Call #16
Open until April 24, 2026
Funds announced approximately SEK 20 million
We must act quickly, decisively, and together to meet the climate challenge. This call for proposals will complement and strengthen Swedish cities' efforts to accelerate climate change mitigation in their work toward the mission of Climate Neutral Cities 2030. The call for proposals is open until April 24, 2026, and aims to strengthen the new work with joint commitments between cities within the Climate City Contract process.
This call for proposals offers support where at least one of the cities included in the project consortium must have signed Climate City Contract Viable Cities Climate City Contract or a letter of intent for Climate City Contract.
At least three parties must support each application. At least two of the parties must be cities/municipalities and at least one research organization (university, college, or research institute). In addition, the project consortium may also include companies, other public entities, or civil society organizations.
Approved projects can receive between SEK 1.5 million and a maximum of SEK 2.5 million. Maximum permitted level of support for the project as a whole: 50%.
There is currently a strong mobilizationin Sweden and Europe totransition to climate-neutral and sustainable cities by 2030. This is part of themission-driven work that Viable Cities has initiated and driven for almost ten years. The starting point for Viable Cities' activities is the mission Climate-Neutral Cities 2030 with a good life for everyone within the planet's limits. Within Viable Cities' Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative, 48 cities, representing 50% of Sweden's population, are mobilising together for the climate. This call for proposals complements Climate Neutral Cities 2030. It will help to give greater impetus to climate and sustainability work in these cities by strengthening the new work on joint commitments between cities within the Climate City Contract process.
Climate City Contract is a tool for the concerted effort we need to make in the short term to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. For the cities participating in the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative, the climate contract is a politically decided document that is developed in collaboration with many different actors and reflects a long-term transition effort. Together, they set goals, plan measures, and prioritize investments to achieve climate goals more quickly and create a better place for people to live and work.
At the same time, the contract is undergoing continuous development as a tool and driver for local climate change. This development is a joint effort between cities, government agencies Viable Cities. As a result, the latest version of the contract introduces joint commitments between cities. It is this work that this call for proposals aims to strengthen.
We are committed to establishing/strengthening governance and leadership that enables systemic climate change and efficient resource utilization.
We undertake to strengthen our ability to manage and monitor climate change and contribute to joint national capacity through data collection, climate analyses, and calculations.
We commit to redirecting resources, building joint investment portfolios, and influencing climate investment norms to finance the climate transition.
We are committed to integrating social sustainability and equity considerations into all processes to ensure that the climate transition is inclusive, fair, and sustainable in the long term.
We are committed to deepening and coordinating digital transformation as an enabler of climate change in order to strengthen local capabilities and shared national capacity.
We are committed to developing procurement and purchasing as strategic tools in climate change through governance, requirements, and collaboration.
We are committed to working on supplementary and compensatory measures that contribute to reducing climate impact, in addition to direct emission reductions.
We are committed to strengthening climate transition by coordinating it with climate adaptation and preparedness to build long-term resilience.
We are committed to strengthening civic engagement and participation as integral parts of climate change mitigation through methods of dialogue, co-creation, and influence.
We are committed to coordinating and strengthening climate communication that supports the transition work internally and externally and contributes to changing norms.
The call for proposals is aimed at projects within the framework of Viable Cities' activities that will contribute to the mission of Climate-Neutral Cities 2030 with a good life for all within the planet's limits. The mission means that cities' climate transition must take place from a broad perspective, where social, ecological, and economic sustainability are taken into account simultaneously. Both a fair transition and opportunities for companies to build international competitiveness by contributing to a faster transition are important perspectives.
This call for proposals is aimed at two or more cities that, together with at least one research organization and possibly other actors, wish to work on initiatives that can help strengthen the joint commitments between cities within Climate City Contract , which aims to accelerate the transition to climate-neutral cities in a way that contributes to a good life for everyone within the planet's boundaries.
The project to which the application relates must have significant potential to accelerate climate change beyond individual municipalities and must be relevant to several cities in Sweden and, preferably, beyond Sweden's borders. This means that the initiatives that are funded must have good prospects for scaling up.
At least one of the cities included in the project consortium must have signed a Climate City Contract (or a letter of intent for Climate City Contract), and these cities must have integrated the current commitment into their Climate City Contract (or letter of intent). Among other things, the project shall contribute to strengthening joint commitments by making knowledge available that can be translated into practical climate change adaptation in many more municipalities.
At least one of the parties in the project consortium must be a research organization – a university, college, or research institute. In addition to this, the project consortium may also include companies, other public entities, or civil society organizations.
The coordinating party and participating project partners shall participate in joint efforts with Viable Cities and other actors regarding joint commitments between cities, and shall also allocate a budget for this participation.
Call opens
Closing date for applications
Decisions are made on an ongoing basis
Provisional date for the start of the project
End date of the project
Detailed information and the full call text are available on the Swedish Energy Agency's website. The call is administered by the Swedish Energy Agency, but funding, as with all calls within Viable Cities, comes from Vinnova, the Swedish Energy Agency, and Formas.
Applications are made via the Swedish Energy Agency's e-service "Financing of research and innovation" via "My pages." The deadline for applications is April 24, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., and you can get support with your application until 4:00 p.m. (CET) on the same day.
We are offering consortium consultation sessions three times during March:
You can register via this link.
If you have any questions, please contact utlysning@viablecities.se.
Here are the most frequently asked questions about the call.
In this call for proposals, the Swedish Energy Agency and Viable Cities are targeting consortia as described below:
At least one of the cities included in the project consortium must have signed a Climate City Contract or a letter of intent for Climate City Contract, and these cities must also have integrated the current commitment into their Climate City Contract or letter of intent.
The ambition in forming consortia should be to work together to strengthen joint commitments by, among other things, making available a knowledge base that can be translated into practical climate change mitigation.
The coordinating party and participating project partners shall participate in the Viable Cities process for joint commitments between cities, and also allocate a budget for this participation.
Project partners can be legal entities, such as companies, universities, colleges, public actors, non-profit organizations and trade associations. Only actors with operations in Sweden can be project partners.
Gender equality and diversity must be taken into account when forming the project team, selecting the project manager, and in the implementation, content, objectives, and effects of the project.
Yes, international partners can participate in an application, but in order for the partner to be able to have its own budget in the project, the partner must also be active in Sweden and have a Swedish organization number. Otherwise, the partner can only participate and contribute with co-financing.
Yes, this is possible. However, municipalities can only participate in one application.
No, co-financing/co-funding can also be, for example, working hours.
We provide support until 16:00 on the day the call closes.
For questions regarding the content of the call for proposals, please contact Viable Cities:
Patrik Rydén, utlysning@viablecities.se, +46 (0)73-399 86 19
Lars Johansson, utlysning@viablecities.se, +46 (0)73-064 59 05
For questions regarding the application, please contact the Swedish Energy Agency:
Emina Pasic, Swedish Energy Agency, emina.pasic@energimyndigheten.se, +46 (0)16-544 21 89
Technical support at the Swedish Energy Agency: minasidor@energimyndigheten.se, 016-544 22
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