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The European Commission's Cities Mission is launching a new call for cities to join its twinning and learning program. This program aims to facilitate partnerships between cities to share knowledge and experiences in addressing common urban challenges. Cities interested in this program can apply by the 12th of September. The initiative is designed to enhance urban resilience and promote effective practices in tackling climate change and other socio-economic issues. You can find all the details on this website.
2025-07-02 Research Infrastructures Health Culture and society Security Digital, Industry & SpaceDuring the past months, the Commission has published updated versions of several key documents for application to the call topics of the main Horizon Europe Work Programme (WP) 2025: Standard application form for applicants - last updated on 16 December 2024 Horizon Europe Programme Guide - last updated on 15 May 2025 General Annexes to the Horizon Europe WP 2025 - published on 14 May 2025 Standard briefing slides for Horizon Europe evaluators - updated on 15 May 2025 The updates mostly relate to cross-cutting principles of the programme which stakeholders need to take into account when developing a proposal. Therefore, it is important for (potential) applicants to read these key documents carefully and to make sure you are aware of the changes introduced by the Commission. Herewith an overview: Do Not Significantly Harm (DNSH) principle -> all references to DNSH in the standard application form have been removed. More info here Data management plan (DMP) -> a simplification of requirements on the data managment plan has been introduced in the standard application form. More info here Use, development or deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based systems and/or techniques in your project -> References to AI robustness under Methodology (1.2 of Part B) in the standard application form have been removed Use of generative AI tools in proposal writing -> new guidance has been added in the standard briefing slides for evaluators. It reads, among others, 'applicants must be fully transparant and disclose which AI tools were used and how' and 'the use of generative AI tools in drafting proposals may not be considered by expert evaluators as a reason to penalize a proposal' Gender equality -> for proposals with the same score, a change occured in the method to establish the priority order (Annex F of the General Annexes). Criterion 3 now specifies: 'if necessary, the gender balance among the researchers with a leading role named in the researchers table in the proposal [Part A], will be used as a factor for prioritisation'. More info on gender equality in Horizon Europe here Blind evaluation pilot -> the pilot has been reintroduced in WP 25. If indicated in the specific call/topic conditions, first-stage proposals of two-stage submissions will be evaluated blindly and applicants must not disclose their identity in the proposal. More info here Important notice: the only correct application form is the one connected to the call topic you will apply to, which is available in the submission system. This may differ from the information in the standard application form.
2025-07-02 EICThis represents the EIC Board’s extensive reflections and assessments over the last months and provides a contribution to the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework proposal, which is expected to be published soon. Key proposals include: adopt a new Challenge model based on an ambitious ARPA-inspired approach, scaling up the EIC Fund, optimising operational efficiency, fostering synergies with national and regional initiatives, and maintaining a strong framework for experimentation. To meet those ambitions, the Board calls for a significant increase in the EIC's budget, with suggestions for a Scale-up Fund as proposed in the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy, together with enhancements to the EIC Fund to catalyse follow-on and larger investments. The Board stresses the urgent necessity for increased scale-up funding and a more comprehensive programme to maintain competitiveness against global innovation counterparts such as the US and China. The complete statement can be consulted here.
2025-07-02 ERCThe draft ERC work programme 2026 is available in the European Commission’s comitology register here. Early June the main changes for the ERC 2026 work programme and the ERC 2027 work programme were announced in this ERC news article. The final version of the ERC 2026 work programme is expected to be adopted by the European Commission in July and subsequently to be published on the ERC website and European Commission Funding and Tender portal.
2025-07-02 ERCThe European Commission has appointed Professor Conny Aerts to the governing body of the European Research Council, the Scientific Council. The appointment is for an initial term of four years, starting from 1 July 2025. More information about the Scientific Council and a biography from Professor Conny Aerts are available in this ERC news article.
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The YoPA project, ‘a youth-centred preventive action approach towards co-created implementation of socially and physically activating environmental interventions’ obtained funding from Horizon Europe’s Health Cluster. The project addresses the multifaceted challenges of physical inactivity and health inequalities through a unique participatory approach. The project places teenagers between 12 and 18 years old in vulnerable situations at the forefront of the intervention process. The Institute of Tropical Medicine is a partner in the project and will conduct a Realist Evaluation to understand how youth co-creation contributes to improved adolescent health and well-being in four cities in Denmark, Netherlands, Nigeria and South Africa. By integrating its results and sharing its approach in an open access Toolbox, ITM aims to contribute to fostering sustainable, youth-led solutions for healthier urban environments.
