The European Commission makes direct financial contributions in the form of grants in support of projects or organisations which further the interests of the EU or contribute to the implementation of an EU programme or policy. Interested parties can apply by responding to calls for proposals.

There is a wide variety of European Funding Instruments. An overview of all European Funds that are relevant to cycling can be found in the EU Funds Observatory for cycling.

Below you can find an overview of calls for proposals that currently open and provide opportunities for using EU funds to invest in cycling-related projects. This overview does not mention the Horizon 2020 calls (EU Research and Innovation Programme) or the Interreg calls (EU Territorial Cooperation Programme).

Urban Innovative Actions (UIA)

Identify and test innovative solutions for sustainable urban development

Urban Innovative Actions (UIA) is an Initiative of the European Commission that provides urban areas throughout Europe with resources to test new and unproven solutions to address urban challenges. Based on article 8 of ERDF, the Initiative has a total ERDF budget of EUR 372 million for 2014-2020.

Approximately 359 million people – 72% of the total EU population – live in cities, towns and suburbs. Urban areas face multiple and interconnected challenges related to employment, migration, demography, water and soil pollution… But, they are also engines of new ideas and solutions, dynamic places where changes happen on a larger scale and at a fast pace.

To answer the increasingly complex challenges they face, urban authorities need to go beyond traditional policies and services - they need to be bold and innovative.

Call is open from 16 December 2016 until 14 April 2017 (14:00 CET).

Call Budget: €50M (80% cofinancing rate)

The second Call for Proposals of the UIA initiative is now open. The Call will be open from the 16th of December until the 14th of April 2017 (14h00 CET). The UIA initiative invites applicants to develop and submit projects under three topics: circular economy, urban mobility and integration of migrants and refugees. An overall budget of 50 million euro of ERDF is allocated to this Call.

Who can apply?

• Any urban authority of a local administrative unit defined according to the degree of urbanisation as city, town or suburb comprising at least 50 000 inhabitants
• Any association or grouping of urban authorities of local administrative units defined according to the degree of urbanisation as city, town or suburb where the total population is at least 50 000 inhabitants; this can include cross-border associations or groupings, associations or groupings in different regions and/or Member States

Direct reference to cycling:

• To promote and facilitate cycling (including e-bikes and cargo bikes), a healthy, clean and cost effective means of transport.
• Endorse shared mobility solutions such as car-pooling or bicycle sharing schemes which are slowly becoming part of the urban landscape.

Call web page: http://www.uia-initiative.eu/en/call-proposals

Terms of reference of Call 2: https://www.uia-initiative.eu/sites/default/files/2016-12/ToR_2ndCall_UIA_16_12_2016_EN_0.pdf

Connecting Europe Facility (CEF)

The 2016 CEF Transport Calls for Proposals, opened on 13 October 2016, make €1.9 billion of funding available for projects of common interest in the transport sector. The CEF Transport Calls don’t fund research projects. They do provide funding to strengthen cycling networks within and between cities.

These calls are open (deadline for submission of proposals - 7 February 2017).

• General call text:​ https://ec.europa.eu/inea/sites/inea/files/2016-cef-transport_ap_cohesion_call_text.pdf

(Several references to cycling but particularly first paragraph on Page 2)

• Urban Nodes (Cohesion Call):​ https://ec.europa.eu/inea/sites/inea/files/2016_cef_tran_map_cohesion_urban.pdf

(see reference on both pages to: “Concepts increasing multi-modality, sustainably shifting from cars to softer modes (public transport, cycling, walking) for freight and/or passengers, shifting from fossil to alternative fuels and/or improving road safety.”

• Innovation and new technologies (Cohesion Call):​ https://ec.europa.eu/inea/sites/inea/files/2016_cef_tran_map_cohesion_innovation.pdf

There are no direct references to cycling in the call text but ECF has been informed by the TEN-T Unit that e-bike measures would be eligible.

• Freight Transport Services​ https://ec.europa.eu/inea/sites/inea/files/2016_cef_tran_ap_general_freight.pdf

Example of priority action:  Innovative solutions for last mile operations and customised logistics services

Cohesion calls are open exclusively for proposals in EU Member States eligible for funding from the Cohesion Fund, with a total indicative budget of €1.1 billion.

General calls are open to all EU Member States, with a total indicative budget of €0.8 billion.

CEF Call 2016 Opportunities for cycling projects (ECF presentation/PDF)

2016 CEF Transport AP Cohesion call: https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-transport/apply-funding/2016-cef-transport-ap-cohesion-call

2016 CEF Transport AP General call: https://ec.europa.eu/inea/en/connecting-europe-facility/cef-transport/apply-funding/2016-cef-transport-ap-general-call