Open Call: Innovative financing for local & regional authorities

Local and regional authorities together with local and regional energy agencies have the potential to be the driving force of the energy transition. However, not all public authorities are at the same level of engagement. One of the factors responsible for the disparities is the lack of resources, both in terms of financing and insufficient knowledge. Thus, financing of their sustainable energy and climate projects is hindered primarily by a lack of internal capacity to identify the most appropriate and cost-effective financing instruments and implementation models.

The PROSPECT+ offer

PROSPECT+ offers mentoring and training on innovative financing schemes in five different areas: public buildings, private buildings, public lighting, transport, and a cross-sectoral category, with attention given to improving the decision-making of cities & regions on how to choose projects for financing, as well as how to assess and ensure that the projects are finance ready.

Local authorities and energy agencies from 44 eligible countries^[1] can apply to participate in one of the capacity-building cycles, either as a mentor or a mentee.

• The call for mentees will be open from 2^nd March 2023 to 14^th April 2023.
• The call for mentors will be open from 22^nd May 2023 to 7^th June 2023.
• An information webinar for applicants will take place on 2^nd March 2023. Register here.

The application process together with eligibility, selection & matching criteria, the modalities of participation for mentors and mentees, as well as the expected commitment, are described in the Guidelines for applicants and will be explained in the information webinar for applicants.

“The PROSPECT+ capacity building programmes offer local authorities the opportunity to learn directly from their peers, those who already tested and implemented successful solutions when facing the same barriers. By offering different learning methodologies, we want to engage as many local authorities as possible, trying to cater to all different needs, including limited time availability or the lack of foreign language skills. Moreover, PROSPECT+ is the perfect way to experience how European projects work for those who are not yet familiar with the EU funding programmes.”

Giulia Pizzini, Coordinator of the PROSPECT+ project, IEECP

^[1] Eligible countries are EU-27 and the United Kingdom + H2020 associated countries: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey and Ukraine.