This open call (Lot 4: Urban development), funded by the European Commission (DG INTPA) under the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, supports early-stage preparation of sustainable and smart city projects in partner countries. The focus is on urban infrastructure solutions that combine digital technologies, sustainability, and EU standards, and that can later attract large-scale investment. Funding is strictly for project preparation and pilots, not for full city-wide roll-out.

An online info session will take place on 20 January 2026. You can register until 16 January 2026 via this link.

Smart city solutions in scope

Typical eligible activities include preparatory work for:

• Smart urban mobility and low-emission transport systems
• Digital solutions for urban management and service delivery
• Data-driven city planning, monitoring, and logistics
• Smart and green buildings
• Circular economy solutions (especially where digital tools enable efficiency)

Eligibility

• Start-ups and SMEs
• Consortia and joint ventures

Projects must be implemented in EU partner countries under NDICI-Global Europe, notably:

• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Asia-Pacific
• Americas & Caribbean

There is a particular interest in cities along EU-supported corridors in Africa, seen as strategic growth hubs. Activities located primarily in Europe are not eligible.

Why this matters for SMEs

For SMEs working on smart cities, this call:

• Finances entry into large urban projects
• Supports feasibility studies, pilots, and master planning
• Encourages public-private cooperation with cities and utilities

Funding

• An overall financial amount of 4,500,000 EUR is available for this call. The grant size is between 500,000 EUR and 2,000,000 EUR per project.

The deadline is on 16 March 2026, 12:00 CET.