ICLEI Action Fund

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.

Action Fund Greece

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.

Athens Energy Portal

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.

DRYADS

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.

MOBILAIR

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.

 

 

Action Fund 2.0

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.

DigiCityClimate

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.

SUN4U

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.

GEMINOA

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.

Climate-Ready BCN

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.

DE-CIST

 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.

Data2Resilience

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.

CATCH4D

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.

 

 

Action Fund 1.0

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.

Press Corner

Contact

Action Fund Secretariat

Phone: +49 761 36 89 2-0
Fax: +49 761 36 89 2-19
Email: actionfund@iclei.org