Inclusive and climate resilient multimodal passenger hubs enhancing modal shift towards sustainable transport and shared mobility

The Horizon Europe call HORIZON-MISS-2027-04-CIT-03 seeks to enhance the climate resilience and inclusivity of multimodal passenger hubs across European cities. The total funding available is €18 million, with approximately €9 million allocated for each of the two expected grants. The application process is single-stage, opening on February 9, 2027, and closing on October 7, 2027.

Eligible applicants must form consortia of at least three cities, each from different EU Member States or Associated Countries, specifically represented by local authorities or entities with their consent. One city must be among the 112 designated for the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and another must be a TEN-T urban node. The focus is on improving urban mobility, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting sustainable transport options through innovative solutions. Key sectors targeted include transport, urban mobility, climate resilience, and digital integration.

Projects funded under this initiative must address challenges related to climate change impacts on multimodal hubs, promoting better connectivity and access to public transportation, cycling, shared mobility, and active transport modes. They will also develop digital monitoring and AI-based solutions to manage climate risks and enhance inclusivity for vulnerable populations.

The funding model utilizes lump sum grants, which provide fixed monetary contributions rather than cost reimbursements, allowing for more flexible budget management. While no co-funding is explicitly required, additional funding can strengthen project sustainability.

Collaborative engagement with the Cities Mission Platform and the CIVITAS initiative is essential, emphasizing the importance of stakeholder involvement to ensure the practical application of proposed solutions. The call aligns with the EU's goals for sustainable urban development and climate resilience, supporting real-world implementation of innovative transport solutions. Success rates for proposals are not specified, but are generally competitive based on evaluation quality criteria.

Overall, this grant opportunity aims to demonstrate and implement practical strategies for making multimodal passenger hubs more resilient and accessible, driving the shift towards climate-neutral urban transport solutions across Europe.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-MISS-2027-04-CIT-03, focused on "Inclusive and climate resilient multimodal passenger hubs enhancing modal shift towards sustainable transport and shared mobility". It falls under the "Supporting the implementation of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission" call (HORIZON-MISS-2027-04). The action type is HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement. It is a forthcoming, single-stage application process with a planned opening date of 09 February 2027 and a deadline of 07 October 2027, 17:00:00 Brussels time. The topic budget is 18,000,000 EUR for the year 2027, and it is expected that around 2 grants will be awarded.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this topic include:
1. Contributing to the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission by accelerating the transition towards climate neutrality targets in cities and reducing greenhouse gas and air pollutants emissions from transport due to the improved operation of multimodal hubs.
2. Reducing road congestion and improving air quality to protect the health of citizens and urban biodiversity by increasing the shift towards sustainable and active modes of transport for city and intercity trips.
3. Contributing to the objectives of the TEN-T Regulation by enhancing the climate resilience of multimodal passenger hub infrastructures and services in response to both the long-term effects of climate change and extreme weather events.
4. Increasing inclusivity, accessibility, and improved experience for all passengers at multimodal hubs by proposing mobility solutions that respond to the needs of transport users, irrespective of their age, gender, economic or social status, including equal access for persons with reduced mobility/disabilities.
5. Providing guidance and best practices for national/regional/local authorities and urban transport authorities to improve the integration of walking, cycling, shared mobility, and micro-mobility at and around multimodal hubs, and for identifying and deploying relevant monitoring and security measures related to climate impact on operations.

The scope of this topic is climate resilience of major multimodal passenger hubs’ infrastructures and services within and between cities as well as peri-urban and rural areas. A minimum of three demonstrators per project is required. A multimodal passenger hub is defined as a connection point between at least two transport modes for passengers, ensuring travel information, access to public transport, and transfers between modes, such as park-and-ride stations, acting as an interface within and between urban nodes and between urban nodes and longer-distance transport networks, as defined in the revised TEN-T regulation. Projects should complement the implementation of the TEN-T urban node requirements by demonstrating concrete solutions for improving the climate resilience of multimodal passenger hubs.

Proposals should address the following points:
1. Develop and test innovative solutions that increase the number of within-hub flows and access/egress trips by public transport, active, shared and micromobility modes to/from the selected major multi-modal hubs considering improved connectivity, accessibility, fleet rebalancing operations, etc.
2. Identify current and future local climate-related vulnerabilities of the selected multimodal passenger transport infrastructures and services, and determine the potential safety issues and economic and social losses caused by climate change extreme events or longer-term climate stresses that may lead to interrupted or low-quality service.
3. Develop and test innovative solutions for climate-resilient multimodal passenger hubs and related transport services for protecting existing infrastructures and/or for building/managing new critical infrastructure capable of mitigating the potential climate change risks, as well as for maintaining services continuity, accessibility and efficiency of operations. This includes:
 a. Developing nature-based solutions for increasing multimodal passenger hub’s infrastructures resilience demonstrating the respective environmental, social, and economic benefits.
 b. Integrating digital monitoring and advanced yet practical digital and/or AI-based methods for assessing, preventing and managing adverse climate impacts that may affect the multimodal hub operation.
 c. Developing and testing solutions to ensure or improve the inclusivity and accessibility of multimodal passenger hubs, accounting for both within-hub flows and access/egress trips, considering that climate change may particularly affect most marginalised populations or those in a vulnerable situation.
4. Establish co-designing process and engaging with the relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful uptake of the proposed and tested solutions, including an economic model, contributing to climate neutrality, climate adaptation and enhanced governance of the multi-modal passenger hubs.

Proposals should include activities promoting the New European Bauhaus principles (sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion) among national, regional, and local authorities, citizens, and stakeholders through dedicated local initiatives (e.g. events, contests, citizens’ dialogues, living labs). Proposals should be implemented within the framework of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) or equivalent plan of the participating cities. Collaboration with the Cities Mission Platform is essential and should take place through the CIVITAS initiative. Proposals should ensure that appropriate provisions for activities and resources aimed at enforcing clustering activities and cooperation with the Cities Mission Platform and the CIVITAS initiative are included in the work-plan. Proposals should plan for an active collaboration amongst the projects selected under this topic - for dissemination, evaluation and coordination - facilitated by and within the CIVITAS initiative. The topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

The general conditions include:
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
2. Eligible Countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions exist for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.
3. Other Eligible Conditions: At least three cities, represented by a local authority or an entity with explicit consent, each from a different Member State or Associated Country, must participate as beneficiaries. At least one of these cities must be one of the 112 cities selected for the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and one of them as urban node on the TEN-T network. Restrictions may apply for the protection of European communication networks.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5. Evaluation and award:
 a. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
 b. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
 c. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Grants awarded under this topic will be linked to action HORIZON-MISS-2021-CIT-02-03. Collaboration with the Cities Mission Platform is essential and must be formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding or a collaboration agreement. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Specific conditions: Not applicable.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
* Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)).
* Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)).
* Guidance: HE Programme Guide.
* Model Grant Agreements (MGA): Lump Sum MGA.
* Call-specific instructions: Detailed budget table (HE LS), Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?".

Additional documents:
* HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
* HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 12. Missions
* HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
* HE Programme Guide
* HE Framework Programme 2021/695
* HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
* EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
* Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
* Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
* EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
* Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
* Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
* Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview indicates that for HORIZON-MISS-2027-04-CIT-03, the budget is 18,000,000 EUR, the action is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA), it is a single-stage application, the opening date is 2027-02-09, the deadline is 2027-10-07, the contribution is around 9,000,000 EUR, and the indicative number of grants is 2.

There is a partner search announcement, and LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

This opportunity seeks to fund projects that will enhance the climate resilience and sustainability of multimodal passenger hubs in cities and surrounding areas. It encourages the development and testing of innovative solutions that promote a shift towards more sustainable transport options, improve accessibility and inclusivity for all passengers, and integrate advanced technologies and nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change impacts. Successful projects will contribute to the EU's Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission and the TEN-T Regulation objectives, while also fostering collaboration between cities, the Cities Mission Platform, and the CIVITAS initiative. The call emphasizes the importance of involving social sciences and humanities expertise to ensure the societal impact of the research activities. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and applicants should consult the relevant program guides and online manuals for detailed instructions and requirements.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include cities represented by a local authority or by an entity with explicit consent from the local authority, from a Member State or Associated Country. A consortium is required.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. There are also HORIZON Innovation Actions, HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, and HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. At least three cities, each from a different Member State or Associated Country, must participate as beneficiaries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible if they have specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sectors are transport, climate, energy, environment, sustainability, innovation, social sciences and humanities, and urban development. Specifically, the program targets climate resilience of major multimodal passenger hubs’ infrastructures and services within and between cities as well as peri-urban and rural areas.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Associated Countries, and non-EU/non-Associated Countries (with specific provisions).

Project Stage: The project stage is demonstration, as projects are required to have at least three demonstrators.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic:
HORIZON-MISS-2027-04-CIT-01: EUR 20,000,000 (around EUR 7,000,000 per grant, 3 grants)
HORIZON-MISS-2027-04-CIT-02: EUR 5,000,000 (around EUR 5,000,000 per grant, 1 grant)
HORIZON-MISS-2027-04-CIT-03: EUR 18,000,000 (around EUR 9,000,000 per grant, 2 grants)
HORIZON-MISS-2027-04-CIT-05: EUR 26,823,812 (EUR 7,000,000 to EUR 12,000,000 per grant, 3 grants)
HORIZON-MISS-2027-04-CIT-CCRI-04: EUR 22,500,000 (around EUR 7,500,000 per grant, 3 grants)

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly stated, but the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, allowing for an estimation of the potential success rate based on the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding requirements are not explicitly mentioned.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call (HORIZON-MISS-2027-04) focuses on supporting the implementation of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission by enhancing the climate resilience of major multimodal passenger hubs. The call aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, and promote a shift towards sustainable transport modes. Eligible applicants must form a consortium including at least three cities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries, with at least one city selected for the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and one as an urban node on the TEN-T network. Projects should develop and test innovative solutions for climate-resilient multimodal passenger hubs, integrate digital monitoring and AI-based methods, and ensure inclusivity and accessibility for all passengers. The call provides funding through lump sum grants, with varying budgets allocated to different topics, and follows a single-stage application process. Collaboration with the Cities Mission Platform and the CIVITAS initiative is essential. The call also promotes the New European Bauhaus principles of sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion.