Net-Zero AI4Permitting

Net-Zero AI4Permitting PPPA-2026-NETZERO is an EU PPPA call to fund public permitting authority-led consortia in designated Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys to deploy AI and digital solutions that accelerate industrial permitting and improve interoperability and compliance with the Net-Zero Industry Act. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States, with a mandatory consortium of at least four independent entities from two Member States, including at least two public permitting authorities and a public authority as coordinator, and an endorsement letter from the national authority designating the valley is required. The call has a total budget of €7,150,000, funds up to four projects with grants of €1,500,000 to €2,400,000 at an 80 percent funding rate, and project duration is typically 24 to 30 months. The single-stage electronic submission deadline is 3 June 2026, 17:00 Brussels time and proposals are evaluated on Relevance, Quality and Impact with minimum thresholds and an overall pass mark of 63 out of 100.

What it funds

Purpose and scope

Grants to strengthen permitting authorities in designated Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys (notably coal regions in transition) by procuring, extending or developing AI-based or other digital permitting systems and associated deployment activities (training, integration, interoperability, replication and upskilling).

Eligible activities:Procurement/development of AI-enabled or non-AI IT solutions for permitting; enhancement of existing IT with AI; system analyses; deployment, training and integration; producing reusable artefacts and replication playbooks ¹.

Who can apply

Main eligibility

Consortia of legal entities (public or private). Proposals must be led by a public authority (coordinator) that is a permitting authority in an established or potential Net-Zero Acceleration Valley. Minimum consortium: four independent applicants from at least two EU Member States, with at least two public authorities from the relevant valley(s). Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must be established in eligible countries and provide an endorsement letter from the national authority designating the Net-Zero Acceleration Valley ¹.

Budget, funding rate and duration

Amounts and timing

Call budget €7 150 000 total. Expected to fund up to 4 projects. Individual project grant requests expected between €1 500 000 and €2 400 000. Funding rate: up to 80% of eligible costs. Typical project duration: 24 to 30 months ¹.

1. 1Opening date: 01 April 2026
2. 2Submission deadline: 03 June 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
3. 3Evaluation period: June–September 2026; Grant Agreement signature expected December 2026

Key procedural notes

One-stage electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Part B limited to 70 pages. Proposals must include Part A, Part B, detailed budget, list of recent key projects and an endorsement letter confirming involvement in the Net-Zero Acceleration Valley. Entities may participate in only one proposal under this call ¹.

Submission portal:Submit electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Funding & Tenders Portal.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call document, conditions and templates are on the topic page and in the Call Document PPPA-2026-NETZERO on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Call document.

Opportunity summary

Title:Net-Zero AI4Permitting PPPA-2026-NETZERO. Programme: Pilot Projects and Preparation Actions (PPPA). Type of action: PPPA Project Grants (PPPA-PJG). Type of Model Grant Agreement: PPPA Action Grant Budget-Based [PPPA-AG]. Opening date: 01 April 2026. Deadline: 03 June 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Single-stage submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Expected available budget: €7,150,000 to fund up to 4 projects. Individual project grant size expected between €1,500,000 and €2,400,000. Standard funding rate: 80% of eligible costs. Project duration normally 24 to 30 months. Proposals limited to a maximum of 70 pages (Part B).

Primary objective:Strengthen permitting authorities in designated Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys by procuring, developing, enhancing and deploying state-of-the-art AI-enabled and other digital permitting systems to accelerate industrial permitting, improve interoperability, compliance and administrative capacity; enable replication across regions and Member States; and deliver documented, measurable increases in permitting management capacity for beneficiaries.

Scope, activities and expected impact

Scope:The call targets local, regional and national public permitting authorities involved in industrial permitting procedures in designated or potential Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys (NZAVs), with particular focus on EU coal regions in transition. Permits addressed include Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA), Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) permits, renewable energy permits, construction and operational permits and other industrial permitting procedures. Projects must be suitable for replication and reuse beyond net-zero permitting where relevant.

1. 1Procurement of AI-based software to support one or more elements of the permitting procedure (e.g., automated screening, document classification, decision support).
2. 2Extension of existing non-AI permitting IT solutions by adding AI capabilities to bolster back-office capacities.
3. 3Procurement or bespoke development of non-AI IT solutions to support parts or the entirety of the permitting process (front office, applicant portals, case management).
4. 4Deployment activities including system integration, testing, staff training, change management, helpdesk setup, and interoperability work with local/national/EU systems.
5. 5System analysis and process mapping to identify bottlenecks and AI-applicable tasks; stakeholder consultations and user-centric design for front-office improvements.
6. 6Cross-regional and cross-border cooperation, replication planning, production of reusable artefacts (reference architectures, interface specifications, data dictionaries/mappings, procurement-ready requirement lists, training curricula, adoption playbooks).
7. 7Packaging outputs for reuse and transfer, including governance and resource plans and evidence of additional adopters (letters of intent or commitments).

Expected impacts:measurable acceleration of permitting processes for beneficiary authorities; documented and significant increase in permitting management capacity at the individual beneficiary level; deployment of state-of-the-art software across most impacted authorities in NZAVs; improved transparency, reduced processing time, optimized staff resource use, enhanced interoperability across local, national and EU systems and demonstrable replication beyond pilot sites.

Eligibility and consortium requirements

Eligible applicants:legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries (EU Member States, including overseas countries and territories). Applicants must be involved in industrial permitting procedures in designated or potential Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys and must provide an endorsement letter from the national authority designating the NZAV confirming the authorities participating in the consortium are permitting authorities in the designated or potential NZAV.

Consortium composition:Mandatory multi-beneficiary consortium of at least four independent entities from at least two different EU Member States. At least two public authorities from the established or potential Net-Zero Acceleration Valley must be included and the consortium coordinator must be one of those public authorities. Coordinator must be one of the public authorities recognised in the endorsement letter. Natural persons (except self-employed sole traders where applicable) and international organisations are not eligible as beneficiaries. Affiliated entities may participate and will require validation and documentation.

Non-concurrency and participation limits:An entity may participate in only one proposal under this call. Applicants may not submit more than one proposal; if an entity participates in more than one proposal, all concerned proposals will be considered ineligible.

Budgets, funding type and financial rules

Funding type:direct grant (PPPA Project Grants). Form of grant: budget-based mixed actual cost grant including actual costs, unit cost and flat-rate elements as defined in the Model Grant Agreement and Annexes. Funding rate: 80% of eligible costs. Maximum and indicative grant amount per project: €1,500,000 to €2,400,000. Total call budget: estimated €7,150,000 to support up to 4 projects. Grants must not produce a profit; for-profit organisations must declare revenues and any profit will be deducted from the final grant amount. The grant reimburses only eligible costs actually incurred, plus applicable unit/flat-rate rules.

Eligible cost categories include personnel (employees, natural persons under contract, seconded persons, SME owner unit-cost where applicable), subcontracting, purchases (travel and subsistence unit costs permitted under Decision C(2021)35), equipment (depreciation or full cost per call rules), other goods/works/services, and a flat-rate indirect cost (standard 7% of eligible direct costs A-D except volunteers and exempted categories). Non-deductible/non-refundable VAT is eligible except where national rules or public-authority status render VAT ineligible. Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this call. Potential purchase of digital/AI solutions should be budgeted under Equipment (C.2).

Payments and guarantees:Prefinancing is normally paid after grant signature (typically 70% of maximum grant amount, but the Agency may decide to reduce or withhold prefinancing and/or require prefinancing guarantees). There are no interim payments; one periodic report and a final payment mechanism apply. Payment distribution will be made to the coordinator, who must promptly distribute funds to beneficiaries. Prefinancing guarantees (when required) must be issued by an approved financial institution and will be released in accordance with the Grant Agreement.

Evaluation, award criteria and timeline

Evaluation procedure:Single-stage submission and one-step evaluation. Proposals will be checked for admissibility and eligibility then evaluated by an evaluation committee assisted by independent experts. Invitation to grant preparation is not a commitment to fund; legal and financial checks (legal entity validation, financial capacity, exclusion checks) will apply during grant preparation.

1. 1Timetable: Call opening 01 April 2026; Deadline 03 June 2026 (17:00 CET); Evaluation June–September 2026; Information on evaluation results September 2026; Grant Agreement signature expected December 2026.
2. 2Maximum proposal length: Part B limited to 70 pages (evaluators will not consider additional pages).
3. 3Submission method: electronic upload via the Funding & Tenders Portal (Part A filled online; Part B downloaded, completed and uploaded as PDF; mandatory annexes uploaded in the Submission System).

Award criteria and scoring (total maximum 100 points):Relevance (35 points), Quality (35 points), Impact (30 points). Individual thresholds: Relevance 22/35; Quality 22/35; Impact 19/30; overall threshold 63/100. Proposals passing thresholds will be ranked; tie-break rules apply prioritising Impact, then Quality, then Relevance and other panel factors to ensure balanced geographical and thematic coverage where possible.

Administrative and eligibility conditions for submission

1. 1All beneficiaries, affiliated entities and major associated partners must be registered in the Participant Register and validated by REA Validation (PIC mandatory).
2. 2Mandatory annexes include detailed budget table/calculator, list of previous key projects (last 4 years), and an endorsement letter from the relevant authority designating the Net-Zero Acceleration Valley confirming the permitting authorities included in the consortium.
3. 3Applications must be complete, readable, accessible and printable. The amounts in the online summarised budget must correspond to the detailed budget; in case of discrepancy the online summarised budget prevails.
4. 4Proposals must declare KPIs and measurable indicators to assess outcomes and impact.
5. 5Proposals cannot request financial support to third parties under this call.
6. 6Applicants must confirm mandate to act and sign a declaration of honour at submission and again before grant signing.

Eligibility: geographic and beneficiary scope

Geographic eligibility:Applicants must be established in eligible countries, i.e., EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories). Projects must relate to activities taking place in eligible countries with particular focus on designated and potential Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys, notably in EU coal regions in transition. Exceptional participation of entities from other countries may be allowed only if deemed essential by the granting authority.

Eligible applicant types:Public authorities (local, regional, national), public bodies, private bodies, universities and research institutes may participate as beneficiaries. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders where no separate legal personality exists. International organisations are not eligible as beneficiaries under standard rules.

Project maturity and expected stage

Expected project stage:projects should be beyond pure idea stage and be ready for deployment, development or demonstration at local/regional scale. Activities include system analysis, procurement or development, deployment and staff training. Projects must design for scalability and replication (demonstration/pilot -> validation -> preparation for wider rollout). Typical maturity: development, validation and demonstration leading to early adoption/scale-up readiness in other authorities.

How to apply and application templates

Application type:open single-stage call via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. No paper submissions. The specific Application Form Part B template and mandatory annex templates are available inside the Submission System and must be used. Part A (administrative data and summarised budget) is completed online. Applicants must upload completed Part B as PDF and all mandatory annexes (budget calculator, list of previous projects, endorsement letter, etc.).

Application templates and structure (guidance):Use the Application Form templates inside the Submission System. Part B contains technical description and must follow the provided template and page limits. Mandatory annexes: detailed budget table/calculator (Excel or preformatted table as required by Submission System), list of previous projects (key projects last 4 years), endorsement letter from authority designating NZAV, and any other documents requested in Part B slots. The Submission System includes an Application Form Part A to fill online. All uploaded documents must be legible and in the correct upload slot to avoid inadmissibility.

Financial and operational capacity checks, exclusions and compliance

Financial capacity:Applicants must have stable and sufficient resources to implement the project; financial capacity checks will be performed based on documents uploaded in the Participant Register (profit & loss, balance sheet, audit report, business plan) except for public bodies or when requested grant per beneficiary is not more than €60,000. If financial capacity is insufficient, the Agency may request enhanced responsibility regimes, prefinancing guarantees, instalmented prefinancing or may reject the proposal.

Operational capacity:Applicants must demonstrate necessary know-how, qualifications and experience through the profiles of key staff, consortium description and list of previous projects. If award evaluation is positive for Quality, operational capacity is considered sufficient.

Exclusion and disqualification:Standard EU exclusion grounds apply (bankruptcy, fraud, grave professional misconduct, breach of social/tax obligations, EU restrictive or conditionality measures). Entities subject to EU restrictive measures are not eligible. Misrepresentation during award procedure or prior involvement in the call preparation that distorts competition will lead to rejection.

Evaluation stages, number of stages and success rates

Application stages:Single-stage submission and one-step evaluation. Successful proposals invited to grant preparation (legal and financial checks lead to signature). Typical stages: 1) submission and admissibility/eligibility check, 2) technical evaluation against award criteria and scoring, 3) invitation to grant preparation and legal/financial validation, 4) Grant Agreement signature. Therefore applicants pass through four distinct operational phases to reach signed grant.

Success rates:The Agency expects to fund up to 4 projects from eligible proposals within the €7.15M envelope. Success rate depends on number and quality of proposals; no fixed historical success rate is provided in call documentation. Funding is competitive subject to thresholds and ranking within available budget. The Agency reserves the right not to award all funds.

Co-funding and cost sharing

Co-funding requirement:The call finances up to 80% of eligible costs; applicants must cover the remaining 20% from own or other sources (own resources, fees, other public funds, etc.). Proposals must show a balanced project budget and sufficient other resources to implement the project successfully. For-profit entities must declare expected revenues; grants cannot produce profit (surplus will be recovered).

Nature of support and services provided

Nature of support:monetary direct grants to beneficiaries to reimburse eligible costs of project implementation. In addition to funding, projects funded should deliver non-financial outputs such as software systems, documentation, procurement-ready requirement lists, training curricula, adoption playbooks, interoperability specifications and replication artefacts. No financial support to third parties is allowed under this call.

Mandatory deliverables, reporting and monitoring

Reporting and deliverables:Projects will have milestones and deliverables managed via the Portal Grant Management System and reflected in Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement. Reporting includes one progress report not linked to payments and periodic reports required for final payment. Beneficiaries must maintain records and supporting documents for at least the period specified in the Data Sheet (standard 5 years, or 3 years for grants <= €60,000). Technical and financial reporting templates are available in the Portal. Certificates on financial statements may be required depending on grant amount and beneficiary type.

Key risks, procurement and IP

Key risks:failure to obtain endorsement letter identifying NZAV participants; insufficient consortium composition (must include at least two public authorities from NZAV); weak operational or financial capacity; failure to meet interoperability, legal compliance (NZIA) or data protection/security requirements; late submission or non-compliant application documents; procurement or subcontracting non-compliance with public procurement rules and conflict of interest issues.

Procurement and subcontracting:Subcontracts and purchases must follow beneficiaries’ usual procurement practices and national public procurement law where applicable. Subcontracting should normally be a limited part of the project; subcontracting beyond 30% of total eligible costs must be justified in the application. Subcontracting rules and potential country restrictions for execution locations are set out in the Call Document and Model Grant Agreement.

IPR and reuse:Beneficiaries retain ownership of results. The granting authority receives a royalty-free, non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to use materials/documents supplied for policy, communication and dissemination. Projects must produce reusable artefacts (reference architectures, interface specs, data models, playbooks, training materials) to support replication; these should be clearly identified in proposals. Specific IPR rules and obligations will be defined in the Grant Agreement and Annex 5 where relevant.

Contact, help and additional documents

Help and contact:For call-specific non-IT questions contact EISMEA-SMP-NET-ZERO-AI4-PERMITTING@ec.europa.eu. For general Portal and submission IT issues use the IT Helpdesk webform. Consult the Portal Online Manual, the Call Document, Model Grant Agreement, and Reference Documents available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. The Application Form Part B template and mandatory annexes are available inside the Submission System.

Reference documentation:The Call Document (Call: PPPA-2026-NETZERO) and Model Grant Agreement templates provide full legal, financial and administrative rules for proposals and grants. See the official call fiche and call document for full text and Annexes Call document PPPA-2026-NETZERO ¹.

Key administrative notes:submit via the Portal Electronic Submission System only; do not wait until the deadline to avoid last-minute technical issues. Ensure all beneficiaries/affiliated entities are registered in the Participant Register and validated before submission. Provide the mandatory NZAV endorsement letter and detailed budget table. Confirm mandate to act for all applicants at submission. Proposals must respect EU rules on exclusion, financial capacity and operational capacity; the Agency may request additional documentation during grant preparation.

Concluding summary

What this opportunity is about and how to explain it:The Net-Zero AI4Permitting call is a targeted EU pilot projects call run under the PPPA instrument to accelerate industrial permitting in Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys. It finances public-permitting authority-led consortia that will procure, develop, extend and deploy AI-driven or other digital permitting systems to reduce permitting times, improve transparency and compliance with the Net-Zero Industry Act, and strengthen back-office administrative capacity. Projects must be demonstrators that are scalable and reusable across regions and Member States. The call requires multi-country consortia led by a public permitting authority from a designated/potential NZAV, includes mandatory endorsement from national authorities, and offers grants of €1.5–€2.4Mper project at 80% funding rate to cover eligible costs for 24–30 months. Applicants must use the Portal Submission System, follow the Application Form templates, meet eligibility and consortium composition rules, and achieve minimum scoring thresholds across Relevance, Quality and Impact. The expected result is deployment of interoperable, legally compliant, AI-enabled permitting solutions together with the training, documentation and playbooks required for replication beyond pilot sites, thereby accelerating net-zero industrial projects in coal regions in transition and other designated valleys.

Start submission and proposal drafting:register organisations in the Participant Register, secure the endorsement letter from the NZAV-designating national authority early, assemble the consortium to meet the minimum composition rules (including at least two public permitting authorities in the NZAV and coordinator being one of them), prepare Part B within the 70-page limit using the Portal template, complete the detailed budget calculator and ensure financial and operational documentation is available for validation during grant preparation.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call document and annexes are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Call fiche and Call document PPPA-2026-NETZERO (Net-Zero AI4Permitting) at ec.europa.eu

This call for proposals under the Pilot Projects and Preparation Actions (PPPA) programme supports local, regional, and national authorities in Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys to deploy AI-based or digital solutions for accelerating industrial permitting processes, in line with the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA).

Objectives and Expected Impact

The primary objective is to strengthen administrative capacity in permitting authorities through digital and AI-enabled solutions that reduce processing times, improve transparency, optimise staff resources, and ensure interoperability across systems. Projects must comply with EU and national legislation, promote cross-regional and cross-border replication, align with ongoing digitalisation initiatives, and incorporate stakeholder feedback.

Expected impacts include a documented increase in permitting management capacity at individual and project levels, acceleration of permitting processes, and deployment of state-of-the-art software in net-zero acceleration valleys, particularly in coal regions in transition. Measurable KPIs must be defined, with emphasis on cross-regional/cross-border uptake and reusability of outputs.

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Eligible Participants

• Legal entities (public or private bodies) established in EU Member States (including OCTs).
• Must be involved in industrial permitting procedures (e.g., EIA, IPPC, construction permits) in designated or potential Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys, supported by an endorsement letter from the national authority designating the valley.
• Local, regional, and national permitting authorities.

Consortium Requirements

• Minimum four independent entities from at least two different Member States.
• At least two public authorities from Net-Zero Acceleration Valleys (recognised via endorsement letter).
• Coordinator must be one of the public authorities.

Entities may participate in only one proposal. Natural persons, international organisations, and EU bodies (except JRC) are ineligible. Financial support to third parties is not allowed.

Scope and Activities

Proposals must address priorities such as acceleration of permitting, digital interoperability, legislative compliance, replication/reusability, alignment with digitalisation initiatives, stakeholder consultation, and staff training.

• System analysis to identify bottlenecks and AI opportunities.
• Procurement/deployment of AI/digital solutions.
• Enhancement of existing IT systems with AI.
• Development of user-centric front-office systems.
• Staff training programmes.
• Collaboration with digitalisation initiatives and authorities.
• Packaging outputs for replication (e.g., architectures, playbooks).
• Engagement with project developers and IT/AI providers.

Funding Details

Available Budget:€7,150,000 total, expecting up to four projects.

Grant Amount per Project:€1,500,000 to €2,400,000.

Funding Rate:80% of eligible costs.

Project Duration:24 to 30 months (extensions possible with justification).

Form of Grant:Budget-based mixed actual cost grant (actual costs with unit cost and flat-rate elements); no profit allowed.

Timeline

Evaluation Criteria and Thresholds

Proposals passing thresholds are ranked by score, prioritising Impact, then Quality, then Relevance. Balanced geographical/thematic coverage considered.

Submission Requirements

1. 1Electronic submission via Funding & Tenders Portal.
2. 2Part A: Administrative data and summarised budget (online).
3. 3Part B: Technical description (max 70 pages).
4. 4Mandatory annexes: Detailed budget, list of previous projects, endorsement letter from national authority.
5. 5Confirm mandate to act for all applicants and compliance with conditions.

Key Documents and Resources

Full details in call document at EU Funding Portal and Call Fiche. Application forms in Submission System. Model Grant Agreement: PPPA Action Grant Budget-Based. Contact: EISMEA-SMP-NET-ZERO-AI4-PERMITTING@ec.europa.eu.

Related events:Online info session on 13 April 2026; in-person event on 18 March 2026 in Brussels¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Details at EISMEA Events and Transforming Permitting Event.