Who?

Application is open to local authorities, non-profit organisations, collective representation bodies working in the following areas: Energy, Mobility, Food, Disaster Management, and Biodiversity.

Applicants must be located in the European Union or one of the HORIZON EUROPE Associated Countries, thus Western Balkans are eligible!

Additional criteria pertaining to specific pilot actions may be found in the call guidelines.

What? 

The call for pilot projects covers the following topics:

PILOT ACTION 1

Next time better and more inclusive – Engaging local communities to ensure improved disaster responses

The main aim is to co-create a scenario for handling a disaster. This would be done as a pilot project in a region that recently faced a sudden disaster, using a bottom-up approach, involving all stakeholders including citizens. The underlying principle is the co-creation of scenarios for the future to inform and trigger a behavioural change in actors from local communities as well as from authorities. The aim is reducing the risk of similar disasters in the future as well as improving disaster preparedness.

PILOT ACTION 2

Wild eyes – Biodiversity crisis knowledge – Engaging citizens to document the biodiversity crisis

The main aim is to start a citizen science engagement and awareness campaign to activate and encourage participants for collecting evidence of biodiversity change and preparing fact-based solutions that are positive to biodiversity, the inclusion of vulnerable groups is expected.

PILOT ACTION 3

Awards for inclusive energy communities – Recognising outstanding efforts to mainstream inclusivity in energy communities

The main objective of the awards for inclusive energy communities is to provide a valuable platform for energy communities to exchange their experiences and knowledge, fostering collaboration and learning among them. By recognising and celebrating inclusive and innovative approaches, these awards aim to inspire energy communities to adopt similar practices and principles. Furthermore, the awards serve as a means to showcase and amplify the successes of best-practice energy communities, gaining media attention and serving as role models for other initiatives in the field. Through this collective sharing of experiences and recognition, the awards contribute to the growth and development of inclusive energy communities, ultimately advancing the transition to a more sustainable and equitable energy future.

PILOT ACTION 4

Hands-on small-scale support for vulnerable entrepreneurs – Supporting micro-entrepreneurs to achieve more environmentally sustainable businesses

The pilot action is intended to encourage vulnerable micro-entrepreneurs to make their businesses environmentally conscious and support them in achieving environmental sustainability through (i) dissemination and raising awareness actions, (ii) vocational training, (iii) tailored assistance, (iv) the connection with other businesses to share competences and practices, and (v) the recognition/reward of successful participants.

PILOT ACTION 5

Garden BnB – An exchange platform between actors involved with community gardens or agrifood systems

This call for a pilot project proposes the constitution of a network of urban/community garden actors and the setting up of an exchange platform to facilitate this, based on existing digital tools. The aim is to improve visibility, access, connections and practices in the field of sustainable and inclusive urban agriculture, involving vulnerable groups, existing and new actors, while creating and developing a shared repository of knowledge. 

PILOT ACTION 6

Food Everywhere Toolkit – Inspiring healthy and sustainable food initiatives in schools

The Food Everywhere Toolkit is about shaping the food choices of future generations by making healthy and sustainable food available everywhere in schools. The main objective of this pilot action it to develop a set of tools and resources to inspire, motivate and assist all relevant stakeholders in schools to launch initiatives in which healthy and sustainable food is available everywhere in the school and becomes part of its DNA. Expected outcomes include creating processes with which alliances are formed between schools and small –scale sustainable farmers to take part in the initiative as well as scaling up the initiative by disseminating activities.

PILOT ACTION 7

Green to school: sustainable commutes – Developing and testing sustainable mobility solutions for schools in peripheral areas

Sustainable Commutes is about encouraging civil society organisations, schools and parents to make the school journey more sustainable. The main objective is to increase the uptake of sustainable mobility options in peripheral school context. This is done by encouraging a civil society organisation to work with school(s) to develop and test concept idea(s) to initiate a process of change amongst its pupils and families. One of the expected outcomes is the development and implementing of one or several concept idea(s) to increase the uptake of sustainable mobility in a peripheral school context.

PILOT ACTION 8

Wheels for Justice – Connecting cycling activism with social justice struggles

Wheels for Justice is about cycling and how it can contribute to improving mobility, health and general well-being for all, with a focus on vulnerable groups. The main objective of this pilot action is to support the connection between cycling activism and social justice struggles by identifying creative ways to expand the reach and impact of cycling and make it more accessible and inclusive. Expected outcomes include celebrating and disseminating successful experiments in inclusive cycling, as well as promoting advocacy actions to address the obstacles identified along the way.

PILOT ACTION 9

“Series V” -Kickstarting Volunteerism– ‘Crowd-funding’ approach to stimulate volunteers for climate change initiatives

The pilot action is about creating a platform that connects individuals and organisations who have projects and ideas for efforts to advance socio-ecological transformation with volunteers who are ready to contribute to those efforts. The voluntary contributions can be through time commitment and provision of any kind of resources (e.g., expertise, tools, money). The main objective is to facilitate and activate volunteering efforts and behaviour change especially among people from vulnerable groups, to ensure that everyone has a chance to contribute to society. The expected outcome is a space where individuals can come together and create a community of volunteers and volunteerism, to establish more resilient and transformative versions of the future.

PILOT ACTION 10

Cultivating Changemakers: Youth Empowerment through activism – Internship opportunities for school students at NGOs working on social justice in relation to the Green Deal

This pilot action aims to engage adolescents between the ages of 14 to 17 in activism related to Green Deal issues. Recognising the challenges of inspiring behavioural change within the formal school system, this action emphasises on the importance of relatable role models, peer influence and structured frameworks in encouraging youth activism. By collaborating with schools and offering internships with NGOs, this action seeks to provide adolescents with valuable experiences, personal growth and opportunities as well as a platform to contribute to sustainable choices, social justice and a healthier lifestyle. Through this approach, the project aims to empower young people as catalysts for positive change contributing to a more sustainable society.

When?

The call for applications is open and closes on 8 September 2023, 23.59 CEST.

How?

Please read the Guidelines for Pilot Actions (PDF) and review these instructions before submitting your application using the form below:

• The completed application should not exceed 10 pages and needs to respect the layout as requested in the template (font type, font size, etc.).

• The written application needs to be saved in PDF format, and renamed following this format:
  Pilot-action-number_Name-of-Organisation.pdf (e.g. Pilot1_ICLEI-Europe.pdf)
• In case you wish to apply for multiple Pilot Actions, you must complete 1 application form for each Pilot Action of your interest, and submit them separately.

For questions, please contact is accting-europe@iclei.org.

Please visit the source page for more information.