Deploying circular systemic solutions through living labs in cities and regions (Circular Cities and Regions Initiative topic)
Funds city and regional authorities to run living labs that scale up circular-economy solutions across Europe.
This call runs in two stages: a short concept proposal is judged first, and only the top-ranked applicants are then invited to submit a full proposal at stage two, so most rejections happen before anyone writes the long-form application. Costs are still paid as a fixed lump sum rather than reimbursed actual spending, and award criteria, scoring and thresholds are not published on the topic page it…
This call funds public local and regional authorities to run 'living lab' demonstrations of circular-economy solutions — reducing waste, emissions and raw-material use — and then help other cities and regions replicate what works. It does not target a specific technology or sector; instead, applicants pick their own sector or value chain based on local circular potential. At least five distinct living labs must be part of the consortium: two demonstration sites and three replication sites, one of which must be in a Horizon Europe widening country.
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Guides for this application
All guides →Horizon Europe Grants for Startups: A Founder Guide
A practical guide to Horizon Europe grants for startups, including EIC, consortia, eligibility, Funding & Tenders, TRL, budgets, and EU strategy.
Start hereTRL Levels Explained for Deeptech Founders
Learn what TRL levels mean, how to estimate technology readiness, and how TRL affects grants, EIC Accelerator, SBIR/STTR, funding stage, and application evidence.
DocumentsGrant Work Plan Template: Work Packages, Gantt, Milestones, and Risks
Use this grant work plan template to structure work packages, tasks, owners, deliverables, Gantt timing, dependencies, and risk registers.
Write proposalGrant Concept Note Example: Pre-Proposal Structure for Startups
See a practical grant concept note example, with a worked deeptech pre-proposal, section map, invite-to-full logic, and reviewer checks.
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