Supporting regions and local authorities in assessing climate risks

The EU grant opportunity HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01 is designed to support regional and local authorities in assessing climate risks. This initiative aligns with the European Green Deal and the EU Adaptation Strategy, aiming to enhance climate resilience at regional levels. It is part of the Horizon Europe program and specifically targets the implementation of the Adaptation to Climate Change Mission.

Eligible applicants include regional and local authorities from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries, alongside entities representing these authorities. However, those who have previously received funding through the CLIMAAX project are not eligible. The funding type is primarily a grant, with a focus on providing financial support to at least 50 third parties through cascade funding.

The grant is aimed at improvements in climate risk assessments and tools, specifically targeting climate adaptation, disaster risk management, and the development of various frameworks for local authorities. The initiative encourages collaboration and the use of digital technologies, including AI.

The project aims to further develop an existing climate risk assessment framework/toolbox and provide grants to local authorities for conducting comprehensive climate risk assessments. The expected budget for this specific grant opportunity is EUR 17,650,000, with individual grants to regional and local authorities capped at EUR 200,000 each. The application process is an open call with a single-stage submission due by September 24, 2025.

The expected outcomes include improved frameworks for multi-risk assessments, enhanced scientific knowledge relevant to climate risks, better preparedness of local authorities, and improved communication about climate risks to the public. The project should help integrate climate adaptation efforts with disaster risk management through collaboration among various stakeholders.

While there is no mandatory co-funding requirement, at least 60% of the total EU contribution is required for financial support directed towards third parties. The success rates for grants are unclear due to an unspecified number of applications but may be low given the limited number of available grants.

Overall, the initiative is expected to strengthen climate adaptation methodologies, enhance the availability of improved tools, and foster collaboration among scientists, policymakers, and civil society. The proposal process should reflect these collaborative goals and include mechanisms for continuous feedback and adaptation.

This EU funding opportunity, HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01, aims to support regions and local authorities in assessing climate risks, aligning with the European Green Deal, the EU Adaptation Strategy, the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, and the EU Disaster Resilience Goals. The call falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically targeting the implementation of the Adaptation to Climate Change Mission. It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] model grant agreement. The call is currently open for submission with a deadline of September 24, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget allocated for this topic is EUR 17,650,000, and it is expected that one grant will be awarded.

The primary expected outcomes of successful proposals include:

Improved and mainstreamed regional multi-risk assessment framework and supporting toolbox.
Strengthened scientific knowledge on climate risk assessments at the regional and local levels.
Better equipped regions and local authorities to reduce vulnerability and exposure to climate change, enhancing climate resilience.
Closer collaboration among climate adaptation and disaster risk management stakeholders, including policy actors, communities, scientists, and civil society.
Clearer communication of climate risks to non-specialist audiences, fostering support for climate resilience actions and combating climate disinformation.

The scope of the funding opportunity involves two main objectives:

1. Consolidating and Mainstreaming the Climate Risk Assessment Framework and Toolbox:

Further develop the existing framework and toolbox for regional climate risk assessment, ensuring they are multi-risk, multi-sector, and include exposure and vulnerability assessments.
Ensure broad applicability across EU Member States (including Outermost Regions) and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Make the toolbox and related IT tools open source, free, and openly licensed.
Refine the methodological framework to address knowledge and data gaps, including:
Incorporating tailored responses as a key part of the risk framework, based on the IPCC's sixth assessment report.
Considering cascading and compounding risks, as well as risks from biodiversity loss and pollution.
Accounting for the dynamic nature of climate risk over time.
Translating global future scenarios into local risks.
Integrating supporting tools for regional climate risk management planning to inform community-based emergency and risk management plans.
Integrating developments for multi-risk assessments from previous and ongoing Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects.
Co-design and co-produce refinements with regional/local authorities and practitioners from various EU Member States/Associated Countries.
Implement a built-in mechanism for continuous feedback and iterative improvements to ensure the tools and assessments remain relevant.
Incorporate newly produced datasets from EU programs like Copernicus, Destination Earth, and EURO-CORDEX.
Encourage the use of digital technologies like AI to better quantify and assess climate risks.
Consider the services offered by European research infrastructures and related projects like IRISCC.
Improve accessibility and understandability for non-experts, combat climate disinformation, and include a simple Graphical User Interface (GUI) for disseminating risk information.

2. Supporting Regional and Local Authorities via Cascade Funding:

Provide financial support (grants) to at least 50 regional and local authorities to conduct comprehensive climate risk assessments or refine existing ones, using the improved framework and toolbox.
Eligible third parties include regional and local authorities in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (or entities acting on their behalf) that have not received financial support under the CLIMAAX project or are not in territories already covered by CLIMAAX.
Allocate at least 60% of the total EU requested contribution to financial support for third parties.
Launch the first cascade call preferably within the first 12 months of the project.
Describe the intended approach for providing financial support to third parties in accordance with the FSTP Annex and General Annex B, considering geographical balance and inclusivity/equity.
Learn from the experiences of projects with financial support to third parties/cascading funding, including consulting publicly available information and holding dedicated exchanges with the projects CLIMAAX, Pathways2Resilience, and the Mission Secretariat.
Collaborate with the Mission National Hubs to facilitate good practice sharing and replicability at the National level.

Additional Considerations:

The project should include an open support line or helpdesk for European regional and local authorities interested in using the toolbox.
Identify and support ways to apply the framework and toolbox more widely, including within the disaster risk management community.
Collaborate with the Mission National Adaptation Hubs to share best practices and foster replicability.
Explore ways to harvest data to improve European-wide climate risk datasets, assessments, and responses, making assessments available through the Joint Research Centre’s Risk Data Hub.
Cooperate with the Mission Implementation Platform and establish operational links with the Climate-ADAPT platform and other relevant EU programs.
Applicants should acknowledge these requests and account for them in their proposal.

The proposal page limit is 70 pages, following the layout described in Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are listed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed in Annex C, while evaluation and award information can be found in Annexes D and F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. Legal and financial aspects are described in Annex G.

Application forms and templates are available in the Submission System, including standard application forms for HE RIA/IA, HE CSA, HE RI, and HE PCP, as well as evaluation form templates. Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA), and call-specific instructions. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and related guidelines and manuals.

The budget overview indicates that for HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01, EUR 17,650,000 is allocated, with an indicative number of one grant. The call opens on May 6, 2025, and closes on September 24, 2025.

Partner search announcements are available, and applicants can access the Electronic Submission Service via the provided link. 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, and European IPR Helpdesk.

In summary, this funding opportunity seeks to enhance climate risk assessment and adaptation planning at the regional and local levels by improving existing tools, providing financial support to authorities, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders. The goal is to strengthen climate resilience and support the objectives of the European Green Deal and related EU strategies. The project involves refining a climate risk assessment toolbox, distributing grants to regional and local authorities for conducting risk assessments, and ensuring the widespread adoption and accessibility of the improved tools and data.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicants for this opportunity are regional and local authorities in EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (and/or other entities acting on their behalf). However, regional and local authorities that have already received financial support under the CLIMAAX project or whose territories were covered by CLIMAAX are not eligible.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP). The funding also involves financial support to third parties (cascade funding) in the form of grants.

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the nature of the project, particularly the need to consolidate and mainstream a framework and toolbox, and to support numerous regional and local authorities, suggests that a consortium of multiple applicants is highly desirable, if not required. The call for partner search announcements further supports this.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility for applicants includes EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Target Sector: The program targets the climate sector, specifically focusing on climate risk assessment, adaptation to climate change, disaster risk management, and the development of tools and frameworks for regional and local authorities. It also touches upon ICT through the encouragement of exploiting digital technologies like AI.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries are mentioned as eligible regions.

Project Stage: The project expects to build upon existing research and tools (specifically those developed by the CLIMAAX project), indicating a project stage of development and validation, with an aim toward mainstreaming and implementation.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call:
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01: EUR 17,650,000
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-02: EUR 25,000,000
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-03: EUR 30,000,000
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-04: EUR 30,000,000
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-05: EUR 6,000,000
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06: EUR 5,000,000
For the financial support to third parties, the maximum amount to be granted to each third party (regional or local authority) is EUR 200,000.

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants. Additionally, regional and local authorities will receive non-monetary services through the use of the improved framework, toolbox, and support line.

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

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants for each topic suggests the following success rates:
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01: 1 grant
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-02: 1 grant
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-03: 3 grants
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-04: 3 grants
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-05: 2 grants
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06: 1 grant
Without knowing the expected number of applications, it is impossible to determine the exact success rate, but the limited number of grants suggests that the success rate is likely to be below 10%.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement for the primary beneficiaries. However, it states that at least 60% of the total EU requested contribution should be for financial support to third parties, implying that the remaining 40% can be used by the primary beneficiaries for project-related activities.

Summary:
This Horizon Europe call (HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01) aims to support regional and local authorities in assessing and adapting to climate risks. It has two primary objectives: first, to consolidate and improve an existing regional climate risk assessment framework and toolbox, and second, to provide financial support (via cascade funding) to at least 50 regional and local authorities to conduct comprehensive climate risk assessments. The call encourages the use of AI and other digital technologies, emphasizes the importance of clear communication of climate risks to the public, and promotes collaboration among various stakeholders, including disaster risk management communities and EU missions. Eligible applicants are consortia that include entities from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The successful applicant will be responsible for refining the existing climate risk assessment toolbox, providing support to third parties in conducting risk assessments, and ensuring the widespread dissemination of the improved tools and knowledge. The call is part of the broader European Green Deal and EU Adaptation Strategy, with the goal of accelerating climate adaptation efforts and building climate resilience at the regional and local levels. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of September 24, 2025. The project is expected to contribute to strengthening scientific knowledge on climate risk assessments, equipping regions and local authorities to reduce their vulnerability, and fostering closer links between climate adaptation and disaster risk management actors.