Call #8
Closed April 28, 2021
Announced funds approximately 100 million SEK.
Viable Cities now opens our largest call to date - the total budget for call #8 is SEK 200 million. The Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative thus grows from nine cities to twenty.
Does your city want to help accelerate the urban climate transition and work towards a good life for all within the limits of the planet? Apply and become a Viable Cities pioneer city.
We are now welcoming new cities to our climate neutral and sustainable cities initiative. We are looking for Swedish municipalities that together with local partners, and us, want to work for the mission Climate Neutral Cities 2030 with a good life for all within the boundaries of the planet. Our vision is that through our joint work we inspire and lead the way in the climate transition both in Europe and globally.
The following cities are currently participating in the initiative: Enköping, Gothenburg, Järfälla, Lund, Malmö, Stockholm, Umeå, Uppsala and Växjö. The call is aimed at them, as well as up to 11 "new" cities.
The call is aimed at two waves of pioneer cities. Wave 1 is the nine cities that have signed Climate City Contract 2030: Enköping, Järfälla, Lund, Malmö, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Umeå, Uppsala and Växjö. Wave 2 are the cities that want to become pioneers in accelerating the climate transition, and are not included in wave 1.
A minimum of four parties must support each application. The coordinating partner should be a municipality. The project consortium should consist of independent actors from all the following groups: academia, business, public organisations and the non-profit sector.
In this call, a total of SEK 100 million is available for the projects that are granted funding. Together with co-financing of 50%, this gives a total budget of SEK 200 million for funded projects. With around 20 approved projects within the call, the grant awarded by the Swedish Energy Agency will be four to five million SEK per project.
The call aims to enable Swedish cities to take the lead in accelerating the climate transition by 2030. The projects must deliver :
An annually revised Climate City Contract 2030 as a key instrument to coordinate and support system innovation.
New forms and processes to mobilize a wide range of relevant stakeholders to accelerate the transition to climate neutrality and sustainability by 2030.
An established innovation team, or transition function, with the mandate and ability to accelerate the transition to the climate-neutral city by 2030 based on the city's specific challenges.
A clear portfolio of initiatives that can jointly contribute to strengthening the capacity to accelerate the transition.
A climate investment plan covering both municipal investments and investments outside the municipal sector.
During the project period, concrete initiatives in the portfolio linked to Climate City Contract 2030 are expected to be tested, implemented, evaluated and scaled up with a focus on initiatives that make a real difference in climate change.
24 February 2021
Call opens
28 April 2021
Closing date for applications
September 2021
Decisions are notified
1 October 2021
Project launch
More detailed information on the thematic areas can be found in the full call text.
Applications should be submitted to the Swedish Energy Agency.
On March 2, 2021, Viable Cities and the Swedish Energy Agency held a first digital information meeting on the call and the application process. Watch the meeting in retrospect below or here:
In the latter part of March, Viable Cities offered opportunities for project consortia to discuss the application.
Here are the most frequently asked questions about the call.
Two cities could submit a joint application. However, one municipality must be the lead applicant and a letter of support from the political leadership of the lead applicant municipality will be required. The other municipality is then a party to the application and becomes a kind of companion municipality.
In addition to this, it is still required that at least four partners support each application and that the project consortium is composed of independent actors from all of the following stakeholder groups: (1) universities, colleges or research institutes, (2) companies, (3) public organisations and (4) the non-profit sector (civil society organizations).
To apply in Pioneer Cities Wave 1, a signed Climate City Contract is required. There are the nine cities that have signed Climate City Contract 2030 in December 2020. The following cities can apply in wave 1: Enköping, Järfälla, Lund, Malmö, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Umeå, Uppsala and Växjö.
For Wave 2 applicants, no signed Climate City Contract is required.
Unfortunately, no. Viable Cities is not able to lend project managers to municipalities.
It is possible to make changes to the partner constellation after the project has begun, but it is necessary in this case to submit a change request to the Swedish Energy Agency. An assessment is then made of the scope of the change request.
The municipalities are the main applicants in the applications. However, it is important that the work does not only focus on what the municipality has direct control over; other actors in the municipality need to be involved. The focus should be on the city's challenges and how the transitions in the city can be accelerated.
Yes, municipal companies are included in the category of companies in the applications.
Of course, we hope that all applications from Wave 1 cities meet the assessment criteria set out in the call text. Should such a situation arise, Viable Cities will try to find productive solutions going forward.
Yes, we know that time is short. However, in order for the projects to start on October 1, 2021, we must have this short deadline. For those who apply in Wave 2 and who need to submit a letter of support, it is possible to submit it as a supplement no later than May 17, 2021.
Unfortunately, there is no template for a letter of support; it is up to each city to formulate it according to its own circumstances.
This can vary from city to city and should be based on your real challenges. They could be housing associations, but also other organizations that can help with civic engagement, for example. However, it is important that they are legal entities with an organization number.
The projects are 3 years long but Viable Cities as an innovation program will be active until 2030. Our mission is climate neutral cities in 2030 with a good life for all within the boundaries of the planet and we will support that mission in different ways all the way to 2030.
We provided support until 16:00 on the day the call closed.
Annika Evelyn Otto, Swedish Energy Agency, annika.evelyn-otto@energimyndigheten.se, 016-544 20 18
Emina Pasic, Swedish Energy Agency, emina.pasic@energimyndigheten.se, 016-544 21 89
Patrik Rydén, Viable Cities, patrik.ryden@viablecities.se, 073-399 86 19
Technical support: ekanalen@energimyndigheten.se, 016-544 22 11
