Deadline: 14-Sep-21
Applications are now open for the Better Prepared Regional and Local Authorities to Adapt to Climate Change grant programme.
The global climate crisis is an existential threat to the world as they know it. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is crucial, but even stopping all emissions would not stop the climate impacts that are already occurring, and which are likely to continue for decades.
The COVID-19 pandemic has taught them a lesson about how closely connected environmental, societal and human health issues are. What they have lived through and still will is a foretaste of the shocks that climate change will increasingly cause in the future.
But they can break the vicious circle of living on environmental debt and restore planetary health.
This identified mission seeks to turn the urgent challenge of adapting to climate change into an opportunity to make Europe more climate resilient, prepared, competitive and just.
Scope
- This action should provide services to support regional and local authorities in their preparation to meet the current requirements of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism legislation, and the foreseen adaptation objectives in the Climate Law, underpinning the new EU strategy on adaptation to climate change in terms of research and innovation, data and knowledge, and capacity and skills.
- Furthermore, this action should take stock of past, ongoing and future activities related to climate change adaptation, including innovative approaches to climate adaptation plans to implement a mix of solutions – based on technological, non-technological, and social innovations – and to explore transformative pathways. This would give an indication of best practices and solutions already available, gaps and barriers to address climate change adaptation in a more holistic matter; as well as options for transformative and innovative approaches.
Funding Information
Grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000 except for:
- public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
- cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Project results are expected to contribute to some of the following expected outcomes:
- regional and local authorities gear up their preparations for meeting current and future objectives and requirements when it comes to climate adaptation and climate risk management, in the Climate Law- namely in the new EU strategy on adaptation to climate change – and in the Union Civil Protection Mechanism legislation;
- regional and local authorities, citizens and other stakeholders improve their understanding of climate risk and have improved access to relevant climate science, data and information from public and private sources and services (e.g. from regional climate projections and predictions, Copernicus, GEOSS and European Research Infrastructures (ERI);
- regional and local authorities have access to a range of funding and financing opportunities to create an enabling environment for adaptation action;
- regional and local authorities embrace a transformative, inclusive and systemic approach, including societal transformation dimension, towards climate change adaptation action and just transition (in the wider sustainability context);
- citizens and stakeholders are aware of climate impacts and risks, and engaged in the co-creation and sharing of data, knowledge and solutions fundamental for the transformation to become climate resilient (including by building on citizen science, social dialogue and social innovation approaches);
- regional and local authorities adopt an integrated approach to solutions addressing climate change adaptation and climate resilience, namely no/low-regret adaptation solutions with co-benefits of adaptation actions for mitigation, zero pollution, biodiversity (e.g. nature-based solutions), resource efficiency, the economy, society, cultural heritage, human health and well-being;
- regional authorities and communities are equipped to assess adaptation gaps in a systematic and forward-looking manner.
Eligibility Criteria
- Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
- A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
- To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe
- low- and middle-income countries
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3w3GgP4