Deadline: 19-Oct-2025
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the City Experiment Fund (CEF) have launched a call for tech and digitally-enabled solutions to help build greener, smarter, and more resilient cities across Europe and Central Asia.
The initiative seeks solutions that address Turning Data into Green Decisions – solutions that turn real-time data into actionable insights for faster, fairer, and greener decisions in cities. Engaging Residents in the Green Transition – solutions that motivate and reward residents to adopt sustainable lifestyles and actively participate in the green transition. Building Green and Resilient Urban Systems – solutions that help reduce waste, restore ecosystems, and build resilience to climate risks.
Cities worldwide face growing pressure to cut emissions, protect biodiversity, and create more livable urban spaces while digital technologies including AI and blockchain rapidly transform urban functions from mobility and waste systems to public services and citizen engagement. The green and digital transformations cannot happen in silos, requiring cities to team up with entrepreneurs, tech disruptors, and innovators.
The City Experiment Fund is a regional UNDP initiative that brings cities together to reimagine and shape sustainable urban development through strategic innovation and transformative solutions. It works with cities across Europe and Central Asia to drive sustainability, enable circular economy, improve quality of life, reshape urban systems, and foster resilience.
BOOST has partnered with CEF to launch this call for urban tech solutions with applications closing on October 19, 2025. Solutions from around the world are invited to apply, provided they meet specific eligibility criteria.
Applicants must be legally registered businesses, civil society organizations, or academic institutions presenting solutions beyond the idea stage that have been piloted, implemented or validated with users. They must demonstrate readiness to facilitate adaptation of their solutions in secondary cities in Armenia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and Ukraine, though prior experience in these countries is advantageous but not required.
Selected solutions will demo during BOOST Discovery Days virtually on November 19-21, 2025, presenting directly to city representatives. Participants will be matched with cities facing real-world challenges aligned with their solutions and receive support to forge partnerships and co-develop prototypes, pilots or projects.
The initiative offers up to US$30,000 in funding to deploy solutions in CEF cities in 2026. All relevant solutions submitted will be featured in BOOST’s open solutions directory, with standout solutions displayed in Urban Innovations article series and promoted across UNDP’s channels.
The programme provides curated matchmaking clinics, partnership acceleration support, funding opportunities for deployment, and visibility through knowledge sharing platforms. City partners include Stepanavan and Tashir in Armenia, Pristina and Obiliq in Kosovo, Podgorica and Pljevlja in Montenegro, Gostivar and Kavadarci in North Macedonia, and Kovel and Nizhyn in Ukraine.
For more information, visit UNDP.
