European Urban Initiative — 4th Call for Proposals: Innovative Actions
Enriched government · Found: 2026-04-20 20:03
Open call with EUR 60M ERDF budget targeting city projects driving innovation at local level. Cities apply as lead partners. Submission via EUI.Connect platform. Applications fully paperless. Q&A sessions active across EU countries in spring 2026.
Source: https://www.urban-initiative.eu/calls-proposals/fourth-call-proposals-innovative-actions
Funding Details
- Funder
- European Urban Initiative
- Funding Goal
- Funding for cities to develop and test innovative pilot projects addressing urban challenges at the local level. The 4th Call covers six thematic topics: (1) Digital innovation and digitalisation of public services; (2) Social inclusion and equality; (3) Security, safety and preparedness; (4) Affordable, sustainable, decent-quality and inclusive housing and buildings; (5) Climate action, environment, and clean energy — including circular economy, waste management, re-use and recycling, air quality, urban nature, water resilience; (6) Mobility — sustainable urban mobility systems.
- Funding Amount
- Provisional budget of EUR 60 million ERDF for the 4th Call; individual project budgets vary
- Deadline
- 2026-06-15 (Fixed)
- How to Apply
- Applications submitted via the Portico platform (portico.urban-initiative.eu). Guidance document available at EUI website. Support includes online labs, Q&A sessions (April–June 2026), national info events, and one-to-one city consultations. Apply through Urban Contact Points in each member state.
- Target Region
- European Union member states (all EU cities eligible); focus on urban areas
- Contact
- European Urban Initiative Permanent Secretariat. Urban Contact Points available per country (see urban-initiative.eu/urban-contact-points). Online Q&A sessions available through April-June 2026.
- Last Checked
- 2026-04-20 20:14
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The European Urban Initiative (EUI) 4th Call for Innovative Actions provides EUR 60 million ERDF funding for EU cities to develop and pilot innovative solutions to urban challenges. The call opened on 25 February 2026 and closes on 15 June 2026, with project selection results expected in November 2026. The call targets six thematic topics: digital innovation and e-government; social inclusion and equality; security, safety and urban preparedness; affordable and sustainable housing; climate action, environment and clean energy; and sustainable urban mobility. Of particular note is Topic 5 (climate action, environment and clean energy), which explicitly covers circular economy, waste management, re-use and recycling measures, air quality, water resilience, and urban nature — areas related to plastic and waste reduction in urban settings. Eligible activities include pilot projects testing ambitious, creative ideas in real urban settings. Projects must demonstrate innovation at local level and have transferability potential to other cities. The programme emphasises knowledge exchange and capitalisation of results. Eligible applicants are exclusively cities and urban authorities (local authorities). The programme explicitly excludes NGOs, consultancies, businesses, and universities from the one-to-one support, indicating that non-city entities are not the primary target. This is a critical eligibility restriction. Geographically, all EU member states are eligible. National info events have been organised across EU member states including Denmark, Germany, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden — countries also relevant to Baltic Sea region organisations. The programme is co-financed through ERDF under EU Cohesion Policy 2021-2027, managed by the European Urban Initiative Permanent Secretariat.
Historical Context
The European Urban Initiative is part of the 2021-2027 EU Cohesion Policy, succeeding the Urban Innovative Actions initiative (2014-2020). This is the 4th Call for Innovative Actions; the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd calls are now closed. The call launched February 25, 2026 and closes June 15, 2026. Project selection results expected November 2026.
Why it was added
discovered from funder #155: EU Urban Innovative Actions / EUI