Third Call for Proposals EUI - Innovative Actions

The third EUI-Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) Call for Proposals will be launched in May 2024 and close in October 2024 with an allocated indicative budget of EUR 90 million ERDF. Each project can receive up to a maximum of EUR 5 million ERDF co-financing and project implementation should take place within a maximum period of 3,5 years.

Even if the Call is not officially open yet for submissions, it is recommended that cities start to develop their project proposals as early as possible using the different resources available on this Call page. The following steps can already be started before the opening of the Call:

1. Read the third EUI-IA Call topics descriptions.
2. Develop a project idea in line with one of the topics answering local challenges in your city.
3. Set up your project partnership by establishing contacts with relevant entities e.g. public and private partners, NGOs, University, SMEs,…
4. Start co-designing the framework of your project work plan with your project partners and stakeholders.

And register  to the Call 3 online info session!

The EUI Permanent Secretariat will assist applicants during the Call for Proposals. This support will be provided via:

EUI-IA Guidance

Explore the EUI-IA Guidance to learn more about the context and rationale behind establishing EUI – Innovative Actions, and get familiar with the frameworks, rules and procedures related to project generation and development, the application and selection, the Initiation Phase and contracting, the transfer component, project implementation, eligibility of expenditure, and project communication and capitalisation. Dedicated FAQ section provides further and complementary information.

Explore the guidance

Applicants Seminars (in person events)

During the Applicant Seminars, participants will have the opportunity to take part in several plenary and break-out sessions dedicated to different aspects of the EUI – Innovative Actions. They will receive information about its goals and rules; thematic coverage and main features of EUI - Innovative Actions; the topics of the 3rd Call for proposals; as well as technical information related to the projects: application form; intervention logic; finance, eligibility rules, project budget; transfer mechanism; knowledge and communication.

There will be a limited number of spots available and priority will be given to urban authorities. Additionally, during the Applicant Seminars there will be the opportunity to register to 30-minute one-to-one consultations with the EUI Permanent Secretariat.

Two Applicant Seminars take place on the following dates and locations.

• 13th June 2024 Bucharest, Romania 
• 27th June 2024 Prague, Czech Republic

Application Form Workshop (in person event)

Application Form Workshop is an event dedicated to applicants who are already advanced working on their applications.

During the workshop, participants will take part in practical exercises aimed at helping them better understand what they should pay attention to while drafting their Application Form, how to technically navigate the online application system (Electronic Exchange Platform), and what information is required by the EUI - Innovative Actions at the application stage. The aim of the workshop is to address practical questions applicants face while filling out the Application Form and to allow them to self-evaluate whether the developed content meets the technical requirements of the EUI - Innovative Actions.

Please note that the workshop is NOT dedicated to supporting applicants in generating project ideas or providing feedback on the content of individual application forms.

There will be a limited number of spots available and priority will be given to urban authorities.

• 10th September 2024 Brussels, Belgium - the registration will open soon.

Online collective Q&A sessions

Eight collective Q&A sessions will take place online on Thursdays while the Call is open. The dates of these events can be found below:

• Thursday 6 June 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
• Thursday 20 June 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
• Thursday 4 July 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
• Thursday 18 July 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
• Thursday 29 August 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
• Thursday 12 September 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
• Thursday 26 September 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST
• Thursday 10 October 2024, 10.00 – 11.00 CEST

One-to-one Consultations

The Permanent Secretariat will make available a limited number of appointments for online 30-minute one-to-one consultations.

The aim of these meetings is to provide further clarity and support to applicants on how to apply for funding, how to define the work plan, budget, deliverables/outputs and transfer component and how to manage an EUI-IA project. We cannot give feedback on the feasibility and strategic nature of the project proposal.

Please note, bookings for meetings are on a first come, first serve basis. Preference will be given to urban authorities who already have an established/identified project in mind, and we request that attendees are kept to the minimum required.

Registration for the one-to-one consultations will open in June 2024.

Contact us

Answers to frequently asked questions can be found in the interactive EUI-IA online Guidance at the end of each chapter. You didn’t find the answer to your question or would like to double check the eligibility of your Main Urban Authority/ Associated Urban Authority?

Feel free to contact us using the email address: innovativeactions@urban-initiative.eu

Self-assessment tool

In this section, you will find an easy-to-use “self-assessment tool” reflecting the key requirements to have in mind before submitting a project proposal to EUI - Innovative Actions.

Is your city eligible? Is your project idea relevant? Is your project appropriately addressing urban challenges you are facing? Are you organisationally ready for applying to EUI’s 3rd Call for Innovative Actions?

By answering following 15 questions you will have a chance to get helpful tips and be pointed out to the relevant chapters of the EUI-IA Guidance which you should consult in order to mature and improve your project proposal to a successful application.

Try it

EUI - Portico Urban Matchmaker tool

The process of identifying Transfer Partners should start already at the application stage, when applicants are asked to identify other European urban areas that could benefit from replicating the proposed solution in view of the favourable conditions for transfer (similar characteristic, contexts) or of increasing their innovation potential; to elaborate on how the most suitable Transfer Partners will be identified; and if already identified, specify potential Transfer Partners together with the underlying motivations/rationale.

The selection of the Transfer Partners should allow: (i) to maintain a good balance in terms of variety of cities involved in the Partnership (their size (small, medium-sized, large cities) and localisation (less-developed, transition and more developed regions)), and (ii) to gather the most relevant Transfer Partners for the quality of the replication activities.

Therefore, the selection of the Transfer Partners will follow some guiding principles:

• Transfer Partners come from different EU Member States;
• At least two of the four cities involved (MUA + the 3 Transfer Partners) are located in less developed or transition regions
• The partnership includes cities of different sizes.

The EUI-Portico Urban Matchmaker tool aims at supporting the development of the Transfer Component under EUI-IA projects (see also EUI-IA Guidance, Chapter 5: Transfer) and at facilitating the contact between urban authorities that are identifying potential Transfer Partners and urban authorities interested in transferring an innovative action.