The EIT Community’s Enhance NEB 2027 call offers eligible project teams a route to build on earlier community initiatives. Funding can reach €92,500 per project, with a minimum 20% co-funding contribution. Applications close on 17 November 2026 at 17:00 CET.
What the call supports
The programme focuses on strengthening, scaling or replicating previous Connect NEB and Co-create NEB solutions. Projects should connect sustainability, inclusion and quality of place, with a primary focus on urban mobility, food or climate. Four projects are expected to receive support, with implementation lasting up to 12 months between March 2027 and February 2028.
Who can apply
This is an organisational funding call, not a personal scholarship. Consortia need 2–4 legal entities, including at least two independent organisations and a local or regional public authority or affiliated entity. The lead must have participated in an eligible 2025 or 2026 project listed in the Call Manual. Other partners can be new. Country eligibility and detailed conditions are set out in that manual.
Start with a genuine next-stage project
Opportunities Feed proposal guidance: Before drafting a funding application, write a short account of what the earlier project actually achieved. Separate measured results from encouraging feedback and from activities that were merely planned. This prevents the new proposal from relying on claims that the team cannot substantiate.
Then identify the next problem to solve. A successful pilot does not automatically explain how an approach will work in another neighbourhood, with a different group of participants or under a different local authority. Describe which features should stay the same, which need adaptation and who will make those decisions.
A useful proposal is specific about the people it is intended to benefit. Avoid describing “the community” as a single group with identical needs. Consider who participated previously, who was missing and what practical barriers could prevent people from taking part this time. These are planning questions, not a substitute for the official assessment criteria.
Choose partners for delivery, not decoration
Build a responsibility map before adding organisations to a consortium. Identify who can engage residents, manage expenditure, provide technical expertise, maintain facilities and collect evidence. Each partner should have an understandable role linked to the work plan. A long list of logos does not show how a project will operate.
Agree how decisions will be recorded and how disagreements will be resolved. If the project depends on access to a public space, data, equipment or a local service, establish who controls that resource and what permission is needed. Do not assume that a supportive conversation is the same as a documented commitment.
Prepare a realistic budget
The advertised maximum is a ceiling, not a guaranteed award. Build the budget from activities and justified costs rather than working backwards from the largest possible amount. Make sure that partners understand their proposed contributions and the timing of spending. A project can be technically attractive but difficult to deliver if the cash-flow assumptions are unrealistic.
Review every budget line against the official expenditure rules. Do not assume that volunteer time, donated materials or earlier spending can count towards a contribution without checking the manual. Keep an internal record of the assumptions behind estimates so that the team can explain them consistently.
Show how you will know the project worked
Choose a small set of outcomes that are meaningful to participants and feasible to measure. Attendance numbers may describe activity, but they do not necessarily show a lasting benefit. Consider what change you want to observe, what evidence can reasonably be collected and who will be responsible for collecting it.
Think beyond the funding period. If an activity creates a service, installation or community partnership, explain what will happen afterwards. Maintenance, ownership and continued access deserve attention during proposal development rather than being left as final reporting questions.
Application preparation checklist
- Confirm the lead partner’s previous-project eligibility against the official annex.
- Check each organisation’s legal details and authorised contact.
- Agree responsibilities, contributions and a delivery timetable.
- Review the current Call Manual and application template together.
- Check that the narrative, budget and partner information match.
- Keep a complete copy of the submitted proposal and confirmation.
How to apply
Applications are submitted through the EIT Urban Mobility Programmes Portal linked from the official call page. The page also provides the Call Manual, supporting templates and applicant guidance. Review those documents before entering information into the portal; this article is a starting point, not the complete funding rules.
Plan an internal review before the final deadline. Give one team member responsibility for checking attachments and another for checking consistency across the narrative and financial information. Submit with enough time to resolve ordinary technical issues, and verify that the portal confirms submission rather than simply saving a draft.
Conclusion
Enhance NEB is most relevant to teams with an eligible earlier project and a credible plan for its next stage. The strongest reason to pursue the opportunity is a clear fit between the proposed work, the partnership and the funding conditions—not the headline amount alone.
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Keywords: Enhance NEB 2027, EIT Community funding, sustainable community projects, New European Bauhaus grants, urban innovation funding
