National Adaptation Hubs - Bringing together the national level with the engaged regional and local levels (multi-level governance)

The HORIZON-MISS-2026-01-CLIMA-01 is a significant grant opportunity under the Horizon Europe program, focusing on climate adaptation and resilience. This Coordination and Support Action will allocate a total budget of €10 million to support the establishment and coordination of National Adaptation Hubs across EU Member States and Associated Countries. The primary goal is to enhance multi-level governance for climate adaptation in compliance with the EU's Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change and the European Climate Law.

Eligible applicants for this grant include research organizations, universities, public institutions, government agencies, regional and local authorities, NGOs, and climate adaptation specialists. Regional and local authorities are intended beneficiaries but are not required to be part of the consortium. The project fosters collaboration among multiple partners, ideally with diverse geographical and governance representation to facilitate effective implementation.

Each consortium can provide financial support of up to €200,000 per third-party recipient, focusing on regional and local authorities to facilitate the establishment and functioning of National Adaptation Hubs. These hubs will serve as working groups integrated into national strategies for climate adaptation, allowing for strengthened peer-learning networks and knowledge sharing.

The call for proposals opens on February 4, 2026, with applications due by September 23, 2026. This is a single-stage submission process with no prior invitation necessary. The project is anticipated to run until the end of 2030, building on results from preceding projects and ensuring continuity in the adaptation mission efforts.

The project's scope includes a range of climate-related challenges, such as disaster risk management and food security in the context of climate change. Collaboration with relevant EU initiatives and bodies is crucial for its success, and applicants must demonstrate organizational capacity and experience in managing distributed financial support programs.

While concrete success rates for this specific call are not available, historical rates for EU funding generally range from 10% to 40%, depending on various factors. The opportunity encourages a coordinated response to the urgent need for climate adaptation strategies across Europe, playing a vital role in ensuring resilience against climate impacts at all governance levels.

This EU funding opportunity, HORIZON-MISS-2026-01-CLIMA-01, falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program and specifically targets the implementation of the Adaptation to Climate Change Mission (HORIZON-MISS-2026-1). It is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 04 February 2026, and the deadline for submission is 23 September 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget allocated to this topic is 10,000,000 EUR, and it is expected that around one grant will be awarded.

The expected outcome of the project is to contribute to multi-level governance for climate adaptation, supporting the implementation of the Mission on Adaptation to climate change and the upcoming European Climate Adaptation Plan. This includes engaging and mobilizing national governance for innovation and climate adaptation, fostering multi-level governance to support Member States, regions, and local authorities in meeting the European Climate Law’s requirements, disseminating Mission solutions, and strengthening peer learning opportunities.

The scope of the project involves regional and local authorities as the target group, although they are not expected to directly participate in the consortium. The project is expected to last until the end of 2030, aligning with the Mission's timeline. It will build upon the HORIZON-MISS-2024-CLIMA-01-02 project, ensuring a smooth transition and incorporating lessons learned.

Proposals should address two main axes of action:

1. National Adaptation Hubs: These hubs, one per EU country and a horizontal facility for Associated Countries, should be light, agile, and tailored to the national context. They should consist of a task force or working group with relevant contact points from each level of governance. The hubs should:

Continue and extend existing National Adaptation Hubs.
Build on key community systems and enabling conditions identified in the Mission Implementation Plan.
Reflect National Strategies and/or Plans on Adaptation to Climate Change, while remaining flexible to integrate priority themes from the future European Climate Adaptation Plan.
Feed relevant knowledge and contribute to national, regional, and local authorities’ efforts related to adaptation objectives in the Climate Law.

Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties for the establishment, animation, and facilitation of National Adaptation Hubs, with a maximum grant of EUR 200,000 per EU Member State or Associated Country. The consortium should include partners with relevant operational and financial experience to implement this support.

2. Grouping Scheme: A structural grouping scheme should be established to bring together regions and local actors facing similar challenges, facilitating knowledge dissemination. This scheme should:

Include groups or pairs from the same EU Member State and between different countries, consolidating multi-level governance.
Identify participants from Mission-funded and Mission-related activities, with attention to vulnerable regions.
Group or pair less advanced regions with front-runners to facilitate knowledge transfer.
Ensure close connections with the Mission's Community of Practice.

Collaboration with the Mission secretariat, the Mission Implementation platform, the project stemming from HORIZON-MISS-2026-01-CLIMA-02, other EU Missions, Horizon Europe National Contact Points, and other relevant initiatives is crucial. Applicants should allocate resources and budget for this collaboration, formalizing it through a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mission Implementation Platform.

This action supports the follow-up to the July 2023 Communication on the EU Missions assessment.

The general conditions for this call include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible Countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
Other Eligible Conditions: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes: As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants: As described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information:

Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE CSA).
Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form HE CSA).
Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.
Model Grant Agreements (MGA) are based on the HE MGA.
Call-specific instructions and information on financial support to third parties are available.

Additional documents include:

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
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

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

Support resources include the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to bolster multi-level governance for climate adaptation across the EU Member States and Associated Countries. It seeks to establish and support national adaptation hubs and grouping schemes that facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration between regions and local actors. The project should align with the European Climate Adaptation Plan and contribute to the objectives of the Adaptation Mission, ensuring a coordinated and effective approach to climate change adaptation at all levels of governance. The funding supports coordination and support actions, emphasizing collaboration, knowledge transfer, and the implementation of adaptation strategies and plans.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, based on the nature of Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), eligible applicants could include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, non-profit organizations, and other types of organizations with the capacity to coordinate and support climate adaptation initiatives. The consortium should include partners with relevant operational and financial experience and viability. Regional and local authorities are the target group of the proposed activities and as such they are not expected to participate directly in the consortium, but they should benefit from the project funded by this action.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) under the Horizon Europe program. Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants, with a maximum of EUR 200,000 per third party.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The text specifies that regional and local authorities are the target group and are not expected to participate directly in the consortium. The consortium should include partners with relevant operational and financial experience and viability.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. The text mentions that National Adaptation Hubs should be established in each EU country and at least a single horizontal facility for Associated Countries. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sector is climate adaptation, specifically focusing on multi-level governance for climate adaptation. This includes engaging national governance, supporting regions and local authorities, and disseminating Mission solutions.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU countries and Associated Countries as the locations for establishing National Adaptation Hubs.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on the continuation and extension of existing initiatives, specifically building upon the "National adaptation hubs" established by the Adaptation Mission. Therefore, the project stage can be considered as development and implementation, with a focus on scaling up and mainstreaming existing solutions.

Funding Amount: The budget for the HORIZON-MISS-2026-01-CLIMA-01 topic is EUR 10,000,000. Additionally, beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties, with a maximum of EUR 200,000 per third party.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call under the Horizon Europe program.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. They will also provide financial support to third parties through grants, to allow for the establishment, animation and facilitation of National Adaptation Hubs.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for the HORIZON-MISS-2026-01-CLIMA-01 topic is 1.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-MISS-2026-01-CLIMA-01, aims to support the implementation of the Mission on Adaptation to climate change and the upcoming European Climate Adaptation Plan. The primary goal is to foster multi-level governance for climate adaptation by engaging national governance, supporting regional and local authorities, and disseminating effective adaptation solutions. The project is expected to establish and extend "National adaptation hubs" in each EU Member State and Associated Country, as well as implement a structural grouping scheme to facilitate knowledge dissemination. A consortium of applicants with relevant operational and financial experience is required, with regional and local authorities benefiting from the project but not directly participating in the consortium. The funding is provided through a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (CSA) grant, with a total budget of EUR 10,000,000. Beneficiaries can also provide financial support to third parties, up to EUR 200,000 per entity, to establish and facilitate National Adaptation Hubs. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline of September 23, 2026. This initiative seeks to bridge the gap between the EU, national, and local levels in addressing climate adaptation challenges and ensuring the effective implementation of the European Climate Law.