EIB Call for applications Circular City Centre: free advisory programmes for cities

EIB Call for applications Circular City Centre: free advisory programmes for cities

The European Investment Bank is offering free support for EU cities that want to progress their transition towards circular economy through its Circular City Centre (C3) Programme, a joint initiative between the EIB and the European Commission. Recognising the role of cities as cradles and catalysts of circular action and change, C3 supports cities make circular progress and identify and prepare sound circular projects for financing. C3 can help cities address many of the linear problems they struggle with today, to become more resilient, resourceful, clean and liveable for residents and businesses. 

C3 supports cities in four different ways:

  • By mobilising EU cities through awareness raising activities to help them understand and embrace the benefits of the circular economy
  • By offering guidance documents and tools to help cities take circular action
  • By delivering Circular City Advisory (CCA) programmes to support cities in their circular transition, from developing circular economy strategies to preparing circular projects for financing and implementation
  • By helping cities to prepare circular projects and improve their access to financing via Circular Project Advisory (CPA) support

Call for C3 applications: deadline 28 February

Applications for the current round are open until 28 February 2025. The C3 programmes offers a Circular City Advisory (CCA) programme and a Circular Project Advisory (CPA) programme to support cities at various stages of their circular transition: 

  1. From interest and ambition to strategy (CCA 1 Programme) 
  2. From strategy to project pipeline (CCA 2 Programme) 
  3. From project pipeline to project implementation and preparation for funding (CCA 3 or CPA Programmes)

These services are provided free of charge to cites and are delivered with the external support of Circle Economy, Arup, ICLEI and ECORYS. 

Online info-session on 19 February

The EIB is organising an online Q&A session on 19 February, from 11:00-12:00. You can find more information in the FAQs, watch the C3 advisory programme introductory video or contact the C3 team at C3@eib.org. 

Applications

Cities must fill out the expression of interest form for the CCA or CPA programmes  and send the form to C3@eib.org and cca-info@circle-economy.com.

The topic of circular economy is closely monitored by ERRIN's Bioeconomy Working Group. You can learn more about the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative, one of ERRIN's projects here. Read more about other circular opportunities for ERRIN members in 2025 here.