The fifth call for proposals from the European partnership Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) is now open to fund transnational research and innovation projects aimed at promoting resilient, inclusive, and sustainable cities, with a total of 49 million euros from participating national entities, and up to 30% of that total coming from the Horizon Europe program. The goal is also for each project to receive up to 2 million euros to develop its proposals.
The DUT Call 2026, co-funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe program, brings together 28 countries to develop and support replicable and effective solutions to the major challenges of urban transformation.
This call seeks to go beyond theoretical research and strengthen initiatives capable of testing solutions in real urban contexts, promoting their adoption by public administrations in their policies, and facilitating their subsequent scalability.
To this end, it approaches urban transition through three major areas of action, known as Transition Pathways: the 15-minute City, Circular Urban Economies, and Positive Energy Districts (PEDs), which are precisely the lines of work on which participating proposals must focus. More specifically, they consist of:
15-Minute City
This initiative focuses on mobility, proximity, and public space in neighborhoods. The three themes of the call for proposals are:
- Adaptive reuse of existing urban structures and spaces.
- Aligning cross-sectoral ambitions for the mobility transition.
- Fostering neighborhood economies and driving innovation in local offerings and services.
The goal is to move toward neighborhoods where everyday needs can be met in a more local, accessible, and sustainable way.
Circular Urban Economies
The second call addresses the circularity of urban resources, regenerative urban planning, and the relationship between built spaces, nature, and well-being. The three themes are:
- Adaptive reuse of existing urban structures and spaces.
- Innovative maintenance of urban green and blue spaces.
- Rethinking urban production to build circular and resilient cities.
They seek to promote urban models based on circular resource flows and on planning that combines circularity, renaturalization, and equitable access to urban spaces.
Positive Energy Districts (PED)
The third line of research focuses on Positive Energy Districts (PED) and the integration of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy system flexibility at the urban and local levels. The topics are:
- Adaptive reuse of existing urban structures and spaces.
- PED solutions in private homes in different urban contexts.
- Sustainable PEDs, energy system flexibility, and integrated technologies.
Projects with Real Impact
One of the central elements of the DUT Call 2026 is its focus on implementation and real impact. The call seeks projects capable of generating solutions that can be tested and subsequently incorporated into urban policies, strategies, and actions.
To this end, proposals must have a transnational dimension and include at least three partners from three different participating countries, as well as a local authority, which may act as a partner or as a collaborator providing a testing ground or Living Lab. Research centers, universities, companies, civil society representatives, and actors from the cultural and creative sectors are eligible to participate.
In Spain, the call for proposals is managed through the State Research Agency (AEI) and the Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) of the Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities.
The selected projects are expected to run for three years starting in late 2027 or early 2028, following notification of the final funding decision. In this way, they will participate in the international Mission Innovation initiative and serve as examples of the priorities outlined by the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus initiative.
All the information about the call for proposals and its topics—the first phase for submitting proposals for which will end on November 17—is available at this link. We also encourage you to attend the informational session on September 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. More information here.
