Transnational research and innovation projects in urban development can receive support through this year's call within the European partnership Driving urban transitions, DUT. In the fall of 2025, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency will announce funding so that actors active in Sweden can participate in international projects that help cities in their transition to more sustainable economies and societies.
The aim of this new call for proposals under the DUT is to support transnational research and innovation projects in the transition of cities to more sustainable economies and societies. This is the fourth DUT call and it is co-funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe Framework Program.
Challenges based on the pillars of the partnership
The partnership is divided into transition pathway pillars, each of which identifies a number of topics as challenges.
- Circular urban economies (CUE)
- Positive energy districts (PED)
- 15-minute city (15mC)
For the 2025 call, Formas is co-funding projects in circular urban economies and the Swedish Energy Agency in energy-positive districts. Swedish applicants will not be able to apply for national funding for the 15-minute city, but it is possible to participate in such projects with their own co-funding.
Circular urban economies (CUE)
This pillar aims to promote urban places, communities and neighborhoods that are sustained by circular resource flows and improve the well-being of their inhabitants and ecosystems. It encourages urban planning and design characterized by regenerative urbanism and favours the combination of circular principles, urban greening and equal access to urban spaces and resources.
Below are briefly the topics identified as challenges linked to the pillar.
- Topic 1: Resilientgreen and social infrastructure
- Topic 2: Sustainable tourism - circular benefits and challenges
- Topic 3: Public procurement to promote greener cities and circularity
Positive energy districts (PED)
This pillaraims to develop innovative solutions for the planning, large-scale implementation and replication of PEDs in Europe's urban and peri-urban areas. By combining energy efficiency, renewable energy production and energy flexibility at local level, PED offers and contributes to affordable energy systems, affordable and quality housing and competitive, resilient and inclusive local economies for cities through energy communities, contributing to European objectives such as the SET-Plan and the EU mission on climate neutral and smart cities.
Below are the topics identified as challenges linked to the pillar.
- Topic 1: Promoting a just transition: PED strategies in social and public housing
- Topic 2: Ensuring positive socio-economic impact: PEDs in local economies and energy markets
- Topic 3:PEDs in urban heating and cooling strategies
The 15 minute city (15mC)
This pillar addresses challenges in urban mobility, logistics, public spaces and proximity-based strategies to promote the implementation of climate-neutral and resilient neighborhoods for all. The pillar aims to enable the analysis, development and testing of ideas, tools and innovations for 15-minute cities within "co-creative" and interdisciplinary environments.
Below are the topics identified as challenges linked to the pillar.
- Topic 1: Next steps for multimodal urban mobility, based on the travel experience
- Topic 2: Transforming parking - transforming urban parking policies
- Topic 3: Mobility policy making in a context of radical competition
Transnational research and innovation projects
Researchers, cities, municipalities, businesses, civil society, actors from the cultural and creative industries and other stakeholders that can contribute to the transformation of cities are welcome to apply for funding under this call. Applicants are encouraged to explicitly engage with stakeholders such as businesses, public organizations and civil society organizations in the projects.
A breadth of scientific disciplines and interdisciplinary approaches is important, and projects need to integrate diversity perspectives - the call encourages a spectrum of activities, from research to innovation and application. A clear objective of the call is, among other things, to take into account the needs of users when identifying project objectives.
Applications can be submitted for a project duration of up to 36 months. There is no financial limit for each project. Please note national restrictions and the respective funding organizations' regulations for what can be applied for.
A consortium needs to have at least three applicant organizations from at least three participating countries, and they should be eligible for funding from the respective national or regional funding bodies. The added value of transnational cooperation should be clearly stated.
Matchmaking is done through the B2Match tool.
Application process
The lead applicant is responsible for coordination and contacts with the DUT Secretariat. A co-applicant who cannot be granted funding by the respective funder can be part of a consortium if the participation can be financed with other funds and the consortium meets the requirements for number of participants and countries.
The national requirements for each funding body can be found in the national annexes in the international call text. Please contact the Swedish funding body that manages the specific pillar.
The call is made in two steps. A brief application (pre-proposal) is submitted in the first stage via the Romanian organization UEFISCDI's application tool External link..
Applicants who proceed to the second stage will receive this information via the application system - and will be invited to submit a full proposal.
Important dates
- Call opens on September 1, 2025
- National Information Session September 5, 2025 13.00-14.00 CEST (digitally via Zoom)
- International information meeting September 9, 2025 10.00-13.00 CEST (digital) External link.
- Stage 1 application deadline, November 17, 2025 at 13.00 CET
- Panel meeting for stage 1, January 2025
- Applicant invited to submit a full application, February 2026
- Stage 2 application deadline, April 23, 2026 at 13.00 CET
- Stage 2 panel meeting, June 2026
- Decision and notification of results to applicants, July 2026
- Project start September 2026 - January 2027
- Kick-off meeting in 2027
For more information
For more information on circular urban economies, please contact Formas - see contact details below.
For more information on energy-positive neighborhoods and the 15-minute city, contact the Swedish Energy Agency and Viable Cities.
For full information on, for example, challenges, participating countries and their budgets, application procedure and transnational requirements, please refer to the Driving urban transitions partnership website and the international call text.
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