Innovative approaches for the deployment of Positive Energy Districts
This grant funds projects to develop and demonstrate innovative, replicable Positive Energy Districts that export more renewable energy than they use, requiring technical, social, and humanities expertise.
This grant is no longer accepting proposals
European Commission has archived this opportunity.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: September 16, 2025 (call opens) | February 17, 2026 (full application deadline)
Funding Amounts: €15,000,000 total; approx. €5,000,000 per project; 3 projects funded; lump sum grant.
Summary: Supports innovative solutions and frameworks for deploying climate-neutral Positive Energy Districts with broad replicability in diverse urban contexts.
Key Information: SSH (social sciences & humanities) expertise is mandatory in proposals.
Description
This Horizon Europe Innovation Action aims to accelerate the deployment of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) that achieve a net positive annual energy balance at district level and export excess renewable energy beyond their boundaries. The grant supports projects that develop and demonstrate innovative technical, business, social, and organizational solutions to overcome barriers to PED implementation. Proposals must showcase these approaches in at least three diverse districts and create or update practical guidelines, tools, and training materials to facilitate replication in other cities. Projects are expected to actively involve public and private stakeholders, including citizens, via co-creation and community engagement. Integration of social sciences and humanities (SSH) expertise is required to maximize societal impact.
