European Urban Initiative – Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) – Call 4

European Urban Initiative – Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) – Call 4 (2026)

Call Info

Beneficiaries: Urban authorities
Total budget: €60 million
Applications: Planned launch in early 2026

With a total budget of around €60 million, Call 4 of the European Urban Initiative – Innovative Actions (EUI-IA) supports urban innovation pilot projects designed to test new and experimental solutions that address local challenges in real-life settings.

This call aims to strengthen the capacity of European cities to take risks and lead innovative projects with transformative potential, contributing to sustainable, competitive and inclusive urban development.

EUI-IA – Call 4 framework

Call 4 introduces a set of new features aimed at broadening access to the initiative and increasing the impact of urban innovation. Key highlights include:

Broader eligibility for smaller cities, encouraging the participation of municipalities with limited experience in managing EU funds.
Greater thematic flexibility, allowing cities to define the urban challenges most relevant to their territory.
Smaller-scale projects, with budgets of up to €2 million and a maximum duration of two years.
A simplified financial framework, including simplified cost options and greater flexibility across partners.

Projects are expected to start in autumn 2026.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants:

Urban authorities with more than 25,000 inhabitants;
Groups of urban authorities applying as a consortium;
Cities that have not been supported under previous EUI-IA calls.

Particularly valued:

Small and medium-sized cities;
Cities with limited experience with European funds;
Dynamic authorities with limited innovation experience.

Urban Innovation requirements

Projects must demonstrate:

New, bold and experimental solutions that go beyond “business as usual” practices.
Innovations that may be:
- Completely new at EU level;
- Already tested in another European context, but not yet implemented locally.
A clear response to an urban challenge, presenting an approach that is more effective than existing solutions.

Implementation must be carried out by a project partnership, aligned with the lead urban authority.

EUI-IA (Call 4): Eligible Themes

Call 4 allows broad flexibility in choosing the thematic focus, covering several strategic domains for European cities:

Economy, prosperity and competitiveness
Housing
Mobility
Climate action, environment and clean energy
Social inclusion and equality
Digitalisation
Public safety and emergency preparedness

Funding

ERDF co-financing rate: 80%
Own contribution: 20%
Maximum budget per project: €2 million
Possibility to support investments, with pre-financing and simplified financial models.
Flexibility in partners’ contribution structure.

How INOVA+ can support

INOVA+ has proven experience in initiatives funded under this programme, with projects such as Coimbra STEAM LLM (a sustainable tourism portal based on an LLM), Viana S+T+ARTS (the transformation of the former slaughterhouse into an innovation centre aligned with the New European Bauhaus), and Aveiro Steam City (a STEAM-based approach to education and talent attraction), all awarded €5 million grants.

Under EUI-IA – Call 4, INOVA+ provides support from concept design and project structuring through to submission, Grant Agreement negotiation, and implementation management, with technical, administrative and financial follow-up services. We are the ideal partner for cities that want to turn their urban vision into EU-funded pilot projects. Get in touch!