Open calls — archive
All three rounds are closed
The third and final round closed on 13 July 2026. This page is kept as a record of what the calls asked for — useful to awarded pilots re-reading their commitments, and to anyone tracing how the pilot portfolio was assembled.
Obligations that continue through implementation are collected on the pilot obligations page. To follow the community, join the Stakeholder Forum; to see the pilots already running, go to the Pilot Journey.
The three work strands
The project ran five Calls for Pilots across three work strands, aiming to establish 15–20 pilots.
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WS1 · Technical interconnection
Linking and scaling digital twins already in place — demonstrating interoperability, cross-domain and cross-border data sharing, and the foundations of a European federation.
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WS2 · Creation of LDTs
Building new LDTs around shared urban or regional challenges — cross-border traffic, air pollution — as reusable, replicable solutions.
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WS3 · AI-based capabilities
Adding AI-driven, value-added services to existing LDTs, and new services to the LDT Toolbox.
Who could apply
Consortium composition — the minimum in every strand:
- 2+ local/regional public authorities from 2 different eligible countries;
- 1+ additional partner — private entity, association, trusted third party, or sector representative;
- eligible countries: EU Member States (including outermost regions and OCTs), EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) and DEP-associated countries;
- preference for an EU local or regional authority as Lead Partner;
- LDT4SSC consortium members could not participate in pilot consortia.
Open to cities, municipalities, provincial and regional authorities, syndicates and energy communities, and technology providers and AI innovators from both public and private sectors.
What applicants submitted
| Document | Format |
|---|---|
| Application Form | |
| Financial Form | Excel (.xlsx) |
| Letter(s) of Commitment | |
| Ownership and Control Declaration (OCD) | |
| Ethics and Data Protection Self-Assessment |
Application form content covered: data governance (current → target, across political, technical, legal and organisational dimensions); project management and resource allocation; political endorsement and technical capacity per public authority; end-user engagement; quadruple-helix stakeholder involvement (3 of 4 groups); alignment with EU priorities; replicability to other EU communities; socio-economic and environmental effects with an eco-design approach; and a post-pilot sustainability strategy.
Applicants also provided four draft diagrams per use case — technical (deployment, current and future) and functional (data lifecycle, current and future). In WS3 the functional diagram covered the end-to-end data and AI pipeline, from collection through training, validation and testing to deployment and monitoring.
Financial rules
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum grant per third party (across all pilots) | €500,000 |
| Maximum grant per consortium | €1,000,000 |
| Co-funding from applicants | ≥ 50% of total costs |
| Indirect costs | 7% flat rate of direct costs |
| Pilot duration | 12–18 months |
Timeline — third round
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Call opened | 13 May 2026 |
| Call closed | 13 July 2026 (23:59 CET) |
| Selection announced | August 2026 |
| Pilots start | December 2026 |
| Pilots end (max 18 months) | June 2028 |
Earlier rounds opened in November 2025 (first) and February 2026 (second).
Call for Pilots Manuals
The authoritative requirements for each strand. The per-strand cheat sheets on this site summarise them; where the two differ, the manual governs.
WS1 Manual WS2 Manual WS3 Manual
Preparing a proposal
The guidance written for applicants — common pitfalls and what reviewers looked for — remains available.
Per-strand cheat sheets
The detailed requirement breakdowns per work strand are preserved as published.