Call for Pilots within the European data space for smart communities (submission round 4)

Home Funding Calls for proposals Call for Pilots within the European data space for smart communities (submission round 4) Call for Pilots within the European data space for smart communities (submission round 4) DS4SSCC-DEP Grant Cascade funding Internal navigation General information Submission & evaluation process Further information Task description General Information Opening date 01 April 2026 Deadline model single-stage Deadline date 31 May 2026 23:59 (Brussels time) Open For Submission Expected duration of participation 3 months Total funding available 15 300 000,00 € Project acronym DS4SSCC-DEP Full name of the EU funded project European Data Space for Smart Communities Grant agreement number 101123342 Topic DIGITAL-2022-CLOUD-AI-03-DS-SMART - Data space for smart communities (deployment) Submission & evaluation process Submission timeline & Instructions There are four rounds of open calls in the frames of the deployment action of European data space for smart communities: 1st submission round: 1 June 2024 – 31 August 2024 (closed) 2nd submission round: 1 September 2024 - 30 November 2024 (closed) 3rd submission round: 1 December 2024 - 28 February 2025 (closed) 4th submission round: 1 April 2026 - 31 May 2026 (open) Full Proposal template and supporting documentation (written in English) must be submitted via email (apply@ds4sscc.eu) before the specified deadline of the Call for Pilots. All necessary guidelines and documentation are available at https://ds4sscc.eu/cfp-four, including the following: Call for Pilots Manual (including Call for Pilots overview, legal, financial, technical, business and organisational and ethical framework, information about evaluation process and guidance on pilot support and monitoring once awarded) Templates for Submission Application Form Budget Letter of Commitment Ethics and Data Protection Self-Assessment For all documentation, please refer to the latest version available on the website. Evaluation Applications will undergo an evaluation process, which first includes an eligibility check. Next, eligible applications will undergo expert evaluation, which will assess the content of the proposals according to the set evaluation criteria and scoring mechanisms (Relevance, Implementation, Impact). The evaluation process for each submission round is expected to take 1 month after the submission deadline. Following this, notification to all applicants will be sent out by email, including a short feedback. Successful applications will undergo further financial and legal scrutiny before the negotiation and contract signing phase commences. Note that resubmission of project applications from the previous submission rounds is permitted. For more information about eligibility and evaluation criteria, please refer to the Call for Pilots Manual available at https://ds4sscc.eu/cfp-four Show more Further information We strongly recommend participants to get acquainted with the updated DS4SSCC data space blueprint, as it serves as the foundation for proposed solutions and describes the specific requirements that pilots need to follow. We invite applicants to be part of the Stakeholder Forum to engage and network with like-minded organisations aiming to realise the objectives for Data Space for Smart Communities. This forum also offers opportunities to directly liaise with the DS4SSCC-DEP consortium members. More information at https://www.ds4sscc.eu/stakeholderforum There are also two Info Sessions organised on April 1st and April 29th, which will include a matchmaking session. More details and registration available at https://www.ds4sscc.eu/events. Applicants are responsible for checking the DS4SSCC-DEP project website (https://ds4sscc.eu/cfp-four) for updated information related to this Call. For any inquiries, please contact support@ds4sscc.eu. Before submitting a request, check the frequently asked questions web page at https://www.ds4sscc.eu/faq Task description The European data space for smart communities (DS4SSCC-DEP) action has previously launched three rounds of Calls for Pilots (CfP) to validate an EU-wide cross-sectorial data space in practice and to advance its development and implementation to support policy priorities of cities and communities within the European Union, including the green-digital transformation based on secure and sovereign data infrastructure. These calls launched 11 pilots to establish cross-border and cross-domain data space initiatives. This fourth and last call will seek to onboard approximately 10 additional pilots, validating even further the vision for a European data space for smart communities. The pilots are set to build on and evolve the governance and technical blueprint established by the preparatory action for the European data space for smart communities, and evolved during the deployment action. This initiative aims to foster innovation towards a more resilient Europe, supporting local businesses and ecosystems, and emphasising ethical considerations and AI-enabled local solutions, thereby enhancing the conditions for citizens and communities across Europe. Who Can Apply The pilot call is specifically designed for local public administrations in the EU and Digital Europe Programme (DEP) Associated countries and partners working with them (e.g., companies, civil society organisations, academia). The consortia must be capable of executing a cross-sectorial and cross-border pilot activity, and co-finance at least 50% of the pilot activity. Consortia Eligibility Criteria Eligible consortia must consist of at least two local or regional public administrations from different EU member states and/or DEP Associated countries, promoting cross-sectoral collaboration and dealing with the European Green Deal objectives. The local administrations can also involve other eligible parties working with them (e.g., companies, academia, civil society organisations and others). The pilot consortium members are subject to restrictions due to security reasons. Entities must not be controlled by an ineligible country. If there is a risk for such case, entities will be offered an opportunity to provide a guarantee. All entities (except entities that are validated as public bodies by the EU countries) have to fill in and submit an Ownership Control Declaration (OCD). OCD must be self-declared at proposal time, and if the pilot is awarded, the official OCD must be provided within 14 days from the notification date. If a chosen pilot consortium member is found, after assessment, to be controlled by a partner from a non-EU country, they will need to present a guarantee that will be assessed to allow or exclude participation in the pilot project. If a partner is found to be controlled by a DEP-associated country, they will also have to prepare a guarantee that will need to be assessed to allow or not allow their participation in the pilot. Scope Pilots launched through the Call for Pilots are expected to develop actual services created based on data sharing among data space participants, demonstrate the applicability of the DS4SSCC blueprint and demonstrate feasibility of a federated European data space for smart communities. To support prospective applicants, interested local and regional administrations are encouraged to acquaint themselves with the currently active DS4SSCC-DEP local data spaces to explore the feasibility of replicating developed services and evolving these for local needs. As a result of pilot implementations, the DS4SSCC-DEP project will gather experiences from pilots and evolve the DS4SSCC blueprint. The pilot consortia must create new data services from the data sharing across at least two areas specified below, but can also include other European Green Deal domains: predictive traffic management/sustainable mobility planning, establishing also synergies with the mobility data space and making use of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators, where appropriate; data-services related to weather, climate and extreme weather events to facilitate risk prevention, disaster resilience as well as climate change adaptation; management of energy flows in a city/community specific context and in conjunction with other sectors; zero pollution actions (e.g., air, water, soil pollution or waste); and any other domain falling under the New European Bauhaus initiative (urban design, building management, public services, nature-based solutions, amongst others. Available funding and Co-Financing Each pilot is planned to be funded with 250 000 - 500 000 euros by EU contribution to share amongst the consortium members of the pilot. The funding should be balanced proportionally amongst the pilot sites. The financial criteria for applicants involves a co-funding model. Applicants are expected to bear at least 50% of the project costs, as direct co-financing. This means that for any pilot proposed, the grant will cover only up to half of the total expenses. Applicants must directly indicate the co-financing as a dedicated cost in the budget for the pilot and demonstrate their capacity to provide it through their own resources. To be eligible, co-financing cannot include in-kind resources not explicitly monetized in the pilot budget, and all activities must observe relevant regulation, including state-aid rules and risks of double funding. As normally, all costs need to be actual, incurred during the pilot period time-frame and have to be auditable. This approach ensures shared investment and commitment from both the funding body (EU) and the applicants, aligning with the principles of partnership and joint responsibility. The model is designed to encourage meaningful participation and investment in the project, ensuring that the applicants are equally invested in the success and sustainability of their initiatives. It's crucial for applicants to clearly articulate their funding strategy and show their ability to meet these financial requirements in their application. The piloting consortium is expected to receive 50% of the total grant at the start, upon signing of the grant agreement, and the remaining 50% will be paid after approving the technical report and financial statement. For more information about the Financial Framework, please refer to the Call for Pilots Manual at https://ds4sscc.eu/cfp-four