The European Commission recently launched the call for proposals ‘Building a low-carbon, climate resilient future: Research and innovation in support of the European Green Deal’.

This is the latest call under Horizon 2020, which allocates about 1 billion euros available for research and innovation projects tackling the climate crisis and environmental challenges, in accordance with the objectives of the European Green Deal. The call also aims to boost Europe’s recovery, transforming environmental and climate challenges into opportunities for innovation.

The call is broken down into eight principal areas reflecting the structure of the European Green Deal, each comprising one to three broad, thematic topics. Alongside these eight core areas, the call features two supporting areas, on knowledge systems and research infrastructures and citizen engagement, respectively.

Area 1 – Increasing Climate Ambition: cross sectoral challenges

LC-GD-1-1-2020: Preventing and fighting extreme wildfires with the integration and demonstration of innovative means
LC-GD-1-2-2020: Towards Climate-Neutral and Socially Innovative Cities
LC-GD-1-3-2020: Climate-resilient Innovation Packages for EU regions

Area 2 – Clean, affordable and secure energy

LC-GD-2-1-2020: Innovative land-based and offshore renewable energy technologies and their integration into the energy system
LC-GD-2-2-2020: Develop and demonstrate a 100 MW electrolyser upscaling the link between renewables and commercial/industrial applications
LC-GD-2-3-2020: Accelerating the green transition and energy access Partnership with Africa

Area 3 –  Industry for a clean and circular economy

LC-GD-3-1-2020:  Closing the industrial carbon cycle to  combat climate change – Industrial feasibility of catalytic routes for sustainable alternatives to fossil resources
LC-GD-3-2-2020: Demonstration of systemic solutions for the territorial deployment of the circular economy

Area 4 – Energy and resource efficient buildings

LC-GD-4-1-2020: Building and renovating in an energy and resource efficient way

Area 5 – Sustainable and smart mobility

LC-GD-5-1-2020: Green airports and ports as multimodal hubs for sustainable and smart mobility

Area 6 – Farm to Fork Strategy

LC-GD-6-1-2020: Testing and demonstrating systemic innovations in support of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy

Area 7 – Biodiversity and ecosystem services

LC-GD-7-1-2020: Restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services

Area 8 – Zero-pollution, toxic free environment

LC-GD-8-1-2020: Innovative, systemic zero-pollution solutions to protect health, environment and natural resources from persistent and mobile chemicals
LC-GD-8-2-2020: Fostering regulatory science to address combined exposures  to industrial chemicals and pharmaceuticals: from science to evidence-based policies

Area 9 – Strengthening our knowledge in support of the European Green Deal

LC-GD-9-1-2020: European Research Infrastructures capacities and services to address European Green Deal challenges
LC-GD-9-2-2020: Developing end-user products and services for all stakeholders and citizens supporting climate adaptation and mitigation
LC-GD-9-3-2020: Transparent & Accessible Seas and Oceans: towards a Digital Twin of the Ocean

Area 10 – Empowering citizens for the transition towards a climate  neutral,  sustainable Europe

LC-GD-10-1-2020: European capacities for citizen deliberation and participation for the Green Deal
LC-GD-10-2-2020: Behavioural, social and cultural change for the Green Deal
LC-GD-10-3-2020: Enabling citizens to act on climate change, for sustainable development and environmental protection through education, citizen science, observation initiatives, and civic engagement

The deadline for submitting project proposals is 26 January 2021.