Submission timeline & Instructions
There are three rounds of open calls occurring every three months:
- 1st submission round: 1 June 2024 – 31 August 2024 (closed)
- 2nd submission round: 1 September 2024 – 30 November 2024 (closed)
- 3rd submission round: 1 December 2024 – 28 February 2025 (open)
Full Proposal template and supporting documentation (written in English) must be submitted via email (apply@ds4sscc.eu) before the specified deadline of the Call for Pilots (according to the Call for Pilots Timeline published on the project website: https://ds4sscc.eu/cfp-three
All necessary guidelines and documentation are available at https://ds4sscc.eu/cfp-three, including the following:
- Call for Pilots Manual (including Call for Pilots overview, legal, financial, technical, business and organisational and ethical framework, information about evaluation process and guidance on pilot support and monitoring once awarded)
- Templates for Submission
Application Form
Budget
Letter of Commitment
Ethics and Data Protection Self-Assessment
For all documentation, please refer to the latest version available on the website.
Evaluation
Applications submitted in each submission round will undergo an evaluation period, which includes an eligibility check. Next, eligible applications will undergo expert evaluation, which will assess the content of the proposals according to the set evaluation criteria and scoring mechanisms (Relevance, Implementation, Impact). The evaluation process for each submission round is expected to take 1 month after the submission deadline. Following this, notification to all applicants will be sent out by email, including a short feedback. Successful applications will undergo further financial and legal scrutiny before the negotiation and contract signing phase commences.
Note:
- Resubmission of project applications from the previous submission rounds is permitted.
- A reserve list is created from each application round in case the selected projects do not meet the requirements after financial and legal checks.
For more information about eligibility and evaluation criteria, please refer to the Call for Pilots Manual available at https://ds4sscc.eu/cfp-threeShow more
Further information
All relevant information for applicants can be found at https://ds4sscc.eu/cfp-three
Task description
The European data space for smart communities (DS4SSCC-DEP) action launches three rounds of Calls for Pilots to validate an EU-wide cross-sectorial data space in practice and to advance its development and implementation to support policy priorities of cities and communities within the European Union, including the green-digital transformation based on secure and sovereign data infrastructure. This is the third and last submission round for the Call for Pilots.
The pilots are set to build on and evolve the governance and technical blueprint established by the cross-sectorial data space preparatory action (DS4SSCC action), which comes out of the joint efforts of the Living-in.EU movement and which represents all local governments in the EU through relevant networks and EU institutions.
The scope of the Data Space for Smart Communities includes alignment with the overall “2030 Digital Decade” EU policy initiative and related specific legislative initiatives, such as the Interoperable Europe Act. It is one of the Common European Data Spaces envisioned by the EU Data Strategy and works closely with the Data Spaces Support Centre (DSSC), especially on cross-sectorial aspects such as minimal interoperability.
The pilots will provide feedback from practice as more firm guidance is put into regulatory instruments, such as requirements for procurement, operation, and reporting, starting from a baseline of high-value datasets to add value by using data from different domains and models. This initiative aims to foster innovation towards a more resilient Europe, supporting local businesses and ecosystems, and emphasising ethical considerations and AI-enabled local solutions, thereby enhancing the conditions for citizens and communities across Europe.