Deadline Date: September 16, 2026
The European Commission is seeking applications under the EmpowerEUcities support initiative, which aims to accelerate the scaling and deployment of smart distributed clean energy solutions in European cities to improve energy affordability, enhance local energy resilience, and deliver direct benefits to citizens.
The focus areas of this initiative include scaling up demonstrated smart energy solutions, expanding local renewable energy production and consumption, improving coordination among local authorities, energy agencies, system operators, communities, financiers and technology providers, developing effective governance models for deployment, supporting the transition from pilot projects to full market-ready solutions, and enhancing long-term energy system resilience alongside immediate energy efficiency measures.
EmpowerEUcities is designed to close the gap between successful demonstration projects and large-scale real-world implementation. Many innovative solutions developed under EU programmes such as Horizon Europe, LIFE Clean Energy Transition, and the Innovation Fund have proven their effectiveness, yet face challenges in scaling due to limited local capacity, fragmented stakeholder coordination, and the absence of suitable financial and regulatory frameworks.
The initiative supports cities in either scaling up existing solutions within their own local systems or replicating successful approaches from other cities. This ensures that proven technologies and service models can be adapted and implemented more widely, enabling faster and more efficient urban energy transformation.
A central component of the initiative is the development of scale-up roadmaps agreed upon by local authorities and key stakeholders. These roadmaps are intended to guide the transition of smart energy solutions into full-scale deployment by aligning technical design, financing strategies, governance structures, and community participation mechanisms.
EmpowerEUcities also reinforces the role of cities in achieving EU climate and energy objectives by building on established initiatives and strengthening implementation capacity at the local level. It supports cities in translating their climate and energy action plans into concrete investments and operational projects.
In addition, the initiative responds to the European Union’s priority of improving energy system resilience in the context of global market volatility and dependency on imported fossil fuels. It promotes long-term structural measures that improve energy efficiency and sustainability while complementing short-term responses to energy price fluctuations.
Eligible applicants include legal entities from EU Member States and associated countries, with the requirement that the coordinating entity is based in an eligible country, ensuring coordinated implementation across participating regions.
For more information, visit EC.
