If you are looking to get inspired by other cities across Europe, develop & implement actions in response to your local challenges, strengthen your skills in participatory & integrated policy-making and make a difference in your city, you should consider applying to the URBACT call for Action Planning Networks.
Since 2002, URBACT has been driving change all over Europe by enabling idea exchange and collaboration between cities within thematic networks, by building the skills of local stakeholders in the design and implementation of integrated and participatory policies, and by sharing knowledge and good city practices. URBACT promotes integrated development to support cities in implementing horizontal and vertical policy integration driven by the belief that positive change can best be made when local authorities collaborate with different levels of governance (vertical integration) and when they tackle crosscutting challenges in a holistic way that considers environmental, economic, and social dimensions at the same time (horizontal integration).
URBACT IV covers the period 2021-2027, building on the legacy of past Programmes and including even more opportunities for cities to make positive changes. The current Programme integrates the crosscutting EU priorities of digital, green and gender-equal policy-making into its activities.
The URBACT IV Call is addressed primarily to city administrations that are willing to work with other European cities to develop and implement Integrated Action Plans to respond to their local challenges. Cities and other public bodies from the Member States and Partner States (Norway and Switzerland) of the European Union are eligible to receive funding for their participation in Action Planning Networks. For the first time, URBACT provides support to towns and cities in EU pre-accession countries – Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. Their participation in the URBACT programme is financed by the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).
The programme is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with a budget of EUR 79 769 000 and by the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance with a budget of EUR 5 000 000 for the period 2021-2027.
You can expect support through:
- Exchange & learning activities amongst cities
- An URBACT Local Group
- Capacity building
- Communication and visibility
- Testing actions Up to EUR 850 000 per network
- An Integrated Action Plan
All you need to know about this call and the related documents, partner search and online info sessions can be found here.