Testing and demonstrating innovative solutions to improve resilience to extreme heat, including addressing health impacts

The EU's Horizon Europe program is offering funding for projects aimed at enhancing the resilience of regional and local authorities against extreme heat, with a significant focus on reducing health impacts. This initiative aligns with the European Green Deal, the EU Adaptation Strategy, and various resilience goals. The primary aim is to strengthen the capacity of these authorities to manage the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves, which pose a significant threat to health, particularly in vulnerable populations.

The funding opportunity asks for proposals that will test and demonstrate effective solutions in relation to extreme heat. Key areas of focus include developing systemic measures to manage heat stress in public and private spaces, providing emergency response actions for essential services during heat events, and exploring innovative funding mechanisms. Proposals should include the active participation of regional local authorities and involve strategies that align with existing national and EU initiatives.

Eligible applicant types include public authorities, universities, research entities, and NGOs, with a requirement for consortia to consist of partners from at least three EU member states or associated countries. The geographic scope is primarily EU Member States and Associated Countries.

Funding is structured as a lump sum grant under the Horizon Innovation Actions scheme, with variable amounts expected per project. The call is a single-stage submission process, with a deadline of September 24, 2025. The funding amounts are not fixed but are estimated to range between 6 million to 10 million euros per project, depending on the specific topic within the broader call.

The program does not explicitly require co-funding, but it encourages synergies with other funding sources and programs. Although success rates are not specified, projects seeking single grants may face lower success probabilities compared to those applying for multiple grants.

Overall, the Horizon Europe call aims for collaborative testing of innovative solutions to bolster resilience against extreme heat, focusing on practical actions that can be implemented and replicated across different regions to safeguard public health and well-being. It emphasizes a comprehensive approach, integrating social sciences and humanities to address broader implications of climate adaptation.

The EU's Horizon Europe program is offering funding to projects aimed at improving the resilience of European regional and local authorities to extreme heat, with the ultimate goal of reducing the negative impacts on human health and well-being. This initiative aligns with the European Green Deal, the EU Adaptation Strategy, the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, and the EU Disaster Resilience Goals.

The core objective is to enhance the adaptive capacities of regional and local authorities to cope with extreme heat events. This includes protecting citizens, especially vulnerable groups, and safeguarding their health and overall well-being. The program seeks to empower these authorities to take a leading role in developing and testing innovative solutions for managing extreme heat. Furthermore, it encourages them to actively seek funding opportunities beyond Horizon Europe to ensure the long-term deployment of adaptation measures.

The scope of the funding opportunity addresses the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves, which have been identified as a significant and growing threat to human health in Europe. The European Climate Risk Assessment has pinpointed heat as the most pressing climate hazard, particularly in Southern Europe. The program recognizes that extreme heat disproportionately affects certain locations and population groups, such as those in Southern and Western-Central Europe, urban areas, and individuals with lower incomes, social exclusion, disabilities, or pre-existing health conditions. It also acknowledges the critical importance of ensuring heat-resistant housing, especially for vulnerable individuals who spend a significant amount of time indoors.

To achieve these goals, proposals should focus on testing and demonstrating effective solutions against the effects of extreme heat within regional and local authorities. These solutions should encompass the following key areas:

Systemic Measures: Developing, demonstrating, and evaluating comprehensive strategies to reduce and manage heat stress in both public and private spaces, as well as within the built environment. These measures should avoid maladaptation and may include renovating buildings, redesigning public spaces, and implementing nature-based solutions in accordance with the Nature Restoration Law.

Emergency Actions: Developing and demonstrating ready-to-go actions for emergency services, public transport, and essential utilities (water and energy) to be implemented during extreme heat events. These actions should also support disaster preparedness and prevention planning, involving civil protection agencies.

Innovative Funding Schemes: Exploring and evaluating innovative funding mechanisms to support the implementation of heat resilience solutions in various regional and local authority contexts, considering their unique jurisdictions, governance structures, and local stakeholders.

The program recognizes the importance of addressing associated challenges, such as institutional and political obstacles, multi-level governance issues, and the political and justice dimensions of implementing innovative solutions. Therefore, it emphasizes the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines, the involvement of SSH experts and institutions, and the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise to enhance the societal impact of the research activities.

To ensure the successful implementation and long-term sustainability of the solutions, the program emphasizes the importance of embedding the development and testing of proposed solutions within the adaptation planning of participating regional or local authorities and/or national plans.

The program strongly encourages collaboration between regional and local authorities facing similar challenges, as this is considered an efficient approach to maximize impact. Therefore, demonstration activities must take place in at least three different regional or local authorities, each located in a different Member State or Associated Country. These authorities should be actively involved in the project, preferably as beneficiaries or associated partners.

Furthermore, proposals should identify at least three "replicating" regional or local authorities from different Member States or Associated Countries that are interested in adopting the lessons learned from the project, either fully, partially, or with necessary adjustments. The consortium may include partners to provide technical support and knowledge transfer to these replicating regions. While replicating regions are not expected to conduct demonstrations during the project, they should prepare a theoretical framework for replicating successful solutions and explore funding options for their implementation.

The program emphasizes the importance of linking proposals to the broader EU Mission and other relevant projects and initiatives. Proposals should build upon existing knowledge and adaptation solutions developed by previous projects and explore synergies with ongoing projects funded by EU and national programs, such as Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, Interreg, LIFE programs, the EU Mission Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, Copernicus, Destination Earth, and the New European Bauhaus.

Applicants are encouraged to seek synergies with other funding sources, both EU and national, to support a common approach to climate adaptation, carbon neutrality, sustainability, knowledge transfer, and innovative solutions. This will also facilitate the scaling up of demonstrated solutions and their broader deployment across Europe through programs like the LIFE program, the Social Climate Fund, the European Regional Development Fund, and the Just Transition Fund.

Proposals must include a mechanism and resources for establishing operational links and collaboration with the Mission Implementation Platform and other relevant knowledge platforms, such as Climate-ADAPT, the European Climate and Health Observatory, and the Copernicus Health Hub. Projects funded under this topic will have direct access to and are expected to participate in the Mission Community of Practice, networking activities supported by the Mission Implementation Platform, and knowledge sharing related to the HORIZON-MISS-2024-CLIMA-01-01 project. These activities may include joint workshops, knowledge exchange, best practice development, and joint communication initiatives.

Projects will also be required to contribute their results and data to the Mission Implementation Platform's monitoring efforts, which track progress toward the Mission's objectives and visualize progress across Europe. To this end, proposals are encouraged to align their monitoring activities with the framework developed by the HORIZON-MISS-2024-CLIMA-01-03 project.

Applicants are expected to acknowledge these requirements and allocate sufficient resources and budget to engage and collaborate with the Mission.

The general conditions for admissibility, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, evaluation and award processes, and legal and financial setup are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. Eligible costs will be reimbursed as a lump sum, as defined in the relevant EU decision.

Application form templates specific to this call are available in the Submission System, along with standard application and evaluation forms, guidance documents, and model grant agreements.

Additional relevant documents include the Horizon Europe Main Work Programme, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, the EU Financial Regulation, and various guidance documents related to legal entity validation, financial capacity assessment, and grant management.

The call HORIZON-MISS-2025-01 includes several topics with varying budgets and scopes:

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 17,650,000 EUR, aiming for one grant.

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-02: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 25,000,000 EUR, aiming for one grant.

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-03: HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 30,000,000 EUR, aiming for three grants of around 10,000,000 EUR each.

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-04: HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 30,000,000 EUR, aiming for three grants of around 10,000,000 EUR each.

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-05: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 6,000,000 EUR, aiming for two grants of around 3,000,000 EUR each.

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06: HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement with a budget of 5,000,000 EUR, aiming for one grant.

The submission session opened on May 6, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is September 24, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

This funding opportunity represents a significant investment in building climate resilience across Europe, focusing on practical solutions and collaborative efforts to protect citizens from the growing threat of extreme heat. It encourages regional and local authorities to take proactive steps, develop innovative strategies, and secure long-term funding to ensure the health and well-being of their communities in the face of climate change.

In essence, this Horizon Europe call is a multi-faceted initiative designed to bolster Europe's defenses against the increasingly dangerous effects of extreme heat. It's not just about funding research; it's about driving real-world change by empowering local authorities to implement innovative solutions, collaborate effectively, and secure a sustainable future for their citizens. The program emphasizes a holistic approach, considering not only technological advancements but also social, economic, and governance factors to ensure that adaptation measures are effective, equitable, and long-lasting. By fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strategic planning, this call aims to create a more resilient and climate-ready Europe for all.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are regional and local authorities, as well as any legal entity capable of carrying out the proposed activities. The call specifically mentions the involvement of regional and local authorities as beneficiaries or associated partners, and encourages collaboration between them. The call also requires the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) funding scheme. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The demonstration activities must take place in the territory of at least 3 different regional or local authorities, each established in a different Member State or Associated Country, with the involvement of these regional or local authorities.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. Demonstration activities must take place in the territory of at least 3 different regional or local authorities, each established in a different Member State or Associated Country. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible for funding if they have made specific provisions, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The target sector is climate adaptation, specifically addressing extreme heat resilience and its impacts on human health and well-being in the built environment. This includes areas such as building design and renovation, urban planning, nature-based solutions, emergency services, public transport, utilities, and innovative funding schemes. The call also emphasizes the importance of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity details mention EU Member States and Associated Countries as locations where demonstration activities must take place.

Project Stage: The project stage is demonstration. Proposals should test and demonstrate effective solutions against the effects of extreme heat. The solutions should be embedded in the adaptation planning of the regional or local authority and/or in national plans.

Funding Amount: The funding amount is variable, depending on the specific topic within the call.
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01 has a budget of around EUR 17,650,000 and aims for 1 grant.
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-02 has a budget of around EUR 25,000,000 and aims for 1 grant.
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-03 has a budget of around EUR 30,000,000 and aims for 3 grants (around EUR 10,000,000 each).
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-04 has a budget of around EUR 30,000,000 and aims for 3 grants (around EUR 10,000,000 each).
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-05 has a budget of around EUR 6,000,000 and aims for 2 grants (around EUR 3,000,000 each).
HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06 has a budget of around EUR 5,000,000 and aims for 1 grant.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call. The submission session is now available as of 06 May 2025 and the deadline for submission is 24 September 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

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

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly stated, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. For example, topics aiming for 1 grant will likely have lower success rates than those aiming for 3 grants.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement. However, it encourages exploring funding opportunities beyond Horizon Europe for the deployment of adaptation measures, which may imply that leveraging additional funding is beneficial.

This Horizon Europe call, "Testing and demonstrating innovative solutions to improve resilience to extreme heat, including addressing health impacts," is a funding opportunity aimed at improving the adaptive capacities of European regional and local authorities to extreme heat events. The call is part of the EU's broader efforts under the European Green Deal, the EU Adaptation Strategy, the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, and the EU Disaster Resilience Goals. The primary goal is to protect citizens, especially vulnerable groups, from the health and well-being impacts of increasingly frequent and intense heatwaves.

The call seeks proposals that will test and demonstrate effective solutions in regional and local authorities, focusing on systemic measures to reduce heat stress in public and private spaces, ready-to-go actions for emergency services and utilities during extreme heat events, and innovative funding schemes for implementing heat resilience solutions. Projects should involve a consortium of applicants, including regional and local authorities from at least three different Member States or Associated Countries. Furthermore, projects should identify replicating regions interested in adopting the demonstrated solutions.

The funding is provided as a lump sum grant under the Horizon Innovation Actions scheme, and projects are expected to build synergies with other EU and national programs, such as Horizon 2020, Interreg, LIFE, and the New European Bauhaus. The call emphasizes the importance of integrating Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines to address institutional, political, and justice dimensions of implementing innovative solutions.

In essence, this call is about fostering collaboration, testing innovative solutions, and building resilience to extreme heat across Europe, with a strong focus on protecting vulnerable populations and promoting sustainable adaptation measures.