Deadline Date: October 01, 2026
The Mission: Climate-Neutral City call supports research, development, and innovation projects that enable climate neutrality and resilience in Austrian cities, districts, and buildings.
The focus areas of this call include urban technologies, urban system innovation, technical socio-ecological and economic system solutions, climate-neutral urban areas, neighbourhood and building development, pioneer cities, urban pilot demonstrations, district-scale innovation, sustainable public space and transport design, mobility behaviour transformation, circular economy approaches, renewable energy integration, resource and energy efficiency, alternative financing and operating models, climate adaptation measures, and urban R&D services for monitoring and climate impact assessment. The total budget for this call is €20,000,000.
This call is part of Austria’s mission-oriented innovation policy led by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure together with the Climate and Energy Fund. It aims to accelerate energy and climate targets through research and innovation activities focused on climate-neutral cities.
The programme supports the development of innovative urban technologies and system innovations as well as the demonstration of pilot buildings and districts. It also encourages cooperation with pioneer cities that are actively pursuing ambitious climate and energy goals. These cities play a key role in testing and implementing scalable solutions for climate neutrality.
Strategic objectives of the call include reducing emissions through energy and mobility transition, adapting to climate change impacts, increasing resource and energy efficiency, expanding the use of renewable energy sources and materials, strengthening knowledge transfer and urban learning processes, positioning cities as leaders of sustainable transformation, and reinforcing gender and diversity aspects in research and development projects.
Operational objectives include developing technological solutions for climate-neutral urban areas, initiating system innovations in cities and municipalities, supporting resilient and resource-efficient buildings and neighbourhoods, enabling social and transformative innovation including sustainable mobility behaviour, and developing new financing and operational models for climate-neutral urban development.
The programme also supports urban pilot and demonstration projects, including neighbourhood-scale testing, modular renovation approaches, and exploratory development activities in pioneer cities. Additional focus is placed on strengthening storage and flexibility potential in buildings and neighbourhoods and improving understanding of climate-related impacts in urban environments.
For more information, visit Climate and Energy Fund.
