Overview
What this EU Mission deals with
The importance of climate-neutral and smart cities
Cities play a pivotal role in achieving climate neutrality by 2050, the goal of the European Green Deal. They take up only 4% of the EU’s land area, but they are home to 75% of EU citizens. Furthermore, cities consume over 65% of the world’s energy and account for more than 70% of global CO2 emissions.
Since climate mitigation is heavily dependent on urban action, we need to support cities in accelerating their green and digital transformation. In particular, European cities can substantially contribute to the Green Deal target of reducing emissions by 55% by 2030 and, in more practical terms, to offer cleaner air, safer transport and less congestion and noise to their citizens.
Aims of the Mission
The Cities Mission will involve local authorities, citizens, businesses, investors as well as regional and national authorities to
- Deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030
- Ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050
As foreseen in its implementation plan, the Cities Mission takes a cross-sectoral and demand-led approach, creating synergies between existing initiatives and basing its activities on the actual needs of cities.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations4 ) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation5 have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call/topic.
- United Kingdom (associated to the entire Programme, with the only exception of the EIC fund5, for award procedures implementing Union budget for the year 2024 and onwards) Read more
Mission Call Details
In line with the Horizon Europe 2023-2024 work programme, the European Commission has launched a new call for project proposals to support research and innovation under the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities
The total indicative budget available is EUR 98 million. The deadline for submissions is 11 February 2025 17)) Brussels Time.
The call covers four topics:
- Rethinking urban spaces towards climate neutrality, with an indicative budget of EUR 45 million
- Zero-pollution cities, with an indicative budget of EUR 20 million
- Mobility management plans and behavioural change, with an indicative budget of EUR 5 million
- Integrated peri-urban areas in the transition towards climate neutrality, with an indicative budget of EUR 28 million
You can find all the information required, including the call text and application forms on the Funding and Tenders Portal using the call reference: HORIZON-MISS-2024-CIT-01
Funding programme
Department