Like every year, autumn brings a large number of deadlines on many of the major European programs. Let’s find out together the most important announcements for fall 2021
Continued “peak” period for European calls for proposals
Fall is always a season full of announcements and deadlines. As we reported in our previous summer meeting, this is even more true this year when the season is associated with the launch of major European programs in the new programming period. Let’s find out together about the upcoming calls due in fall 2021. As always, this is a selection: keep following our Guide news and the Funding & Tenders portal to keep abreast of opportunities affecting your sector. We would also like to remind you that the process leading to the publication of the new calls (2021-2027) for Structural Funds and Territorial Cooperation is still ongoing.
Erasmus+ Calls for Proposals
We left off at the beginning of the summer with many opportunities to seize under the Erasmus+ program. The opportunities are not over: a number of interesting calls are still open, some of them with particularly tight deadlines.
1. #BeInclusive Awards for Sports (Deadline: 10/21/2021)
The #BeInclusive EU Sport Awards recognize projects that promote social inclusion through sport, benefiting all disadvantaged groups (social and economic hardship or marginalization, resulting from disability, belonging to cultural and ethnic minorities, etc.). They are divided into the following categories:
- Inspiring change sport award (“inspiring” projects that put forward examples of empowerment and role models from disadvantaged groups that are likely to drive change);
- Celebrating diversity sports award (projects that promote examples of tolerance among different people and groups);
- Breaking barriers sport award (projects that promote examples of resilience and overcoming barriers to participation).
2. Erasmus+ Accreditations.
Erasmus+ accreditations enable organizations active in the various program areas to access (or gain access through a preferred channel) to Erasmus+ international exchange and mobility activities. Accreditation is administered by national agencies and requires the submission of a plan in line with the program’s intent and quality standards. Upcoming deadlines include:
- Erasmus+ accreditation in education, vocational training, school education and adult education (Deadline: 19/10/2021)
- The Erasmus+ Accreditation Sector of Youth, Youth Participation and Capacity Support for Youth Leaders and Youth Organizations (Deadline: 12/31/2021)
3. Erasmus+ Partnerships (Deadline: 03/11/2021)
Erasmus+ partnerships aim to develop networks, collaboration and exchanges of best practices among organizations active in the field. Erasmus+ partnerships are divided into two types: Collaborative Partnership s and Small-Scale Partnership s (similar to the former, expanding participation to less structured and less experienced organizations, offering smaller grants and for a shorter duration, but with simpler requirements).
The calls of the Single Market Program (former COSME).
With the new 2021-2027 programming, the COSME program has been integrated into a broader Single Market Program covering a wide range of sectors. Although enterprise and SMEs remain at the center of the program, some interesting upcoming calls directly affect the areas (particularly important for the Third Sector) of local development, environment and social economy:
- Social Economy and “Local Green Deal” to Support SME Resilience (Deadline: 11/24/2021) The call supports regional and local SMEs and business operators to lead the dual green and digital transition and implement actions to steer the local economy toward a sustainable and inclusive path. More specifically, the call supports projects that promote transnational and cross-border cooperation between local governments and local businesses to co-create, co-design and implement “Local Green Deals.”
- Social economy missions for community resilience (Deadline: 11/24/2021) The call supports projects that aim to improve the resilience and capacity of regional or local government, social economy SMEs and civil society in overcoming difficulties and crises. More specifically, the call supports projects that promote the building of local resilience through peer learning and collaboration (transnationally and interregionally) in the field of social economy, the development of local action plans in the field of social economy, and the formulation of replicable recommendations in other parts of Europe.
- Affordable Housing Initiative (Deadline: 10/20/2021) The call aims to establish a European Affordable Housing Consortium to support collaboration between SMEs, social enterprises, public authorities and social housing providers. It aims to implement renovation projects aimed at producing affordable, environmentally and socially sustainable social housing and, more generally, to develop and apply innovative solutions in these areas.
LIFE calls for proposals
LIFE (the European environment and climate program) calls for proposals are, of all those in this period, the most varied and the most numerous: in addition to the Funding & Tenders portal, they can be consulted on a special page, which is useful as a source of updates to practitioners. Upcoming deadlines affect all sub-components of the new LIFE 2021-2027 program.
1. Nature and biodiversity
- Standard Action Projects (Deadline: 11/30/2021)
- Standard action projects with specific focus on governance (Deadline: 11/30/2021)
- Strategic and integrated projects (Deadline: 19/10/2021)
2. Circular economy and quality of life
- Standard Action Projects (Deadline: 11/30/2021)
- Standard action projects with specific focus on governance (Deadline: 11/30/2021)
- Strategic and integrated projects (Deadline: 19/10/2021)
3. Climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Standard Action Projects on Climate Change Adaptation (Deadline: 11/30/2021)
- Standard Action Projects on Climate Change Mitigation (Deadline: 11/30/2021)
- Standard Action Projects on Climate Change Governance and Information (Deadline: 11/30/2021)
- Strategic and integrated projects (Deadline: 19/10/2021)
4. Transition to clean energy (All deadlines: 12/01/2022)
- Technical support for clean energy transition plans and strategies in municipalities and regions
- Implementation of key legislation in the field of sustainable energy
- Multilevel dialogue on governance issues in climate and energy
- Large-scale launch of industrial restructuring solutions
- Transposition of recommendations on energy audits for corporate energy transition
- Promoting the use of sustainable energy throughout the value chain in industry and services
- Restarting national platforms and roadmaps
- Cope with the increase in building cooling demand in the coming years
- Establish innovative business models and contracting schemes for smart energy services and industry integration
- Creating the conditions for comprehensive improvement of “ready and smart” European buildings
- Integrate sustainable energy financing and integrate energy performance into EU sustainable financing criteria and standards
- Innovative financing schemes for sustainable energy investments
- Integrated home renovation services
- European community of professionals in integrated housing renovation services
- Community-led transition to clean energy in coal regions
- Technical assistance to advance market boundaries for sustainable energy investments
- Addressing building interventions for vulnerable districts.
- Development of support mechanisms for energy communities and other citizen-led initiatives in the field of sustainable energy
Calls for operating grants for nonprofit entities also recently expired (at the end of September).
European calls for proposals: we are only at the beginning
So fall 2021 brings us a lot of opportunities, but it is only the beginning of a new programming period, and the nationally and locally managed calls (ROP, NOP, and Territorial Cooperation) will have new momentum starting next year. Stay tuned to our Guide to catch all the opportunities on European projects.