Innovative Actions: meet the winners of the first call!

Designed to support urban innovation and cities’ capabilities to build urban development, the first EUI-IA call was looking for project proposals to deliver sustainable urban development through the three NEB core values and to inspire other Cohesion Policy projects. The call was dedicated to four themes:

• constructing and renovating in a spirit of circularity and carbon neutrality;
• preserving and transforming cultural heritage;
• adapting and transforming buildings for affordable housing solutions;
• regenerating urban spaces.

The call generated a strong interest from all over the European Union, with 99 applications from 21 EU Member States. The selected 14 projects come from varied EU urban context not only in terms of size (8 projects are located in small and medium size cities with less than 250,000 inhabitants) but also geographically (12 EU Member States).

Commissioner for Cohesion Policy and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “The EUI first call projects announced today reflects a broad range of innovative ideas how to improve our quality of life by making our cities, suburbs and neighbourhoods smarter, greener, connected, social and closer to us all. I encourage cities to innovate and turn your cutting-edge ideas into real European public good.”

Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-France Region, said; "Thanks to the rich work of urban actors from 21 Member States, new ideas and approaches can be developed in Europe by integrating the values of the New European Bauhaus: sustainability, inclusion and aesthetics. The highly innovative and integrated solutions selected by the Region and the Commission will allow citizens to experience new ways of building greener and more inclusive cities. I would like to congratulate the winners of this first call for proposals and encourage cities to submit ideas for the second call, launched at the end of May. The Hauts-de-France Region is fully committed to supporting the implementation and transfer of projects that reflect the diversity of European urban contexts and challenges".

The list of the 14 selected projects of the first EUI - Innovative Actions call is available here: Selected projects | EUI (urban-initiative.eu)(link is external).

The ERDF(link is external) will finance 80% of the cost of selected projects and each project can receive up to EUR 5 million. The projects will dedicate part of this funding to the transfer of innovative solutions to other cities in Europe, with the aim to have an even bigger impact, especially in cities and regions most in need of transformation support towards the green future.

City-to-city exchanges can help you to benchmark ideas: to learn from the solutions of cities facing the same challenge or to check the transfer potential of your idea with other EU cities across Europe.

City-to-city exchange is a short term, flexible & on demand activity during which two to three cities visit each other to discuss on a common challenge related to sustainable urban development. Applications are evaluated on a rolling basis: within 4 weeks after submitting an application, you can get started on implementation. The call for city-to-city exchanges will close on 17 November and will re-open beginning of 2024.

To apply click here(link is external).

EUI is also organising a capacity building event in Ljubljana on 4-5 July, right before the EUI-IA Applicant Seminar.

Its aim to support urban authorities in developing an integrated approach to sustainable urban development. Participants will follow the event via a thematic track: Digital transition, Greening cities and Sustainable tourism, which are also supporting the second Call for Proposals for Innovative Actions.

Register for the capacity building event now!