Horizon Europe calls - Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities
The calls seek municipalities that help define problems, test solutions under real conditions, and demonstrate how the proposed solution can be scaled..... Read More
The Cities Mission call takes a practical approach about buses, buildings, construction sites, heat, materials and the everyday systems that make cities work. Therefore, a strong proposal will need more than an interesting technology or a well-written concept note, it will need a credible story of implementation. Applicants should be ready to demonstrate why a proposed solution matters for climate-neutral cities:
where it will be demonstrated and why those cities are the right testbeds;
how local authorities, infrastructure operators, citizens and market actors will be involved from the start;
how results will be measured in a way that convinces evaluators;
how the solution can travel beyond the pilot cities;
how communication, dissemination and exploitation will help turn results into real uptake.
The role of cities is central. These topics are looking for municipalities that help define problems, test solutions under real-world conditions, and demonstrate how proposed solutions can be scaled.
HORIZON-MISS-2026-04-CIT-01 - focused on energy-efficient urban and suburban public transport, supported by shared mobility services. It is less about individual vehicles and more about how the whole transport system works: better links between public transport and shared mobility, smarter use of data, and more attractive low-emission options for residents. Consortia must include at least three lead cities and three follower cities, with at least one lead city selected under the Cities Mission.
HORIZON-MISS-2026-04-CIT-02 - reducing emissions from the heating systems of older apartment buildings. Typically, these are high-temperature (>70 °C) heat-delivery systems based on fossil fuels. The call topic seeks practical solutions to enable the transition to low-temperature (50-70 °C) heating systems, which are better suited to utilizing heat from sustainable sources such as waste heat or renewable energy technologies. The emphasis is on practical upgrades to existing buildings;. projects should show how cities can move towards cleaner, more flexible heating systems that also support more liveable homes and neighborhoods. At least two cities from different Member States or Associated Countries must be involved, including at least one selected Cities Mission city.
HORIZON-MISS-2026-04-CIT-NEB-B4P-CCRI-03 - brings together the #CitiesMission with the #NEB New European Bauhaus, #Built4People, and the #CircularCitiesRegions Initiative: How can cities build, renovate and reuse materials without locking in more waste and emissions? Every renovation, demolition site and new development raises the same challenge: what happens to the materials, and how much value is lost along the way? The topic supports approaches that reduce raw material use, keep products and components in circulation for longer, and cut whole life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and urban construction. Tools and solutions must be developed and demonstrated at the district or city level. Projects must demonstrate solutions in at least three cities from different Member States or Associated Countries. At least one of these cities must be a selected Cities Mission city.
The Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities is one of five EU Missions under Horizon Europe. Its goal is 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030, acting as experimentation and innovation hubs for the rest of Europe's cities to follow by 2050. It now covers 112 "Mission Cities" (the original 100 EU cities plus 12 from Associated Countries), each of which signs a "Climate City Contract" — a local roadmap combining an action plan and an investment plan for reaching climate neutrality.
Calls under this Mission fund R&I projects that support those cities — things like urban mobility, energy efficiency, and governance/citizen-engagement tools — with cities and their ecosystems (industry, research, citizens) expected to be directly involved as partners or demonstration sites, similar in structure to how the Ocean Mission calls work for basin lighthouses. The Horizon Europe Cities Mission calls HORIZON-MISS-2026 have been launched, supporting the implementation of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission focuses on these implementation challenges via three Innovation Action topics: urban mobility, low-temperature heating, circular construction. Together, they target solutions that can be tested in real city environments and scaled beyond individual demonstration sites. Submission deadline: 8 October 2026
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