EU launches EUR 1 billion European Green Deal Call

The European Commission is receiving applications for its Horizon 2020-funded EUR 1 billion European Green Deal Call from today. The goal is to finance research and innovation projects that respond to the climate crisis and help protect Europe’s unique ecosystems and biodiversity.

Europe wants to spur its recovery from the coronavirus crisis by turning green challenges into innovation opportunities, the commission said.

The deadline to submit applications is January 26

The European Green Deal is its blueprint and roadmap to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

The deadline to submit applications is January 26, 2021, with selected projects expected to start in autumn 2021.

The call includes opportunities for international cooperation in addressing the needs of less-developed nations

According to the commission, the Green Deal Call differs in important aspects from previous Horizon 2020 calls. Given the urgency of the challenges it addresses, it aims for clear, discernible results in the short to medium-term, but with a perspective of long-term change.

There are fewer, but more targeted, larger and visible actions, with a focus on rapid scalability, dissemination and uptake, the commission said.

The call includes opportunities for international cooperation in addressing the needs of less-developed nations, particularly in Africa, in the context of the Paris Agreement as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The projects funded under this call are expected to deliver results with tangible benefits in ten areas:

• Eight thematic areas reflecting the key work streams of the European Green Deal:

1. Increasing climate ambition
2. Clean, affordable and secure energy
3. Industry for a clean and circular economy
4. Energy and resource efficient buildings
5. Sustainable and smart mobility
6. Farm to fork
7. Biodiversity and ecosystems
8. Zero-pollution, toxic-free environments.

• And two horizontal areas – strengthening knowledge and empowering citizens, which offer a longer-term perspective in achieving the transformations set out in the European Green Deal.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said the EU doesn’t want anyone left behind in this systemic transformation, so it calls for specific actions to engage with citizens in novel ways and improve societal relevance and impact.