Community Grant – Citizen Solutions to Sustainability Challenges

The Community Grant "Citizen Solutions to Sustainability Challenges" (Urban Prosumers) provides €5,000–60,000 per project from a total pool of €180,000 to fund resident- and community-led experiments in climate-resilient mobility, energy or food in the Tampere Region. Eligible applicants are non-profit organisations, SMEs, micro-enterprises, start-ups, private entrepreneurs and cooperatives registered in Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti or Ylöjärvi, while public law bodies, higher education institutions, large companies and private individuals are ineligible. The electronic application opens 1 July 2026 and closes 30 September 2026, projects run between 1 February and 30 September 2027 (maximum 8 months), and selected grantees sign a subgrantee agreement with Tampere University and must report and participate in monitoring activities. Applications are evaluated on relevance to the call, novelty and scalability, impact and sustainability, and quality of the implementation plan, with applicants notified by 31 December 2026.

What it funds

Scope and purpose

Grants support community-led experiments and solutions focused on sustainable mobility, energy and/or food in Tampere. Funded activities include new services, digital applications, civic education and cooperation models that increase residents participation, enable prosumer technologies, create new funding or business models, or generate knowledge on barriers and enablers for local climate action.

Grant size and total budget:Individual grants: €5,000 to €60,000. Total amount to be distributed: €180,000 ¹

1. 1Eligible applicants: non-profit organisations, SMEs, micro-enterprises, start-ups, private entrepreneurs and cooperatives domiciled in the Tampere Region (Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti and Ylöjärvi).
2. 2Projects must take place in or focus on Tampere and benefit a broader community than the applicant alone.
3. 3Ineligible: public law entities, higher education and research institutes, large companies, unregistered associations, private individuals, and entities under EU sanctions.
4. 4Consortia allowed; one lead applicant must be designated.

Assessment criteria focus on relevance to call objectives, novelty and scalability, impact and sustainability, and quality of the implementation plan. Applications may be submitted in Finnish or English via the Urban Prosumers website.

Call and application materials will be available on the Urban Prosumers project site from 1 July 2026. Contact and guides are provided on the call page Urban Prosumers community grant ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Primary call information and application instructions: projects.tuni.fi. Total grant budget and amounts per grant are specified in the call materials.

Basic facts and timeline

Call title:Community Grant – Citizen Solutions to Sustainability Challenges. Call identifier: HORIZON-MISS (URBAN PROSUMERS). Total amount to be distributed: €180,000. Grant size per award: €5,000 to €60,000. Application period: 1 July 2026 – 30 September 2026 (form opens 1 July 2026, closes 30 September 2026 at 23:59). Implementation period for funded projects: between 1 February 2027 and 30 September 2027; maximum project duration 8 months. Evaluation: applications evaluated by 2–3 evaluators during October–November 2026. Final decisions by the Urban Prosumers General Assembly in December 2026; applicants notified by 31 December 2026. Application language: Finnish or English. Application form: electronic form available on the Urban Prosumers project website on 1 July 2026. Deadline model: single-stage. The community grant is implemented by Tampere University as financial support for third parties (FSTP) under the Urban Prosumers Horizon Europe project.

Objective and scope

Purpose:to support local experiments and solutions led by communities and residents of the Tampere Region that contribute to climate-resilient mobility, energy and/or food. Projects must take place in Tampere or focus on Tampere and aim to benefit groups wider than the applicant’s own community. The grant seeks outputs such as new practices, services or models; technological innovations enabling citizen production and use of sustainable solutions; new funding models; new operating models for resident participation; evidence on barriers and enablers for participation; new forms of cooperation between residents and local actors; and business opportunities for the Tampere region.

Eligible applicants and excluded applicants

Eligible applicants:non-profit organisations (including registered associations, social enterprises, NGOs, housing companies), SMEs and micro-enterprises, start-ups, private entrepreneurs and cooperatives. All eligible applicants must have their registered domicile in one of the municipalities of the Tampere Region: Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti or Ylöjärvi. Applications can be submitted by individual actors or by consortia; a consortium must appoint a lead applicant responsible for submission, coordination and reporting.

Ineligible applicants:public law entities, higher education institutions or other research institutes, large companies, unregistered associations, private individuals, and entities subject to EU sanctions.

Eligible Applicant Types:Non-profit organisations, SMEs, micro-enterprises, start-ups, private entrepreneurs and cooperatives registered in the Tampere Region municipalities listed above. Consortia allowed with a lead applicant responsible for reporting.

Funding details and eligible costs

Funding mechanism:grant (Financial Support to Third Parties; Urban Prosumers distributes part of its own EU funding to smaller actors). Nature of support: monetary grant payments to recipients and requirement to sign a subgrantee agreement with Tampere University. Non-financial expectations: reporting, participation in interviews/workshops, data sharing for research (with consent), and producing final report and feedback.

1. 1Grant size per project: €5,000 to €60,000.
2. 2Total call budget: €180,000.
3. 3Eligible cost categories: a) personnel costs directly related to implementation, b) justified travel and accommodation expenses, c) other purchased services, work and goods necessary for project implementation (including small-scale investments).
4. 4Procurement limit: a single procurement may not exceed €20,000.
5. 5Treatment of VAT: eligibility depends on applicant VAT liability (see application instructions).
6. 6Not eligible: activities contrary to Finnish law or good practice, racist or discriminatory activities, basic running costs of associations (general administration, continuous operations), food and beverage services intended for sale or with alcohol, and awards (small symbolic prizes acceptable).

Call evaluation, selection and reporting

Assessment criteria:1) Responding to the objectives of the call; 2) Novelty, feasibility and scalability; 3) Impact and sustainability (environmental/climate resilience, breadth of community benefit, financial potential); 4) Quality of the implementation plan (clarity of goals, realistic schedule and budget, applicant experience and financial capacity). Applications are scored by 2–3 evaluators (experts and project partner representatives) with conflicts of interest managed and confidentiality enforced. Final selection will consider evaluation scores, thematic coverage and diversity of projects, and alignment with call objectives.

1. 1Evaluation period: October–November 2026.
2. 2Decision: Urban Prosumers General Assembly in December 2026.
3. 3Notification to applicants: by 31 December 2026.
4. 4Agreements: successful applicants sign a subgrantee agreement with Tampere University prior to project start.
5. 5Reporting obligations: progress reporting as agreed, participation in at least one interview or workshop, completion of an electronic feedback survey, and submission of a short final report per instructions.

Application rules, form and supporting documentation

Application method:electronic application form available on the Urban Prosumers project website from 1 July 2026. Applications may be in Finnish or English. The call is single-stage (submit full application by deadline). Each eligible application is evaluated by 2–3 evaluators.

Application form contents and required attachments (draft/final structure):The application form includes: information of applicant(s) and contact details; basic project information (title, short description, theme: sustainable mobility, energy or food, expected results); confirmation that no other EU funding has been received/applied for the same activity; attachments. Required attachments: implementation plan (up to 6 pages, preferably PDF), extract from Trade or Association Register and community rules (for all applicants, if a consortium). Applicants are also asked whether the application may be used for scientific research. The project website provides a draft of the application template and final version will be available on 1 July 2026 ¹.

Consortium requirement and partnership

Consortia are allowed but not mandatory. If a consortium applies, one applicant must be appointed as the lead applicant who will be responsible for application submission, coordination and reporting. The call encourages community-led initiatives and cooperation between residents and local actors in Tampere.

Consortium Requirement:Single applicants allowed; consortia allowed. If consortium, appoint a lead applicant responsible for coordination, submission and reporting.

Geographic and thematic scope

Geographic eligibility:project activity must take place in Tampere or focus on Tampere. Applicant domicile must be in one of the Tampere Region municipalities: Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti or Ylöjärvi. The grant supports solutions benefiting the Tampere region and its residents.

Target Sectors / Themes:Sustainable mobility, sustainable energy, and sustainable food (food economy). The call supports new services, digital applications, civic education models and training materials, small technological innovations enabling citizens to produce and use sustainable solutions, new funding and operating models, cooperation models and business opportunities in these themes.

Project maturity and expected outputs

Expected project stage:community-led experiments, pilots and demonstration/implementation projects (applied/experimental stage suitable for prototyping, local testing, capacity building and implementation, with potential for scaling). Outputs: pilot services or models, technological innovations, funding model prototypes, participation models, new evidence and research data on participation barriers and enablers, cooperation mechanisms, and business ideas relevant to the Tampere region.

Application stages and selection process

Number of selection stages:effectively a single-stage open call submission followed by evaluation and selection (application submission stage then evaluation and final decision stage). The formal stages are: 1) Submit electronic application by deadline; 2) Evaluation by 2–3 evaluators (Oct–Nov 2026); 3) Final decision by General Assembly (Dec 2026); 4) Awarding and signing subgrantee agreement prior to project start; 5) Implementation and reporting (Feb–Sep 2027).

Application Type:Open call (single-stage), electronic submission via the Urban Prosumers website between 1 July and 30 September 2026.

Success rates and co-funding

Success rates:not specified in the call documents. Total budget €180,000 and individual grants range €5,000–60,000; the number of awards will depend on amounts awarded per project and final selection decisions. Co-funding requirement: the call documentation does not require co-funding from applicants as a condition; no mandatory co-funding is specified in the published materials. Applicants should consult the application instructions for any recommendations or expectations regarding financial contribution or leveraging other resources.

Assessment criteria (detailed)

1. 1Responding to the objectives of the call: alignment with Urban Prosumers goals and relevance to Tampere Region communities.
2. 2Novelty, feasibility and scalability: degree of innovation for the Tampere region, realism of the plan and potential for application or scaling to other environments or wider use.
3. 3Impact and sustainability: environmental/climate resilience contributions, breadth and diversity of local community benefits, and financial potential or business viability.
4. 4Quality of the implementation plan: clarity of goals, realistic schedule and budget, evidence of applicants’ prior activity and experience, and demonstration of financial capacity to deliver.

What the call expects from funded projects

Funded projects must:1) operate in or focus on Tampere; 2) benefit groups beyond the applicant’s immediate community; 3) report progress and participate in research-related data collection if consented; 4) sign subgrantee agreement with Tampere University; 5) commit to at least one interview or workshop and complete required feedback and final reporting; 6) respect eligibility and cost rules (personnel costs only when directly related to implementation, procurement limits, allowed small-scale investments).

Contact, guidance and further resources

Project (Urban Prosumers) website:projects.tuni.fi. Community grant page (English): projects.tuni.fi. Application instructions: projects.tuni.fi. Draft application template and materials available on the community grant website; final template available on 1 July 2026. Helpdesk email: prosumers-haku@tuni.fi (note: not monitored between 3 July and 5 August 2026). Information slides (PDF) and Frequently Asked Questions will be published on the project website. For the original EU portal entry see the competitive calls listing URBAN PROSUMERS ¹.

• Call opens: 01/07/2026
• Call closes: 30/09/2026 (23:59)
• Evaluation: Oct–Nov 2026
• Final decision & notification: by 31/12/2026
• Earliest implementation start: 01/02/2027
• Latest end date: 30/09/2027

Mentioned countries and geographic details

Country explicitly mentioned:Finland. Geographic coverage specified at municipal level: Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti and Ylöjärvi (Tampere Region). The project contributes to EU Horizon Europe and the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, but the grants are local to the Tampere Region.

Summary: what this opportunity is and who should apply

This community grant call, managed by Tampere University under the Urban Prosumers Horizon Europe project, awards small-to-medium grants (€5,000–60,000) from a €180,000 pool to community-led experiments and pilot projects that develop, test and scale citizen-driven solutions in sustainable mobility, energy and food for the Tampere Region. Eligible applicants are locally domiciled non-profits, SMEs, micro-enterprises, start-ups, private entrepreneurs and cooperatives. The call is a single-stage open call with electronic submission (Finnish or English). Projects should be experimental or demonstrative in nature, aim to benefit broader local communities, and deliver outputs such as novel services, technological enablers, participation models, funding models for community climate action, cooperation forms, or business ideas for the region. Applications will be assessed on alignment, novelty and scalability, impact and sustainability, and the quality of the implementation plan. Selected grantees will sign a subgrantee agreement with Tampere University, participate in reporting and knowledge transfer activities, and may be asked to provide materials as research data for the Urban Prosumers project. Interested applicants should prepare an implementation plan (up to 6 pages), register required legal extracts, and consult the application instructions and draft template on the project website before applying.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary sources and application materials are available on the Urban Prosumers project pages: projects.tuni.fi and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal listing at ec.europa.eu.

What the Grant Supports

This community grant funds local experiments and solutions in Tampere, Finland, focused on climate-resilient mobility, energy, and food, implemented by residents and communities of the Tampere Region ¹.

Key Results Funded:The grant supports practices, services, or models for sustainable mobility/energy/food; technological innovations enabling prosumerism; new funding/operating models for climate action; insights on participation barriers; new cooperation forms; and business ideas for Tampere ².

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants include non-profit organisations (e.g., NGOs, housing companies), SMEs, micro-enterprises, start-ups, private entrepreneurs, and cooperatives registered in one of the eight Tampere Region municipalities ³.

1. 1Tampere, Kangasala, Lempäälä, Nokia, Orivesi, Pirkkala, Vesilahti, and Ylöjärvi
2. 2Individual actors or consortia (with one lead applicant responsible for submission and reporting)
3. 3Applications accepted in Finnish or English via electronic form

Public law entities, higher education institutions, research institutes, large companies, unregistered associations, private individuals, and entities under EU sanctions are NOT eligible ³.

Funding Details & Conditions

The grant is awarded by Tampere University under the Urban Prosumers project, funded by Horizon Europe as part of the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission ⁴.

Allowed Costs:Personnel costs (directly related to the project), justified travel/accommodation, purchased services/work/goods, and small-scale investments (max. €20,000 per procurement) ⁵.

Excluded Costs:Basic association activities, food/beverage for sale (including alcohol), awards (except small insignificant prizes), and activities conflicting with Finnish law or discriminatory practices ⁵.

Evaluation & Selection Process

Applications are evaluated by 2–3 impartial experts and Urban Prosumers partners during October–November 2026, with final decisions by the General Assembly in December 2026 ⁶.

1. 1Responding to call objectives
2. 2Novelty, feasibility, and scalability
3. 3Impact and sustainability (environmental & community benefit)
4. 4Quality of implementation plan (goals, schedule, budget, evidence)

Selection considers evaluator scores, thematic diversity, and alignment with call objectives ⁶.

Reporting & Research Participation

Funded recipients must sign a subgrantee agreement with Tampere University, report progress, participate in at least one interview/workshop, complete a feedback survey, and submit a final report ⁷.

Tampere University and Tampere University of Applied Sciences may use application materials, project outputs, and reports as research data on citizen participation in climate action (with consent) ⁷.

How to Apply & Contact

The electronic application form opens on 1 July 2026 at Urban Prosumers Community Grant (English) and closes 30 September 2026 at 23:59 ⁸.

Required attachments:Implementation plan (max. 6 pages), Trade/Association Register extract, and community rules (for consortia) ⁸.

Helpdesk:prosumers-haku@tuni.fi (not monitored 3 July–5 August 2026); Application instructions: Instructions ⁸.

Footnotes

1. 1Destination Details from official call documentation: projects.tuni.fi
2. 2Grant objectives and funded results listed in call description: projects.tuni.fi
3. 3Eligibility criteria and excluded entities: projects.tuni.fi
4. 4Urban Prosumers project background and Horizon Europe funding: projects.tuni.fi
5. 5Allowed and excluded costs per application instructions: projects.tuni.fi
6. 6Evaluation process and criteria: projects.tuni.fi
7. 7Reporting obligations and research data use: projects.tuni.fi
8. 8Application period, form access, and contact details: projects.tuni.fi