further stakeholders.

2.3.1.3 15mC Topic 3: Evidence for the urban mobility transition – data and indicators for effective decision-making

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

Robust data empowers policymakers to design targeted, impactful strategies, optimise resource allocation and foster innovation for the mobility transition. However, lack of access to sound data and tools poses a current challenge for city administrations. In the context of urban mobility transitions, there are gaps and fragmented availability of data across a multitude of sectors, stakeholders and levels of government.

Furthermore, a particular challenge is substantial costs and a lack of capacity, which hampers efforts to develop interventions based on solid evidence. This topic focuses on the need for robust and accurate data, which is supported by scientific insights, is locally contextualised and complemented by qualitative inputs. It sets out to foster effectiveness, transparency and inclusiveness of urban policy in the mobility and transport sector, by improving data accessibility and accuracy, assess and pilot tools for monitoring and visualisation as well as building local skills and capacities.

SCOPE

Proposals are encouraged to address the full extent of data and evidence for urban mobility transitions – ranging from data collection, processing and management, tools and methods for monitoring to support understanding relevant developments, building scenarios and informing decisions on interventions, up to visualisation and communication. It will be specifically important to close gaps, where reliable data is not sufficiently available yet. For the mobility sector this includes, but is not limited to, dynamic activity data, reliable information on transport of goods and delivery, walking in the modal split, and mobility across administrative city limits.

Proposals should aim to apply methods, tools and solutions that build on systems and expertise already available in cities, and which can be easily adopted and transferred. Furthermore, they should build on needs around mobility data challenges of partners from city administrations, invest efforts in capacity and skills building, and create propositions for cities of different sizes and contexts.

This topic invites proposals to look at intersections and exploit cross-sectoral learnings for the mobility sector, especially connecting to topics of energy transition and the circular economy. Furthermore, a wide scope to relevant data for local mobility transition is encouraged; one that applies a broad perspective on sustainability, considers data disaggregated by intersectionality, and includes qualitative data and stakeholder engagement for reference and contextualisation. Proposals are asked to align their methods with well-established metrics, such as SUMI9, SDGs10 or the Gender Equality Index.

GHG emission monitoring is central to measuring progress through and accuracy of local climate mitigation policies. In the mobility sector, it will be truly demanding to take the next step and assess scope 3 emissions11, which will be central to create a more accurate picture of true environmental impacts of mobility and make informed decisions. Proposals are encouraged to create insights, test and demonstrate methodological approaches, and engage city authorities.

Furthermore, there is a need to create a better understanding of interactions between mobility and planning policies, and dynamics of (in)equality. Proposals are encouraged to build on existing approaches, indexes and dashboards, and develop suitable indicators and tools to determine the level of access and equality of opportunities for different societal groups on a neighbourhood level. This can include, but is not limited to, active and public transport, exposition to transport externalities, local quality of life, community capital, socioeconomic and intersectional data on inequality. Projects should co-create and contextualise their methods with local stakeholders and focus on transferability and scaling.

Proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following issues:

• What are effective methods for assessing and analysing mobility policy implementation, especially considering availability and use of data and evidence?
• How may urban mobility data collection, processing, and management be optimised to fill existing data gaps?
• What are the barriers to collecting and sharing mobility data between levels of government, and the public and private sector, and how may they be overcome?
• What are effective strategies for building capacity and skills in city administrations to enhance their ability to utilise mobility data for decision-making?
• What are key challenges and unsolved questions associated with methods of measuring scope 3 mobility emissions, and which approaches can help to address these?
• How may considerations of scope 3 mobility emissions help in understanding mitigation policies for scopes 1 and 2 better? What are expected benefits, as well as potentially undesired effects and trade-offs of a policy focus on scope 3?
• Which indicators and tools may be used to evaluate access and equality on the neighbourhood level? How can they support decision-making processes?

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

• Contribution to developing robust evidence for urban mobility transitions, including data collection, processing, management, documentation and visualisation.
• Enhanced knowledge on data gaps and availability, and improved methods for evidence-based governance, decision-making and monitoring, informed by needs and context of stakeholders.
• Transfer of methods, learning and capacity building on data for the urban mobility transition in cities of different sizes and contexts.
• Recommendations on effective decision-making based on qualified data.
• Scoping and experimentation with collaborative models and innovative solutions to collect and share data in practice with relevant stakeholders.
• Approaches to link and complement data on mobility and transport with tools and experience from other related sectors.
• Further insights, methodologies and models to take on scope 3 of GHG emissions for the transport sector and linked potential effects of a respective policy focus.
• Indicators and tools on dynamics between mobility and planning policies, and (in)equality on a neighbourhood level.

[1] Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans
[2] Sustainable Urban Logistics Plans
[3] Sustainable Urban Mobility Indices
[4] As defined by the GHG Protocol and applied by EU-Cities Mission by 2030. These include all emissions from journeys and transportation outside a city’s limits but link to activities of its inhabitants and businesses, as well as with their consumption.

2.3.2 Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway (PED TP)

The PED TP is aimed at supporting the planning, implementation and replication of PEDs throughout Europe. These activities are meant to contribute to the realisation of at least 100 PEDs by 2025. As a concept, the PED supports the vision of future urban energy systems, by both optimising energy efficiency and facilitating the generation of renewable energy, from the scale of city districts down to individual buildings. Moreover, urban districts following the PED approach will be able to support the regional or national energy system through the smoothing of energy production peaks, management of demand and facilitating the exchange and storage of energy.

Beyond these technical characteristics, PEDs enable the combination of energy efficient buildings and their associated district grids with architectural and social innovation. Public involvement in its design plays a key role in the successful realisation of a PED, with public administrations, real estate developers, utilities and the public at large, functioning as supporting pillars. Through their combined efforts, these actors enable a PED to raise the quality of life in the city, contribute to the Paris Agreement targets and enhance cooperation between stakeholders in any urban system.

The PED topics of DUT Call 2024 focus on multi-level perspectives of PED development, management of different solutions within a city, as well as data management and decision support systems. For topics with a stronger technological focus, the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CET Partnership) Call 2024 is recommended.

2.3.2.1 PED Topic 1: Local PEDs in a multi-level perspective

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

Decentralising the energy system is expected to increase the resilience of urban energy systems. Local action needs to be intertwined with action on regional and national levels, making the PED development substantially a multi-level challenge. While it is recognised that decentralisation supports flexibility for the energy grid, strategic and regulatory frameworks that could support this transition on relevant levels of urban governance and implementation, are still missing. This topic explores the scope of action at the neighbourhood level in relation to city, regional and national levels, against the background of European and global energy technology trends. There is a need to explore and define the role of the local (neighbourhood) level in a systemic energy transition. This role relates to the operation of local energy markets that are systemically integrated in the overall energy market, but equally includes the implementation of just transition processes. A viable design of a multi-level governance approach in which each level of government contributes to achieving the overall climate goals not only includes governance issues, but needs to thoroughly explore regulatory issues, public-public and public-private relations for sustainable climate investment, and the consideration of different socio-cultural and socio-political settings. In short: what combination of activities on the different scale levels creates the overall conditions for the energy transition to flourish?

SCOPE

The above-mentioned challenges call for novel approaches towards governance and regulation at different levels. Systemic change requires conscious consideration of the different needs on different (scale) levels. There seems to be a need for a more mission-oriented governance in which the higher national/regional governmental levels act as supporter and facilitator and treat the local municipal level as equal partners in the transition towards climate neutrality. While national/regional governments are best placed to provide ambitious and clear targets, a sound regulatory framework and tools to support implementation, local governments at the other hand can use their extensive knowledge on the local context to develop place- based approaches for implementation. An intensive, programmatic and multi-level approach complemented with adequate financing and capacity building needs to be developed. Inspiring examples of such governance mechanisms can already be found across Europe and need to be further explored, tested and replicated.

There are several economic challenges regarding the operating of decentralised energy districts. First, there is the more complex stakeholder ecosystem and engagement in which new mechanisms need to be developed for the engagement of utilities, the real-estate sector, businesses and industry and even individual private homeowners to align with climate investment strategies and opportunities for matched public and private funding. Secondly, it is recognised that classical financing logics are unable to support the full transition needed to evolve towards a climate neutral society. New types of public-private and public-public partnerships need to be explored in order to tackle some of the current capacity barriers within local public administrations while at the same time providing adequate funding to realise ambitious projects in line with the local strategic vision. Thirdly, the co-benefits deriving from a local, decentralised and sustainable energy system need to become more visible with a focus on social and environmental benefits, besides economic benefits.

This also touches on the issue of just transition processes, the energy transition risks enhancing socioeconomic inequalities. Often the most vulnerable people in society are hit hardest by the energy and climate crisis. Because of the intrinsic higher financial and mental barriers coupled with sustainable measures and technologies exclusionary conditions are likely to be increased. This calls for a sensible integration of diverse end-user/prosumer perspectives, as well as the integration of community-building approaches tailored for local energy management. In this sense, roles and capacities of the key actors need to be analysed and conceptualised, and strategic solutions in a multi-level perspective need to be elaborated.

Proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following issues:

• How can interactions, cooperation and facilitation between municipal, regional and national levels be conceptualised and operationalied in an integrated approach? What governance models are needed? What regulatory aspects are hindering/promoting factors?
• How can local energy management ensure broad representation? How can we strengthen the capacities and engagement of civil society and prosumers regarding local systemic energy transition? How can their perspectives, motivations and constraints as key actors be integrated?
• What funding and financing, and business models need to be in place, on which scale level? How can climate investment contracts support PED initiatives in particular?
• How can climate ambitions, economic perspectives and social values be approached in an integrated way?
• How can the stakeholder ecosystem be identified and strengthened? What are effective cooperation modes?

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

• Analysis of framework conditions on local, national and European levels in the context of this topic in terms of challenges, barriers and success factors.
• Analysis of the relevant stakeholder ecosystem, a methodology on how to engage key stakeholders and how to align their efforts with each other and the overall climate ambitions.
• Modelling and developing viable scenarios of PED development in a multi-level perspective based on analysis of existing approaches and existing urban contexts.
• Modelling and developing viable scenarios for public-private and public-public partnerships to finance the needed transition.
• Modelling of innovative approaches on how to decrease socioeconomic inequalities in PEDs.
• Demonstration of viability of these models, including qualitative and quantitative arguments.
• Evaluation of added value and impact of suggested approaches and models.
• Recommendations and guidelines for mainstreaming, considering geographical and cultural context, as well as social and regulatory aspects.

2.3.2.2 PED Topic 2: Towards the climate-neutral city: PEDs, system integration and urban strategies

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

European cities are working towards climate neutrality and PEDs are an important element for neighbourhood-oriented solutions for the urban energy transition. However, to overcome isolated PED solutions across the city, there is a need to strategically integrate these local solutions into an aligned strategic framework at the city level and to align local solutions with top-down city-wide strategies, such as urban development plans, heating and cooling strategies, sustainable urban mobility plans, etc., carefully considering the different needs on different scales. This topic focuses on city-wide strategies for the urban energy transition and the positioning of PEDs in overall urban planning processes. It asks for thorough analysis and conceptualisation of energy system integration and putting different elements of a systemic energy transition into a strategic framework. Furthermore, the role of the public urban sector as a driver for the energy transition is in focus, by leading the way and setting examples within the public realm (public services and public building stock in general, infrastructure and public or subsidised housing in particular).

SCOPE

Local municipal governments are crucial in directing, developing and managing the local energy transition. The technical approach of energy planning has however prevented the integration of energy topics within a more holistic spatial planning strategy. Despite the obvious linkages between density, spatial layout, mix of uses and so on with possibilities to reduce energy needs, produce renewable energy and collective heating and cooling systems, energy planning and urban planning have not been fully integrated. The shift towards a more sustainable built environment and in the end a climate neutral city asks for a high integration between the level of a city and a neighbourhood. A cascade of different instruments is needed which are mutually coordinated to facilitate a transition towards a climate neutral city.

City administrations need to manage and coordinate on the one hand very small-scale initiatives, like individual home renovations and on the other hand very large-scale initiatives like a city-wide heat network. Moreover, they need to make sure that the combination of all these initiatives (small and large) contribute to the end goal of a climate neutral city and will not cause crucial lock-ins. A comprehensive strategic vision combining several thematics is therefore needed. First, strategic approaches for energy system integration need to be developed to combine different energy carriers and energy consumption sectors, such as industry, buildings, mobility/transport. Secondly, this includes strategic approaches for cross- sectoral strategies (energy, mobility, circularity, greening, social sustainability, etc.), including a vision on future heating options for each district, a sustainable urban mobility plan, a greening strategy and an urban development vision. Combining these strategies will make synergies more visible where the strategies are mutually reinforcing, but they will also reveal tradeoffs where city administrations will need to make strategic decisions on which challenge will be prioritised. Specifically, systemic integration of PED developments in a city needs to be put into a strategic framework, supporting decision-making on the selection of suitable potential areas for PED development, as well as the management of these PEDs within city-wide strategies and actions.

In terms of the above-mentioned challenge, urban public authorities need to be supported in finding effective ways of strategic approaches towards a comprehensive urban energy transition. At the same time, the general issue of scaling mechanisms in a city context needs to be addressed, and their transformation potential explored.

Proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following issues:

• How should cities strategically approach and manage systemic large-scale approaches, such as heating and cooling strategies, overall decarbonisation strategies, sustainable urban mobility plans, etc., together with small micro grid/PED strategies? How can both new urban developments and existing structures be effectively addressed in integrated strategies?
• How can cities be supported in decision-making regarding applicability and priorities for PED development? How can decision-making for specific technical solutions be supported? How are applicable areas for PED development chosen within a city?
• How can technical solutions be integrated in new ways of stakeholder cooperation in a diversified context (wider set of smaller grid operators, end-users, energy communities, etc.)?
• How can city-wide ambitions for system integration be put into a strategic framework, bringing together different sectors, but also different scales of activity?
• How can urban public authorities be supported as drivers for the energy transition, in terms of systemic strategies that include all municipal activities – public building stock (incl. public housing), public space, public services (e.g., mobility services), the regulatory framework and planning instruments?

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

Rather than provide isolated technical solutions, projects are expected to address this topic in a systemic way. Project outcomes should be impact-oriented and process-oriented, and therefore as concrete and user-centred as possible. Expected outcomes include, but are not limited to:

• Analysis of framework conditions in the context of this topic in terms of challenges, barriers and success factors.
• Analysis of the relevant stakeholder ecosystem, a methodology on how to engage key stakeholders and how to align their efforts with each other and the overall climate ambitions.
• Modelling for decision-making parameters and viable scenarios of managing different PEDs within a city.
• Modelling and developing viable scenarios of system integration approaches.
• Demonstration of viability of these models, including qualitative and quantitative arguments.
• Evaluation of added value and impact of suggested approaches and models.
• Recommendations and guidelines on how to integrate energy planning with urban planning.
• Recommendations and guidelines for mainstreaming, considering geographical and cultural context, as well as social and regulatory aspects.

2.3.2.3 PED Topic 3: Managing the urban energy transition: data management and decision support systems

CHALLENGE DESCRIPTION

The energy transition requires new ways of urban data management and a sensible use of digital tools for both decision-making and operation. In this regard, this topic focuses on exploring and advancing innovations that enhance the planning, monitoring and optimisation of PED that, at the same time, are integrated into city-wide decision-making tools and strategies for energy planning. The key challenge within the PED context is to support situation awareness and decision support to various stakeholders, which has to adequately handle an ensemble of distributed data sources (e.g. from various renewable energy appliances) and dynamic and multidirectional data streams (e.g. in the case of V2G). To account for the systemic character of this challenge, novel approaches beyond energy technology development are required that also enable efficient resource and capacity management, and which allow for the adequate management of data protection.

SCOPE

Decision-making in the context of PED needs to rely on valid and comprehensive data on different aggregation levels (from household level upwards) from both the digital and the physical infrastructure. The investigation and demonstration of novel digital urban data management solutions that account for heterogenous data sources and data processing requirements, decentralised data governance and multifaceted stakeholder interests of PED is therefore of central importance. In order to enable more strategic decision-making by urban authorities on both the neighbourhood and city level, approaches based on micro-level data available at city-scale as well as data harmonisation efforts are necessary to better integrate energy planning and spatial planning. Digital tools for the energy transition not only need to effectively cover cross-sector data collection, data management and monitoring, but they should also enable the modelling of impact. A major requirement for succeeding with this is to interweave technology- related data with socioeconomic and behavioral data of end-users, as well as administrative data in order to ensure people-oriented solutions in any given urban setting. Investigations towards this objective should identify the potential and reflect on the constraints of emerging technology, such as artificial intelligence, in order to provide guidelines for their application for PED data management and decision support.

Proposals submitted under this topic should address one or several of the following issues:

• What are the needs and gaps in terms of data availability for PED for different stakeholder groups? What are the needs and gaps in terms of city-wide data availability?
• What are the needs and gaps in terms of data management and processes (e.g. access, updating, quality management, harmonisation, interoperability, linkage etc.) for PED on neighbourhood/district levels and city level? Which principles and approaches should be considered for data governance of PED, including data privacy management and data security?
• How should data management approaches be made transparent, aligned and linked between PED and to other parts of urban energy systems, on a local, regional, national and international scale?
• How can data be exchanged and shared across different institutional boundaries, such as end- user communities, utilities, city governments, businesses and other actors?
• How can cross-sectoral data collection and management (energy, resource flows, mobility, etc.) be organised?
• How should the human interface of PED data management, monitoring and optimisation systems be designed to support various types of users?
• What are the potentials and constraints of novel technology trends, such as artificial intelligence, as a means for improving decision support in the planning, operation and adaptation of PED?

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES

Rather than focusing on isolated technology solutions, projects are expected to address this topic in a systemic way. Project outcomes should be impact-oriented and process-oriented, and therefore as concrete and user-centred as possible. Expected outcomes include, but are not limited to:

• Identification of gaps, key challenges, barriers and success factors regarding data collection and data access related in and around PED.
• Modelling and prototyping of PED data management systems, tools and decision support systems for urban energy and spatial planning that allow for a holistic analysis of urban transitions, also taking account of the mobility system, resource flows, and other aspects.
• Modelling and prototyping of data management systems, tools and decision support systems for urban energy and spatial planning, including but not limited to solutions linking PEDs with city- wide processes and instruments, approaches for continuous updating and quality management, as well as considerations of legal and regulatory challenges and potentials of data availability and data use.
• Demonstration of the viability and applicability of PED data management models and approaches (especially in terms of scalability, technology openness and flexible integration).
• Evaluation of the added value and impact of PED data management models and approaches, regarding the facilitation of decision-making processes, in terms of acceptance, usability, and quality of achieved decisions.
• Recommendations and guidelines for mainstreaming and replication, considering geographical and cultural contexts, as well as social and regulatory aspects.

3 Eligibility criteria and guidelines for applicants

This Call includes both a set of transnational requirements common for all Applicants (i.e. transnational eligibility criteria), as well as national/regional requirements for Applicants participating in a consortium (namely specific Funding Agency rules which apply to Applicants that claim funds from a specific Funding Agency, see Annex A for guidance and agency web links with further information).

All funded partners in this Call will be funded by their national/regional Funding Agencies, in accordance with their respective national/regional eligibility criteria. Please note that a specific national/regional Agency may not be able to fund all types of organisations and/or TPs and/or research activities.

Applicants must pay careful attention to the relevant national/regional funding rules indicated in Annex A and contact the relevant national/regional contact person with any queries to avoid any issues related to national/regional eligibility.

The term “proposal” is used both for the pre-proposal (first stage of the selection procedure) and the full proposal (second stage of the selection procedure).

3.1 Consortium: who can participate and apply

Definitions: applicants, main applicant, co-applicant, principal investigator

• Applicants are defined as organisations/institutions/companies (i.e. legal entities) that apply for funding. Applicants can be but are not limited to:
- ○ research organisations (higher education institutions including universities, university colleges; research institutes or other entities with research undertakings),
- ○ companies and commercial organisations,
- ○ urban government authorities (such as local and regional government institutions, municipalities and municipal organisations, city authorities, urban public administrations, infrastructure and service providers),
- ○ consumers and civil society representatives (e.g. local and community organisations, non-governmental organisations, not-for-profit organisations, advocacy and activist groups, citizens’ representatives, neighbourhood initiatives, social innovators, social entrepreneurs, etc.).
- ○ From the culture and creative sectors (e.g. artists and designers).
• The Main Applicant is the body responsible for coordinating and managing the project (i.e. project coordinator). It will be the contact point with the DUT Call Secretariat on behalf of the whole consortium and is responsible for the administrative management of the complete project. The Main Applicant is responsible for overseeing the project activities and ensuring that the work programme is on track.
• Co-applicants are Applicants other than the Main Applicant, eligible for funding from a Funding Agency. There may be more than one Co-applicant from any participating country. In some cases where there is more than one Co-applicant from one country, the responsible Funding Agency may require one of them to be identified as the National Contact Point (NCP); this is done by the Main Applicant, by nominating a partner as such.
• Cooperation Partners are partners that are ineligible for funding from Funding Agencies (e.g. partners from countries not participating in this Call or ineligible for funding by any of the Funding Agencies, or are eligible but want to participate without receiving funding), but may be included in a project as Cooperation Partners if a) they finance their activity from other sources and (b) the consortium in general fulfils the requirements on the number of eligible applicants from participating countries. A clear description/indication of the role and form of engagement of these Cooperation Partners should be included in the proposal. A written commitment (Letter of Intent) from Cooperation Partners, participating with their own funding or with an in-kind contribution should be submitted with the full proposal. It should be noted that Cooperation Partners do not count toward the minimum of three eligible applicants from at least three participating countries outlined in the transnational eligibility rule 1 below.
• Partners generically covers Main and Co-applicants and Cooperation Partners.
• The Principal Investigator (PI) is defined as the person who is the lead investigator for an Applicant.

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 Agencies12 from the following countries are eligible to apply as Main Applicant or Co-applicant: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (Chinese Taipei), Türkiye, United Kingdom. In addition, at least two of the eligible Applicants must be from different EU Member States (MS) or Associated Countries (AC) eligible for EC co-funding in this Call: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, United Kingdom All legal entities must be independent from each other to be considered as different applicants13.

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: The Main Applicant (project coordinator) must be eligible to be funded and request funding by its national/regional participating Funding Agency.
• Transnational eligibility rule 3: A Principal Investigator (PI) must only participate in a maximum of two proposals14, and only once as the PI of a Main Applicant. If the DUT Call Secretariat, in charge of checking transnational eligibility, identifies the same person as PI in more than two pre-proposals, or as PI of the Main Applicant of more than one pre-proposal, all pre- proposals/full proposals in which they are a PI, will be declared ineligible.
• Transnational eligibility rule 4: Consortia must include at least one urban government authority (city, municipality or entity providing key urban services15) either as a Main Applicant, co-applicant, or Cooperation Partner depending on the national/regional eligibility criteria.

Recommendations for the consortia composition

Consortia may include partners active across several positions within the research and development system (i.e., innovation and implementation, applied research, strategic/fundamental research) and across disciplines (natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, engineering, etc.). Moreover, consortia should include preferably at least one representative from companies and commercial organisations, consumers or civil society, either as a Main Applicant, Co-applicant, or Cooperation Partner, depending on the national/regional eligibility criteria.

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, as long as 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 take into account 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 to many applications will likely encounter budget issues, which may lead to most of those Applicants being eliminated due to financial constraints.

3.2 What can be applied for?

This section presents the eligibility rule and the recommendations concerning the duration and funding request of a project.

• Transnational eligibility rule 5: Project duration: Projects may be funded for a maximum of 36 months.

Funding recommendations

There are no fixed minimum or maximum limits for a project size. Medium sized projects with a total budget request from all involved Funding Agencies in the range of EUR 1-2 M are typically expected, though total project costs can be lower or higher.

However, funding limits exist for many Funding Agencies. Annex A indicates the budget available from each Funding Agency and corresponding funding rules and limitations (namely maximum amount per project or per Applicant, or a range of funding demands expected from one proposal).

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 eligible according to the Funding Agencies’ rules (see Annex A). In case of doubt, Applicants should consult their respective Funding Agencies.

3.3 Preparing and submitting an application

This section presents the eligibility rules and the recommendations for preparing and submitting a pre- proposal/full proposal. It also presents what is not allowed and what may be exceptionally allowed in terms of modifications between the pre-proposal and the full proposal stage.

• Transnational eligibility rule 6: Language and mandatory forms.

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.
• Transnational eligibility rule 7: Submission.

Pre-proposals and full proposals must be submitted on the UEFISCDI electronic submission system, UDiManager16 (www.uefiscdi-direct.ro), before each associated deadline:
- − the Call for pre-proposals is open until 14 November 2024, 13:00 (CET).
- − In March 2025, applicants will be invited to enter the second stage of the procedure: the Call for full proposals will close on 24 April 2025, 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.

• Transnational eligibility rule 8: 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.
• Transnational eligibility rule 9: 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 below in section 4.1),
- ○ only minor changes on the funding demand per Funding Agency can be allowed (except in the case adding Inclusion Procedure partners).17
- ○ hanges in the consortium structure requested as part of the Fallback Procedure (see section 3.7) 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).

3.4 Summary of the transnational eligibility criteria

1. Only transnational projects will be funded; consortia must include at least three independent legal entities applying for funding from three different countries that have Funding Agencies participating in the Call. In addition, at least two eligible Applicants within a consortium must be from different EU MS or AC eligible for EC co-funding in this Call (see Annex A for a summary). Please note: Proposals which no longer fulfil this rule due to a consortium change requested by the Call Secretariat as part of the Fallback Procedure (see section 3.7) must add a new partner through the Inclusion Procedure (see section 4.1) before the full proposal submission deadline.
2. The project coordinator (Main Applicant) must be eligible to be funded by its national/regional participating Funding Agency and request funding.
3. One person must only participate in a maximum of two proposals as a PI, and only once as the PI of a Main Applicant18.
4. Each consortium must include at least one urban government authority partner, either as a Main Applicant, Co-applicant or Cooperation Partner, depending on the national/regional eligibility criteria.
5. The duration of a project must not exceed 36 months.
6. Pre-proposals/full proposals must be written in English and respect the template form (in terms of overall size, limit of pages and characters). The template form must be filled in completely.
7. Pre-proposals/full proposals must be submitted on the UEFISCDI electronic submission system (UDiManager) before the corresponding deadlines indicated in this document.
8. Only pre-proposals invited to submit a full proposal are eligible in the second stage.
9. No fundamental changes between the pre-proposal and full proposal, initiated by the applicants alone, will be accepted.

3.5 National/regional specific eligibility rules

In addition to the transnational rules and procedures laid out in the previous section, there may be specific Funding Agencies’ rules (e.g. Funding Agencies’ eligibility criteria for certain organisations, co-funding requirements, national/regional evaluation rules, submission of additional documents or information on a national/regional platform, etc.). Please note that there are also limitations regarding the types of research or innovation activities that different Funding Agencies are able to support.

It is strongly recommended to check these national/regional rules with the contact person at the respective Funding Agency (see Annex A) before submitting a proposal.

3.6 Eligibility check

The DUT Call Secretariat will verify the eligibility of the pre-proposals/full proposals according to the transnational eligibility criteria described in the previous section.

The participating Funding Agencies will perform a check for compliance according to their funding rules.

Both transnational and Funding Agencies’ eligibility criteria must be met for a proposal to be declared eligible at either stage.

In the case a Co-applicant(s) is (are) ineligible, the proposal may still be eligible if and when the eligibility criteria are met by the proposal without this (these) partner(s).

If a proposal is “eligible”, this does not mean that it will be awarded funding, only that the proposal will be admitted to the evaluation procedure.

3.7 Fallback Procedure

This Procedure is meant to provide an additional means to avoid losing projects due to high oversubscription rates of individual Funding Agencies. It will not replace the already established Inclusion Procedure (section 4.1), but will rather work hand in hand with it. The Procedure will consist of the following process:

During the Stage 1 Selection meeting, the Call Steering Committee (CSC) will select all pre-proposals that can be invited to the second stage without reaching an oversubscription greater than 4 (or 3, for Funding Agencies not eligible for EC Co-Funding, see section 1 or Annex A for a summary) in any Funding Agency, following the recommendation of the Expert Panels. Additionally, as part of the Fallback

Procedure, the CSC checks the different ranking lists to select all pre-proposals which have not already been selected for invitation, and which fulfil the following criteria:

• The pre-proposal must be fundable according to the Expert Panels (see section 4.5);
• The pre-proposal must include only one applicant from a Funding Agency with an oversubscription rate higher than 4 (or 3, for Funding Agencies not eligible for Co-Funding, see section 1 or Annex A for a summary);
• This applicant must not be the Main Applicant;
• This applicant must not contribute more than 25% of the overall project person months;
• If the removal of this applicant results in a project with funded applicants from less than three countries or less than two EU MS or Horizon Europe AC countries, meaning if the proposal is no longer transnationally eligible according to the Transnational Eligibility Rule 1, the removed applicant must be replaced with a funded applicant from a different eligible country via the Inclusion Procedure;
• If the pre-proposal proceeds without the removed applicant, the oversubscription rates for all other involved Funding Agencies must not be higher than 4 (or 3 for Funding Agencies not eligible for Co-Funding, see section 1 or Annex A for a summary) as well;

All Main Applicants will be informed at the same time, therefore removing (and replacing) the applicant in question will be part of the writing process of the full proposal.

The Fallback Procedure is not mandatory – should a consortium choose that they do not wish to proceed without the applicant in question, they can choose to not submit their revised full proposal. Additionally, depending on any contracts/agreements already signed within the consortium in question, the applicant may also refuse to be removed/replaced (which would also lead to the pre-proposal remaining unchanged and being removed from the Call).

After Stage 2 of the Call has closed, the Call Secretariat will examine the affected full proposals as part of the transnational eligibility checks and declare those which have not removed the applicants in question ineligible. Full proposals which no longer fulfil Transnational Eligibility Rule 1 will also be declared ineligible.

4 Assessment and selection procedure

For this Call for proposals, a two-stage procedure will be adopted.

4.1 Pre-proposal stage (stage 1)

In the first stage, consortia are invited to submit pre-proposals.

A pre-proposal includes a description of the partners, concise project description of no more than 13 pages, and budget indications with limited details fulfilling national/regional requirements.

Transnational evaluation

The pre-proposals declared to be eligible according to the transnational and national/regional criteria will be assessed by an Expert Panel. The Panel will consist of recognised international experts in relevant fields, academics, as well as practitioners and innovators, who can assess the scientific, in addition to the innovative and practical value of the pre-proposals. The Panel will be appointed by the Funding Agencies. No external referees or reviewers will be part of the assessment at this stage.

The Expert Panel will assess the pre-proposals using the evaluation criteria described in section 4.5. Each pre-proposal will be assessed by at least three Expert Panel members. The Expert Panel will meet to discuss all pre-proposals, to produce an assessment report for each pre-proposal and ranking lists to advise the Funding Agencies responsible for the selection of pre-proposals.

The outcome of the Expert Panel’s work will consist of six ranking lists, each corresponding to one specific TP and one specific R&I approach (ROA or IOA):

Table 1: Characteristics of the two R&I approaches
TP	Research-oriented approach (ROA)	Innovation-oriented approach (IOA)
PED TP	Ranking list PED + ROA	Ranking list PED + IOA
15minC TP	Ranking list 15mC + ROA	Ranking list 15mC + IOA
CUE TP	Ranking list CUE + ROA	Ranking list CUE + IOA

Selection of the pre-proposals invited to the second stage

The decision for the invitation to submit a full proposal in the second stage will be conjointly taken by the participating Funding Agencies (acting as a CSC) and will be based on these six ranking lists and the following other criteria that will be used to arbitrate between the ranking lists.

These criteria will aim to ensure that:

• the invited pre-proposals represent national/regional funding requests that do not exceed 4 times (3 times for Funding Agencies not eligible for Co-Fund, see section 1 or Annex A for a summary) the available national/regional budget of each Funding Agency;
• a maximum of countries participating in the Call are represented in the proposals accepted in the second stage;
• a good representation (in terms of the number of proposals) of the three TPs and of both types of R&I approaches will be included in the second stage.

Invited consortia will then have the opportunity to elaborate their ideas to full proposals (second stage).

An overall assessment of the quality of their pre-proposals will be provided to all consortia that were declared formally eligible in Stage 1. The report can be accessed on the UDiManager (please note that only the Main Applicant of each consortium receives a message when the report is available).

Inclusion procedure

It is possible that invited consortia will be explicitly allowed by the DUT Call Secretariat to integrate, in their full proposal, additional partners requesting funds from specific Funding Agencies, if these Funding Agencies are underrepresented in the proposals invited to the second stage.

This addition of applicants shall be done in a way that is compatible with all the national eligibility conditions already indicated in the Call Text and the internal regulations of the respective Funding Agencies.

This inclusion option between the pre-proposal stage and the full-proposal stage shall be conducted in close cooperation with the respective Funding Agencies with the aim of allowing as many countries as possible to be involved in the funding of the transnational projects.

The additional Co-applicants may not effect a significant change to the proposal’s original aims, impact

and main tasks, but should enhance the original focus.

This possibility does not invalidate the consistency requirements between pre-proposal and full proposal stage outlined at the end of section 3.3.

4.2 Full proposal stage (stage 2)

Transnational evaluation

Full proposals deemed eligible (as described in sections 3.4, 3.5 and 3.6) according to the transnational and national/regional criteria will be assessed by an international Expert Panel, as in the first stage.

Each full proposal will be evaluated by at least four independent experts.

The Expert Panel will meet to discuss all proposals, to produce an assessment report for each full proposal and ranking lists of full proposals to be considered for funding by the Funding Agencies.

The outcome of the Expert Panel will be six ranking lists, as in stage 1, each ranking list corresponding to a specific TP and a specific R&I approach (ROA or IOA).

Decision for funding

Based on the ranking lists made by the Expert Panel, the Funding Agencies meeting in a CSC will jointly decide which projects will be recommended for funding. The final formal funding decision will be taken by each Funding Agency afterward, following its national/regional procedure.

Taking into account the available budgets of the Funding Agencies, this CSC recommendation will be based on the identification of the optimal choice of projects to be funded, arbitrating between projects from different ranking lists, and also between any projects equally ranked within the same ranking list19, according to the following objectives:

• optimising both the total number of projects funded and the total number of participating countries/regions involved in these projects;
• ensuring both a good representation (in terms of the number of projects) and balanced success rates between the three TPs and between the two R&I approaches;
• ensuring that the EC co-funding will be used as efficiently as possible but also distributed as fairly as possible among the participating countries eligible for EC co-funding.

A written statement on the evaluation of each full proposal will be sent by the Call Secretariat to the Main Applicants. The Call Secretariat will inform the Main Applicants of projects that have been recommended for funding on the subsequent contracting procedure.

4.3 Right to object a decision, redress procedure

Applicants will have no possibility to rebut and appeal against, at a transnational level, the Expert Panel’s

evaluation or the decision taken by the CSC.

However, the Call does not preclude rules and legal frameworks that prevail at national/regional level. Therefore, even though an objection on a transnational level is not possible, it may be possible on a national level, depending on the national/regional legal framework. To voice an objection or redress please contact your respective Funding Agency.

If the decision were to be challenged by a specific party, it will be dealt by the concerned Funding Agency at the national/regional level according to its applicable domestic laws on the matter.

The result of the redress procedure is not Call-wide.

4.4 Time schedule

Table 3: Time schedule for DUT Call 2024
Date	Description
14 November 2024	Deadline submission of pre-proposals
December 2024	Eligibility check
February 2025	Meeting of Expert Panel to assess pre-proposals
March 2025	Invite applicants to submit full proposals
24 April 2025	Deadline submission of full proposals
May 2025	Eligibility check
June 2025	Meeting of Expert Panel to assess full proposals
July 2025	Funding recommendation by the CSC
July 2025	National funding decisions and announcement of results to Main Applicants
September 2025 – January 2026	Start of the projects
2026	Kick-off meeting

4.5 Evaluation criteria

Pre-proposals and full proposals will be assessed according to specific evaluation criteria by using a common evaluation form. Some sub-criteria are specific to the R&I approach (ROA or IOA). Each consortium is responsible for choosing the approach that best fits the objectives and positioning of their proposal.

The criteria will be used for both evaluating the pre-proposals and the full proposals. Criteria with asterisk* are used only for the evaluation of full proposals.

Table 4: Evaluation criteria for DUT Call 2024
Excellence – Intellectual Merit		5 points
• Clarity and pertinence of the objectives • Credibility of the proposed approach and soundness of the concept • Added value of transnational cooperation • Clarity and feasibility of the project design and of the proposed methodology* • Identification of risks and mitigation plan*
Sub-criteria adapted to ROA: • Originality, contribution to new strategic knowledge, progress beyond the state of the art	Sub-criteria adapted to IOA: • Innovativeness of the approach compared to existing solutions
Impact and User Engagement (societal and broader impacts of project results)		5 points
• Relevance to the Call topic(s)
• Integration of diversity and gender perspectives in the project plan and goals when applicable; alternatively, please instead include an explanation as to why it is not applicable to your proposal • Engagement of stakeholders (e.g. communities, cities, policymakers, regulators, NGOs, or industry) • Effectiveness of the proposed measures for the dissemination and/or exploitation of project results (*) both at the transnational and the regional levels
Sub-criteria adapted to ROA: • Potential of the project to provide insights to an important societal issue and produce useful knowledge for stakeholders*	Sub-criteria adapted to IOA: • Market potential of the project and/or capacity to respond to a demand or a need*
Quality and Efficiency of Project Implementation		5 points
• Composition, quality and suitability of experience and expertise of the consortium to address the project goals (including interdisciplinarity, cross-sectorial collaboration, and co-creation aspects where relevant) • Complementarity and balance of substantial contributions of partners of the consortium • Feasibility and appropriateness of timescale • Global value for money (costs are realistic and reasonable with respect to the ambition of the project and the expected results and impact) • Appropriateness of costs allocation and justification of requested resources (staff, equipment, etc.)* • Appropriateness of the allocation of tasks and workloads, ensuring that all participants have a valid role and adequate resources in the project to fulfil that role * • Appropriateness of the management structures and procedures, including risk, quality and innovation management as well as data concerns, for example GDPR risks, risks associated with access to data, etc.* • Consideration of regulatory and ethics issues, when necessary* • Consideration of data management issues (if applicable to the proposal), such as access to data, data processing, data quality, etc., for example by providing a Data Management Plan*

Evaluation scores will be awarded for each of the three main criteria and not for the individual sub- criteria. Sub-criteria are aspects that the experts will consider in the assessment of that criterion.

A scoring system from 0 to 5 will be used to evaluate each proposal with respect to each evaluation criterion, using the following definitions for the scores:

Table 5: Scoring system for DUT Call 2024
Points	Explanation
5	Excellent. The proposal successfully addresses all aspects of the criterion.
4	Very good. The proposal addresses the criterion very well, but small improvements are possible.
3	Good. The proposal addresses the criterion in question well, but certain improvements are necessary.
2	Fair. The proposal generally addresses the criterion, but there are significant weaknesses that need corrections.
1	Poor. The proposal shows serious weaknesses in relation to the criterion.
0	Failure. The proposal fails to address the criterion in question or cannot be assessed because of missing or incomplete information.

The Expert Panel will have the ability to use half marks in their evaluation.

The thresholds for a project to be considered for funding will be 3 for individual criteria and 10 for the overall score.

4.6 Conflicts of interest (Expert Panel)

All necessary measures will be taken by the Call Secretariat to ensure the absence of conflict of interests (CoIs) of Expert Panel members with respect to the proposals they will have to assess.

The Expert Panel members (reviewers) will be asked to formally declare that no CoIs exist at any time of their evaluation duty and will sign a non-disclosure agreement concerning all documents and the entire process. In case of breaching the rule of no CoI, the member will be discharged from participation in the Expert Panel.

The Call Secretariat will perform a first check of potential CoIs before sending the proposals to the reviewers. Reviewers are bound to indicate after receiving the proposals whether there is a CoI with any of the consortium partners of the proposals they have been asked to assess. Reviewers will sign a formal declaration that they do not participate in the Call nor have any conflicting interests regarding the consortium partners of the projects that they reviewed.

5 Project implementation

This Call is part of the DUT Partnership that includes various joint programme activities (e.g. knowledge sharing, networking) described in this section.

Projects funded via this Call will become part of the DUT Partnership R&I portfolio. Participants of projects funded via this Call are expected to actively participate in the programme activities and to consider this in the planning of their project proposal by including budget to participate in the programme activities.

5.1 Consortium agreement

Each funded project is required to have a signed consortium agreement (CA) between all partners within six months following the start of the project20.

For projects involving enterprises, the signature of the CA is needed prior to the start of the project: see Article 27 of the EC Framework for State aid for research and development and innovation.

The CA must address, as a minimum, the following topics:

• Internal organisation and management of the consortium
• Sharing of risks and results
• Dissemination and exploitation of results
• Intellectual property arrangements
• Settlement of internal disputes.

Additional national/regional Funding Agencies’ regulations concerning the requirement for a CA, including the date of the signature, may also apply.

The DESCA model may be a helpful starting point in designing the CA. Please note that the DESCA model CA was written for Horizon Europe projects with the EC acting as the sole Funding Agency. Thus, several of the paragraphs need to be adapted as DUT Joint Call projects have different Funding Agencies for the respective project parts carried out in the different countries.

5.2 Project monitoring and reporting

Project monitoring and reporting will be in accordance with the respective Funding Agency’s rules.

In addition to the Funding Agency’s requirements, the consortia are expected to deliver progress reports to the Call Secretariat, in English, on an annual basis, including a description of their transnational cooperation and a publishable summary of the project status. A reporting template will be provided on the programme website.

A detailed survey must be completed by the Main Applicant together with the annual joint reports. This survey includes key performance indicators for project progress and their contribution to the overall aim of the Call.

The Call Secretariat will publish detailed guidelines to assist projects with their transnational reporting duties.

5.3 The Call Secretariat will publish detailed guidelines to assist projects with their transnational reporting duties.

5.3.0 Programme activities

To foster exchange between the projects, dissemination and communication to stakeholders, decision makers and the general public, and to refine and identify challenges and objectives for future Calls, the DUT Partnership has established a multi-layered scheme of mandatory activities, opportunities and support for projects.

Time and budget (including travel expenses) of a maximum of EUR 30 000 should be reserved by the consortium as a whole for these programme activities.

5.3.1 Mandatory project events

Three project events are foreseen to foster exchange between all projects of this Call. A project kick-off will be organised in 2026, a mid-term event in 2027 and a final event in 2028/2029. Active participation of the funded projects is mandatory, e.g. by preparing short project presentations and/or posters.

In addition, funded projects should plan to contribute to at least one DUT event per year. Examples of such events includes cross-project meetings to deepen reflections on project results; participation in stakeholder dialogues; workshops to reflect research results; and conference sessions to promote and discuss science policy issues regarding sustainable urbanisation.

Municipalities who are partners in funded projects should plan to take part in the DUT City Panel. The DUT City Panel is a collaborative platform facilitating co-creation, consultation, exchange, cooperation and engagement with cities relating to the strategic priorities of the DUT Partnership. More specifically, the DUT City Panel supports cities in their transition challenges, strengthening existing skills and tools to boost urban change and transformation towards climate neutral, liveable and inclusive cities. Involving the experience, needs and requirements of municipalities in DUT through the City Panel is essential to develop challenge driven and innovative solutions. Further information on the DUT City Panel can be found here: DUT City Panel – DUT Partnership

5.3.2 Reports and summaries for the general public

All consortia of funded projects are expected to prepare regular popular science summaries (on an annual basis) of the project contents and updates for programme activities and publications by the EC and the DUT Partnership (e.g. for brochures, (digital) newsletters, websites).

At the end of each project, projects are expected to submit an additional publishable report, meant for the general public. A template for this report will be provided by the Call Secretariat.

Information on the projects and its partners, including summaries, abstracts, contact information, publishable reports and general information on the project may be published by the DUT Partnership, its partners, the EC or any entity contracted by them. All partners of a consortium grant rights of use to the aforementioned entities.

The Call Secretariat will publish detailed guidelines and templates to assist projects with these duties.

5.3.3 Support for the DUT Knowledge Hub(s)

To overcome the resulting fragmentation of experiences and results, to aggregate the main results of the selected projects and to facilitate their translation and transfer to practitioners, it is required that these selected projects participate to the activities of the DUT Knowledge Hub(s) to build a community. The main aims of such a platform are to support the projects, gather a community around a specific topic and enhance the links between the different actors (cities, stakeholder research, innovation).

Within this Call, projects are then asked to include a mandatory work package (WP) related to the activities of DUT Knowledge Hubs with dedicated resources, budget and personnel (to indicate). At least one expert from each project needs to be nominated to act as project ambassador related to the activities of the Knowledge Hub(s).

The experts, together with the Knowledge Hub(s) Management Team and the specific TP Programme Management, will work on one or more of the following topics and challenges:

– Input to the strategic development of the TP;
– Synthesis results, collaboration with other projects;
– Science policy briefs, participation in specific events;
– Communication to the scientific community and stakeholders;

No less than five person months per expert designated are expected for these activities.

5.4 Publications and dissemination

5.4.0 Communication Strategy

To ensure efficient communication and dissemination of results and outcomes, it is encouraged that all proposals include communication activities in connection to final results and deliverables from each of the project WPs.

A communication plan is a mandatory deliverable in year 1. Thus, each project shall have dedicated budget and personnel for communication, with at least one person assigned as the ambassador for communication activities (such as a WP leader). Communication activities may include, but are not restricted to, promotion of the project activities (events, webinars, seminars, publications), speaking at external events, writing key messages targeting the project's audience, and sharing results with the wider DUT community. Templates and guidelines for the communication plan will be provided by the Call Secretariat/DUT communication team at the kick-off event.

It is up to the consortium to implement these activities in a way that best fits their proposal. Please note that not all Funding Agencies may fund communication costs (meaning it might be reasonable to exclude certain project partners from this work) – please check Annex A for national/regional rules.

5.4.1 Acknowledgements

Projects must ensure that all outcomes (e.g. publications) of transnational projects include a proper acknowledgement of DUT Partnership, the EC, and the respective Funding Agencies.

The Call Secretariat will publish detailed guidelines and templates to assist projects with these duties.

5.4.2 Open science practices, data management and data sharing

The DUT Partnership strongly promotes open science and communicating the open science principles to the research community, as well as to other stakeholder communities (FAIR principles).

DUT encourages funded projects to openly share research data and digital outputs to stimulate new approaches to the collection, reuse, analysis, validation and management of data and information, thus, increasing the transparency of the research and innovation process and robustness of the results.

However, the DUT Partnership also recognises that not all data can be shared openly, and that there will be legitimate reasons to constrain access. For detailed information on the requirements regarding data management within this Call, please see Annex B.

Wherever possible funded projects are expected and obliged to provide open access to research outputs (e.g., publications, data, software, models, algorithms, and workflows) through deposition in trusted repositories.

Projects are expected and obliged to share either a link to a trusted repository or the files themselves of their research outputs with the Call Secretariat.

Costs of open access publications are eligible costs for many Funding Agencies involved in this Call and therefore sufficient budget should be reserved for open access publications where eligible. Details on whether or not these costs are eligible can be found in the respective Funding Agencies’ National Annex (see Annex A).

5.5 Personal data protection

The provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) shall be complied with by the Call Secretariat and the Funding Agencies participating in the organisation of this Call with respect to the processing of personal data. Depending on the country and the participating Funding Agency, different national laws might apply, and different electronic systems will be used regarding the processing of personal data.

By submitting an application, the Applicants consent to the use, processing and retention of their personal data21, in accordance with article 6.1 (e) and (c) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (2016/679) and for the purposes of:

• processing and evaluating the application where processing shall be lawful only if and to the extent that processing is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the controller;
• administering any subsequent funding award;
• managing the relationship between the Applicants and the Funding Agencies;
• analysing and evaluating the Call;
• providing aggregate data to national and European surveys and analyses on the funded projects;
• and complying with audits that may be initiated by the Funding Agencies and the EC (or its agencies).

In addition, by submitting an application, the Applicants agree to share their personal data with funders based outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and with reviewers (some of which may be based outside the EEA) in relation to the above activities.

Funders and reviewers may link the data that Applicants provide in the application with national, bibliographic or external research funding data which is available through public subscription based databases (e.g. Scopus, Web of Science, etc.) or other national/open datasets.

5.6 “Do No Significant Harm” (DNSH) principle

The R&I activities and projects funded within the DUT Partnership are obliged not to support or carry out activities that make a significant harm to any of the six environmental objectives as defined in Article 17 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment (EU Taxonomy Regulation).

6 Contact details and other information

General information on the Call

Updated information on this Call and all relevant documents/templates are published on the DUT Partnership Website.

If you have questions on the general Call process and proposal submission, please contact the Call Secretariat.

DUT Call Secretariat

Elena Simion (UEFISCDI – Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding), Nicolas Paulien and Pascal Bain (ANR – Agence Nationale de la Recherche), Maria Rachele Nocera (MUR – Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca)

Email address of the Call Secretariat: Call@dutpartnership.eu

Contact points of participating Funding Agencies

For questions regarding specific Funding Agencies’ rules and additional forms please check “Annex A: Specific Funding Agencies’ Budgets and Rules of Eligibility” first. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the indicated national contact persons at the participating Funding Agencies.

ANNEX A: SPECIFIC FUNDING AGENCIES’ BUDGETS AND RULES OF ELIGIBILITY

The following tables are presented to give some guidance to the applicants when considering the consortium building process and to make it easier to read the

specific Funding Agencies’ rules.

Please consult Table 3 for the detailed eligibility criteria for each Funding Agency.

Table 1: Participating Funding Agencies: budget, RDI activities, topics and organisations eligible for funding
Country / Region	Funding agency	total budget [M EUR]	15minC	CUE	PED	– Types of RDI activities eligible for funding	Maximum funding per project/project applicant/main applicant [K EUR]	Indicative mean or range of funding demand per project expected [K EUR]	Anticipated number of projects	Universities and research organisations	Municipalities	Business organisations and companies	NGOs and similar
Austria	FFG	4.50	2.0	0.5	2.0	– Strategic research	200	N/A	18–20	yes	no	no	no
						– Applied research	400			yes	yes	yes	yes
						– Innovation	500			yes	yes	yes	yes
Belgium / Wallonia-Brussels	F.R.S.-FNRS	0.30				– Basic research	300	300	1	Yes	no	no	no
Belgium / Flanders	VLAIO	1.4				– Applied research – Innovation (Experimental development)	500/440	n/a	–	yes, as subcon tractor or as main applicant	yes only if in collaboration with a Flemish company	yes	yes if economic activities
Belgium / Flanders	FWO	0.75				– Basic/Strategic research	0,25	/	3	yes	no	no	no
Belgium / Brussels Capital Region	Innoviris	1.00				– Strategic Research – Applied Research – Experimental Development (Innovation)	N/A	300.000	3–4	yes	yes	yes	yes
Bulgaria	BNSF	0.38	Y	Y	Y	– Basic research only	Up to 127 822 EUR per project	–	Up to 3	Y	N	N	N
Brazil / Sao Paulo	FAPESP (not cofunded)	1.30				– Strategic research – Applied research	255	100–255	5	yes	no	no	no
Bulgaria	BNSF	0.38				– Basic research only	Up to 127.822 per project	–	up to 3	yes	no	no	no
Czech Republic	TACR	0.55	0.275	–	0.275	– Applied Research	150	130–150	3–4	yes	yes	yes	yes
Denmark	IFD	1.30				– Strategic research – Applied research – Innovation	300 per partner 500 per project	200–500	4–6	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Estonia	ETAG	0.30		yes	yes	– Strategic research – Applied research	150 per project or 300 per project if Estonian partner is Main Applicant	N/A	1	yes	yes	yes	yes
Finland	BF (not cofunded)	3.00				– Applied research – Innovation	N/A	200–500	4–6	yes	no	yes	no
France	ADEME	0,5 M€	X	X	X	– IOA – ROA	300 k€	250 k€	2	Eligible	Eligible	Eligible	Eligible
France	ANR	3.00				– Strategic research – Applied research	500	200–350	8–10	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Germany	FZJ-PtJ	1.00			0.67	– Applied research – Innovation	330/330/330	100–330	1–2	yes	yes	yes	yes
Greece	GSRI	1.00				–	180 per project, 230 per project if Greek partner is coordinator			X	X	X	X
Hungary	NKFIH	1.00				– Strategic research – Applied (industrial) research – Innovation/Experime ntal development – Feasibility Study	300 /project 150 /partner (if the Hungarian partner is the main applicant – 200)	0–300	3–6	yes	yes, as partner of a main applicant	yes	yes
Italy	MUR-FIRST	1.50				– Strategic/fundament al research – Applied research	– 200 per project – 300 per project in case the applicant is the Project Coordinator			Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
	MUR-ERDF	0.50				– Strategic/fundament al research – Applied research				Yes jointly with a company	NO	Yes	NO
	MUR-ERDF	0.50				– Applied research – Innovation/Experimental Development				Yes jointly with a company	NO	Yes	NO
Japan	JST (not cofunded)	0.45		0.45		–	225 (12 million/year/project)	150–225	2	Yes	See annex	Yes	See annex
Korea, Republic of	KAIA (not cofunded)	0.60	0.6	–	–	–	235	200	2–3	yes	yes (non fundable)	yes	no
Latvia	LCS	0.60	No splitting, all themes possible			– Research and innovation only	100 per year per Latvian partner	300 per project partner (if 36 month), 200 for a 2-year project. Max 2 partners per project	2	Yes	No	No	No
Lithuania	LMT	0.30				– Strategic research – Applied research	250	150– 250	1–2	yes	yes, as partners of main applicant	yes, as partners of main applicant	yes, as partners of main applicant
The Netherlands	NWO	3.50				– Strategic research	325	Up to 325	10–14	x
The Netherlands	Taskforce for Applied Research - SIA	0.90	0.3	0.3	0.3	– Applied Research	300 / 300	200–300	3–5	UAS only	yes, as cooperati on of main applicant	yes, as cooperation partner of main applicant	yes, as cooperation partner of main applicant
Norway	RCN	2.60				– Basic research, Industrial/Applied research, Experimental development/Innovation	370	N/A	6–7	X	X	X	x
Poland	NCBR	1.92	0.64	0.64	0.64	– Basic research (the eligible costs of fundamental research may comprise a maximum of 10% of total eligible costs of the project) – Industrial/Applied research, – Experimental development	– up to 250 per project if a single applicant from Poland (research organisation or enterprise) applies for funding – up to 475 per project if a group of entities from Poland applies for funding	n/a	approx . 4 to 8	yes	yes (only as a part of group of entities)	yes	yes (only as a part of group of entities)
Portugal / Centro Region of Portugal	CCDRC	0.50	Topic 1: only IOA Topic 2: IOA and ROA Topic 3: only IOA	Only IOA	Only IOA	– Strategic research – Applied research – Innovation	Maximum funding per project (to share between all national entities participating): 100 Maximum funding per project with a regional coordination (to share between all national entities participating): 200	100–200	3–5	yes	Yes, as long as in cooperation with a company or a Higher Education Institution.	Companie s: yes Business organisations: yes, as long as in cooperation with a company or a Higher Education Institution	Yes, as long as in cooperation with a company or a Higher Education Institution
Portugal	FCT	0.50	YES (Topic 1 and Topic 3)	YES (all topics )	YES (all topic s)	– Research-Oriented Approach – Project type of partner contribution: A – Applied Research; F – Fundamental Research	Maximum funding per project: – 200 (main applicant) 100 (project applicant)		4/5	YES	YES	YES	YES
Romania1	UEFISCDI	1	X	X	X	□ Strategic research □ Applied research – Innovation	200.000 EUR for Romanian participant(s) as partner(s) in a consortium; 250.000 for the Romanian participant(s) – if the project is coordinated by a Romanian entity		4–5	X	Under conditions	X	X
Slovenia	ARIS	0.20				– Strategic research	100	100	1–2	yes	no	no	no
Spain	AEI	1.00				– Strategic research – Applied research – Innovation	175–325/175/275	N/A	7–8	Yes	no (exceptions: see national annex)	No	no (exceptions: see national annex)
Spain	CDTI	0.60				– Applied Research – Innovation	n/a	250	3–6	no	no	yes	no
Sweden	Formas	2.50		2.50		– Strategic research – Applied research – Innovation	300 per project (500 per project if the Main Applicant is Swedish)	300–500	5–8	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sweden	SWEA	1.5			1.5	– Applied research – Innovation	N/A	N/A	5-6	X	X	X	X
Sweden	Vinnova	0,88	x			Industrial/applied research Experimental development/innovation –	N/A, but suggested funding levels are 250 k–300 k euro.	250 k–300 k euro	3	x	x	x	x
Switzerland	SNSF (not cofunded)	0.60 + 0.25				– Strategic research – Applied research	Maximum of 250’000 CHF annually per applicant.	N/A	2–3	yes	no	no	no
Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)	NSTC (not cofunded)	0.75				– All types	Depending on all conditions of eligibility and peer review being met, the budget earmarked by the participating NSTC for this call will be up to € 250K per	Each Taiwanese team shall not request for more than 3 Million New Taiwan Dollars (NTD) per year	2–3	yes	N/A	N/A	N/A
							project or € 500K for a project/consortium coordination (LPI being from Chinese Taipei).	from the NSTC. The project period is maximum 36 months. A no cost extension period of maximum 12 months can be arranged upon request.
Türkiye	TUBITAK	0.60				– Strategic research – Applied research – Innovation	– 230 per project (excluding PIP&OC), –Per partner: –Higher education institutions, training and research hospitals and public institutions and organisations (including city, metropolitan and district municipalities) – 100 (excluding PIP&OC) – 125 (excluding PIP&OC) if the Turkish partner is the project coordinator –Private entities: 230 * PIP&OC: Project Incentive Payment and Overhead costs	230	–	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
United-Kingdom	UKRI	2.50	2.50	–	–	–	475		5–7	Yes	See National annex for details	See National annex for details	See National annex for details

X Noot

the budget may be subject to changes during the running of the call

Country / Region	Funding Agency	15minC TP			CUE TP			PED TP
Country / Region	Funding Agency	Topic 1	Topic 2	Topic 3	Topic 1	Topic 2	Topic 3	Topic 1	Topic 2	Topic 3
Austria	FFG	x	x	x	x			x	x	x
Belgium / Wallonia-Brussels	F.R.S.-FNRS	x	x	x	x	x	x
Belgium / Flanders	VLAIO	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Belgium / Flanders	FWO	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Belgium / Brussels Capital Region	Innoviris	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Bulgaria	BNSF	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Brazil / Sao Paulo	FAPESP (not cofunded)	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Bulgaria	BNSF	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Czech Republic	TACR			x					x	x
Denmark	IFD	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Estonia	ETAG				x	x	x	x	x	x
Finland	BF (not cofunded)	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
France	ADEME		X	X		X	X	X	X	X
France	ANR	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Germany	FZJ-PtJ									x
Greece	GSRI	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Hungary	NKFIH	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Italy	MUR-FIRST MUR-ERDF	x	x x	x x	x x	x	x x	x	x x	x x
Japan	JST (not cofunded)				x	x	x
Korea, Republic of	KAIA (not cofunded)	x	x	x
Latvia	LCS	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Lithuania	LMT	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
The Netherlands	NWO	x		x	x	x			x	x
The Netherlands	Taskforce for Applied Research -SIA	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Norway	RCN	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Poland	NCBR	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Portugal / Centro Region of Portugal	CCDRC	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Portugal	FCT	x		x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Romania	UEFISCDI	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Slovenia	ARIS	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Spain	AEI	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Spain	CDTI	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Sweden	Formas				x	x	x
Sweden	SWEA							x	x	x
Sweden	Vinnova		x
Switzerland	SNSF (not cofunded)	x	x	x	tbc	x	x	x	x	x
Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)	NSTC (not cofunded)	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Türkiye	TUBITAK	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
United-Kingdom	UKRI	x	x	x

Country	Funding Agency
Austria	Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)
Belgium/Wallonia-Brussels Federation	F.R.S.-FNRS
Belgium/Flanders Region	VLAIO
Belgium/Flanders	The Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO)
Belgium/Brussels Capital Region	Innoviris
Brazil/São Paulo	Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
Bulgaria	Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF)
Czech Republic	Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR)
Denmark	Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD)
Estonia	Estonian Research Council (ETAG)
Finland	Business Finland (BF)
France	ADEME
France	Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)
Germany	Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (FZJ-PtJ)
Greece	General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI)
Hungary	National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH)
Italy	Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (MUR-FIRST)
Italy	Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca (MUR-ERDF)
Japan	Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Korea, Republic of	Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA)
Latvia	Latvijas Zinātnes padome (LCS)
Lithuania	Research Council of Lithuania (LMT)
Netherlands	Dutch Research Council (NWO)
Netherlands	Taskforce for Applied Research – SIA (NWO-SIA)
Norway	Research Council of Norway (RCN)
Poland	The National Centre for Research and Development (Narodowe Centrum Badań i Rozwoju)
Portugal	Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro, I.P (CCDRC)
Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)
Romania	Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI)
Slovenia	Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS)
Spain	Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI)
Spain	Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (CDTI)
Sweden	The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS)
Sweden	Swedish Energy Agency – Energimyndigheten (SWEA)
Sweden	Vinnova
Switzerland	InnoSuisse
Switzerland	SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation)
Taiwan (Chinese Taipei)	National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)
Türkiye	The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)
United Kingdom	United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI)

Austria – Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Teresa Losek (PED, general enquiries) E–mail: teresa.losek@ffg.at Tel: +43 (0)5 7755-5075 Christine Zehetgruber (PED, general enquiries) E-mail: christine.zehetgruber@ffg.at(PED, general enquiries) Tel: +43 (0)5 7755-5049 Dietrich Leihs (15minC) E–mail: dietrich.leihs@ffg.at Tel: +43 (0)5 7755-5034 Sabine Dworak (CUE) Email: sabine.dworak@ffg.at Tel: +43 (0)5 7755-5050
Funding commitment	EUR 4,500,000 (EUR 2,000,000 for the 15mC Transition Pathway, EUR 2,000,000 for the PED Transition Pathway, EUR 500,000 for the CUE Transition Pathway)
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	18–20
Maximum funding per awarded project	• Strategic research (Projekt der orientierten Grundlagenforschung): maximum EUR 200,000, minimum EUR 60,000 per project • Applied research (Kooperatives F&E-Projekt der Industriellen Forschung): maximum EUR 400,000, minimum EUR 100,000 per project • Innovation / Implementation (Kooperatives F&E-Projekt der Experimentellen Entwicklung): maximum EUR 500,000, minimum EUR 100,000 per project
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	In general, universities, research institutes, SME’s and large companies, cities, municipalities and NGOs (legal entities) are eligible for funding. The complete eligibility criteria and definitions may be found in the national guidelines.
Eligible topics	• 15minC Transition Pathway: all topics (1–3) • CUE Transition Pathway: topic 1 • PED Transition Pathway: all topics (1–3)
Eligible type of research and TRL	Strategic research (Projekt der orientierten Grundlagenforschung; over 50% of eligible costs must be TRL 1), applied research (Kooperatives F&E-Projekt der Industriellen Forschung; TRL 2–4), innovation / implementation (Kooperatives F&E- Projekt der Experimentellen Entwicklung; TRL 5–8)
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	National application via eCall is mandatory: • Submission deadline pre-proposals: November 19th, 2024 at 12.00 (CET) • Submission deadline full proposals: April 29th, 2025 at 12.00 (CEST)
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	All Austrian partners in one project must select the same research type. Only research organisations (universities and research institutes) are eligible within the research type “Strategic research”. For the research types “Applied research” and “Innovation/Implementation” at least one enterprise that receives funding is mandatory as a partner in any transnational consortium involving Austrian partners. It is not mandatory for this enterprise to be located in Austria. Participation (as the main applicant, a co-applicant or a cooperation partner) of an Austrian municipality or municipal (directly or indirectly owned) company is desirable (though not mandatory). In case of a cooperation partner, an LoI must be submitted (via eCall) in the full proposal stage. For consortia that do not yet have an established connection to such a partner, the Salzburger Institut für Raumordnung & Wohnen (SIR) offers to put applicants in contact with city administrations of the Austrian pioneer cities. For this purpose, SIR provides an information sheet, which must be completed and sent to the following contact persons by September 30, 2024: • Nina Mostegl (nina.mostegl@salzburg.gv.at) • Mathias Stadler (mathias.stadler@salzburg.gv.at Consortia that are already in contact/cooperating with a communal partner do not have to contact SIR and should instead contact this partner directly. At least one Austrian partner must actively partake in the learning environment, provided in the framework of the „Pionierstädte“ programme. • The costs for this activity (approximately € 2,000 per project year) are fundable.
Eligible costs	• Personnel costs • Overhead costs (flat rate) • Use of R&D infrastructure • Costs of materials • Third-party costs • Travel costs • Costs for participation in the „Pionierstädte“ programme learning environment For detailed information see the “Kostenleitfaden”
Website with additional information	Driving Urban Transitions Call 2024
Additional information	Further details may be found in the national call text. For projects awarded funding, scientific and financial reporting via eCall on an annual basis is mandatory. We highly recommend to contact us during the preparation of the proposal.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	N/A	55%	35%
Medium Enterprises	N/A	70%	50%
Small Enterprises	N/A	80%	60%
Universities, public research organisations	100%	85%	60%
Public authorities	N/A	80%	60%
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	N/A	80%	60%

Belgium – Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles – Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Florence Quist, (+32)2 2 504 93 51 – international@frs-fnrs.be
Funding commitment	300 000 €
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	1
Maximum funding per awarded project	The maximum amount of requested funding per project is 300 000 € for a total period of 3 years.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution Eligible topics Eligible type of research and TRL	All eligibility rules and criteria can be found in the PINT-MULTI regulations.
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Applicants to F.R.S.-FNRS funding must provide basic administrative data by submitting an administrative application on e-space within 5 working days after the general deadline of Driving Urban Transitions to be eligible.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	All eligibility rules and criteria can be found in the PINT-MULTI regulations.
Eligible costs	Please check the Practical guide on costs
Website with additional information	PINT-MULTI
Additional information

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises
Medium Enterprises
Small Enterprises
Universities, public research organisations	X
Public authorities
Associations without economic activities, NGOs

Belgium / Flanders – FIO / VLAIO

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Veerle Desmet veerle.desmet@vlaio.be +32 2 432 43 02
Funding commitment	800.000€ (companies & municipalities) and 600.000€ (university colleges)
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	/
Maximum funding per awarded project	500.000€ (companies & municipalities) and 440.000€ (university colleges)
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Eligible partners are Flemish enterprises and non-profit organisations (with legal entity, economic activities and valorisation in Flanders). Scientific partners can be involved as subcontractors in these project. Applicants should demonstrate their viability and financial soundness regarding their own contribution to the project. NEW since 2023: Eligibility for local authorities IF in cooperation with a Flemish enterprise, check conditions https://www.vlaio.be/nl/media/2361 NEW since 2024: Eligibility for university colleges, and for integrated university educations specifically targeted at enterprises and non-profit organizations.
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	Applied research, experimental development; practice-oriented research; TRL 3–7
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Additional templates to be completed can be found on the VLAIO website. These templates are mandatory to check the eligibility and must be sent to VLAIO on the date of call deadline. We kindly ask the applicants to apply for a meeting with VLAIO as soon as possible and ultimately 2 weeks before the deadline to check the eligibility aspects.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Please note that VLAIO does not allow multiple funding; the principal investigator should clearly state how the proposed project differs from other granted projects. There will be an information session (in Dutch!) September 9^th, please check Derde DUT-oproep voor projecten die stedelijke uitdagingen aanpakken \| VLAIO.
Eligible costs	• Staffing costs • Overhead costs (max. 25k€ per FTE) • Operational costs • Third-party services • Investment costs
Website with additional information	www.vlaio.be
Additional information	– Industrial development projects: https://www.vlaio.be/nl/subsidies-financiering/ontwikkelingsproject – Industrial research projects: https://www.vlaio.be/nl/subsidies-financiering/onderzoeksproject
	– Local authorities in cooperation with a Flemish enterprise: https://www.vlaio.be/nl/media/2361 – University colleges, and integrated university educations: https://www.vlaio.be/nl/vlaio-netwerk/tetra

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	n/a	50–65%	25–40%
Medium Enterprises	n/a	60–70%	35–50%
Small Enterprises	n/a	70%	45–60%
University colleges, and integrated university educations	n/a	92.5%	92.5%
Universities, public research organisations	n/a	As subconstrator/partner with an eligible partner	As subconstrator/partner with an eligible partner
Public authorities	n/a	80%	80%
Associations (and NGOs) without economic activities	n/a	Only as subconstrator with an eligible partner	Only as subconstrator with an eligible partner

Belgium /Flanders – The Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Name: Toon Monbaliu (FO) Tel: +32 (0)2 550 15 70 Name: Kristien Peeters (SBO) Tel: +32 (0)2 550 15 95 E-mail: Europe@fwo.be
Funding commitment	0,75 m. EUR
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	3
Maximum funding per awarded project	0,25 m. EUR per project/consortium (incl. overhead)
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	The FWO integrates two of its national/regional funding channels within this multilateral framework. The choice of FWO funding channel depends on the type of (sub)project the researchers from Flanders wish to undertake (i.e. fundamental in nature vs. strong valorization potential). The scope and the eligibility of institutions and its researchers can be verified in the relevant chosen funding channel regulations, which can be consulted on the FWO website: – FWO Research Projects (FO) – Strategic Basic Research (SBO) Or by contacting the FWO contact points mentioned above.
Eligible topics	All topics are eligible, if the type of research fits the appropriate FWO funding channels scope.
Eligible type of research and TRL	Basic/strategic research –-> TRL range: from 1 to 5 (end TRL)
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	!! IMPORTANT!! Applicants for FWO funding must submit a mandatory administrative application via the FWO E-loket. ○ For fundamental research projects (FO) select the application type: ‘Research projects – European programme fundamental research’. ○ For strategic basis research projects (SBO) select the application type: ‘Research projects – European programme strategic basic research’. In case the consortium includes more than one partner requesting funding from FWO, a single online form should be submitted by the main PI (promotor(-spokesperson)) itself, containing all relevant information for the different Flemish partners. The deadline to submit this administrative application to the FWO is identical to the deadline of the joint transnational call (pre-proposal stage). To ensure the eligibility of the proposal, it is recommended to consult the FWO administration at least one week in advance. Failure to comply with theserequirements can lead to ineligibility.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	○ Participation in this call does not interfere with the ‘regular/national’ project submission framework and is consequently not taken into account for calculating the max. available number of new applications and running projects combined. However, researchers can only participate within two different international consortia in this call and only once as the PI of a Main Applicant (i.e. coordinator). ○ Projects aiming at the development of a spin-off company are not eligible in this context and this option should not be mentioned as such. ○ The project duration is limited to 36 months, which implies the funding has to be budgeted and spent accordingly. An automatic prolongation and using positive (financial) balances after the end date is not applicable in this framework. As such article 28 of the FWO Research Projects and article 14 of the Strategic Basic Research (SBO) regulations do not apply here. ○ The PI, for each of the participating institutions applying for FWO funds, must hold an appointment that fully covers the duration of the research project. – Linked to the above, when it comes to the FWO research project regulations (FO): article 10, §7 is not applicable in this call. I.e. supervisors (- spokespersons), or consortium partners in this context, who are granted emeritus status during the calendar year of submission of the project application or during the duration of the project execution, are not eligible.
Eligible costs	○ The FWO foresees a budget of 750.000 EUR, which guarantees at least three projects. ○ The respective funding channel regulations apply (see links to national rules above: ‘Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution’ section), and both are capped at max. 250.000 EUR per project/consortium (incl. overhead, for which the calculation method diverges per funding channel – see explanation below). ○ For the overhead calculation, the fundamental (FO) and strategic research projects (SBO) use the same approach. A structural overhead rate should be applied on the project costs, with an overhead rate of 6% for ‘FO projects’, and a 17% overhead rate for ‘SBO projects’. Some practical examples: ® FO: the sum of all costs (personnel, consumables, travel, subcontracting, etc.) amounts to 200.000 EUR, then the overhead will amount to 12.000 EUR (6% of 200.000 EUR) and the total requested cost is 212.000 EUR. This total requested cost may never exceed the max. available amount of 250.000 EUR. ® SBO: the sum of all costs (personnel, consumables, travel, subcontracting, etc.) amounts to 200.000 EUR, then the overhead will amount to 34.000 EUR (17% of 200.000 EUR) and the total requested cost is 234.000 EUR. This total requested cost may never exceed the max. available amount of 250.000 EUR. Overhead should be mentioned in the DUT budget tables, but it should not be inserted in the national/regional FWO pre-registration form on the FWO E-loket (see ‘Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level’ section).
Website with additional information	Horizon Europe Cofund-partnerships
Additional information	It is strongly advised to contact the FWO contact points (NCP) mentioned above, in order not to jeopardize any research projects/consortia.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	/	/	/
Medium Enterprises	/	/	/
Small Enterprises	/	/	/
Universities, public research organisations	100%	/	/
Public authorities	/	/	/
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	/	/	/

Belgium/Brussels Capital Region -Innoviris

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Gaëlle HUBERT E–mail: ghubert@innoviris.brussels
Funding commitment	EUR 1.000.000
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	3–4
Maximum funding per awarded project	N/A
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Innoviris can fund private and public enterprises, regional administrations, municipalities, associations, and research organisations. Associations, municipalities and public administrations must submit at Innoviris an official document called “declaration of activities». This document will be analysed and will allow to determine the eligibility and funding level. Regional criteria for funding: 1. Brussels projects need to fulfil specific regional eligibility and funding criteria: • The applicant must have at least one place of business in the Brussels Capital Region • Regional beneficiary will perform a research or innovation activity in the project (coordination and/or dissemination only are not eligible) • The project will be innovative and will present the positive impact on the regional economy or society, by valorisation of results in the Region • Regional Beneficiary has not received public funding for the same activities and has fulfilled the obligations in the context of previous grants allocated by the Region • The R&D work may not have started before the application for funding is submitted • All applicants and partners should demonstrate their viability and financial soundness regarding their own contribution to the project and the implementation of the results. As a Brussels company or qualified as an economic actor: you must be financially stable (equity greater than 50% of capital) and have sufficient liquidity to finance your share of the project. 2. A project that significantly harms the social and environmental objectives of the Region cannot receive financial support. 3. Note: it is recommended (but not obligatory) that a public actor from the Brussels Region be involved in the project (urban administration, municipality, etc.) They can participate as co-applicant or cooperation partner.
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	• Strategic Research • Applied Research • Experimental Development (Innovation)
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	The proposal of the Brussels participants needs to be submitted, using the regional templates, to Innoviris by the same deadline as the international submission for every phase (pre-proposal and full-proposal). These templates are mandatory to check for the regional eligibility. We recommend that the applicants contact Innoviris as soon as possible and ultimately 2 weeks before the deadline to check the eligibility aspects. A dedicated web page and regional application template is published at https://innoviris.brussels/program/driving-urban-transitions-a-sustainable-future-dut
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Eligibility of associations and administrations will be analysed by Innoviris. Therefore, every interested association must submit at Innoviris an official document called “declaration of activities”. This document will be analysed and will allow to determine the funding level.
Eligible costs	Please check detailed eligible costs categories at: https://innoviris.brussels/general-accounting-directives ! New accounting directives 2024
Website with additional information	https://innoviris.brussels/program/driving-urban-transitions-a-sustainable-future-dut (available in FR, NL and EN) https://ncp.brussels.
Additional information	When preparing your project, you can contact: – Innoviris for any questions relating to the eligibility criteria and the submission process: Gaëlle Hubert ghubert@innoviris.brussels, scientific advisor in charge of European programs for Innoviris. – The NCP for a preliminary reading of your project and/or the search for partnerships: Camille Dehestru cdehestru@hub.brussels

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Strategic/Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	65%	65%	40%
Medium Enterprises	75%	75%	50%
Small Enterprises	80%	80%	60%
Universities, public research organisations	100%	100%	100%
Public authorities	100%	100%	100%
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	100%	100%	100%

Bulgaria – Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Milena Aleksandrova, aleksandrova@mon. bg; +359 884 171363
Funding commitment	460 163 EUR
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	Up to 3 projects to be funded
Maximum funding per awarded project	Up to 153 387 EUR per project
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	1) Accredited universities as defined in Art.85 para.1, p. 7 of the Higher Education Act; 2) Research organizations as defined in Art. 47, para 1 of the Higher Education Act. http://lll.mon.bg/uploaded_files/zkn_visseto_obr_01.03.2016_EN.pdf
Eligible topics	15 min C; CUE; PED
Eligible type of research and TRL	TRL 1–4
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Applicants have to submit an application form for national eligibility when submitting the proposals. The formulier, entitled „Administrative description of the project“ should be filled in both Bulgarian and in English and signed.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Other additional eligibility rules are specified in ”National requirements and eligibility conditions” of Bulgarian National Science Fund available at: https://www.fni.bg/sites/default/files/competition/12_2016/ERA/BNSF_International_Programs-2017_ENG.pdf
Eligible costs	Eligible costs are specified in ”National requirements and eligibility conditions” of Bulgarian National Science Fund available at: https://www.fni.bg/sites/default/files/competition/12_2016/ERA/BNSF_International_Programs-2017_ENG.pdf
Website with additional information	https://bnsf.bg
Additional information	Each PI is obliged to send an annual report for the BNSF-funded project. BNSF provides templates and guidelines

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	No	No	No
Medium Enterprises	No	No	No
Small Enterprises	No	No	No
Universities, public research organisations	Yes	No	No
Public authorities	No	No	No No
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	No	No	No

Brazil/São Paulo – Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Carolina Costa – chamada-bf-dut@fapesp.br
Funding commitment	EUR 1.3Mi (BRL7.5 Mi)
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	5
Maximum funding per awarded project	EUR255K (BRL1.5 Mi)
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Research and Higher Education institutions based in the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Eligible topics	All topics
Eligible type of research and TRL	Strategic and applied research
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Not required
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Applicants from São Paulo must adhere to the overall rules and conditions of a Regular Research Grant ("APR"), as outlined by FAPESP, superseded by the specific guidelines for this Call available at www.fapesp.br/belmontforum. Eligibility conditions and restrictions follow those of the APR modality, with an additional requirement for well-established researchers with a proven track record of interdisciplinary international projects in the themes of the Call
Eligible costs	Usual conditions of FAPESPs research Grants apply
Website with additional information	www.fapesp.br/belmontforum
Additional information	For the Full Proposal phase only, the partner applicant based in São Paulo must submit the full proposal via the online platform SAGe for the same deadline. Details are available at the FAPESP guidelines at www.fapesp.br/belmontforum

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	n/a	n/a	n/a
Medium Enterprises	n/a	n/a	n/a
Small Enterprises	n/a	n/a	n/a
Universities, public research organisations	Yes	yes	No
Public authorities	n/a	n/a	n/a
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	n/a	n/a	n/a

Bulgaria – Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Milena Aleksandrova, aleksandrova@mon.bg; +359 884 171363
Funding commitment	460 163 EUR
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	Up to 3 projects to be funded
Maximum funding per awarded project	Up to 153 387 EUR per project
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	1) Accredited universities as defined in Art.85 para.1, p. 7 of the Higher Education Act; 2) Research organizations as defined in Art. 47, para 1 of the Higher Education Act. http://lll.mon.bg/uploaded_files/zkn_visseto_obr_01.03.2016_EN.pdf
Eligible topics	15 min C; CUE; PED
Eligible type of research and TRL	TRL 1–4
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Applicants have to submit an application form for national eligibility when submitting the proposals. The formulier, entitled „Administrative description of the project“ should be filled in both Bulgarian and in English and signed.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Other additional eligibility rules are specified in ”National requirements and eligibility conditions” of Bulgarian National Science Fund available at: https://www.fni.bg/sites/default/files/competition/12_2016/ERA/BNSF_International_Programs-2017_ENG.pdf
Eligible costs	Eligible costs are specified in ”National requirements and eligibility conditions” of Bulgarian National Science Fund available at: https://www.fni.bg/sites/default/files/competition/12_2016/ERA/BNSF_International_Programs-2017_ENG.pdf
Website with additional information	https://bnsf.bg
Additional information	Each PI is obliged to send an annual report for the BNSF-funded project. BNSF provides templates and guidelines

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	No	No	No
Medium Enterprises	No	No	No
Small Enterprises	No	No	No
Universities, public research organisations	Yes	No	No
Public authorities	No	No	No
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	No	No	No

Czech Republic – Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Ondřej Kusbach Email: ondrej.kusbach@tacr.cz Tel.: +420 770 127 549
Funding commitment	EUR 550 000 (PED: EUR 275 000, 15mC: EUR 275 000, financial allocation can be transferred from one transition pathway to another if needed and available)
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	3–4
Maximum funding per awarded project	EUR 150 000 per project
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	• Universities • Research institutes • SME’s and large companies • NGOS • Municipalities TA CR excludes the disbursement of individual aid to an enterprise: • against which a recovery order has been issued which is unpaid • meeting the definition of an “undertaking in difficulty” • which has not met the obligation to publish the financial statements for the years 2019, 2020, 2021 in the respective register – the so-called "Veřejný rejstřík” • which has not disclosed its ownership structure in the so-called “Evidence skutečných majitelů”
Eligible topics	15mC topic 3 PED topics 2 and 3
Eligible type of research and TRL	Applied research (industrial research and experimental development) TRL: 3–9
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Mandatory forms to be submitted The Czech applicants are requested to submit: • A Sworn statement of the applicant • Completed “TACR Application Form” Excel file (submitted by the main Czech applicant only)* • if the applicant plans to achieve the “NmetS” type of result, the "Confirmation of the Certification authority for NmetS results" needs to be attached* • if the applicant plans to achieve the “Patent” type of result, patent search must be substantiated* • Sworn statement of the composition of the consortium (submitted by the main Czech applicant only if there is Czech enterprise in the project consortium). All mandatory documents to be found on TA CR website. Deadline for submitting all documents is the same as the deadline for submitting pre-proposals. All documents proving the eligibility of the Czech partner stated above shall be submitted via the TACR data box (TACR data box ID: afth9xp). *Applicants who will not submit this mandatory form (if relevant) via databox before the deadline will be considered as not eligible for TA CR funding. Project start and end Please note that following national legislation, Czech applicants shall start within 120 days from the funding decision being communicated by the Call Management (60-day period to enter into a contract + 60-day period to start the project).
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Eligible projects for TA CR • the project meets the definition of applied research • the research results correspond to the national rules and are applicable / exploitable. (The project proposal has to include a clear description of the exploitation plan and results.) • the aim of the project has to be relevant to the overall aim of the funding programme SIGMA • the declared share of industrial research and experimental development corresponds to the activities of the Czech partner described in the project proposal • the requested funding meets the national regulations for aid intensity Supported results Projects that achieve at least one of the following types of results can be supported in this Call. The type of the result has to be clearly described in the project proposal: • P – patent • G – technically realized results – prototype, functional sample • Z – pilot plant, proven technology • R – software • F – results with legal protection – utility model, industrial design • N – Certified methodologies and practices, treatment, conservation methods, procedures and specialized maps with professional expert content • O – Miscellaneous • H – results reflected in non-legislative directives and regulations binding within the competence of the respective provider and results reflected in the approved strategic and conceptual documents of the state or public administration Intellectual Property Rights The applicants are required to enter into a contract with their foreign partners (sign the so-called Consortium Agreement) which will define the conditions of cooperation on the project where, among other things, they specify the method of allocating rights to the research results, as well as adjustment and management of the rights imported or created during the project's implementation, which are necessary to address the project. Submission of financial and scientific reports at the national/regional level Czech beneficiaries must follow the rules of TA CR for reporting on the project (i.e., submission of interim- and final reports and reports on the implementation of the results). Publicity obligations While promoting the project and its results Czech beneficiaries must follow the publicity rules of TA CR.
Eligible costs	Eligible costs are: • personnel costs (including scholarships) • subcontracting costs (max. 20% of total eligible costs throughout the whole project period) • other direct costs (write-offs, protection of intellectual property, operating expenses, travel costs, consumables) • indirect costs (overheads) – full cost/flat rate Specific categories of eligible costs are defined under Article 18 of the General Terms & Conditions.
Website with additional information	ERA-NET Cofund Scheme on TA CR website (in Czech) ERA-NET Cofund Scheme on TA CR website (in English) National research programme SIGMA (in Czech) National research programme SIGMA (in English)
Additional information	“Guide for Czech applicants” and all mandatory forms will be available on TA CR website (in Czech).

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development
Large Enterprises	N/A	50–65%	25–40%
Medium Enterprises	N/A	60–75%	35–50%
Small Enterprises	N/A	70–80%	45–60%
Universities, public research organisations	N/A	up to 100%	up to 100%
Public authorities	N/A	same as enterprises	same as enterprises
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	N/A	same as enterprises	same as enterprises

Denmark – Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Daniel G. Marques E-mail: daniel.g.marques@innofond.dk Tel: +45 6190 5006 General mailbox: internationale@innofond.dk
Funding commitment	1.3 MEUR
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	4–6
Maximum funding per awarded project	The maximum requested funding amount per Danish partner is 300.000 €. The maximum requested funding amount per project, if the project has more than one Danish partner, is 500.000 €. Maximum requested funding rates between 25–90% apply, according to the Guidelines for International Collaborations.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	All Danish organizations directly involved in activities in the projects are eligible as applicants to Innovation Fund Denmark.
Eligible topics	All topics are eligible.
Eligible type of research and TRL	All TRL levels are eligible.
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Approximately 2–4 weeks after the deadline for pre-proposals, Danish applicants will be directly invited to submit the project proposal with annexes to the national e-grant system. At that point, non-public organizations will also be requested to submit additional financial declarations. You can find more in advance about these declarations as well as the templates on our website, under ‘Documents’. • All non-public organisations will be requested to upload a ‘No undertaking in difficulty’ declaration. • In addition, SME’s will also be required to upload an ‘SME declaration’ and an ‘Ability to co-finance’ declaration. • Only if requesting de minimis funding, then a ‘de minimis aid compliance form’ is required.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Please see section above.
Eligible costs	• Salaries • Travel • Subcontracting • Materials • Communication and knowledge sharing • Other expenses • Any overhead, if applicable For more details see IFD’s Guidelines for International Collaborations.
Website with additional information	For general information, FAQ, etc., please visit: Innovation Fund Denmark – International Collaborations Website For the full rules and conditions from Innovation Fund Denmark, please see: Guidelines for International Collaborations
Additional information	IFD encourages Danish applicants to include academic partners as well as relevant public authorities, utility providers or private enterprises in the project.

(b) Funding rates:

Maximum funding rates (incl. overhead) and overhead rates: please refer to the Guidelines for International Collaborations (pp. 11-14).

Estonia – Estonian Research Council (ETAG)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Priit Kilgas priit.kilgas@etag.ee +372 5909 4883
Funding commitment	EUR 300,000
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	1
Maximum funding per awarded project	EUR 150,000 if Co-applicant or EUR 300,000 if Estonian partner is the Main Applicant (Project Coordinator)
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	1. Project Participants 1.1 The Host Institution may be any legal entity that is registered and located in Estonia and has an Estonian bank account. The Host Institution (the final recipient) is the institution to which the grant will be allocated. After the submission deadline (in case of two-stage application, after the preproposal deadline) and upon the notice from the Funding Organisation, the Host Institution must confirm to the Funding Organisation in writing that the project can be carried out on their premises in Estonia and that they will employ the Principal Investigator during the proposed project, should the project receive funding. If the Host Institution is a for-profit institution, the State aid and de minimis aid regulations must be taken into account. 1.2 The Principal Investigator is a researcher who acts as the Estonian team leader in the project proposal. He/she will be responsible for how the grant is used and how the Estonian part in the project is executed. The Principal Investigator: 1.2.1 must have an updated public profile in the Estonian Research Information System (ETIS) by the submission deadline (in case of two-stage application, by the preproposal deadline); 1.2.2 must hold a doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification. The degree must be awarded by the submission deadline (in case of two-stage application, by the preproposal deadline) at the latest; 1.2.3 must have published at least three articles that comply with the requirements of Clause 1.1 of the ETIS classification of publications, or at least five articles that comply with the requirements of Clauses 1.1, 1.2, 2.1 or 3.1, within the last five calendar years prior to the proposal submission deadline (in case of two-stage application, prior to the preproposal deadline). Patents are equalled with publications specified under Clause 1.1. A monograph (ETIS Clause 2.1) is equalled with three publications specified in Clause 1.1 if the number of authors is three or fewer. If the applicant has been on maternity, paternity, or parental leave, in compulsory military service, or there have been other exceptional circumstances (e.g., serious illness), they can request the publication period requirement to be extended by the relevant period of time. If the Principal Investigator has received the PhD degree outside Estonia, its correspondence to an Estonian doctoral degree must be recognised by either the Estonian ENIC-NARIC Centre or the Host Institution in accordance with the Regulation of the Government of the Republic of April 6, 2006, No. 89 "Evaluation and academic recognition of documents proving foreign education and the name of the qualification awarded in the foreign education system terms and conditions of use". The Funding Organisation may ask for a relevant Evaluation Report. If several Estonian institutions participate in a proposal, all institutions must have a Principal Investigator who meets the national eligibility requirements.
Eligible topics	CUE Topic 1, CUE Topic 2, CUE Topic 3 PED Topic 1, PED Topic 2, PED Topic 3
Eligible type of research and TRL	• Strategic (basic) research • Applied research TRL: 1 to 6
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	No
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	In case of a positive funding decision the Host Institution, the Principal Investigator and the Funding Organisation will enter into a trilateral agreement.
Eligible costs	2. Budget 2.1 The budget contains costs directly related to the implementation of the project (direct costs) and indirect (overhead) costs. The direct costs must be used to carry out the project and be separately identifiable. 2.2 Direct costs: 2.2.1 Personnel costs are monthly salaries (along with all state taxes, contributions, and compensations arising from law) of the project participants, calculated according to their commitment and in proportion to their total workload at their Host Institution. 2.2.2 Other direct costs are: – travel costs that may cover expenses for transport, accommodation, daily allowances and travel Insurance only for travels abroad; – where the project is funded from the European Regional Development Fund (Mobilitas 3.0) resources, travel and accommodation costs are eligible only for travels abroad; – consumables and minor equipment directly and fully related to the project; – publication and dissemination of project results; – organising meetings, seminars or conferences (e.g room rent, catering, equipment rental and related costs); – fees for participating in scientific forums, conferences and other events directly and fully related to the project; – patent costs; – all other costs that are identifiable as clearly required for carrying out the project (e.g. translation, copy editing, webpage hosting, etc.) and are directly and fully related to the project. 2.3 Indirect costs (overhead) are costs that cannot be identified as specific costs directly linked to the performance of the action and/or should cover the general expenses of the Host Institution related to the management of the grant. Office consumables and costs for equipment and services intended for general use (e.g., phone bills, copy service, printer) should be covered from the indirect costs. Indirect costs may not exceed 15% of the personnel costs. 2.4 Subcontracting costs are direct costs. Subcontracting costs should cover only additional or complementary research related tasks (e.g. analyses, conducting surveys, building a prototype, etc.) performed by third parties. Subcontracting costs should not be included in the overhead calculation. The activities and budget should be described in the proposal. Core project tasks should not be subcontracted. Subcontracting costs may not exceed 15% of the total costs. 2.5 Double funding of activities is not acceptable. 2.6 If several Estonian institutions participate in one proposal, the sum of their requested budgets may not exceed the maximum contribution of the respective national Funding Organisation indicated in the call documents.
Website with additional information	ETAG webpage
Additional information	3. Exclusion from the scope of the ERDF (Mobilitas 3.0) funding Following the restrictions laid down in Article 7 of the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council No 2021/1058 of 24 June 2021 on the European Regional Development Fund and on the Cohesion Fund research and other activities related to fossil fuels and their use, as well as other activities not eligible as per Article 7 of the Regulation, cannot be funded from the European Regional Development Fund (Mobilitas 3.0) resources. 4. State Aid If the Host Institution is an undertaking, EU Regulations on State aid and de minimis aid must be taken into account when requesting funding. An undertaking is any entity, be it a natural or a legal person, engaged in an economic activity, regardless of its legal status and the way in which it is financed. See the National Eligibility Criteria on ETAG website for further details: ETAG webpage 5. Grant Agreement If a positive funding decision is made, the Funding Organisation enters into a grant agreement with the Host Institution and Principal Investigator. Information on the transnational project must be entered into ETIS once the agreement has been signed. The Consortium Agreement should be signed six months after the grant agreement has been signed at the latest. If one year has elapsed and the CA has not been signed, the next instalment of funding will not be paid out. 6. Research Involving Human Subjects or Animal Testing If human research or animal testing are intended in the project, a positive resolution by the Human Research Ethics Committee or the Authorisation Committee for Animal Experiments must be submitted to the Funding Organisation by the start of the relevant activities. 7. Nagoya Protocol By applying for funding by the Funding Organisation, the applicants commit to consider the relevance of the Nagoya protocol for their research, and to submit the Due Diligence Declaration, if applicable.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	100%	100%	N/A
Medium Enterprises	100%	100%	N/A
Small Enterprises	100%	100%	N/A
Universities, public research organisations	100%	100%	N/A
Public authorities	100%	100%	N/A
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	100%	100%	N/A

Finland – Business Finland (BF

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Virpi Mikkonen/ Sini Uuttu/ Karin Wikman E–mail: firstname.familyname@businessfinland.fi Tel: Virpi +358 50 5577930, Sini +358 50 5577934, Karin +358 50 5577723
Funding commitment	EUR 3,000,000
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	4–6
Maximum funding per awarded project	No maximum amount
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	SMEs & Large companies: YES (Companies BFs main target group) Public authorities, NGOs: NO Universities and research institutes: YES but company participation is required (Minimum 3 companies, of which 2 from Finland who participate in the project. Own funding application not always required)
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	Applied research, experimental development, research together with companies TRL: 3–8
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Only full proposal required to be submitted in BFs application portal
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	For companies minimum eligibility rules apply: Minimum eligibility rules
Eligible costs	Salaries, Indirect personnel costs, overheads, travel expenses, material and supplies, purchased services.
Website with additional information	For companies: Company funding by BF
Additional information	For universities and research institutes following criteria partially apply: Co innovation funding Co research funding

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	N/A	40%	50% loan
Medium Enterprises	N/A	50%	50% loan
Small Enterprises	N/A	50%	50% loan
Universities, public research organisations	N/A	70–80%	N/A
Public authorities	N/A	N/A	N/A
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	N/A	N/A	N/A

France – ADEME

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Name: Grenier Anne E–mail: anne.grenier@ademe.fr Tel: +33493957943
Funding commitment	500 k€
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	2
Maximum funding per awarded project	300 k€
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Universities, research institutes, SME’s and large companies, public authorities, NGOs...
Eligible topics	CEU TP: Topic 2 and 3 regarding climate adaptation through nature-based solutions and urban circular economy, 15mnCities PT: Topic 2 articulation between urban planning, mobility planning and logistics and Topic 3 PED PT: all the topics
Eligible type of research and TRL	applied research, experimental development
Submission of the (pre)proposal atthe national level	No
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	https://www.ademe.fr/nos-missions/financement/
Eligible costs	• Personnel costs • Operational costs • Investment costs • Indirect costs (25% of personnel +operational costs) • Subcontracting
Website with additional information	https://www.ademe.fr/nos-missions/accompagner-la-recherche/
Additional information

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	50%	50%	25%
Medium Enterprises	60%	60%	35%
Small Enterprises	70%	70%	45%
Universities, public research organisations	100%	50%	50%
Public authorities	100%	50%	50%
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	100%	50%	50%

France – Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Name: Pascal Bain Head of the SPICE Scientific Department Pascal.bain@agencerecherche.fr Name: Nicolas Paulien Scientific Project Manager Nicolas.paulien@agencerecherche.fr
Funding commitment	3 000 000 €
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	8 to 10
Maximum funding per awarded project	500 000 € per project as a maximum in exceptional and highly justified cases. However, ANR expects typical funding requests per project to range between 200 000 and 350 000 €, depending on the number of ANR-funded partners involved and whether the coordinator of the project is funded by ANR or not.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Please consult the ANR Funding regulations and the Appendix for applicants to ANR on the ANR website for detailed information https://anr.fr/DUT-2024 Within this framework, public research organisations (such as Universities, EPST or EPIC) as well as private entities (such as companies, NGOs and foundations) and public authorities may be eligible (provided that at least one French public research organisation requesting funding to ANR is involved in the consortium).
Eligible topics	All Call Topics of DUT are eligible for ANR: – Positive Energy District (PED) – 15-minute City (15minC) – Circular Urban Economy (CUE)
Eligible type of research and TRL	ANR funds basic research and applied research projects. Experimental development and innovation activities, if not excluded, should be minor activities compared to basic and industrial research activities.
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	No for the pre-proposal stage. For the full-proposal stage, partners requesting funding from ANR will be asked to apply on the ANR submission platform.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	A project proposal cannot be similar in whole or in part to another proposal submitted for a call currently being evaluated by ANR (all calls for proposals and evaluation stages considered) or already funded by ANR. The similarity between two projects is established when these projects (in their entirety or in part) describe identical main objectives or result from a simple adaptation. The minimal funding per partner by ANR is 15 000 €. Companies with economic difficulties are excluded from ANR subventions. Partners from countries subject to sanctions applicable to the research field by the European Union authorities are excluded from this call for ANR. ANR will declare Partners requesting its support ineligible if they apply with Partners established in these countries. At the date of publication, these exclusions concern Partners from the following countries: Russia, Belarus. This list may evolve in case of new sanctions decided by the European Union.
Eligible costs	ANR funds basic, industrial research and experimental development activities. The eligibility of costs and rates of funding depend on types of partners, consortia composition and types of research activities. See ANR funding regulations for more details: https://anr.fr/DUT-2024
Website with additional information	A specific web page on the ANR web site is published at the opening of the Call, with details for potential applicants to ANR.
Additional information	It is highly recommended to contact the national contact persons during the preparation of the project. Depending on the consortium composition, a Consortium Agreement may be mandatory for ANR at the funding stage for successful applications. Please refer to the ANR funding regulations for more details: https://anr.fr/fr/rf/

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	30%	30%	25%
Medium Enterprises	45%	35 – 45%	35 – 45%
Small Enterprises	45%	35 – 45%	35 – 45%
Universities, public research organisations	see ANR funding regulations https://anr.fr/fr/rf/	see ANR funding regulations https://anr.fr/fr/rf/	see ANR funding regulations https://anr.fr/fr/rf/
Public authorities	see ANR funding regulations https://anr.fr/fr/rf/	see ANR funding regulations https://anr.fr/fr/rf/	see ANR funding regulations https://anr.fr/fr/rf/
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	50%*	50%*	50%*

Germany – Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (FZJ-PtJ)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Dr. Isabelle Loll Tel: +49 2461 61-85255 Dr. Stefan Krengel Tel: +49 2461 61-86816 E–mail: ptj-dut@fz-juelich.de(soon: ptj-dut@ptj.de)
Funding commitment	EUR 670,000
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	1–2
Maximum funding per awarded project	A maximum of two German partners per project will be funded: • Maximum funding per awarded project partner: EUR 330,000. • Minimum funding per project partner: EUR 50,000. • Maximum funding per awarded project (for the maximum of two project partners together): EUR 330,000. The distribution of funds between the two partners is left up to them. Minimum funding per awarded project (for the max. two project partners together): EUR 100,000.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Proposals may be submitted by Germany-based universities, non-university research institutes, SME’s and large companies, public authorities, NGOs and similar.
Eligible topics	Only applications for the topic 3 of the PED Pathway will be eligible (topics can be combined): • Managing the urban energy transition: data management and decision support systems
Eligible type of research and TRL	Applied research and experimental development TRL: 6–8 at the end of the project
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	No submission of preproposals (Projektskizzen) at the national level. Submission of proposals (Projekt-Anträge) via the national application system easy-online (Applicants selected for submission of a proposal will be informed about the direct link for submission)
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	The projects must fit thematically into the currently effective 8th Energy Research Programme of the Federal Ministry for Econom-ic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). Municipial relevance and participation are further requirements and eligibility criteria. Proposals must provide sound cost calculations break-downs and clear exploitation plans. Proposals must show significant progress on state of the art and compared to nationally funded projects.
Eligible costs	• Personnel costs • Operational costs • Equipment and instruments costs • Additional overheads and other operating costs • Subcontracting • Travel costs Applicants are strongly advised to consult the BMWK guidelines on eligible costs (Richtlinien für Zuwendungsanträge (AZA/AZK).
Website with additional information	N/A
Additional information	Shorter deadlines apply to the notification for the conclusion of the cooperation agreement. Instead of after 6 months, notification of this must be provided after only 4 months. Applicants may refer to the contact point at PTJ Projektträger (see above) for further advice. We recommend that applicants regard the BMWK strategy: actual Energy ResearchProgramme of the Federal Government

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	up to 50%	up to 50%	up to 25%
Medium Enterprises	up to 50%	up to 60%	up to 35%
Small Enterprises	up to 50%	up to 70%	up to 45%
Universities, public research organisations	up to 100%	up to 100%	up to 100%
Public authorities	up to 100%	up to 100%	up to 100%
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	up to 100%	up to 100%	up to 100%

Greece – General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	– Dr Anna Rosenberg International S&T Cooperation Directorate Bilateral and Multilateral Cooperation Department 14-18, Mesogeion Ave., GR-115 27 Athens, Greece Tel.: +30 213 13 00 095 E-mail: a.rosenberg@gsrt.gr –Ms. Aliki – Maria Argyri International S&T Cooperation Directorate European Union and International Organizations Department 14-18, Mesogeion Ave., GR-115 27 Athens, Greece Tel: +30 213 1300101 E-mail: a.argyri@gsrt.gr
Funding commitment	1.000.000,00€
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner
Maximum funding per awarded project	Upper limit of the total public funding will be 180.000 € per project (including indirect costs). Please note that this amount can be increased to 230.000 € per project if Greek partner assumes the project coordination. The maximum state aid intensity will be calculated according to the provisions of the European state aid rules and regulations in force (type of research activity, size of the participating enterprise, collaborative research).
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	GSRI potentially supports private and public legal entities namely: private enterprises (such as SMEs, large-companies etc), research organizations, higher education institutions, and other public organizations with R&D activities, associations without economic activities, NGOs. Individuals as well as individual enterprises are not eligible under this scheme. Besides natural persons, the following categories of undertakings are also not eligible: • An “undertaking in difficulty” (according to art.2 of Reg. (EU) 651/20141). • whose affairs are being administered by the court, who have entered into an arrangement with creditors, who have suspended business activities or who are in any analogous situation • An undertaking which is subject to an outstanding recovery order following a previous Commission decision declaring an aid illegal and incompatible with the internal market. Large enterprises are eligible to receive funding under the condition that a Greek SME participates in the consortium. Applicants may submit, if they are enterprises, up to two (2) proposals from the same enterprise in the current call, and for Public research Institutes and Universities up to two (2) proposals at the level of the same Laboratory or School or Institute or Department.
Eligible topics	All topics
Eligible type of research and TRL	TRL3–(8) in compliance with the (COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2021/1237 of 23 July 2021 amending Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty, page 3, article 13)
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	At national level, only eligibility check is conducted and not a full peer review at pre- proposal and full proposal stages. We rely on the evaluation made by the Call Evaluation Committee and external reviewers. Submission at the national level is required at a later stage. A national procedure will follow for the approved for funding, at the transnational level, proposals only. For more information please contact the NCP.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency
Eligible costs	• Aid intensity Public research Institutes and Universities: the aid intensity can reach 100% for performing non-economic activities in accordance with point 19, article 2.1.1 of the «Framework for State aid for research and development and innovation» (2014/C 198/01). Private Sector: (a) 50% of the eligible costs for industrial research; (b) 25% of the eligible costs for experimental development; (c) 50% of the eligible costs for feasibility studies.- The aid intensities for industrial research and experimental development may be increased up to a maximum aid intensity of 80% of the eligible costs as follows: (a) by 10 percentage points for medium-sized enterprises and by 20 percentage points for small enterprises; (b) by 15 percentage points if one of the following conditions is fulfilled: (i) the project involves effective collaboration: – between undertakings among which at least one is an SME, or is carried out in at least two Member States, or in a Member State and in a Contracting Party of the EEA Agreement, and no single undertaking bears more than 70% of the eligible costs, or – between an undertaking and one or more research and knowledge-dissemination organisations, where the latter bear at least 10% of the eligible costs and have the right to publish their own research results; (ii) the results of the project are widely disseminated through conferences, publication, open access repositories, or free or open source software. –The aid intensity for feasibility studies may be increased by 10 percentage points for medium-sized enterprises and by 20 percentage points for small enterprises. • Foreseen cost categories: (a) personnel costs: researchers, technicians and other supporting staff to the extent employed on the project (b) costs of instruments and equipment to the extent and for the period used for the project. Where such instruments and equipment are not used for their full life for the project, only the depreciation costs corresponding to the life of the project, as calculated on the basis of generally accepted accounting principles are considered as eligible (c) costs of contractual research, knowledge and patents bought or licensed from outside sources at arm's length conditions, as well as costs of consultancy and equivalent services used exclusively for the project. (d) additional general costs and other operating expenses, including costs of materials, supplies, travel expenses, organization of meetings, dissemination/publicity costs, audit costs, incurred directly as a result of the project implementation (e) indirect costs = flat rate of 25% of direct costs (except subcontracting costs). Indirect costs are eligible for all legal entities and include costs that do not incur directly as a result of the project implementation (e. g. administrative and management costs, utility costs) In compliance with the (COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2021/1237 of 23 July 2021 amending Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty.
Website with additional information	• General Secretariat for Research and Innovation • COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 651/2014 • COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2021/1237
Additional information

X Noot

Reg, (EU)651/2014 as amended by Reg.(EU) 2021/1237 & Reg.(EU) 2023/1315.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	–	50–65%	25–40%
Medium Enterprises	–	60–75%	35–50%
Small Enterprises	–	70–80%	45–60%
Universities, public research organisations	100%	–	–
Public authorities with R&D activities	100%	–	–
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	–	Large 50–65% Medium 60–75% Small 70–80%	Large 25–40% Medium 35–50% Small 45–60%

Hungary – National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Ms. Dorottya Szemere dorottya.szemere@nkfih.gov.hu +3617954702
Funding commitment	EUR 1,000,000
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	3-6
Maximum funding per awarded project	300 k€/ awarded project (max. 150 k€/partner, if the Hungarian partner is the main applicant 200 k€)
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Universities, research institutions, enterprise-based research organizations, enterprises (non-research type), non-profit research organizations, urban/local authorities (as partners of research-oriented main applicant)
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	All types of research: strategic (basic) research, applied research, experimental development/innovation. TRL: 1–9
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Proposals must be submitted to NKFIH through the dedicated call for Partnerships
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	The maximum allowable travel cost per (Hungarian) consortium member is 5% of the total eligible costs. Additionally, the overhead rate per (Hungarian) consortium member, excluding services, is 20% of the total eligible costs.
Eligible costs	Personnel (temporary, permanent), subcontracting and services, including travelling, consumables, equipment, coordination, travel, communication and dissemination, overhead (20%), overhead for travel related activities (5%)
Website with additional information	https://nkfih.gov.hu/palyazoknak/nkfi-alap/horizont-europa-europai-partnersegek- magyar-szervezetek-tamogatasa-2024-121-he-partnerseg/palyazati-felhivas
Additional information	Information for Partners: All Hungarian entities are eligible to participate and receive funding in the Call. The top-up funding for universities affected by Council Decision (2022/2506) will be covered by the Hungarian Government’s Guarantee Fund.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	100%	65%	40%
Medium Enterprises	100%	75%	50%
Small Enterprises	100%	80%	60%
Universities, public research organisations	100%	100%	100%
Public authorities	n.a.	65%	40%
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	100%	100%	100%

Italy – National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria: [draft as of 05/08/2024]

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Rachele NoceraRachele.nocera@mur.gov.it Silvia Realesilvia.reale@est.mur.gov.it
Funding commitment	1,5 M EUR National Funds [MUR-FIRST] 0,5 M EUR Structural Funds/ERDF [MUR-ERDF] (TBC)
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	–
Maximum funding per awarded project / per partner	• MINIMUM funding request: € 100.000,00 per project • MAXIMUM funding request: € 200.000,00 per project • MAXIMUM funding request: € 300.000,00 per project in case the applicant is the Project Coordinator
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	MUR-FIRST Eligible partners are the following legal entities having stable organization in Italy: • Enterprises (legally registered in the Register of Companies): large companies, medium companies and SMEs, spin offs etc., including municipal/local governments’ investee/in-house companies • Higher education institutions (State universities and legally recognized universities as defined in L. 29 July 1991, n. 243) and their consortia • Public research institutions (as listed in D.Lgs. n. 218/2016 Art 1) • Public and private research organisations (‘organismo di ricerca’) including research foundations in accordance with EU Reg. n. 651/2014 of the European Commission – June 17, 2014. • Municipalities and other local governments in cooperation with one (or more) Italian Higher Education Institution(s) or public or private Research Organisation(s)/Institution(s) [eligible only for MUR-FIRST] • Other not-for-profit registered legal entities (including foundations, associations and NGOs provided they are registered legal entities), are eligible if participating in cooperation with one (or more) Italian Higher Education Institution(s) or public or private Research Organisation(s)/Institution(s) [eligible only for MUR-FIRST] MUR-ERDF Eligible partners are the following legal entities carrying out research activities in the regions Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia: • Enterprises (legally registered in the Register of Companies): large companies, medium companies and SMEs, spin offs etc., including municipal/local governments’ investee/in-house companies • Higher education institutions (State universities and legally recognized universities as defined in L. 29 July 1991, n. 243) and their consortia (jointly with a business company/enterprise including local governments’ in- house/investees) • Public research institutions (as listed in D.Lgs. n. 218/2016 Art 1) (jointly with a business company/enterprise including local governments’ in- house/investees) • Public and private research organisations (‘organismo di ricerca’) including research foundations in accordance with EU Reg. n. 651/2014 of the European Commission – June 17, 2014 (jointly with a business company/enterprise including local governments’ in-house/investees) IMPORTANT NOTICE 1: Public and private legal entities carrying out research activities in a local unit (laboratory, research centre, workshop, plant, branch, agency etc.) located in in the regions of: Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, are supported primarily through the Structural Funds (ERDF) component and shall therefore select the appropriate option in the application form (transnational and national). IMPORTANT NOTICE 2: For applicants eligible for MUR-ERDF (Structural Funds component) the joint participation with at least a private company (or local in-house/investee company) in the consortium is mandatory. IMPORTANT NOTICE 3: Other specific eligibility requirements or restrictions may apply to applicants supported by Structural Funds component. Further details will be included in the “Avviso integrativo nazionale”, published at a later stage.
Eligible topics	MUR-FIRST: All topics / only ROA (Research Oriented Approach) Projects only. MUR-ERDF: • CUE: topic 1 and 3 • 15-minute City: topic 2 and 3 • PED: topic 2 and 3
Eligible type of research and TRL	MUR-FIRST: Basic research, Industrial/Applied research and Experimental development are eligible for funding. *Basic Research and Industrial/Applied research activities must be predominant with respect to Experimental development activities (in terms of budget share)* ROA (Research Oriented Approach) Projects only. TRL: 3–5 indicatively MUR-ERDF: Industrial/Applied Research and Experimental development ROA/IOA (TRL 4–7 indicatively)
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Additional National application: In addition to the project proposal which shall be submitted at European level, Italian participants are requested to submit a additional national application to MUR , through the national web platform, available at the following link: https://banditransnazionali.mur.gov.it/ [NEW PLATFORM – AVAILABLE SOON] The national additional application must be submitted by the same deadline established in the international joint call. Participant who does not submit national documentation by the deadline are considered not eligible for funding. More information on the national documentation to be submitted to MUR is available at the web page dedicated to the DUT Joint Call 2024: http://www.ricercainternazionale.miur.it/era/european-partnership-2021-27/driving-urban-transition.aspx It is recommended to contact the National Contact Persons already in early stage of project preparation. The admission to funding is subject to the adoption of the necessary accounting and administrative measures for the allocation of the resources.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Applicants shall: • not be defaulting with regard to other funding received by the Ministry of University and Research • not have requested/got any other funding for the same project • be compliant to the Italian law "D.Lgs. n 159 del 6/09/2011 e successive modificazioni ed integrazioni" • not be subject to bankruptcy proceedings as of art. 5, comma 4, letter b) of DM 1314/2021 or must not be a company in difficulty according to the definition under number 18) of article 2 "Definitions" of Regulation (EU) no. 651/2014 • be in compliance with the obligations laid down in the contributory and social security regulations (DURC) Applicants shall demonstrate their viability and financial soundness regarding their own contribution to the project. For any private entity, if the following financial criteria listed under a) and b), calculated using the data reported in the last approved balance sheet, are not fulfilled, the applicant can be funded only if a bank guarantee is provided: a) CN > (CP – I)/2 Where: • CN = net assets (Capitale netto) • CP = sum of the costs of all the projects for which public funding has been requested by the participant during the year • I = sum of the contributions received, approved or requested for the same projects b) OF/F < 8% Where: • OF = financial charges (Oneri finanziari) • F = turnover (Fatturato) IMPORTANT NOTICE: Other specific eligibility requirements or restrictions may apply to applicants supported by Structural Funds component. Further details will be included in the “Avviso integrativo nazionale”, published at a later stage.
Eligible costs	All costs incurred during the lifetime of the project under the following categories are eligible: • A) Personnel, • B) Consulting and equivalent services (subcontracting) • C.1) Travel and subsistence • C.2) Equipment • C.3) Other goods and Services • E) Indirect Costs/Overheads (“Spese generali”) calculated at 25% flat rate of all direct costs excluding cost category B) Consulting and equivalent services [E) = 25% of A) + C.1) + C.2) + C.3].
Website with additional information	http://www.ricercainternazionale.miur.it/era/european-partnership-2021-27/driving-urban-transition.aspx
Additional information	National Reporting Funded participants will be requested to submit financial and scientific reports to MUR. Applicable laws and rules: (http://www.ricercainternazionale.miur.it/evidenza/normativa-prog- internazionali.aspx): • Decreto legge n. 83/2012 • Decreto Ministeriale n. 1314 del 14 dicembre 2021 • Decreto Ministeriale n. 1368 del 24 dicembre 2021

(b) Funding rates:

NATIONAL FUNDS [MUR-FIRST]
Large/Medium/Small Enterprises Universities, public and private research organisations Foundations/Associations/Other not-for-profit registered entities Local/regional governments and their in-house agencies	70%	70%	25%

NATIONAL FUNDS [MUR-FIRST]

Organisation type

Basic research

Industrial / Applied Research

Experimental development / Innovation

Large/Medium/Small Enterprises

Universities, public and private research organisations

Foundations/Associations/Other not-for-profit registered entities

Local/regional governments and their in-house agencies

70%

25%

STRUCTURAL FUNDS (ERDF) [MUR-ERDF] [TBC]
Large/Medium/Small Enterprises (including municipal in-house companies) Universities, public and private research organisations	NOT FUNDED	70% [TBC]	25% [TBC]

STRUCTURAL FUNDS (ERDF) [MUR-ERDF] [TBC]

Basic research

Industrial/Applied Research

Experimental development/innovat ion

Large/Medium/Small Enterprises (including municipal in-house companies)

Universities, public and private research organisations

NOT FUNDED

70% [TBC]

25% [TBC]

Japan – Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Belmont Forum Coordination Team (belmont@jst.go.jp)
Funding commitment	450k
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	2
Maximum funding per awarded project	225k (up to 12 million JPY per project per year) (30% of the awarded amount for each year must be for indirect expenses)
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Any independent researcher personally affiliated with (and actively conducting research at) a domestic Japanese research institution, regardless of nationality, is eligible to apply. 'Domestic Japanese research institution' refers to universities, independent administrative institutions, national/public testing and Research Institutions, specially authorized corporations, public-service corporations and enterprises, etc. that satisfy requirements predetermined by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The Japanese applicants must also complete a research ethics training program conducted by the research institute with which the PI is affiliated, and then declare the completion of the program to JST. If it would be very difficult for the Japanese PI to undertake a program provided by his or her own affiliated institute, they should please contact JST. Please note that unless applicants complete a research ethics program, his / her application will be deemed ineligible. For more details, please refer to call announcement page linked from the JST homepage.
Eligible topics	CUE topic 1 – Creating a new paradigm for urban water cycles CUE topic 2 – Circular models for regenerating, repurposing, protecting and conserving urban space for biodiversity CUE topic 3 – Multi-city strategies for circular urban economy monitoring and management
Eligible type of research and TRL	N/A
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	https://www.e-rad.go.jp/(for all Japanese applicants seeking support from JST) Japanese applicants will have to register their applications on the Cross-Ministerial R&D Management System (e-Rad). Successful Japanese applicants can only be funded by JST if an application to e-Rad has also been submitted. Applications need to be registered on e-Rad by the pre-proposal deadline to be eligible.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency
Eligible costs	Direct expenses including equipment expenses, material and consumables, travel expenses, personnel expenses and other compensation, other expenses; indirect expenses including overhead expenses
Website with additional information	https://www.jst.go.jp/inter/english/program_e/multilateral_e/belmont-forum.html
Additional information

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	O
Medium Enterprises	O
Small Enterprises	O
Universities, public research organisations	O
Public authorities	O
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	O

Korea, Republic of – Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA)

National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Yoo Choi yoochoi@kaia.re.kr +82 31 389 6540 Kayoung Kim global@kaia.re.kr +82 31 389 6496 Heewon Lee global@kaia.re.kr +82 31 389 6585
Funding commitment	EUR 600,000 (900,000,000 Korean Won)
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	2–3
Maximum funding per awarded project	EUR 235, 000 (352,500,000 Korean Won)
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	In general, universities, research institutes, SME’s and large companies, non-profit organisations founded according to the civil law are eligible for funding. The complete eligibility criteria and definitions may be found in the National Research and Development Innovation Act and the relevant enforcement decree in the following website: (https://www.law.go.kr/LSW/eng/engMain.do?eventGubun=060124)
Eligible topics	• 15minC Transition Pathway: all topics (1-3)
Eligible type of research and TRL	• Strategic research: TRL 1–2 • Applied research: TRL 3–5 • innovation / implementation: TRL 6–8
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Official Submission to DUT: • Submission deadline pre-proposals: November 14th, 2024 at 13:00 (CEST) • Submission deadline full proposals: April 24th, 2025 at 13:00 (CEST) Korean applicants (only for full proposal) will be invited to upload the International Application along with the standard required documents and evidences to the Korean national R&D management system(IRIS): (https://pms.iris.go.kr) • Submission deadline full proposals to Korean R&D system (IRIS): April 24th, 2025 at 20:00 (Korea Standard Time)
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Please check the Korean National R&D Innovation Act and the relevant manual found at the following site: (http://www.kaia.re.kr/portal/bbs/list/B0000050.do?option1=2&menuNo=200131)
Eligible costs	• Personnel costs • Operational costs (Research activities) • Indirect costs (according to the defined rate) • Others Cost items shall be allocated in compliance with the Korean National R&D Innovation Act and the relevant manual found at the following site: (http://www.kaia.re.kr/portal/bbs/list/B0000050.do?option1=2&menuNo=200131)
Website with additional information	KAIA website: (https://www.kaia.re.kr) Driving Urban Transitions Call 2024 (https://www.dutpartnership.eu)
Additional information	Korean applicants should begin their projects by September 2025, regardless of the start date of their consortium

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Strategic / Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	Up to 50%	Up to 50%	Up to 50%
Medium Enterprises	Up to 70%	Up to 70%	Up to 70%
Small Enterprises	Up to 75%	Up to 75%	Up to 75%
Universities, public research organisations	Up to 100%	Up to 100%	Up to 100%
Public authorities	Up to 100%	Up to 100%	Up to 100%
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	N/A	N/A	N/A

Latvia – Latvijas Zinātnes padome (LCS)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Name: Maija Bundule E–mail: Maija.Bundule@lzp.gov.lv Tel: +371- 26514481 Uldis Berkis E-mail: Uldis.Berkis@lzp.gov.lv Tel.:+371-29472349
Funding commitment	600.000 EUR
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	2–3
Maximum funding per awarded project	0,1M per year per Latvian partner = grant of 0.3M for a 3-year project, 0.2M for a 2- year project to a partner
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Only the following legal entities can participate: Research institutions registered in the Latvian Registry of Scientific Institutions, e.g. – Research Institutes – Universities And must have the status of Research and knowledge dissemination organization (Regulation EC 651/2014)
Eligible topics	All topics are eligible, but LCS funds only research, not training nor implementation
Eligible type of research and TRL	• TRL9 and TRL8 are not funded • Normally TRL1-4 is preferred stage Experimental development is associated with limitations
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	No national phase
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Support is provided according to Provisions Nr 259, 26.05.2015 of the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers http://likumi.lv/ta/id/274671-atbalsta-pieskirsanas-kartiba-dalibai-starptautiskas-sadarbibas-programmas-petniecibas-un-tehnologiju-joma These provisions should be respected without exceptions. Annual financial and scientific reporting is mandatory. To receive funding by LCS, Consortium agreement duly signed should be presented. Enterprises can not be funded in this call by LCS due to Art 21’ of regulations Final audit according to the LCS regulations.
Eligible costs	Personnel costs incl. taxes; • Consumables; • Subcontracts (up to 25% of direct costs), needs detailed justification, includes all external services, project core activities cannot be subcontracted; • Equipment (only depreciation costs during project directly attributable to project tasks); • Replaceable and fully consumable during project elements of equipment; • Travels (according to travel plan); Indirect costs (up to 25% of direct costs excluding subcontracting).
Website with additional information	Support is provided according to Provisions Nr 259, 26.05.2015 of the Latvian Cabinet of Ministers http://likumi.lv/ta/id/274671-atbalsta-pieskirsanas-kartiba-dalibai-starptautiskas-sadarbibas-programmas-petniecibas-un-tehnologiju-joma Maximum requested funding is 0,1M per year per partner. For a 36 month project this means 0.3M for a Latvian partner, for a 24 month project – 0.2M for a Latvian partner. Maximum number per proposal of Latvian partners requesting funding is two. Enterprises can not be funded in this call by LCS due to Art 21’ of aforementioned regulations
Additional information	www.lzp.lv

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises Medium Enterprises Small Enterprises	In this call can not be funded
Universities, public research organisations	Up to 100%
Public authorities	Not funded
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	Not funded

Lithuania – Research Council of Lithuania (LMT

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Name: Asta Aleksandraviciene E–mail: asta.aleksandraviciene@lmt.lt Tel: +370 676 18 297
Funding commitment	0.30 M Euro
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	1–2
Maximum funding per awarded project	0.25 M Euro
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	The proposal must be submitted by the main applicant – an eligible Lithuanian higher education and research institution (which is listed in the Register of Ministry of Education, Science and sports of Republic of Lithuania). A legal entity of Lithuania can be a partner of the main applicant.
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	Type of research (strategic (basic) research, applied research) TRL: 1-6
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Not required
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	The applicant who intends to act as a principal investigator (PI) has to be a scientist (researcher holding at least a Ph.D. degree). A person may submit only one proposal for the same Call as PI or other primary project implementer. Work scope of each primary project implementer within the project must be at least 20 hours of project time multiplied by the duration of the project in months. For more information about Lithuanian conditions for funding, please consult the call text in Lithuanian and the national contact point.
Eligible costs	Direct costs: personnel, travel, purchase (assets, services, consumables, equipment), subcontracting. Overheads (indirect costs): up to 20% from direct costs.
Website with additional information	https://lmt.lrv.lt/lt/veiklos-sritys/mokslo-finansavimas/tarptautinio-bendradarbiavimo-priemones/europos-partnerystes-era-net-ir-kitos-koordinavimo-veiklos/dut/
Additional information	n.a.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	1	1	–
Medium Enterprises	1	1	–
Small Enterprises	1	1	–
Universities, public research organisations	100	100	–
Public authorities	1	1	–
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	1	1	–

X Noot

Eligible to fund only as a partner of the main applicant according to mutual agreement

The Netherlands – Dutch Research Council (NWO)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Matilda Nahabedian, programme officer +31703440786 dutp@nwo.nl
Funding commitment	€ 3,500,000 The budget for this Call for proposals is made available by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) and the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations.
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	11–14
Maximum funding per awarded project	€ 325,000
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Full, associate and assistant professors, and other researchers with a comparable position1 may submit an application (i.e. participate in a consortium and request NWO funding) if they have a tenured position (and therefore a paid position for an indefinite period) or a tenure track agreement at one of the following organisations: – Universities located in the Kingdom of the Netherlands; – University medical centres; – Institutes affiliated to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) or NWO; – The Netherlands Cancer Institute; – The Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in Nijmegen; – Naturalis Biodiversity Center; – Advanced Research Centre for NanoLithography (ARCNL); – Princess Máxima Center. Persons with a zero-hour employment agreement or with a contract for a limited period of time (other than a tenure track appointment) may not submit a proposal. It could be the case that a tenure track agreement ends before the intended completion date of the project for which funding is applied for, or that before that date, the tenured contract ends due to a researcher reaching retirement age. In that case, the researcher needs to include a statement from their employer in which the organisation concerned guarantees that the project and all project members for whom funding has been requested will receive adequate supervision for the full duration of the project. Such as statement should be submitted in the full proposal stage. Employees with a part-time contract should guarantee adequate supervision of the project and all project members for whom funding is requested. NB For Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS), please refer to the annex provided by Taskforce for Applied Research SIA.
Eligible topics	CUE Topic 1: Creating a New Paradigm for Urban Water Cycles CUE Topic 2: Circular Models for Regenerating, Repurposing, Protecting and Conserving Urban Space for Biodiversity 15mC Topic 1: Advancing Urban Mobility: Innovations for Inclusive and Youth- Centric Mobility Systems 15mC Topic 3: Evidence for the urban mobility transition – data and indicators for effective decision-making PED Topic 2: Towards the climate-neutral city: PEDs, system integration and urban strategies PED Topic 3: Managing the urban energy transition: data management and decision support systems
Eligible type of research and TRL	Strategic research
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	This is not necessary, however please note applicants are required to submit a mandatory NWO budget form in the full proposal stage to dutp@nwo.nlby the submission deadline.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	An application for NWO funding (i.e. the Dutch part of a European consortium) has a single main applicant (i.e. Dutch partner or coordinator in the European consortium), responsible for scientific and financial management. – An applicant may only request NWO funding for one project (part of a European consortium) in this Call for proposals. – Researchers may not apply for a scientific or post-doc position for themselves.
Eligible costs	The NWO budget modules (including the maximum amount) available for this Call for proposals are listed in the table below. Apply only for funding that is vital to realise the project. Available budget modules: – Postdoc – at least 12 full months and at most 36 full-time months, according to UNL or NFU rates; – Research leave – max. 5 months, 1 fte, according to UNL or NFU rates; – Material costs – max. € 15,000 per year per full-time scientific position (for postdoc only); – Knowledge utilisation – € 25,000; – Internationalisation – max. € 25,000. Please note the following: – For the budget module “Postdoc”, a one-off individual bench fee of € 5,000 must be added on top of the salary costs to encourage the scientific career of the project employee funded by NWO. – PhD positions cannot be applied for in this Call for proposals, due to the maximum project duration of 3 years. – Overhead costs are not eligible for NWO funding. The budget items “overhead”, “equipment” and “subcontracting costs” in the DUT format are not eligible for NWO funding. A more detailed explanation of the budget modules and eligible costs can be found at the funding page on the NWO website. It is recommended to use the NWO budget template (obligatory in full proposal phase) in the pre-proposal stage to confirm eligibility of budget items. For Full Proposals, it is mandatory to submit the NWO budget sheet for the funding requested at NWO at the time of the submission deadline. Please send this national budget sheet to dutp@nwo.nl. Do not hesitate to contact the national contact person in case of questions.
Website with additional information	www.nwo.nl/dut
Additional information	The NWO Grant Rules 2017 and the Approval of funding for scientific research 2.008 are applicable to the part of the project’s budget covered by the grant from NWO. Any arrangements made regarding the part of the project’s budget covered by the grant from NWO, for instance in a Consortium Agreement, must comply with the NWO Grant Rules 2017 and the European legislation on state aid. Under the Dutch General Administrative Law Act, any interested party has the right to lodge an objection to the decision taken by NWO within six weeks of the date of the decision letter. Further information about the objections procedure can be found on the NWO website: https://www.nwo.nl/en/lodging-an-objection. In case of funding, submission of financial and scientific reports at national level is required in accordance with the rules of NWO.

X Noot

A comparable position refers to a researcher that has a demonstrable and comparable number of years of experience in carrying out scientific research and supervising other researchers as a full, associate or assistant professor.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	N/A	N/A	N/A
Medium Enterprises	N/A	N/A	N/A
Small Enterprises	N/A	N/A	N/A
Universities, public research organisations	YES see eligible costs	N/A	N/A
Public authorities	N/A	N/A	N/A
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	N/A	N/A	N/A

The Netherlands – Taskforce for Applied Research SIA (Regieorgaan SIA)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Taskforce for Applied Research SIA (Regieorgaan SIA)
Contact Point	Hanneke Jansen Hanneke.jansen@regieorgaan-sia.nl +31 06 51 01 63 89 Marcus van Leeuwen marcus.vanleeuwen@regieorgaan-sia.nl +31 6 12 25 32 27
Funding commitment	€ 900.000
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	3–5
Maximum funding per awarded project	€ 300.000
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Universities of applied sciences Specifications: as referred to in Article 1.8 of the Dutch Higher Education and Research Act (Wet op het hoger onderwijs en wetenschappelijk onderzoek, WHW) NB For Dutch research organisations other than UAS, please refer to the annex provided by NWO.
Eligible topics	PED – topics 1,2,3 15mC – topics 1,2,3 CUE – topic 1,2,3
Eligible type of research and TRL	Applied research, practice-oriented research.
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	This is not necessary, however please note applicants are required to submit a mandatory SIA budget form in the Full Proposal stage, as well as a de-minimis form for each partner receiving funding if applicable. This budget form and the de-minimis form will be made available on the callpage of Regieorgaan SIA before the full proposal phase. www.regieorgaan-sia.nl/dut. The forms can be submitted through the central proposal submission platform (UDI Manager).
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	The board of the UAS has to be informed about the submission of this proposal and needs to agree with its content. At the full proposal phase, it is required to attach a SIA financial details form to the application (similar to RAAK-Publiek). This form will be available via www.regieorgaan-sia.nl/dut. All consortium partners that are to receive the grant from SIA through the main applicant, are subject to the de minimis regulation (Regulation (EU) no. 1407/2013 of the European Commission of 18 December 2013). Based on the de minimis regulation, consortium partners may receive a maximum of € 300,000 in government support over a period of three years. By completing the de minimis statement, consortium partners declare that in the event of the award of a grant by SIA, they will not exceed the de minimis threshold. If a consortium partner finds that the de minimis threshold will be exceeded with the grant from SIA (and other possible de minimis aid), this consortium partner cannot receive funding from SIA through the main applicant. The main applicant must take this into account when drawing up the application budget, and must therefore check for each consortium partner that will be involved as a co-applicant whether the subsidy amount applied for does not exceed the de minimis threshold. The de minimis statement, completed separately by each consortium partner, forms part of the full proposal.” A minimum of 20% in-kind contribution of the requested subsidy, by the UAS or its partners, is required.
Eligible costs	Funding for Universities of Applied Sciences: no limit on number of positions, rates based on the most recent version of Handleiding Overheidstarieven (HOT), Table 2: integral costs by salary scale, column Hourly rate productive hours, ex VAT, costs for the participation of students and material costs (including costs of other partners than UAS). The most recent HOT tariffs must be applied for the entire duration of the project. Higher tariffs than HOT are not allowed. If the application is granted, the rate for labour costs applicable at the time of grant will apply. This means that Regieorgaan SIA will adjust the submitted budget if necessary. Other partners Other partners (than UAS), like SMEs, public authorities and/or NGO’s may be funded within the project. Maximum funding percentage for these partners is 50% of their costs. For other educational institutions, TO2 institutions, governments and other government- funded institutions, the same rates apply as for universities of applied sciences. The hourly rate for other consortium partners, including SMEs, is free to determine with a maximum of € 130 per hour, excluding VAT. In total the maximum allowed funding for other consortium partners, excluding the universities of applied sciences, is 25% of the funding by SIA. Participation of students It is allowed for students, connected to the university of applied sciences, to work within the project. Costs related to the activities of students within the project are applicable for funding maximum tariff of € 25 per hour. Material Costs Material costs include consumables, test setups, open access publications, hiring third parties, citizen science, (inter)national travel and accommodation costs (economy class), access to major (inter)national facilities and costs for permits, software licenses, conferences, fieldwork, guest researchers and data management. Equipment purchases (investments) are not included in project costs. For equipment, only depreciation costs attributable to the project can be claimed. Depreciation rates are calculated based on the historical purchase price excluding financing costs, a straight-line depreciation method and an actual useful life. Inclusion of costs for use of equipment older than five years is therefore not possible. Not eligible are costs that fall under organizational infrastructure and overhead, such as a fully functioning workstation, office automation, depreciation other than those mentioned above, housing, insurance, administration and provisions for archiving. In-kind contribution A minimum in-kind contribution of 20% is required. The in-kind contribution may be delivered by the UAS or its partners. The in-kind contribution may exist of either personnel or material costs. Do not hesitate to contact the national contact person in case of questions.
Website with additional information	More information about this call for Universities of Applied Sciences can be found at the website of Regieorgaan SIA: www.regieorgaan-sia.nl/dut.
Additional information	The NWO Grant Rules are applicable to the part of the project’s budget covered by Regieorgaan SIA. Under the Dutch General Administrative Law Act, any interested party has the right to lodge an objection to the decision taken by Regieorgaan SIA, within six weeks of the date of the decision letter. Further information about the objections procedure can be found on the SIA website: https://regieorgaan-sia.nl/financiering/bezwaar-maken/

(b) Funding rates:

Maximum funding percentages for Applied Research:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	N/A	N/A	N/A
Medium Enterprises	N/A	50%	N/A
Small Enterprises	N/A	50%	N/A
Universities, public research organisations	N/A	100%	N/A
Public authorities	N/A	50%	N/A
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	N/A	50%	N/A

Norway – Research Council of Norway (RCN)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Ida Ulleberg Jensen E-mail: iuj@rcn.no Tel: +47 92012143
Funding commitment	EUR 2,600,000
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	6–7
Maximum funding per awarded project	EUR 370,000 per project / EUR 370.000 per partner
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Universities, research institutes, SME’s and large companies, public authorities, NGOs. Apply for funding (forskningsradet.no)
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	Basic research, Industrial/Applied research, Experimental development/Innovation. TRL: all.
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	No
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	None
Eligible costs	For budget information see: Budget (forskningsradet.no) The budget applied for shall be stated in Euro. Conversion from Euro to Norwegian kroner is based on the official exchange rate per application date for preproposals – 14 November 2024. The official exchange rate can be found here: InforEuro, the exchange rate of the Euro currency (europa.eu) Support from the Research Council constitutes state aid when it is awarded to an "undertaking", i.e. an actor that carries out an economic activity consisting of offering products or services in a given market. Applicants defined as an undertaking must be aware that their funding will be given within the limits set by the State Aid Rules: State aid (forskningsradet.no) State aid awarded by the Research Council is granted under the General Block Exemption Regulation for state aid, Article 25: Aid for research and development projects. To ensure that support is awarded in compliance with the state aid rules, the Research Council asks all applicants selected for conditional allocation of funding to provide supplementary information. The Project Owner must be able to document that its own institution and all its partners (all recipients of state aid) are eligible to receive state aid.
Website with additional information	The Research Council of Norway (forskningsradet.no)
Additional information	After funding decision, the Norwegian part of funded projects must register through the RCN portal. Further information will be provided to the relevant partners. Norwegian project partners will have to report to RCN on an annual basis following RCN guidelines and deadlines. The participation must follow RCN's General Terms and Conditions for Research projects or for R&D Projects.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	N/A	50%	25%
Medium Enterprises	N/A	50%	35%
Small Enterprises	N/A	50%	45%
Universities, public research organisations	100%	100%	50%
Public authorities	100%	100%	50% (national), 75% (regional/local)
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	100%	100%	100%

Poland – The National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Name: Ewelina Wildner E–mail: ewelina.wildner@ncbr.gov.pl Tel: +48 22 39 07 123, +48 785 662 013
Funding commitment	1 920 000 EUR
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	approx. 4 to 8
Maximum funding per awarded project	• up to 250 000 EUR per project if a single applicant from Poland (a research organisation or an enterprise) applies for funding • up to 475 000 EUR per project if a group of entities from Poland applies for funding
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	• Research organisations (research and knowledge-dissemination organisations); • Enterprises – SME and Large; • Groups of enterprises composed of at least two enterprises; • Groups of entities composed of at least two research organisations or research organisation and enterprise. Aforementioned group of entities may additionally include other types of entities (other than enterprises) such us: – local authorities i.e. city, country, metropolitan union and/or – non-governmental organisation, that are established as a legal person in Poland. Other types of entities than enterprises and research organisations may apply for funding only as a part of group of entities composed of at least two research organisations or at least one research organisation and one enterprise from Poland. The leader of the group of entities is research organisation or enterprise. A condition for the participation of a group of entities as the Applicant in the call is its formal existence on the date of submission of the pre-proposal, confirmed by its members concluding, at least conditionally, agreement on the creation of a group of entities. Entities must conduct its business, R&D or any other activity on the territory of the Republic of Poland, confirmed by an entry into the relevant register (if applicable). Definitions: Research organisations is defined in the Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty (hereinafter referred to as “Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014”). Enterprise is defined in art. 1 of Annex I to Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014. Local authorities i.e. city, country is understood as „gmina” or „powiat” in accordance with Polish local government acts: Act of 8 March 1990 on Commune Self-government (ustawa z dnia 8 marca 1990 r. o samorządzie gminnym) or Act of 5 June 1998 on Powiat Self-Government (ustawa z dnia 5 czerwca 1998 r. o samorządzie powiatowym). Metropolitan union is understood as legally defined legal form of a voluntary structure of cooperation among units of local government such as “związek międzygminny” established on the basis of Article 64 point 1 of Act of 8 March 1990 on Commune Self- government (ustawa z dnia 8 marca 1990 r. o samorządzie gminnym) or “związek międzypowiatowy” / “związek powiatowo-gminny” established on the basis of Article 65 point 1 / Article 72a point 1-2 of Act of 5 June 1998 on Powiat Self-Government (ustawa z dnia 5 czerwca 1998 r. o samorządzie powiatowym). Non-governmental organisation under provisions of Act of 24 April 2003 on Public Benefit and Volunteer Work Act (ustawa z dnia 24 kwietnia 2003 r. o działalności pożytku publicznego i o wolontariacie); established as a legal person in Poland. Legal person (juridical person) – an entity that is capable of having and amend legal rights and obligations within a certain legal system, such as to enter into contracts, sue, and be sued, excluding natural persons.
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	Type of research: • Basic research (the eligible costs of fundamental research may comprise a maximum of 10% of total eligible costs of the project) • Industrial/Applied research, • Experimental development, TRL: 1–9
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Polish Participants will be informed and invited to submit Polish full proposal once the international evaluation and the ranking list of full proposals will be established. Only projects recommended for funding will be asked to submit a national application form. All eligible entities, invited to submit Polish full proposal are obliged to use the rate of exchange of The European Central Bank dated on the day of opening the call. If more than one Polish entity participates in the project, the national application is submitted by a consortium (group of entities) of all Polish entities. Polish participants shall submit to NCBR a copy of signed international consortium agreement before signing the grant agreement with NCBR.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	n/a
Eligible costs	The eligible costs shall be the following: 1. personnel costs (researchers, technicians and other supporting staff to the extent employed on the research project); 2. costs of subcontracting, costs of consultancy and equivalent services used exclusively for the research activity; this cost type cannot account for more than 70% of all eligible costs of a project; the subcontracting can be obtained from consortium partner only in justified case, this need will be verified by a national experts panel; 3. operating costs including (depending on the type of eligible institution): Research Organizations and other types of entities other than enterprises (i.e. local authorities, metropolitan unions, NGOs): • costs of instruments and equipment, technical knowledge and patents to the extent and for the period used for the research project; if such instruments and equipment are not used for their full life for the research project, only the depreciation costs corresponding to the life of the research project, as calculated on the basis of good accounting practice, shall be considered eligible; • costs for buildings and land, to the extent and for the duration used for the research project; with regard to buildings, only the depreciation costs corresponding to the life of the research project, as calculated on the basis of good accounting practice shall be considered eligible; for land, costs of commercial transfer or actually incurred capital costs shall be eligible; • other operating costs including: costs of materials, supplies and similar products incurred directly as a result of the research activity; training costs; travels costs including conference fees; cost of required external audit costs of project promotion (e.g. articles, project webpage); Enterprises: • costs of instruments and equipment, technical knowledge and patents to the extent and for the period used for the research project; if such instruments and equipment are not used for their full life for the research project, only the depreciation costs corresponding to the life of the research project, as calculated on the basis of good accounting practice, shall be considered eligible; • costs for buildings and land, to the extent and for the duration used for the research project; with regard to buildings, only the depreciation costs corresponding to the life of the research project, as calculated on the basis of good accounting practice shall be considered eligible; for land, costs of commercial transfer or actually incurred capital costs shall be eligible. 4. additional overheads incurred indirectly as a result of the research project (depending on the type of eligible institution); Research Organizations and other types of entities other than enterprises (i.e. local authorities, metropolitan unions, NGOs): additional overheads for research organizations should account 25% of all eligible direct costs; That costs (4) are counted as a multiplication by percentage given above (called x%) and the rest of direct costs for research organizations, excluding subcontracting (2); It means 4=(1+3)25%. Enterprises:* additional overheads for enterprises include also other operating costs, eg. costs of materials, supplies and similar products incurred directly as a result of the research activity, training costs; travels costs including conference fees; cost of required external audit, costs of project promotion (e.g. articles, project webpage). That costs should account 20% of all eligible direct project costs; Additional overheads (4) are counted as a multiplication by percentage given above (called x%) and the rest of direct costs for enterprises; It means 4=(1+2+3)*20%. Projects requesting more than PLN 3 million funding are entitled to claim the cost of the audit. For more details on eligible costs, please check the guidelines in the call announcement on NCBR webpage.
Website with additional information	www.ncbr.gov.pl
Additional information	All proposals must be aligned with national regulations, inter alia: • The Act of 20 July 2018 – Law on Higher Education and Science; • The Act of 30 April 2010 on the National Centre for Research and Development; • The Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 19 August 2020 on granting state aid by the National Centre for Research and Development, which is in line with the Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty (General Block Exemption Regulation); • The Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 17 September 2010 on the detailed mode of performance of tasks of the National Centre for Research and Development.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	not eligible	Up to 50+5/15/25 (max. 75%)	Up to 25+5/15/25 (max. 50%)
Medium Enterprises	not eligible	Up to 50+10+5/15/25 (max. 80%)	Up to 25+10+5/15/25 (max. 60%)
Small Enterprises	not eligible	Up to 50+20+5/15/25 (max. 80%)	Up to 25+20+5/15/25 (max. 70%)
Universities, public research organisations	Up to 100%	Up to 100%	Up to 100%
Public authorities	Up to 100%	Up to 100%	Up to 100%
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	Up to 100%	Up to 100%	Up to 100%

Funding quota of Polish participants may be up to 100% for research organisations and other types of entities (as defined in point ‘Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution’) other than enterprises (i.e. local authorities, metropolitan unions, NGOs). In case of enterprises, funding quota will be decided on a case-by-case basis depending on the size of the company and type of research/development under Section 2 of the Regulation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of 19 August 2020 on granting state aid by the National Centre for Research and Development, published in Journal of Laws item 1456, 2020.

In any case only Industrial Research, Experimental Development and Basic Research will be funded. Other type of activities (e.g. coordination, dissemination, management) cannot be included into separated task.

The eligible costs of basic research may comprise a maximum of 10% of total eligible costs of the Project. Funding for basic research may be granted only to research organisations and other types of entities than enterprises (localauthorities, metropolitan unions, NGOs) in cases justified by the specificity of the Project.

For entrepreneurs independently undertaking projects at the national level (meaning there is no Polish group of entities or Polish group of enterprises), there is no possibility of increasing the intensity of state aid for industrial research and experimental development based on the condition of effective cooperation between entrepreneurs or between entrepreneurs and research organisations.

Portugal / Centro Region of Portugal – Comissão de Coordenação e Desenvolvimento Regional do Centro, I.P. (CCDRC)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Sophie Patrício // Carlos Silveira E–mail: ccdrc.projects@ccdrc.pt Tel: +351 239 400 100
Funding commitment	500 000 €
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	3–5
Maximum funding per awarded project	Maximum requested funding for a consortium with a regional main applicant: 200 000€ Maximum requested funding for a consortium with regional project applicants: 100 000€ If more than one regional applicant participate in the same consortium applying for CCDRC’s funding, the combined funding demanded by all the regional applicants must not exceed the maximum financial threshold established above: for projects with a regional main applicant (200 000,00 €); for projects with regional applicants (100 000,00 €). Regional Main Applicants and/or Project Applicants in the same consortium will therefore have to share the funding that will be granted by CCDRC. Additional information: FCT and CCDR Centro, as Portuguese funding agencies on this call, reserve the right to evaluate the possibility of transferring application(s) to the other Portuguese funding agency if an application is considered non-eligible by the funding agency selected by the candidate institution, but is eligible by the other Portuguese funding agency, which will from then on be responsible for managing the application(s). The transfer of applications recommended for funding will be carried out in accordance with the MoU signed between the parties.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	*Only entities from NUTS II Centro or the ones that can assure that the* investment will be made in Centro Region can apply to CCDRC’s funding. The maximum funding rates to be considered are the following: • Higher Education Institutions (HEI): maximum funding rate – 85% • Research organisations: maximum funding rate – 85% • Micro and small enterprises – maximum funding rate 80% \| medium enterprises – maximum funding rate 75% Municipalities, business organisations, NGOs and similar – can participate only if partnering up with one (or more) regional institutions from the typologies listed above (maximum funding rate – 85%). ATTENTION: 1) The funding rates presented are the maximum (possible) values. • Projects led by companies: see funding rates at article 49 of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital; • Projects led by non-entrepreneurial entities from the regional research and innovation system (HEI and research organizations): see funding rates at article 141 of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital. 2) Non-SMEs will not be considered eligible in the context of this call. We advise all applicants to get in touch with CCDRC before applying.
Eligible topics	CCDRC WILL FUND: • The 15-minutes City Transition Pathway (15mC): topics 1 and 3 only in the context of the Innovation Oriented Approche (IOA); topic 2 in the context of the Innovation Oriented Approche (IOA) and ResearchOriented Approach.
	• The Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway (PED): all topics but only in the context of the Innovation Oriented Approche (IOA). • The Circular Urban Economies Transition Pathway (CUE): all topics but only in the context of the Innovation Oriented Approche (IOA).
Eligible type of research and TRL	All types of research and innovation.
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Not applicable
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	The *eligibility of partners, as beneficiary institutions, must be verified in the following articles of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital: • Projects led by companies: article 46* of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital; • Projects led by non-entrepreneurial entities from the regional research and innovation system (HEI and research organizations): article 139 of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital. When checking eligibility of projects the following articles should also be considered: • Projects led by companies: articles 42 and 47 of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital; • Projects led by non-entrepreneurial entities from the regional research and innovation system (HEI and research organizations): article 138 of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital.
Eligible costs	For *eligible costs* verify the article 9 of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital. The following articles should also be considered: • Projects led by companies:article 50 of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital; Projects led by non-entrepreneurial entities from the regional research and innovation system (HEI and research organizations): article 143 of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital.
Website with additional information	https://ris3.ccdrc.pt/index.php/iniciativas/dut
Additional information	To all other criteria and conditions not explicit in this annex, please see Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital (https://diariodarepublica.pt/dr/detalhe/portaria/328-b-2023-223573621?_ts=1700139369853). When applying to the transnational call, all regional stakeholders must fill in and sign a Declaration: – For projects led by companies: https://ris3.ccdrc.pt/index.php/ris3-documentacao/declaracao-de-compromisso-si-i-d/viewdocument – For projects led by non-entrepreneurial entities: https://ris3.ccdrc.pt/index.php/ris3-documentacao/declaracao-de-compromisso-saccct/viewdocument The Declaration must be sent within 10 working days after the submission of the proposal to ccdrc.projects@ccdrc.pt.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	N.A.	N.A.	N.A.
Medium Enterprises	N.A.	75%1	50%1
Small Enterprises	N.A.	80%1	60%1
Universities, public research organisations	85%1	85%1	85%1
Public authorities	85%1	85%1	85%1
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	85%1	85%1	85%1

X Noot

Maximum values; for detailed information about the funding rates see articles 42 and 47 (for individual or collaborative projects led by companies) and article 138 (for individual or collaborative projects le and d by non-entrepreneurial entities) of Regulamento Específico da Área Temática Inovação e Transição Digital.

Portugal – Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)

Applications requesting funding from FCT under this call will be subject to FCT Regulation on projects funded solely by national funds, as amended by the Regulation no. 5/2024, of 3 January, hereinafter referred to as FCT Regulation, which amends and republishes Regulation no. 999/2016, of 31 October, and to other applicable national and EU legislation.

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Alexandre Maurício / Joana Pinheiro E–mail: alexandre.mauricio@fct.pt// joana.pinheiro@fct.pt Tel: [+351] 213 917 648 // [+351] 213 911 567
Funding commitment	500,000 euros (five hundred thousand euros)
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	4/5
Maximum funding per awarded project	• Maximum requested funding for a consortium with a Portuguese Main Applicant [coordenador/a de consórcio]: 200 000,00 €. • Maximum requested funding for a consortium with a Portuguese Project Applicant [participante em consórcio]: 100 000,00 €. • If more than one Portuguese applicant participating in the same consortium applies for funding by FCT, the combined funding demanded by all the Portuguese applicants may not exceed the maximum financial threshold for projects with a Portuguese Main Applicant (200 000,00 €) or Project Applicant (100 000,00 €). Portuguese Main Applicants and/or Project Applicants in the same consortium will therefore have to share the funding that will be granted by FCT. • FCT and CCDR Centro, as Portuguese funding agencies on this call, reserve the right to evaluate the possibility of transferring application(s) to the other Portuguese funding agency if an application is considered non-eligible by the funding agency selected by the candidate institution, but is eligible by the other Portuguese funding agency, which will from then on be responsible for managing the application(s). The transfer of applications recommended for funding will be carried out in accordance with the MoU signed between the parties.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	For eligibility of a partner as beneficiaries please consult Article 3 of FCT Regulation.
Eligible topics	FCT WILL FUND: • Circular Urban Economies Transition Pathway (CUE TP), all topics. • 15-minute City Transition Pathway (15mC TP), namely topics: ○ 15mC Topic 1: Advancing Urban Mobility: Innovations for Inclusive and Youth- Centric Mobility Systems ○ 15mC Topic 3: Evidence for the urban mobility transition – data and indicators for effective decision-making • Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway (PED TP), all topics. • Types of research and innovation (R&I) activities to be supported: Research- Oriented Approach (ROA) • Project type of partner contribution to be supported: ○ A – Applied Research ○ F – Fundamental Research FCT WILL NOT FUND: • 15-minute City Transition Pathway (15mC TP) Topic 2: Reconsidering Urban Mobility Systems: Towards System Innovation and Proximity Policies for Sustainable City Regions, as the proposal will be deemed ineligible. • Innovation-Oriented Approach (IOA) as types of research and innovation (R&I) activities to be supported, as the proposal will be deemed ineligible. • Innovation typologies of project type of partner contribution, namely: ○ I – Innovation / implementation ○ I-A – Innovation / implementation and applied research ○ I-A-F – Innovation / implementation, applied and fundamental
	Proposals that choose innovation typologies of project type of partner contribution will be deemed ineligible even if the applicant has selected ROA as type of R&I activity to be supported.
Eligible type of research and TRL	• Research-Oriented Approach (ROA) • Project type of partner contribution: ○ A – Applied Research ○ F – Fundamental Research
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Not applicable
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	For eligibility criteria of beneficiaries and projects please consult articles 5 and 6 of FCT Regulation.
Eligible costs	• For the purposes of defining the budget, the terms defined in article 8 of FCT Regulation apply to eligible expenses and in article 9 to non-eligible expenses. • Excluded from the range of eligible expenses are the salaries and other remuneration supplements of teachers, researchers and other staff with a previously established indefinite contract with the Public Administration. • Expenditure on adapting buildings and facilities is limited to a maximum of 10% of the project's total eligible expenses. • The project's indirect costs are based on the application of a flat rate of 25% of the direct eligible costs. • In accordance with no. 1 of article 7 of FCT Regulation, the funding to be granted to proposals requesting funding from FCT under this call is non-reimbursable and is based on real costs. As such it must be justified through invoices paid or other accounting documents of similar probationary value, under the terms of no. 5 of article 8 of FCT Regulation. • For eligible costs, please also consult FCT’s Normas de Execução Financeira.
Website with additional information	https://www.fct.pt/concursos/concurso-2024-da-parceria-europeia-driving-urban-transitions-dut- 1 https://www.fct.pt/en/concursos/concurso-2024-da-parceria-europeia-driving-urban-transitions-dut-1
Additional information	• For additional information please check FCT Regulation. • The percentage of time dedicated to transnational projects will not be added to the percentage of time dedicated to existing national projects. • Within 10 working days after the deadline for submitting the pre-proposal, a Statement of Commitment (SoC, Declaração de Compromisso) duly signed by the Researcher in Charge (partner and/or coordinators) and by the legal representant of the Portuguese Proposing Institution. The Statement of Commitment must be sent to alexandre.mauricio@fct.pt and joana.pinheiro@fct.pt.Unjustified failure to submit the SoC by the specified deadline will render the proposal ineligible. • The stamp or white seal of the Portuguese Proposing Institution will not be required on a digitally signed Statement of Commitment, as long as it is signed, in the Autenticação Gov application, with professional attributes that identify the functions performed by the signatory. • Portuguese applicants of transnational consortia that do not apply for funding from FCT do not need to submit the Statement of Commitment to FCT.

X Noot

Please check Article 3 of FCT Regulation on projects funded solely by national funds for confirming beneficiary eligibility

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	50%1	50%1	Not fundable
Medium Enterprises	50%1	50%1	Not fundable
Small Enterprises	50%1	50%1	Not fundable
Universities, public research organisations	100%	100%	Not fundable
Public authorities	100%	100%	Not fundable
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	100%	100%	Not fundable

X Noot

Please check Article 7 of FCT Regulation on projects funded solely by national funds for form of support and funding rate

Romania – Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (UEFISCDI)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Elena Simion elena.simion@uefiscdi.ro +4021 307 19 93
Funding commitment	EUR 1,000,000
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	4–5
Maximum funding per awarded project	200.000 EUR for Romanian participant(s) as partner(s) in a consortium; 250.000 for the Romanian participant(s) – if the project is coordinated by a Romanian entity
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Legal entities established in Romania are eligible to get funding – public and private accredited universities, national R&D institutes, other research organisations, SMEs, large industrial enterprises, according to the national requirements.
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	UEFISCDI will fund strategic (basic) research, applied/industrial research, experimental development implemented by research organisations and/or SMEs, according to the national rules and to the State Aid legislation.
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Not required
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	N/A
Eligible costs	The following categories of expenses are eligible: A. Staff costs (researchers, technicians and support staff, including all corresponding state and social contributions; these contributions are subject to national regulations in force); B. Consumables (materials, supplies or similar); C. Equipments (in full compliance with state aid regulations), no more than 30% of the total funding from the public budget; D. Subcontracting (max. 25% of the total funding from the public budget); E. Travel expenses (in Romania or abroad, only for project teams’ members); F. Overheads (calculated as a percentage of direct costs: staff costs, travel expenses and logistics costs – excluding capital costs). Indirect costs will not exceed max. 25% of direct costs, excluding subcontracting. Expenses are eligible if incurred after signature of the contract. To EU countries: no To Non-EU countries: no Subcontracting special tasks (i.e. IT services, etc): Yes, expenditure on services performed by third parties cannot exceed 25% of the funding from the public budget. The subcontracted parts should not be core/substantial parts of the project work.
Website with additional information	https://uefiscdi.gov.ro/parteneriate-si-misiuni-europene
Additional information	It is strongly advised to contact UEFISCDI before submission, in order to verify the eligibility of the researchers and avoid ineligible projects/research consortia.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial/Applied	Experimental development/Innovation
Large Enterprises1	100%	up to 65%	up to 40%
Medium Enterprises1	100%	up to 75%	up to 50%
Small Enterprises1	100%	up to 80%	up to 60%
Universities, public research organisations1	100%	100%	100%
Public authorities1 Associations without economic activities, NGOs1	up to 100%

X Noot

Please check the national rules to confirm beneficiary eligibility for the requested form of support and funding rate

Slovenia – Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Name: Suzana Seaptefrati E-Mail: suzana.seaptefrati@aris-rs.si Tel: +386 1 400 59 11
Funding commitment	0.2 M€
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	1–2
Maximum funding per awarded project	0.1 M€ per project
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Eligible beneficiary institutions (higher education institutions and research institutes) need to be registered at the ARIS register of research organizations and shall not be business sector entities. Business sector entities may apply; however, they need to ensure their own funding for participation. Eligible beneficiary institutions may participate in the consortium as Main Applicant or Co-Applicant. The Principal Investigator (i.e. project leader of the Slovenian team) shall be a researcher holding a PhD degree who: – meets the ARIS requirements for a project leader of a basic or applied research project; – is registered at the ARIS register of researchers; – is employed at the Slovenian research organization (applicant) or will be employed when signing the grant contract at the latest. All participating researchers have to be registered at the ARIS register of researchers and must have available research hours according to the applicable ARIS rules.
Eligible topics	All topics within all three Transition Pathways are eligible.
Eligible type of research and TRL	The ARIS will only fund strategic (basic) research.
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Slovenian applicants do not need to submit (pre)proposals at the national level. However, they are strongly recommended to contact the ARIS at the pre-proposal and full proposal stage as the applicant eligibility and proposed budget should be examined by the ARIS prior to official submission.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	/
Eligible costs	Eligible costs for Slovenian partners are: – personnel costs (including social security, health, pension and other contributions according to national legislation); – material costs (travel and meeting costs, consumables, dissemination and knowledge exchange costs, other costs); – depreciation costs. Slovenian teams will be financed as price category A, B, C or D projects. The total sum of research hours is calculated by dividing the total grant sum by the value of research full time equivalent for the chosen price category of the project (A, B, C or D) in accordance with the national regulation concerning the funding of research activities from the budget of the Republic of Slovenia. Overhead is calculated up to 25% of all eligible costs calculated at the level of the chosen project category (without subcontracting costs) being a consistent part of the total grant sum. The calculation of overhead thus lowers individual category of eligible costs in a proportional manner. Overhead costs are used for covering the running costs of the research organisation related to the implementation of the project.
Website with additional information	http://www.aris-rs.si/sl/medn/ http://www.aris-rs.si/sl/akti/
Additional information	/

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises
Medium Enterprises
Small Enterprises
Universities, public research organisations	100%
Public authorities
Associations without economic activities, NGOs

Spain – Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Severino Falcón Morales, Irene Carlos urban@aei.gob.es
Funding commitment	1.000.000 €
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	7–8
Maximum funding per awarded project	The following funding limits for a three-year project are considered eligibility criteria. Proposals not respecting these limits could be declared ineligible. Maximum funding per project
		Direct costs(€)	Indirect costs(€)1	Total costs (€)
	One applicant	140.000	35.000	175.000
	One applicant	220.000	55.000	275.000
	One main applicant + one applicant	260.000	65.000	325.000
	• Up to additional € 30.000 (direct costs) can be granted for the entire proposal if the work plan includes substantial experimental tasks to be carried out by the Spanish Partners, that must be clearly justified in the budget. • IMPORTANT: – Two AEI applicants are ONLY allowed in case one of them is the main applicant. Otherwise, only one AEI-applicant per proposal is allowed (other partners requesting funds to CDTI in the same proposal are welcome); – the direct costs in the application must be rounded to the thousands Only R&I activities will be funded by the AEI. Entire communication work packages, without research associated, are not eligible costs for AEI To establish the final funding amount, the AEI will consider the transnational evaluation of the collaborative proposal, the scientific quality of the Spanish group, the added value of the international collaboration and the financial resources available.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Non-profit research organizations (such as universities, public research institutions, technological centres and other private non-profit institutions performing RDI activities in Spain), as the general requirements established for PCI 2024-1 call. They must have been previously beneficiaries of any of the AEI calls. They have to ensure contractual relationship with the Principal Investigator during all the time of development of the project. IMPORTANT: Spanish legal entities which are part of mixed centres will be considered as a unique beneficiary, and thus the maximum funding should not exceed the limits per proposal established above. AEI’s applicants are strongly encouraged to include the Spanish industrial sector in the transnational consortia. Spanish Industrial partners can apply to CDTI according to their eligibility rules.
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	Basic/Applied research & Innovation. AEI funds are intended to support excellent research and innovation developments and those tasks necessary to accomplish them. Management costs in case of project coordination can be also supported.
	Applicants mainly participating in tasks not directly involving research and innovation, such as entire communication work packages for the consortium not involving actual research activities, can be considered ineligible. TRL: no constraints
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Funding Programme: The framework for this funding action is the Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica, Técnica e Innovación 2024–2027 or next Plans. Instrument for funding The AEI’s funding instrument is the Proyectos de Colaboración internacional (PCI) call. If the proposal is selected for funding, the AEI’s applicants will need to apply to the corresponding PCI foreseen in 2025. Applicants are encouraged to carefully read, as a reference, the previous PCI call PCI 2024-1 and the general requirements. The PCI Call will be managed by the Subdivisión de Programas Científico–Técnicos Transversales, Fortalecimiento y Excelencia (STRAN) of the AEI. No further documentation is required at the preproposal stage, but it is highly recommended to check Principal Investigator (PI) and beneficiary eligibility, since no changes will be accepted.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	The Spanish PI must hold a PhD degree. PIs must be eligible according to the general requirements of PCI 2024-1 call and must have experience as investigators (not necessarily as PIs) in projects funded by the Plan Nacional I+D+i 2008-2011, the Plan Estatal I+D+i 2013-2016, the Plan Estatal I+D+i 2017-2020, ERC Grants, European Framework Programmes or other relevant national or international programmes. Incompatibilities (these must be taken into account when participating in different partnerships, ERA-Nets or other international initiatives): • PIs must remain unchanged between pre-proposal and full-proposal of this transnational joint call, and the national PCI call. • If the same PI applies to more than one proposal in this transnational joint call, or to other transnational call funded by the same PCI call and/or PCI calls of consecutive years, the PI will be declared eligible only in one of the proposals and will be declared ineligible in all the rest, with no possibility of changing the PI. • A PI holding a PCI granted in the same or consecutive year, will be declared ineligible, with no possibility of changing the PI. The AEI will avoid double funding and will not grant projects or parts of projects already funded through other national or EU calls.
Eligible costs	• Only personnel costs for exclusive dedication to the project are eligible. The costs of permanent staff linked to the beneficiary entity or members of the research team will not be considered eligible costs. • Direct costs such as current costs, small scientific equipment, disposable materials, travelling expenses, coordination costs, and other costs that can be justified as necessary to carry out the proposed activities. • Indirect costs (overheads) are eligible costs (25% of total direct costs, including subcontracting). • Subcontracting should not exceed 25% of total requested budget. Please consult “Artículo 8. Conceptos financiables” in PCI 2024-1 resolution since eligible costs will be similar.
Website with additional information	Applicants are encouraged to carefully read the call and the general requirements PCI2024-1
Additional information	Acknowledgements: Any publication or dissemination activity resulting from the granted projects must acknowledge funding by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación according to AEI’s web guidelines
	Data Protection: By submitting a grant application, the applicants consent to communication of the data contained in the application to other public administrations, with the aim of further processing of the data for historical, statistical or scientific purposes, within the framework of the Organic Law 3/2018, of December 5, on Personal Data

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Indirect costs calculated as 25% of direct costs requested

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises
Medium Enterprises
Small Enterprises
Universities, public research organisations	100% of eligible costs	100% of eligible costs	100% of eligible costs
Public authorities	Check eligibility with the contact persons
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	Check eligibility with the contact persons

Spain – Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (CDTI)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Milvia Soumbounou Tel: +34 91 581 56 07 / 04 89 E-Mail: milvia.soumbounou@cdti.es; partenariadosHE@cdti.es
Funding commitment	600.000€
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	3–6
Maximum funding per awarded project	n/a
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	For-profit enterprises (large or SMEs) established and carrying out RTDI activities in Spain. Other entities such as Universities, Public Research Institutions, Technological Centres, and other not-for-profit private institutions are not eligible.
Eligible topics	All
Eligible type of research and TRL	Applied research TRL: 4–7
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Each Spanish company participating in a project and requesting funding from CDTI, must apply via CDTI´s electronic submission system. CDTI´s application process consists of an online application form which is accompanied by a short technical report written in Spanish. The report must focus on the activities and associated budget that the company will undertake in the project (please check Type of research funded and Eligible costs sections in this table). Applicants are strongly advised to check the detailed information available on CDTI website and to contact the NCP for advice about national funding rules, before submitting a proposal.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Please note that failing to comply with the national application process by the deadline will deem the company ineligible to participate in the call.
Eligible costs	Projects should support transnational collaboration; therefore, no single participant or country can exceed 70% of the total project costs. Eligible costs: Staff costs related to technical staff directly involved in the R&D project. Project management costs, max. 58 hours per month (approximately 0,4PM) Instrument and equipment costs Implementation costs e.g., technical knowledge, patents, or consultancy services, intended exclusively for the research project and procured from external sources at market price. Other costs including goods and services to be used exclusively for the research project e.g.: (national) audit costs max EUR 2,000 per year/beneficiary, travel costs associated with the implementation of the project, (EUR 8,000 max. for the duration of the project). Overheads (indirect costs as a percentage of personnel costs) are calculated authomatically by CDTI´s electronic submission system.
Website with additional information	CDTI Website
Additional information	CDTI will only fund technology-based activities within industrial research and/or experimental development projects (in accordance with the definitions of the General Block Exemption Regulation, EC Regulation nº651/2014) representing outstanding scientific-technical quality and high innovative potential. Please note that non-technological activities e.g. developing new business models, are excluded from CDTI funding. R&D activities to be financed must be within the TRL 4–7 range and be carried out in Spain

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	n/a	40%1	40%1
Medium Enterprises	n/a	50%1	50%1
Small Enterprises	n/a	60%1	60%1
Universities, public research organisations	n/a	n/a	n/a
Public authorities	n/a	n/a	n/a
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	n/a	n/a	n/a

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Subject to availability of funds

Sweden – The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (FORMAS)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Name: Ann Maudsley E–mail: ann.maudsley@formas.se Tel: +46 (0)73 056 48 07 Name: Björn Wallsten E–mail: bjorn.wallsten@formas.se Tel: +46 (0)72 216 99 52 Name: Lina Westlund Hult E–mail: lina.westlundhult@formas.se Tel: +46 (0)73 022 70 41
Funding commitment	2.5M Euro
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	5–8 projects
Maximum funding per awarded project	300k Euro per project (500k Euro per project if the Main Applicant is Swedish).
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Universities, research institutes, private companies, private and public organisations that engage in economic activity, public authorities, and NGOs. The applicant must be a Swedish legal entity. Specifications: Economic activity is generally defined as any activity consisting of offering goods or services on a given market. If an organisation falls in the economic activity category, then state aid rules apply. Please find more information on state aid rules below.
Eligible topics	Formas funds activities by Swedish partners in projects that address all the three CUE topics.
Eligible type of research and TRL	Basic research, Industrial research/Applied research, Experimental development/Innovation.
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Swedish applicants who have submitted a pre-proposal to the DUT Call 2024 and are invited to submit a full proposal at the second stage, will be contacted by Formas for further information as to how to register their full proposals in Formas’ system, Prisma. Swedish applicants in the same project consortium who are invited to submit a full proposal, must make one single project application in Prisma.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Please consult the ”Terms and Conditions for Grants” webpage linked to below for further details and documents.
Eligible costs	Salaries/Personnel costs Funding can be sought to cover salaries for researchers, doctoral students and other staff, for example. Salary/personnel costs are eligible for the time the person is working on the project. Social security contributions should be included.
	The total amount of the salary for a single researcher, doctoral student or other staff must not exceed 100 percent of full-time employment. This also means that someone who is already receiving full salary funding from any other funder cannot receive additional funding for salary. Researchers who are full-time pensioners cannot receive funding for their own salary.Equipment, buildings and land The maximum amount you can be awarded for equipment and equipment depreciation costs is 500 000 SEK. Costs for buildings and land are eligible to the extent and for the period that they are used for the project. In the case of buildings, only the depreciation costs corresponding to the lifecycle of the project (calculated on generally accepted accounting principles), are considered eligible. For land, the costs of transfer on commercial terms or actual capital costs, are eligible. Costs for consultants and licenses, etc. For consultant fees and licencing costs to be eligible, they must be purchased or licensed from external providers on market terms, and their services and scope must be stated in the research centre description.Other direct costs including travel expensesOther direct costs can include the cost of consumables, travel, conferences and publication fees for open access journals and databases.Indirect costsHigher education institutions and research institutes may charge a markup for indirect costs according to the applicable full cost pricing method. Other project parties may charge a markup for indirect costs of up to 30 percent of their eligible personnel costs. Formas does not grant funds for overhead on costs that you write off for equipment or for premises. Please consult the “Terms and Conditions for Grants” webpage linked to below for further details and documents. VAT should not be included in the budget figure. Please note that all costs must be submitted in Euros (EUR) in the international submission platform (UDiManager) for both pre- and full proposals, and in Swedish crowns (SEK) in the Swedish submission platform, Prisma, if invited to submit a full proposal at the second stage. Please use the historic exchange rate (EUR to SEK) from the date when the first stage for pre-proposals closed. The exchange rate used must come from Sveriges Riksbank (Sök räntor och valutakurser \| Sveriges Riksbank).
Information on state aid rules and website with additional information	Formas can grant state aid and de minimis aid according to a number of legal bases in the EU’s state aid rules. The provisions enabling Formas to provide funding to organisations are contained in the Swedish Government’s Regulation (2017:195) on state aid for research and development and innovation in the environment, agricultural sciences and spatial planning. This is based on the European Commission’s General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER) 651/2014 Article 25 and De Minimum Regulation 2023/2832. Further information is provided via the links below: – Terms and Conditions for Grants – Formas – State aid regulations – for private and public organisations that engage in economic activity – Formas Applicants who would be receivers of state aid, in case funding is approved by Formas, need to be aware that the legal requirements for transparent reporting of state aid changed in 2023. This means that approved state aid which amounts to 100 000 Euro or more to one project party (or if the project concerns primary agriculture sector or fishery and aquaculture sector 10 000 Euro), must be reported openly within the EU. Formas is responsible for this reporting. Those who submit an application are considered to be informed about this requirement of reporting and are considered to approve that this reporting will be made above the legal thresholds.
Additional information	It is a transnational eligibility requirement of this call that applications are written in English. You should write the application in English since the review panel consists of many international reviewers. Swedish applicants are also able to provide an additional Swedish version of their application. For additional applications, or parts of applications written in Swedish, these can be translated by professional translators into English. In such cases, it will not be possible for applicants to view or make linguistic adjustments to the application after it is translated and submitted to expert panel for assessment. All scientific publications resulting from projects funded by Formas must be published using immediate open access (OA). Reports are to be submitted according to the regulations of both the DUT Partnership and Formas.

(b) Funding rates:

Please note that the figures in the table below are a simplified summary of the following document: tabell för Stödnivåer Formas stödförordning.pdf . Please see this document for explanations of the percentages in the table below.

Maximum funding percentages:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial Research /Applied Research	Experimental development /Innovation
Large Enterprises (GBER) Article 25	100%	50% (65%)	25% (40%)
Medium Enterprises (GBER) Article 25	100%	60% (75%)	35% (50%)
Small Enterprises (GBER) Article 25	100%	70% (80%)	45% (60%)
Universities, public research organisations	100%	n/a	n/a
Public authorities	100%	n/a	n/a
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	100%	n/a	n/a
Associations1 with both economic and non- economic activities, who apply for aid only for non-economic activities	100%	n/a	n/a

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Such applicants must be aware, that if the funding is used in the economic activity of the association, funding will be reclaimed in full with interest.

De Minimis Aid
Large Enterprises	100%
Medium Enterprises	100%
Small Enterprises	100%

Please consult the “State aid rules” webpage for details and documents regarding these funding rates. State aid regulations – for private and public organisations that engage in economic activity – Formas

Sweden – Swedish Energy Agency – Energimyndigheten (SWEA)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Emina Pasic E-mail: emina.pasic@energimyndigheten.se Mob: +46 165 442 189
Funding commitment	1.5 MEUR
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	5–6
Maximum funding per awarded project	N/A
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Universities, research institutes, SME’s and large companies, public authorities, NGOs, civil sector. Specifications: The applicant must be a Swedish legal entity.
Eligible topics	PED Transition Pathway, topics 1, 2, 3;
Eligible type of research and TRL	Industrial/Applied research, Experimental development/Innovation
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Swedish applicants involved in awarded PED (1,2,3) projects will be invited to submit a national application to SWEA (via Mina sidor). Information about the submission will be provided in the invitation and by the contact person.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	N/A
Eligible costs	For information regarding eligible costs and the Swedish Energy Agency legislation see the Swedish national call text. See Instruction in EU Regulation, GBER, 651/2014 CL2014R0651SV0020010.0001_cp 1.1 (Europa.eu), and also Swedish legistation – Förordning 2018:761 Förordning (2008:761) om statligt stöd till forskning och utveckling samt innovation inom energiområdet Svensk författningssamling 2008:2008:761 t.o.m. SFS 2018:1036 – Riksdagen The proportion of a company’s level of support is determined partly based on which research category the various activities in the project are deemed to correspond to and partly based on the size of the company in receipt of the support. Viable Cities criteria:
	Co-financing rate for innovation projects should be at least 50% of the total project costs. The co-financing rate for demonstration projects should be at least 75% of the total project costs. The project consortium shall consist of at least three independent organisations from at least two of the following stakeholder groups: □ universities or research institutes; □ companies □ public sector □ civil society organisations
Website with additional information	For full information see the Swedish national call information for this call at the webpages: □ SWEA webpage: Utlysningar □ SWEA website □ Hem – Viable Cities
Additional information	The Swedish Energy Agency is leading the energy transition into a modern and sustainable, fossil-free welfare society – applying our credibility, a comprehensive approach and courage. The Swedish Energy Agency funds research and innovation on new and renewable energy technologies, smart grids, vehicles and transport fuels of the future as well as smart, sustainable cities receives funding from us. We also support business development that allows commercialisation of energy-related innovations, and ensure that promising clean-tech solutions can be exported. Viable Cities is a Swedish Strategic Innovation Programme with a focus on climateneutral and sustainable cities. The programme's mission is to speed up the transition to climate-neutral cities by 2030 with a good life for everyone within the planet's boundaries. The programme is supported by Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency and Formas, where the Swedish Energy Agency is the principal authority. The Viable Cities programme brings together about 130 members in business, academia, civil society and public organisations. The Viable Cities Programme is affiliated partner to SWEA in the DUT Partnerships Programme.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	100%	50%	25%
Medium Enterprises	100%	60%	35%
Small Enterprises	100%	70%	45%
Universities, public research organisations	100%	100%	100%
Public authorities	100%	100%	100%
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	100%	100%	100%

Sweden – Vinnova

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Björn Svensby Kurling, bjorn.svensbykurling@vinnova.se +46 8 4733148
Funding commitment	Approx. 880 000 euro (10 000 000 SEK)
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	Approx. 3
Maximum funding per awarded project	No maximum funding limits, but we expect to fund 250 000 – 300 000 euros per awarded project.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	• Universities, • research institutes, • private companies (small, medium and large), • public authorities, • Associations without economic activities • NGOs; Applicants must be Swedish legal entities (the entity must have a Swedish organisational number)
Eligible topics	15 Min C, Topic 2
Eligible type of research and TRL	• Industrial/applied research • Experimental development/innovation
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Swedish applicants involved in proposals recommended for funding after stage 2 will be contacted by Vinnova with further information on how to submit their proposal and relevant information to Vinnova’s E-tjänst system. If a consortia member wants to submit a “Model declaration” or a “De minimis declaration”, these need to be emailed to the Vinnova contact point at the same time as the full proposal is submitted. For questions about Model declaration or De minimis declaration, please contact the Vinnova contact point.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Companies (both privately and publicly owned) that wants to be classified as small or medium sized companies need to submit the “Model declaration” certifying their size. It can be found here: 2003000108en5-15 5..5 (europa.eu) Small companies and/or NGOs that wants to recieve de minimis funding need to submit a declaration about recieved de minimis funding. It can be found here: declaration-about-other-de-minimis-aid-240102-.docx (live.com) For questions about Model declaration or De minimis declaration, please contact the Vinnova contact point.
Eligible costs	For information about eligable costs, please read Vinnova’s document “Instruction to Vinnova’s terms and conditions on eligible costs” (Microsoft Word – guidestödberättigande kostnader -1 januari 2019.docx uppdatering inför 2020 200206 (002) (vinnova.se))
Website with additional information	www.vinnova.se
Additional information	Please read Vinnova’s general terms and conditions for grants (vinnovas-general-terms-and-conditions-for-grants2024-multi-participant.pdf) Applicable funding in this call is based in the following regulations: Private companies: For private companies, funding can be granted via GBER art. 25, (Industrial research or Experimental development). The rates in table (b) below are explained here: stodgrunder-och-stodnivaer----230929.pdf (vinnova.se) Small companies (according to the current EU definition: Användarhandledning om definitionen av SMF-företag (vinnova.se)) can also be granted de minimis funding. In order to be able to obtain de minimis funding, a declaration of other recieved de minimis funding must be submitted to Vinnova. A template is found here: declaration-about-other-de-minimis-aid-240102-.docx (live.com) Companies that wish to be definied as small or medium sized companies must submit a “Model declaration” to confirm their size. Model declaration template is found here: 2003000108en5-15 5.5 (Europa.eu) Universities: Universities can be granted funding as non state aid. They can receive 100% funding. Research organisations/institutes: Research organisations and institutes can be granted 100% funding as non state aid, if they have a valid agreement with Vinnova confirming their status as a non economic entity. For more information on non economi entity-agreements for research organisations and institutes, please contact the Vinnova contact point. If a research organisation or institute does not have a valid agreement, they will be classified as provate companies and GBER art. 25, (Industrial research or Experimental development) will apply. Organisations that wish to be definied as small or medium sized companies must submit a “Model declaration” to confirm their size. Model declaration template is found here: 2003000108en5-15 5..5 (europa.eu) Public authorities: Public authorities can be granted funding as non state aid. They can receive 100% funding. Publicly owned companies are considered to be involved in economic activity, and can recieve funding on the same term as private companies, i.e. GBER art 25 (Industrial research or Experimental development). Publicly owned companies, even if classified as small, cannot receive de minimis funding. Associations without economic activities Associations without economic activities can recieve non state funding (100%) if they clearly can confirm that they do not have economic activities. If you are an association without economic activities, it is recommended that you contact Vinnovas contact person to discuss relevant funding levels. NGOs: If an NGO has economic activities, it is still possible that it can recieve non state funding if it can be confirmed that economic and non-economic activities are kept apart in the organisation’s budget. In such cases, it is recommended that you contact the Vinnova contact point to discuss the matter before submitting an application. If an NGO has economic activity, GBER art. 25 (Industrial research or Experimental development) applies. Organisations that wish to be definied as small or medium sized companies must submit a “Model declaration” to confirm their size. Model declaration template is found here: 2003000108en5-15 5..5(europa.eu) NGOs can also be granted de minimis funding. If an NGO intends to apply for de minimis funding, a de minimis certificate must be submitted to Vinnova. The template for the certiiicate can be found here: declaration-about-other-de-minimis-aid-240102-.docx (live.com)

(b) Funding rates according to GBER art 25 and Non state funding.

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	–	50/65%	25/40%
Medium Enterprises	–	60/75%	35/50%
Small Enterprises	–	70/80%	45/60%
Universities, public research organisations1	–	100%	100%
Public authorities	–	100%	100%
Associations without economic activities	–	100%	100%

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In order for Vinnova to grant a research organization a grant with the support basis "not state aid" (i.e. 100% funding), the research organization as a general rule needs to submit a certificate to this effect. For more information, please contact Vinnova’s contact person.

(c) Funding rates according to de minimis

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	–	–	–
Medium Enterprises	–	–	–
Small Enterprises	–	100%	100%
Universities, public research organisations	–	–	–
Public authorities	–	–	–
NGOs	–	100%	100%

Switzerland – SNSF

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Clémence Le Cornec / email: dut@snf.ch
Funding commitment	600’000 CHF + 250’000 CHF (approx. 850’000 EUR)
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	2–3
Maximum funding per awarded project	The SNSF provides a minimum grant of 100 000 Swiss francs per projet. The SNSF provides a maximum of 250,000 Swiss francs annually per applicant of a project and a maximum of 1 million francs annually for the project as a whole. Costs must be eligible and reasonable.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Applicants must comply with the SNSF Funding Regulations.
Eligible topics	All (participation to CUE topic 1 to be confirmed due to possible overlaps with the call of Water4All)
Eligible type of research and TRL	The SNSF exclusively funds research conducted for purposes that are not directly commercial. Pursuant to the Research and Innovation Promotion Act (RIPA) and the legal framework of the SNSF, no research grants are awarded if the relevant research is conducted for directly commercial purposes or if the persons involved in the research work are not scientifically independent. TRL: 1 to maximum 4
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Mandatory, parallel submission of pre- and full-proposal via mySNF Swiss partners must submit pre-proposals and full proposals via mySNF at the same submission deadline of the consortium application. These submissions are mandatory and do not replace the submission of the consortium application to the Call Secretariat. Pre-proposal forms are created by selecting "Projects: Partnership: DUT: Pre- proposal". Full-proposal forms are created by selecting "Projects: Partnership: DUT: Full proposal" and are to be linked to the pre-proposal by selecting its number in the data container "Relation to pre-proposal". In case of multiple Swiss partners participating in the same consortium, only one application is to be submitted on mySNF, whereby one Swiss partner must act as "corresponding applicant" and the other Swiss partners are to be listed as "other applicants". International partners of the consortium applying for funding at different funding agencies from the SNSF cannot be declared as "project partners" in the sense of article 11.2 of the SNSF Funding Regulations. For the submission via mySNF, they are to be declared as "consortium partners" instead and must apply for their funding at their respective research funding organisation.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Participation of Swiss partners requesting financial support from the SNSF is restricted to one project (Art.7.3, SNSF Regulations on project funding). They may, however, participate in other consortia projects as self-financed partners. The maximum number of grants in the project funding scheme for the same funding period from the SNSF is limited to three grants, provided at least one grant is for an EU consortium project or has been granted on the basis of a lead agency, Weave or International Con-investigator scheme evaluation. Swiss-based investigators who already hold three SNSF grants in project funding cannot request financial support from the SNSF to participate in this call. Proposals with overlapping funding periods with ongoing SNSF projects are only approved if the research projects pursue different goals (Article 17 of the SNSF Funding Regulations).
Eligible costs	Eligible costs are outlined in the SNSF Funding Regulations (Art. 28) and the SNSF General Implementation Regulations (Section 2). Project overhead costs cannot be applied for. They are calculated on the basis of the research funding acquired by eligible institutions under eligible funding schemes. Overhead contributions are paid in retrospect at a flat rate to the institutions of the SNSF awardees.
Website with additional information	Information available at: – SNSF Funding regulations – General Implementation Regulations – SNSF Regulations on Project Funding
Additional information	Data management plan Applicants will have to complete the DMP on mySNF once the project is approved, regardless of whether a DMP is requested by the consortium. The DMP has to cover the research data, which are collected, observed, generated or reused in the Swiss part of the project and has to comply with the SNSF Open Research Data Policy. Consortium agreement Before the release of the funds, the SNSF requests the submission of a copy of the consortium agreement signed by all the partners. Grant management Grants will be managed according to standard SNSF rules described in SNSF Funding Regulations. Yearly financial reports for the use of SNSF funds must be submitted via mySNF. As a final scientific report, the SNSF requests the submission of the final scientific report submitted to the DUT Call Secretariat. No other scientific report is requested.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	n/a	n/a	n/a
Medium Enterprises	n/a	n/a	n/a
Small Enterprises	n/a	n/a	n/a
Universities, public research organisations	100%	100% for applied research, 0% for industrial research	n/a
Public authorities	n/a	n/a	n/a
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	n/a	n/a	n/a

Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) – National Science and Technology Council (NSTC)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Dr. Tzu-Ping Lin Distinguished Professor National Cheng Kung University Email: lin678@gmail.com
Funding commitment	€ 750K
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	2–3
Maximum funding per awarded project	Depending on all conditions of eligibility and peer review being met, the budget earmarked by the participating NSTC for this call will be up to € 250K per project or € 500K for a project/consortium coordination (LPI being from Chinese Taipei).
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	Only research organisations (universities, university colleges, research institutes or other authorities with research undertakings) eligible to receive funding from the NSTC can apply for this call. Other sectors (e.g., stakeholders, industries, companies) wish to participate in this call, must secure their own funding, either self-funded or from other national funding agencies. Proof of secured funding must be demonstrated to the NSTC upon request.
Eligible topics	All topics
Eligible type of research and TRL	All types
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Not required
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	If applicants have any questions about their eligibility, they are advised to contact Chinese Taipei to enquire about their eligibility for the call before developing the proposal.
Eligible costs	According to domestic regulations: https://www.rootlaw.com.tw/LawArticle.aspx?LawID=A040250001038400-1110728
Website with additional information	https://www.belmontforum-nstc.tw/
Additional information	Each Taiwanese team shall not request for more than 3 Million New Taiwan Dollars (NTD) per year from the NSTC. The project period is maximum 36 months. A no cost extension period of maximum 12 months can be arranged upon request. For each successfully DUT research project, the NSTC will perform a separate budget evaluation (rather than technical evaluation) to determine final amount approved. It is expected that applications to this call will be Collaborative Research Grants with the consortium composition as defined in the call document, and the NSTC will fund the Taiwan partner of any successful trans-national collaboration.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development / Innovation
Large Enterprises	N/A	N/A	N/A
Medium Enterprises	N/A	N/A	N/A
Small Enterprises	N/A	N/A	N/A
Universities, public research organisations	YES	YES	YES
Public authorities	N/A	N/A	N/A
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	N/A	N/A	N/A

Türkiye – The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	Name: Serhat MELİK / Arzu İpek YILMAZ E–mail: dut@tubitak.gov.tr Tel: +903122981863 / +903122981787
Funding commitment	EUR 600.000
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	–
Maximum funding per awarded project	• EUR 230.000 per project (excluding Project Incentive Payment and Overhead costs), • Per partner ○ Higher education institutions, training and research hospitals and public institutions and organisations (including city, metropolitan and district municipalities) – EUR 100.000 (excluding Project Incentive Payment and Overhead costs) – EUR 125.000 (excluding Project Incentive Payment and Overhead costs) if the Turkish partner is the project coordinator ○ Private entities: EUR 230.000
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	• Higher education institutions, • Training and research hospitals, • Public institutions and organisations (including city, metropolitan and district municipalities), • SMEs and large companies established in Türkiye
Eligible topics	All topics of all transition pathways
Eligible type of research and TRL	Type of research: strategic (basic) research, applied research, experimental development TRL: 1–8
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	Electronic application is required via: https://uidb-pbs.tubitak.gov.tr/
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	National ”1071 Programme – Support Programme for Increasing Capacity to Benefit from International Research Funds and Participation in International R&D Cooperation” Programme will be implemented. Further information will be announced on https://ufukavrupa.org.tr/
Eligible costs	Personnel, travel, equipment/tool/software, consultancy and service procurement, consumables are eligible for funding.
Website with additional information	Further information will be announced on https://ufukavrupa.org.tr/
Additional information

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research	Experimental development
Large Enterprises	60%	60%	60%
Medium Enterprises	75%	75%	75%
Small Enterprises	75%	75%	75%
Universities, public research organisations	100%	100%	100%
Public authorities	100%	100%	100%
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	–	–	–

* Not Funded

United Kingdom – UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)

(a) National/Regional information and eligibility criteria:

Information type	Details
Contact Point	For all general enquiries: dutpartnership@esrc.ukri.org Please note that ESRC are coordinating on behalf of UKRI for this funding call. For queries within the remit of a single UK Research Council please contact: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC): Kim Fuggle; Ben Miller, dutpartnership@esrc.ukri.org Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC): Emily Bultitude; James Phillips, heuh@ahrc.ukri.org Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC): Ajinkya Rao, Ajinkya.rao@epsrc.ukri.org
Funding commitment	£ 2.1M (approximately € 2.5M) This is the amount available from UKRI to contribute to research projects. Please note that funding from the UK comes from AHRC, EPSRC, and ESRC, all of which are part of UKRI.
Anticipated number of projects to be funded by the funding partner	5–7
Maximum funding per awarded project	£ 400,000 (at 100% fEC) per project for all UK partners involved. This is approximately 475,000 EUR.
Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution	UK applicants can be based at any organisation eligible for ESRC funding throughout the duration of the grant. UK applicants can be at any academic career stage; but the project team must have a level of skills, knowledge and experience that is appropriate to the proposed project. UK components may be submitted jointly by more than one UK applicant. In such cases, one person must be regarded as the UK National Contact Point (UK Project Lead) and take the lead responsibility for the conduct of the UK project component and the observance of the ESRC/UKRI terms and conditions. Correspondence regarding the ESRC/UKRI application and grant will be addressed to the UK National Contact Point (UK Project Lead) only and, in the case of any ESRC/UKRI offer letter, to their research office. Additional applicants making a significant contribution to the conduct of the project should be identified as Co-applicants (Project co-leads). Business, third sector or government body Co-applicants based in the UK can also be included on proposals as a project co-lead. Read Including project co-leads from business, third sector or government bodies for details of eligible organisations and costs. Co-applicants from these organisations cannot be the UK National Contact Point (UK Project Lead) i.e. they can only be a co-applicant on a proposal involving another UK organisation that is eligible to be a UK National Contact Point (UK Project Lead) and are unable to be a Main Applicant. The UKRI project co-lead (international) policy does not apply to this funding opportunity.
Eligible topics	15-Minute Cities: all topics (1–3)
Eligible type of research and TRL	Strategic Research; Applied Research
	[Please note that definitions of these terms can be found earlier in the call text in Section 2.2]
Submission of the (pre)proposal at the national level	UK applicants do not need to submit to the UKRI funding system at pre- proposal or full proposal stage. The UK component of successful proposals will be invited to submit to UKRI’s Funding Service (TFS) so that ESRC can administer the UK research costs on behalf of AHRC/EPSRC/ESRC. Further cost checking will be conducted, as per the standard ESRC process, and to confirm that the costs are in line with the original costings. The submission to TFS is a formality to administer the funds, and projects will not be subject to further peer review or assessment of the project quality.
Additional eligibility criteria for the funding agency	Open data: UKRI is strongly committed to opening up research data for scrutiny and reuse, to enable high-quality research, drive innovation and increase public trust in research. See our open data policy. UK applicants must submit the ‘UK expenditure and additional information form’ alongside the other documents required for the preproposal submission process. This form is available on the associated UKRI opportunities webpage.
Eligible costs	AHRC/EPSRC/ESRC use the Full Economic Cost (FEC) model of funding and typically fund 80% of the total cost of research projects. This means that for most eligible costs, AHRC/EPSRC/ESRC will provide 80% of the total cost of the research that will be funded through this call. Please see the ESRC research funding guide for further information on what costs are eligible to request as well as the FEC model. Examples of the type of costs we fund include applicant time, research costs, travel and subsistence, dissemination and communication activities. All figures in the DUT call template should be provided at 100% of the Full Economic Cost for the UK budget, except the ‘Requested funding in EUR’ amount which should state the amount UKRI will be contributing to the project costs. Because of the funders’ cost eligibility regulations, the total cost of a project will be greater than the amount of funding allocated. Please ensure you have read Section 5 ‘Project Implementation’ to understand all the costs you need to include in your budget related to DUT programme activities that successful projects must engage with. For example, mandatory project events and support for the DUT Knowledge Hubs.
Website with additional information	For general guidance for applicants please see the ESRC Research Funding Guide. Information about the UK involvement in this call will also be available on the UKRI Funding Finder .
Additional information	The UK component of any project, as noted before, will be funded by AHRC, EPSRC, and ESRC. Whilst acknowledging the strong interdisciplinarity of this call, it is essential that the UK component is substantively social science led (over 50% social science) and research based. In addition, we strongly encourage the involvement of UK partners from an arts and humanities and engineering and physical sciences background. For information on ESRC’s scientific remit (as the social science funder) please refer to our eligibility page. For information on AHRC and EPSRC’s remit please refer to the information provided on AHRC remit guidance and EPSRC remit guidance webpages. If you are unsure if the UK project component meets the social science requirement, please contact the ESRC Contact Point listed above. We highly recommend contacting us during the preparation of the project to ensure that your proposal meets our eligibility requirements. ESRC data infrastructure ESRC supports a range of data infrastructure. Where relevant, we encourage applicants to consider whether the use of these resources could add value to the project. See Facilities and resources for information on finding and using ESRC datasets which are available across the UK.

(b) Funding rates:

Organisation type	Basic research	Industrial / Applied Research
Large Enterprises	100%1	100%1
Medium Enterprises	100%1	100%1
Small Enterprises	100%1	100%1
Universities, public research organisations	80%	80%
Public authorities	100%1	100%1
Associations without economic activities, NGOs	100%1	100%1

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Please read the ‘Eligibility of a partner as a beneficiary institution’ and ‘Eligible costs’ sections for further details on what costs may or may not be eligible to apply for.

ANNEX B: DATA MANAGEMENT

Why the DUT Partnership requires Data Management Plans (DMPs):

The DUT Partnership wishes to promote open, transparent and robust urban and global change research and innovation/implementation by encouraging more open sharing of research data, leading to wider data analysis, more data reuse, and the combination of datasets from multiple sources. The DUT Partnership believes that an increased emphasis on the open sharing of research data has the potential to stimulate new approaches to the collection, analysis, validation and management of data, and to the transparency of the research process. However, DUT also recognises that not all data can be shared openly, and that there will be legitimate reasons to constrain access, for example the risks to the privacy of individuals must always be considered where data arise from, or are derived from, personally identifiable data.

The DUT Partnership considers that the production and implementation of a project specific data management plan (DMP) is an essential requirement to enable the sharing of research data. Research data includes:

• digital information created directly from research activities, such as experiments, analysis, surveys, measurements, instrumentation and observations;
• data resulting from automated or manual data reduction and analysis including the inputs and outputs of simulations and models.

Project specific DMPs should be in accordance with relevant standards and community best practice, which may vary by subject and disciplinary area. Research data should normally be open by default, unless there are legitimate reasons to constrain access, and the data must be made available with minimum time delay, including being discoverable through catalogues and search engines. Data with acknowledged long-term value should be preserved, protected from loss and remain accessible and usable for future research in sustainable and trustworthy repositories.

To enable research data to be discoverable and effectively reused by others, including those outside the discipline of origin, sufficient metadata should be recorded and made openly available to enable other researchers to understand the research and reuse potential of the data. Published results should always include information on how to access the supporting data and other research materials. Researchers should ensure that metadata created to support research datasets retained for the long-term is sufficient to allow other researchers a reasonable understanding of those datasets and thereby minimise unintentional misuse, misinterpretation or confusion.

Data Management Plan Requirements

A DMP describes the data management life cycle for the data to be collected, processed and/or generated by a research project funded within this Call. As part of making research data findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR), a DMP should include information on:

• the handling of research data during and after the end of the project;
• the types of data, samples, physical collections, software, curriculum materials, and other materials to be collected, processed and/or generated in the course of the project;
• the standards to be used for data and metadata format and content (where existing standards are absent or deemed inadequate, this should be documented along with proposed solutions or remedies);
• policies for broad access and sharing including provisions for appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual property, or other rights or requirements;
• policies and provisions for reuse, redistribution, and the production of derivatives;
• plans for archiving data, samples, and other research products, and for preservation of access to them via an institutionally supported repository.

ANNEX C: DEFINITIONS OF STRATEGIC AND APPLIED RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Characteristics	Strategic research	Applied research	Innovation
Desired impact	Advance towards answering the question “How do cities really function?”, in a way that can be generalised and add to the universal body of knowledge about cities and serve as a foundation for future research.	Advance towards answering the questions: – “How do cities really function?” in a way that can be generalised and add to the universal body of knowledge about cities and serve as a foundation for future research. – “What works, when attempting to improve cities?” in a way that can be generalised enough to serve as useful knowledge for decision makers and practitioners.	Advance towards the development, implementation, demonstration, testing, evaluation, and uptake of approaches for new products, services, policies, practices, and processes, with potential for improving sustainability in cities.
Importance of generating results fitting for publication in reputable academic journals	Highest importance	Very important	Encouraged
Methodological approach	Rigorous scientific and experimental method including methodological advancement	Rigorous scientific and experimental methods including methodological advancement	Systematic, proven approach
Foundation of work on evaluation and analysis of empirical observations	Encouraged	Encouraged	Required
Involvement of stakeholders	Involved at least as knowledge co-creators/co-designers	Involved at least as knowledge co-creators/co-designers	Directly involved in the workload
Role for applying Urban Living Labs (see Annex D)	Encouraged	Encouraged	Encouraged
Role for policy research	Encouraged	Fits well	May fit
Valorisation of project results	Provision of insights to an important societal issue, production of useful knowledge for stakeholders	Provision of insights to an important societal issue, production of useful knowledge for stakeholders	Market potential of the project or capacity to respond to a demand or need
Background of Expert Panel for project assessment	Knowledgeable researchers from universities and RTOs with topic relevant disciplinary background and expertise, representatives from commercial actors in industry and business, government authorities, civil society organisations and innovators, and other relevant stakeholders

ANNEX D: URBAN LIVING LABS

Projects may employ the approach to R&I called Urban Living Labs (ULL).

The DUT Partnership uses this notion to describe methods, approaches and projects that involve a high level of stakeholder participation, co-creation, co-production, learning-loops, and experimental approaches to improve urban life. It is hence an umbrella notion for methodological tools when the challenge at hand is understood to benefit from or even require experimental approaches and substantial co-creation between stakeholders and urban actors. Participants in ULLs shoulder the role of co-creators to explore, examine, experiment, test and evaluate ideas, scenarios, processes, systems, concepts and creative solutions in complex everyday life settings. When more societal functions are involved in a project, it is aimed to ensure a robust knowledge creation. If successfully implemented, an ULL helps promote capacity building through close collaboration between researchers, politicians, business and civil society in response to challenges and dilemmas in urban settings. As a multi-stakeholder and innovative approach, it offers different actors the opportunity to influence and change current urban settings through research and explorative activities that involves interaction and learning processes. In this way, sustainable urban development can be concretised, tested and translated into everyday life situations, and includes how to best achieve sustainability objectives. The typical outcome of ULLs tend to be processes, services, systems or products employing working methods that integrate inhabitants and other actors into the entire development process.

Over the recent decade, ULLs have become common to tackle urban challenges in Europe, offering the opportunity to research and innovate on a wide variety of issues in everyday settings as well as to test hypotheses and elements to pathways towards urban sustainability and liveability transformations.

An ULL will typically run for the length of a project (usually three years) – although there are examples of longer term lab settings. After this period data is collected, knowledge is shaped, results are drawn together, and learning occur whereby, in some situations, changes in the wider urban context happen.

Systematic integration of the outcomes in urban governance might be key to assure long-term impact and contribution of the ULL to sustainable and liveable urban transformations in cities and urban areas.

In general, the ULL concept is applied to urban areas to institutionally densify the urban innovation ecosystems that deal with the multidimensional challenges in urban areas. About half of all the projects granted funding by JPI Urban Europe since 2012 have employed ULLs in one way or another. The first two DUT Calls also encouraged the implementation of ULL.

Here are some characteristics of ULLs:

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT

From the point of view of academic research, an ULL is transdisciplinary and profoundly integrates expertise not just from several academic disciplines but more widely from stakeholders in their everyday urban settings. Stakeholders here are those who are or would be affected in an everyday life situation, with all their experience and expectations available and made useful in the project. Note that this goes far beyond what might be achieved by adding a reference group or panel of so-called users to a traditional research project. In an ULL, stakeholders are deeply and actively involved from the early stages of the project, and the research is by its design open for surprises and learning that originates from the stakeholders involved. ULLs go beyond occasional and periodic consultation and workshops: the research process is designed not only to add the results from the various disciplines, but also to connect them together to form cycles of learning and feedback. This enables more learning for all parties involved, including non-academic partners, than the simple serial connection of a process from one discipline being followed by a process from another discipline. An ULL hence involves partners representing more than one sector of society other than academia, e.g. a municipal government, private companies and non-governmental organisations. It is a forum for research and discovery, that by its

design is open for learning and exploration in any direction, between any combination of participants who consider participation mutually beneficial and where the terminology adopted is inclusive and understandable. The learning outcomes should aim to contribute to capacity building on tackling urban challenges. This is one of the ways in which ULLs aim for long-term value creation and sustainability after project funding ends.

PURPOSE

The purpose of ULLs is not necessarily to produce new and original knowledge, but to respond to challenges, create value and explore ways to shape synergies out of urban dilemmas and achieve sustainability goals. This may include the recycling or adaptation (i.e. implementation) of already existing knowledge and innovations and collaboration with its change makers and initiators: scaling across and capacity building rather than scaling up by streamlining with successfully realised or ongoing projects.

METHOD FOR INNOVATION

While embracing the flexibility, the openness to serendipity, and the iterative nature of working across disciplines, organisations and sectors, an ULL maintains the rigour and orderliness characteristic for scientific method. Constituted by the appropriate methods, knowledge and expertise, the methods applied facilitate the creation of knowledge which is translatable to new contexts. An ULL may contain activities representing all areas of an urban innovation ecosystem. The ULL method is in this sense response attentive and challenge driven; processes and initial targets may change depending on participant feedback or external circumstances.

LOCATION

An ULL is located right where the process and challenge being addressed take place, in everyday urban life, typically but not exclusively on a neighbourhood scale. In this way, the outcomes can demonstrate a clear practical outcome. There are ethical considerations as to when to apply it and how. If the ULL involves digital tools, the reasons for this needs to be carefully evaluated and thought of in relation to context.

ANNEX E: GLOSSARY

Term	Description
Co-creation	an approach where heterogeneous actors collaborate to produce knowledge, instruments, technology, artefacts, policy, know-how, etc.
Innovation	A process in which new ideas (technologies, designs, procedures, etc.), and combinations of them, bring about changes in (sub)systems like supply chains, markets, urban regions, etc. This process can be incremental, radical or even disruptive.
Interdisciplinarity	A collaboration spanning multiple academic disciplines (e.g. natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, engineering sciences, technological sciences, medical sciences) and involving the application of complementary methodologies to more innovatively and comprehensively tackle a common problem than would otherwise be possible.
Open data	Data that can be freely used, reused and distributed by anyone.
Smart City	Refers to cities in which ICT is increasingly pervasive and ubiquitous. Cities whose knowledge economy and governance are being progressively driven by innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship; and in which digital technologies can be used to efficiently and effectively run cities and the services provided by them.
Sustainability	A multifaceted property that describes the extent to which social, economic and environmental objectives are in balance; that economic activity is not declining, that non-renewable resource throughputs are minimised and that society has high capital and is cohesive, equitable and inclusive.
Transdisciplinarity	A collaboration spanning multiple partners, both academic and non-academic, to solve a common problem. Non-academic partners may include city officials, (non-) governmental agencies and offices, charitable organisations, companies, civil society, grassroots movements etc.
Urban innovation ecosystems	Relational assemblages of stakeholders, researchers and initiatives which together make up an integrated effort for implementation and validation of approaches and solutions.
Urban area	From a morphological perspective: an area encompassing one or more cities plus its built-up environs, irrespective of local body administrative boundaries, often subject to a minimum built up density threshold and a minimum population size (e.g. clusters of contiguous grid cells of at least 300 inhabitants per km² and a minimum population of 5 000). From a functional perspective: a continuous area including one or several urban centre(s) and all population settlements in which a significant proportion of the employed population works in the urban centre(s) or in localities connected to the urban centre(s).
Urban Living Lab	A forum for innovation, applied to the development of new products, systems, services, and processes in an urban area; employing working methods to integrate people into the entire development process as users and co-creators to explore, examine, experiment, test and evaluate new ideas, scenarios, processes, systems, concepts and creative solutions in complex and everyday contexts.

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https://dutpartnership.eu/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/DUT-Roadmap-2022-komprimiert.pdf

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https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe/eu-missions-horizon-europe/climate-neutral-and-smart-cities_en

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The evaluation will consider the specificity of the projects addressing several Transition Pathways.

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⁴

A project is considered diversity (or gender) relevant when it concerns individuals or specific groups of people and/or when its findings may affect individuals or specific groups.

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⁵

This does not necessarily mean earlier projects by one of the applicants, but refers to projects and knowledge in general.

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⁶

If this Call was focused on technological research and development (which is not the case), we would have been talking of TRLs between 1 and 4 for ROA and above 4 for IOA.

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⁷

Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans

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Sustainable Urban Logistics Plans

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Sustainable Urban Mobility Indices

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¹⁰

Sustainable Development Goals

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¹¹

As defined by the GHG Protocol and applied by EU-Cities Mission by 2030. These include all emissions from journeys and transportation outside a city’s limits but link to activities of its inhabitants and businesses, as well as with their consumption.

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¹²

see Annex A.

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For instance, a company located in three participating countries and eligible for funding by the respective Funding Agencies will not be considered as three independent applicants and will count for only one applicant.

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¹⁴

Some Funding Agencies may impose stricter participation rules, such as no participation in more than one pre-proposal. The potential applicants are invited to read the national annexes and check this kind of eligibility rule with the Funding Agency’s contact person.

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Key urban services include sanitation, energy, water, transport infrastructure and transportation, education, health services, emergency services and (public) housing.

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A PIC (Participant Identification Code) number for each Partner is necessary to submit a (pre-)proposal.

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Please contact your national/regional Funding Agency

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National/regional rules may be more restrictive regarding this eligibility criterion.

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No gap will be left in each ranking list. When going down the ranking list, if a project cannot be funded with the available budget, no project ranked below will be funded.

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Some Funding Agencies may have stricter rules; please check your national/regional agency’s National Annex.

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Last name, first name of the persons involved, date of birth, professional contact information, degree(s), position (current and previous), fields of activity, place of work, organisation, address(es), curriculum vitae, ORCID number, name and reference of projects, pre-proposals, full project proposals (scientific document, administrative and financial appendix).

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Publicaties referendum

Joint Call for Proposals for Research and Innovation Projects European Partnership, Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

1 Introduction

1.1 Structure of the Call text

1.2 Background to urban challenges addressed through the DUT Partnership

1.3 Available budget and funding scheme

2 Scope and topics of the Call for proposals

2.1 Aims, approaches and recommendations for proposals

2.2 Types of research and innovation (R&I) activities to be supported

2.3 Call topics

2.3.0 Circular Urban Economies Transition Pathway (CUE TP)

2.3.1.1 CUE Topic 1: Creating a New Paradigm for Urban Water Cycles

2.3.1.2 CUE Topic 2: Circular Models for Regenerating, Repurposing, Protecting and Conserving Urban Space for Biodiversity

2.3.1.3 CUE Topic 3: Multi-City Strategies for Circular Urban Economy Monitoring and Management

2.3.1 15-minute City Transition Pathway (15mC TP)

2.3.1.1 15mC Topic 1: Advancing Urban Mobility: Innovations for Inclusive and Youth-Centric Mobility Systems

2.3.1.2 15mC Topic 2: Reconsidering Urban Mobility Systems: Towards System Innovation and Proximity Policies for Sustainable City Regions

2.3.1.3 15mC Topic 3: Evidence for the urban mobility transition – data and indicators for effective decision-making

2.3.2 Positive Energy Districts Transition Pathway (PED TP)

2.3.2.1 PED Topic 1: Local PEDs in a multi-level perspective

2.3.2.2 PED Topic 2: Towards the climate-neutral city: PEDs, system integration and urban strategies

2.3.2.3 PED Topic 3: Managing the urban energy transition: data management and decision support systems

3 Eligibility criteria and guidelines for applicants

3.1 Consortium: who can participate and apply

3.2 What can be applied for?

3.3 Preparing and submitting an application

3.4 Summary of the transnational eligibility criteria

3.5 National/regional specific eligibility rules

3.6 Eligibility check

3.7 Fallback Procedure

4 Assessment and selection procedure

4.1 Pre-proposal stage (stage 1)

4.2 Full proposal stage (stage 2)

4.3 Right to object a decision, redress procedure

4.4 Time schedule

4.5 Evaluation criteria

4.6 Conflicts of interest (Expert Panel)

5 Project implementation

5.1 Consortium agreement

5.2 Project monitoring and reporting

5.3 The Call Secretariat will publish detailed guidelines to assist projects with their transnational reporting duties.

5.3.0 Programme activities

5.3.1 Mandatory project events

5.3.2 Reports and summaries for the general public

5.3.3 Support for the DUT Knowledge Hub(s)

5.4 Publications and dissemination

5.4.0 Communication Strategy

5.4.1 Acknowledgements

5.4.2 Open science practices, data management and data sharing

5.5 Personal data protection

5.6 “Do No Significant Harm” (DNSH) principle

6 Contact details and other information

ANNEX A: SPECIFIC FUNDING AGENCIES’ BUDGETS AND RULES OF ELIGIBILITY

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Austria – Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG)

Belgium – Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles – Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique (F.R.S.-FNRS)

Belgium / Flanders – FIO / VLAIO

Belgium /Flanders – The Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO)

Belgium/Brussels Capital Region -Innoviris

Bulgaria – Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF)

Brazil/São Paulo – Sao Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

Bulgaria – Bulgarian National Science Fund (BNSF)

Czech Republic – Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR)

Denmark – Innovation Fund Denmark (IFD)

Estonia – Estonian Research Council (ETAG)

Finland – Business Finland (BF

France – ADEME

France – Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)

Germany – Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (FZJ-PtJ)

Greece – General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI)

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