The NEB boost to small municipalities aims to provide support to small players that are developing projects that are inclusive, sustainable and beautiful by helping them to overcome early barriers. These prizes will highlight the outstanding potential of the projects, bring visibility and recognition to the small municipalities behind them, providing them with a necessary boost to continue the implementation of the projects in line with the NEB values and working principles.
Eligible municipalities must be classified by Eurostat as Local Administrative Unit (LAU) of an EU Member State.
They also need to be classified by Eurostat's degree of urbanisation (DEGURBA) under codes 2 or 3, meaning they are recognised as a town, suburb, or rural area. These municipalities can apply no matter the number of inhabitants.
Those municipalities that are classified by Eurostat degree of urbanisation (DEGURBA) code 1, must have a population of less than 20,000 inhabitants.
Also, municipalities can apply as a group of municipalities, and the sum of their populations, also may be over 20.000 inhabitants.
In order to simplify the verification of this eligibility criteria, we provide a list of eligible municipalities in the prizes platform.
The proposed projects should be aligned with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) values (sustainable, inclusive, beautiful) and working principles (participatory process, multi-level engagement, transdisciplinary approach).
They must focus on the built environment - such as the construction, renovation, and adaptation of buildings and public spaces - through the lenses of circularity, carbon neutrality, cultural heritage preservation, affordable housing solutions, and regeneration of rural or urban spaces.
A project has attained a minimum level of maturity when there a reassurance exists that it will be implemented. This means that there is a clear commitment from all concerned stakeholders towards its development, from the city council to the communities that will benefit from it.
To prove this commitment, it is necessary to provide proof that the project is either referred or fits the development plan of the municipality (provided that the municipality has one) and that, at least some elements of this project were previously financed or are budgeted in the annual budget to the municipality. Finally, showing that the project emerges from the needs of the community and how citizens, end-users and main stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process, provides reassurance on the likeness of the project to be implemented.
The boost to small municipalities would like to motivate municipalities to develop projects that are rooted in their communities needs and values. It rewards municipalities that listen to their citizens and involve them in shaping the solutions to their problems. In order to demonstrate that the project stems from the community and/or has been intensively agreed with all stakeholders, the applicant may provide any documentation, pictures, letters, agendas of meetings or explanatory notes that can serve to understand how this criterion is fulfilled.
Applications for the NEB boost for Small Municipalities should be submitted through the dedicated platform. The projects should be described in detail in the relevant application form.
The application form should detail how the project represents the three New European Bauhaus values. It should also include elements reflecting the eligibility and award criteria and, in particular, the steps have been taken towards the involvement of citizens, end-users and main stakeholders in the decision-making process.
The application period will start on 14/01/2025 and end on 21/02/2025.
Only applications that are submitted by the official deadline will be considered by the Evaluation Committee.
Each application must be submitted either to the boost or to one of the categories and strands of the prizes. However, an applicant can submit multiple applications if they are related to different projects or concepts.
Applications can be modified and updated while they are in draft state until 21/02/2025.
Each winner will receive a monetary prize of EUR 30,000.
Each prize winner will also benefit from a communications package provided by the Commission, which includes promotion on the Commission's social media and websites, production of a short video and support in promoting the projects.
The selection process is divided as follows:
- Eligibility check: the Evaluation Committee composed of Commission representatives will check that the entries are eligible (the Committee will not evaluate the applications themselves).
- Quality assessment: external experts selected by the Commission through a ‘'Call for Expression of Interest' will evaluate the applications and attribute points based on the award criteria in the Applicants Guide. This call is open until 14/02/2025.
- Jury assessment: the finalists' applications will be assessed by a final jury of experts composed of nine members.
- Establishment of the results: the Commission will award the prizes to the selected winners based on the recommendations of the Evaluation Committee.
As indicated in the Guide for Applicants, “the application must include basic information and credits for the project, along with the following documentation:
- At least six photographs with indications on copyright and the authorisation to use them by the European Commission. For projects which cannot be presented through photographs, other types of visual representation can be used (graphs, drawings, etc.). Additionally, a photograph of the specific infrastructure or public space that will be transformed must be included.
- A development plan (one-page document) outlining the project’s general timeline, highlighting main milestones, deliverables (if applicable), and key steps for further development and implementation, demonstrating a commitment to further implement the project.
- A letter from the political representative of the applying public authority, endorsing the project.
- Copy of the strategic development plan (territorial agenda or territorial development plan, local development plan, development/investment strategy of the municipality) where the project is referred.
- Copy of the approved annual budget of the municipality where budget has been committed to develop/implement at least a part of the project.
- Documents demonstrating that citizens, end-users and main stakeholders are involved in the decision-making process in a meaningful manner.
These documents can include:- Stakeholder Mapping and/or engagement plan: A schematic map showing relevant stakeholders, potential partners, and end-users. A plan on how to engage stakeholders in the different phases of the project.
- Decisions or Declarations of Intent: Relevant commitments or endorsements by key actors such as local residents, schools, youth associations, artists, universities, or business associations.
- Documentation of the participatory approach: Documentation and proof of meetings, discussions, and other proofs of involvement of the different stakeholders and community members in deciding the purpose, uses, outlook etc of the project and how they are or will be involved or contribute to its implementation. (For example invitations to meetings or workshops, participants lists, outreach materials (brochures, flyers, online postings), meeting minutes and agendas where these activities are planned or discussed, etc
You will find specific fields for uploading the required documents in the application form. For any documents that do not have a designated field, please use the field: “If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.”