Deadline: 21-Oct-21
European Commission is inviting proposals for Testing innovative solutions on local communities’ demand.
This action will promote the uptake of research-based technological and non-technological solutions in cities and local communities by responding to concrete, citizen driven, demand for testing and experimentation. By addressing the local societal demand for innovative solutions and bringing forward R&I to match communities’ needs, the action will contribute to implementing the European Green Deal’s aim “to involve local communities in working towards a more sustainable future, in initiatives that seek to combine societal pull and technology push”.
By matching needs to (candidate) new solutions stemming from EU R&I, and testing these solutions in a transparent and socially inclusive way, the action will contribute to technology uptake with citizen engagement, in line with the aims of the European industrial strategy.
Within the scope of this action is to co-create and test societal solutions, so that R&I developed in Europe can be tested in Europe, jointly with local communities. The scaling up of the effective solutions is not within the scope of this action, and could be facilitated through other programmes and initiatives (public and/or private). The core concept lies in collecting, and then matching, needs of cities and communities with supply of possible solutions from research results, involving adaptation to local needs, testing in real environments (cities/communities as testbeds) and ensuring benefits for all parts of society.
Funding Information
The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested 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
Proposals are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:
- Increased societal uptake of new technologies and knowledge-based solutions, achieved through better understanding of societal needs and higher societal acceptance;
- Increased place-based innovation and experimentation, through testing of up to 100 innovative new solutions in partnership with cities and local communities, research and industry, drawing on local characteristics and strengths;
- Increased innovation capacity across Europe, through new models of co-creation and exchange of good practises and learning from experimentation, so that innovative solutions are shared and adapted to the needs of local communities (avoiding ‘one size fits all’).
Eligibility Criteria
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/2VxGq5b