Boosting the clean energy transition in cities and regions
LIFE Clean Energy Transition Sub-programme
Funding Amount
Up to €1.8M
Deadline
23/09/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Public Institution, Research Institution, Non-profit, Private Business
Trusted by
What is the Boosting the clean energy transition in cities and regions Call?
Grant Description
This call supports local and regional authorities across the European Union to develop and implement decarbonisation plans and clean energy transition measures. It addresses the need for enhanced capacity, skills, methodologies and stakeholder engagement to accelerate sustainable energy actions, including integrated decarbonisation plans and local heating and cooling strategies. Projects must deliver quantifiable results and impacts, mobilise public budgets, and establish institutional structure...
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
By project end and five years thereafter, projects must deliver and quantify concrete results and their contribution to topic‐specific impacts, establishing clear causality from baseline through well-substantiated assumptions. Expected outcomes include:
• Number of clean energy transition measures implemented or initiated; financial resources earmarked in local/regional budgets for CET plans and measures.
• Number of heating and cooling methodologies, templates, blueprints and fossil-free strategies established.
• Number of policymakers/public officers with improved capacity and skills; average training hours per participant.
• Number of public and private stakeholders engaged; number of organizational structures created or reinforced.
• Number of institutionalised dialogues/cooperations and Memoranda of Understanding demonstrating political commitment.
• Primary and final energy savings (GWh/year); renewable energy generation triggered (GWh/year); greenhouse gas emission reductions (t CO₂-eq/year); investments in sustainable energy triggered (cumulative, M€). Through these results, cities and regions will be equipped with the capacities, tools, governance frameworks and secured financing needed to decide, deliver and mainstream sustainable energy measures in a socially just, competitive clean energy transition.
• Number of clean energy transition measures implemented or initiated; financial resources earmarked in local/regional budgets for CET plans and measures.
• Number of heating and cooling methodologies, templates, blueprints and fossil-free strategies established.
• Number of policymakers/public officers with improved capacity and skills; average training hours per participant.
• Number of public and private stakeholders engaged; number of organizational structures created or reinforced.
• Number of institutionalised dialogues/cooperations and Memoranda of Understanding demonstrating political commitment.
• Primary and final energy savings (GWh/year); renewable energy generation triggered (GWh/year); greenhouse gas emission reductions (t CO₂-eq/year); investments in sustainable energy triggered (cumulative, M€). Through these results, cities and regions will be equipped with the capacities, tools, governance frameworks and secured financing needed to decide, deliver and mainstream sustainable energy measures in a socially just, competitive clean energy transition.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
• Applicants must clearly specify and address exactly one of the two scopes: Scope A (accelerating and mainstreaming implementation of existing integrated decarbonisation plans) or Scope B (developing methodologies, templates, blueprints and strategies for local heating and cooling plans in line with Article 25(6) of the EED).
• Scope A proposals must focus on place-based, cross-sector measures coordinated with key stakeholders and tailored to vulnerable groups; Scope B proposals must support municipalities (≥45 000 inhabitants) in preparing local heating and cooling plans by integrating data, building skills, engaging DSOs, phasing out fossil gas, and streamlining administration.
• For either scope, proposals must: identify the target authorities; demonstrate their involvement and high-level political commitment; develop methods for rapid deployment and policy prioritisation; outline and secure required public budget allocations by project end; assess complementary financing solutions; and structure dialogues across governance levels and among public/private stakeholders.
• Consortia must comprise at least three independent beneficiaries (not affiliated) from three different eligible countries.
• The call recommends an EU contribution of up to €1.75 million per proposal (higher or lower amounts allowed) with a co-financing rate of 95% (Other Action Grants).
• Scope A proposals must focus on place-based, cross-sector measures coordinated with key stakeholders and tailored to vulnerable groups; Scope B proposals must support municipalities (≥45 000 inhabitants) in preparing local heating and cooling plans by integrating data, building skills, engaging DSOs, phasing out fossil gas, and streamlining administration.
• For either scope, proposals must: identify the target authorities; demonstrate their involvement and high-level political commitment; develop methods for rapid deployment and policy prioritisation; outline and secure required public budget allocations by project end; assess complementary financing solutions; and structure dialogues across governance levels and among public/private stakeholders.
• Consortia must comprise at least three independent beneficiaries (not affiliated) from three different eligible countries.
• The call recommends an EU contribution of up to €1.75 million per proposal (higher or lower amounts allowed) with a co-financing rate of 95% (Other Action Grants).
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
Admissibility conditions: comply with page limits and layout requirements set out in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the application form. Eligible countries and other eligibility criteria are defined in section 6; financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria in section 7. Submission follows a single-stage model: opening 24 April 2025, deadline 23 September 2025 at 17:00 Brussels time. Evaluation and award procedures, criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in sections 8 and 9; the indicative evaluation timeline and grant agreement procedure in section 4; legal and financial setup in section 10. Proposals must use the call-specific application form, detailed budget table, participant information template and the LIFE Model Grant Agreement. Actions must align with the EU Green Deal, ‘Fit for 55’, EED and RED, the Covenant of Mayors, National Energy and Climate Plans, National Building Renovation Plans, the Horizon Europe Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, and leverage complementary technical assistance (e.g. ManagEnergy, ELENA, LIFE-CET PDA, Smart Cities Marketplace, EU City Facility).
Important dates
Open from: 24/04/2025
Deadline:23/09/2025
Application period has ended
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70+
proposals prepared
€36.7M
total funding secured for clients
65%
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