In 2020, ICLEI Europe launched the ICLEI Action Fund, a granting scheme supported by Google.org. Grants from the fund support non-profits and academic institutions in Europe leveraging data and technology to drive environmental and climate action. At its core, the ICLEI Action Fund fosters collaborative efforts aimed at addressing critical sustainability challenges such as energy poverty, building renewable energy communities, air pollution mitigation, smart energy solutions, and sustainable mobility. Since its launch, the fund has financed 16 projects, disbursing a total grant amount of over 10 million euros.
With increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, Greece has intensified its climate adaptation efforts with several Greek cities part of the EU Mission for Climate Neutral and Smart Cities or signatories to the EU Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change. Responding to these challenges, ICLEI Europe launched the ICLEI Action Fund Greece in 2024 to foster concrete AI and data-driven solutions. With grants of up to 275,000 euros allocated to projects in Athens, Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni and Thessaloniki, these initiatives aim to combat energy poverty, enhance wildfire prediction, and promote sustainable mobility. Rooted in data, technology and engagement with citizens, they seek to drive climate action through both mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Location: Athens, Greece
Organisation: National Technical University of Athens
Topic: Renewable Energy, Energy Poverty
Time frame: 2024 - 2026
The Athens Energy Portal supports municipal staff and residents with smart meters, AI-based tools, and maps energy-poor households for low-cost solutions. It will develop the Energy Poverty Alleviation Office into a centre for energy advice and training. A solar map and PV installation promote renewable energy and aid vulnerable households.
Location: Athens and Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, Greece
Organisation: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Topic: Wildfire Detection and Prevention
Time frame: 2024 - 2026
DRYADS is an AI-powered digital platform for managing forest resilience and mitigating climate change impacts. Addressing Greece's wildfire risks, it uses multimodal sensing to extract microclimate profiles, enabling early wildfire detection and assessment. DRYADS also supports risk prevention and vulnerability management for forests and peri-urban areas.
Location: Thessaloniki, Greece
Organisation: Centre for Research and Technology Hellas
Topic: Sustainable Mobility, Air Pollution
Time frame: 2024 - 2026
MOBILAIR focuses on climate justice in Thessaloniki, addressing air quality and sustainable urban mobility. Led by CERTH/HIT with AUTH partners and municipal support, it evaluates user-centric, data-driven measures to promote eco-friendly travel. The AI-based mobile app uses meteorological, air quality, and traffic data for comprehensive AQ management and user adoption insights.
Launched in 2023, the ICLEI Action Fund 2.0 encompasses seven projects spread across six European cities. With grants of 7 million euros, the fund supports initiatives led by academic institutions and non-governmental organisations dedicated to environmental and climate action at the grassroots level. Collaborating closely with their respective cities, these projects employ data and technology to catalyse tangible action on the ground. Read more about the projects here.
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Organisation: KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Topic: Integrated Climate Action
Time frame: May 2023 - April 2025
DigiCityClimate is creating a digital platform for citizens, Stockholm City, and researchers to access climate data, enable climate actions and thereby fulfil the city's climate plan.
Location: Rome, Italy
Organisation: Federesco
Topic: Renewable Energy Communities and Sustainable and Energy-efficient Buildings
Time frame: May 2023 - April 2025
SUN4U is developing a free web and mobile platform to assist users in establishing Renewable Energy Communities, associations that produce and share renewable energy, in Rome.
Location: Glasgow, UK
Organisation: University of Strathclyde
Topic: Air Quality Management and Energy Poverty
Time frame: May 2023 - April 2025
GEMINOA is combining air quality sensor analysis with meteorological and other data to assess interventions. Indoor sensors will supplement data, exploring the link between indoor/outdoor air quality and building heating efficiency improvements.
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Organisation: Ecoserveis
Topic: Climate Vulnerability and Renewable Energy Communities
Time frame: June 2023 - May 2025
Climate-Ready BCN assists Barcelona's city council and citizens in adapting to climate change and the energy crises. It will develop advanced energy awareness services and an AI and data-driven household climate vulnerability map.
Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands
Organisation: Erasmus University Rotterdam
Topic: Sustainable and Equitable Energy Transition (Buildings)
Time frame: June 2023 - May 2025
DE-CIST aims to collect building data, merged with various environmental and socio-economic data to classify neighbourhoods and buildings based on energy sustainability using AI. It engages stakeholders to create an equitable energy transition.
Location: Dortmund, Germany
Organisation: Ruhr-University Bochum (RUB)
Topic: Climate Adaptation and Heat Resilience
Time frame: June 2023 - July 2025
Data2Resillence is developing a biometeorological sensor network to monitor thermal comfort and provide a nowcasting service. It integrates thermal comfort data into smart-city systems, supporting the Dortmund Heat Action Plan with actionable insights.
Location: Dortmund, Germany
Organisation: Research Institute for Regional and Urban Development (ILS)
Topic: Energy Efficient Buildings and Climate Adaptation (Heat)
Time frame: June 2023 - May 2025
CATCH4D uses advanced laser scanning, thermographic techniques, and earth observation technologies to develop a 3D heat map for Dortmund. It assesses building energy efficiency and urban heat stress while pinpointing areas with energy-poor households.
Launched in 2020, the ICLEI Action Fund 1.0 encompasses six projects spread across six European cities. With grants of 2,5 million euros, the fund supported initiatives led by academic institutions and non-governmental organisations dedicated to environmental and climate action at the grassroots level.
The six selected projects were featured in an ICLEI podcast miniseries found here. During this miniseries, each of the six Action Fund Projects reflected on the innovative, data-driven solutions they used to foster environmental and climate action in their respective cities. Read more about the projects below.
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Organisation: Miljøpunkt Amager
Topic: Air Quality
Time frame: Nov. 2020 - Dec. 2021
Thrive Zone Amager investigated whether it is possible to design urban spaces where citizens can thrive in protection from harmful air pollution. Three pilot locations were installed to monitor air quality and test this theory.
Location: Birmingham, UK
Organisation: Centre for Sustainable Energy
Topic: Sustainable Energy, CO2 and Buildings
Time frame: Nov. 2020 - Nov. 2022
Project 3D established an open-source, city-wide energy dataset to deliver carbon reduction initiatives and help the largest metropolitan borough in England to reach its targets for decarbonisation.
Location: Berlin, Germany
Organisation: Deutsche Umwelthilfe
Topic: Sustainable Mobility
Time frame: Nov. 2020 - Nov. 2022
Pop-up Republic collected, processed and analysed environmental data in order to objectify discussions about sustainable mobility and traffic transition. Nine measures were implemented in eight areas of the city.
Location: Nantes, France
Organisation: Air Pays de la Loire
Topic: Air Quality and Sustainable Mobility
Time frame: Nov. 2020 - Nov. 2022
AIREAL identified and tested solutions to reduce residents' exposure to air pollution. The app NOANAIR was developed to support pedestrians and bikers who need to commute or wish to stroll or relax outdoors.
Location: Oldham, UK
Organisation: Carbon Co-op
Topic: Sustainable Energy
Time frame: Nov. 2020 - Nov. 2022
Oldham Energy Futures developed a new approach for local authorities and other energy system stakeholders to develop local area energy plans in collaboration with communities. The result was Community-Led Energy Planning (CLEP).
Location: Hamburg, Germany
Organisation: Hafencity
Topic: Sustainable Energy Planning and Urban Data Platforms
Time frame: Nov. 2020 - Nov. 2022
ANN (A New Normal) RADAR created a prototype of a decision-support system to identify urban test beds for climate mitigation action. The ANN RADAR Playbook was developed as a contextual introduction of the tool.
Thank you for your interest in the ICLEI Action Fund. For interviews and media work, contact:
Nidhi Misra
Communications Expert, Green Digital Transformation
nidhi.misra@iclei.org
Action Fund Secretariat
Phone: +49 761 36 89 2-0
Fax: +49 761 36 89 2-19
Email: actionfund@iclei.org
