Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Methods for more precisely assessing exposure to air, water, soil and/or noise pollution, health impacts and public information at regional and/or local level;
• Methods for better assessing exposure of vulnerable groups (including due to socio-economic context) to air, water, soil and/or noise pollution at regional and/or local level, enabling more precise evidence to inform health impact assessments;
• Improved and comparable assessment of mortality and morbidity impacts of air, water, soil and/or noise pollution at regional and/or local level^[1];
• Improved understanding of the role of behavioural economics, psychology and organizational behaviour to design measures oriented to lower pollution in urban environments;
• Improved understanding of the correlation between improving environmental quality of urban spaces and human health and wellbeing;
• Methods for determining the sources of air pollutants at urban level so that local authorities, stakeholders and citizens know the proportion of the pollutant emissions attributable to urban transport, heating etc.
• Comparative analysis of selected successful pollution reduction/abatement strategies at local level and identify key factors underlying such successes and their replication potential.

This call for proposals seeks innovative projects to address urban pollution and its impact on human health and the environment, while aligning with the EU Mission for Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. Recognizing the interconnected nature of pollution sources and greenhouse gas emissions, the call emphasizes the need for evidence-based, holistic approaches that integrate local environmental, energy, and climate policies.

Proposals must focus on developing and implementing innovative tools, methods, and strategies to improve knowledge on citizen exposure to pollution, enhance health impact assessments, and design dynamic abatement strategies. Projects should address at least two of the following areas:

Improved health impact assessments to evaluate socio-economic benefits of pollution reduction measures.

Advanced measurement and modelling methods for precise exposure and health risk assessments.

Evidence targeting vulnerable groups to create comparable health impact assessments.

Dynamic abatement strategies leveraging monitoring, citizen science, and observations.

Funded projects must involve at least two cities, including those selected for the EU Mission Climate-Neutral Smart Cities or signatories to the Green City Accord, and ensure robust collaboration with the Climate-Neutral Smart Cities Mission Platform. Outcomes will include deployable tools for city authorities, strategies for overcoming behavioral barriers to zero pollution policies, and frameworks for prioritizing cost-effective local measures.

Through improved coordination with EU initiatives and Horizon-funded projects, the proposed solutions aim to deliver significant environmental co-benefits, align with the Zero Pollution Action Plan, and enhance public acceptance of policies for cleaner, healthier urban environments.

1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System

2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

The following additional eligibility criteria apply: Proposals are required to address at least two areas listed in the scope.

3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes

• Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes

• Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual

• Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes

Grants awarded under this topic will be linked to the following action(s):

HORIZON-MISS-2021-CIT-02-03

Collaboration with the Cities Mission Platform[[Conceived through the Horizon 2020 project NetZeroCities - Accelerating cities' transition to net zero emissions by 2030, Grant Agreement n. 101036519, and scaled up through the topic HORIZON-MISS-2021-CIT-02-03: Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA) for the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission Platform]] is essential and projects must ensure that appropriate provisions for activities and resources aimed at enforcing this collaboration are included in the work plan of the proposal. The collaboration with the Mission Platform must be formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding to be concluded as soon as possible after the project starting date.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes

7. Specific conditions: described in the specific topic of the Work Programme