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Enhance call

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Open Calls

Financial Support for Third Parties

Within the framework of the PoliRuralPlus project, a series of four open calls are anticipated. These calls are designed to attract and fund innovative proposals that align with the project’s overarching aims. The primary objective of these calls is to extend the impact of the PoliRuralPlus initiative, exploring new methodologies, technologies, and strategies for rural-urban development.

The calls aim to:

  • Encourage innovative approaches to rural development that can be replicated or scaled across different regions.
  • Promote collaboration among stakeholders from various sectors, including technology, agriculture, and regional planning, to address rural challenges in a holistic manner.
  • Generate insights and solutions that can inform policy and practice, contributing to the broader objectives of balanced rural-urban development.

Maximum support for one organisation across all calls can be 60.000 Euro.

OUTREACH CALL


OPEN:
JUNE - JULY 2024

MOBILISE CALL


OPEN:
JANUARY-MARCH 2025

DEVELOP CALL


OPEN:
MAY - JULY 2025

ENHANCE CALL

OPEN:
SEPTEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 1 2025

ENHANCE CALL

Quick Facts

Budget: up to €25,000 per project (lump-sum)

Total projects funded: ~ 7 - 15

Estimated implementation period: February 2026 - July 2026

Applicants: Only single legal entities are eligible to apply.

Mobilise Project Timeline ENHANCE (1)

Objectives of the Call

The Enhance Call funds targeted validation projects that apply, test, and improve the JackDaw AI chat agent, the flagship tool of PoliRuralPlus. JackDaw enables stakeholders to interactively explore and analyse spatial data through natural language queries linked to maps. Through this call, selected projects will:

  • Apply JackDaw in real European contexts such as policy-making, planning, research, or stakeholder engagement, demonstrating its ability to support evidence-based decisions via spatially contextualised conversations.
  • Provide structured validation feedback on JackDaw’s usability, reliability, and added value, helping shape the tool into a robust, user-friendly solution ready for wider adoption.
  • Empower stakeholders (local authorities, SMEs, NGOs, citizens, researchers) to access and interpret territorial data in innovative ways, fostering inclusive participation in rural–urban development.
  • Contribute to capacity building by training local actors in the use of AI-based map analysis and strengthening their digital skills.
  • Gain visibility and influence, as funded projects will be showcased through the PoliRuralPlus platform, highlighting their role as pioneers in AI-driven territorial analysis.
  • Ensure sustainability and replicability by documenting lessons learned and proposing pathways for JackDaw’s use in other European regions.

Expected Results

Projects funded under the Enhance Call are expected to deliver results that generate impact both for the applicants and for the PoliRuralPlus project:

  • Validated applications of JackDaw in diverse European contexts, showing its potential for policy-making, planning, research, and stakeholder engagement.
  • Structured feedback on usability, reliability, and impact of JackDaw, collected through the mandatory online form and final validation report.
  • Evidence of stakeholder engagement, demonstrating how different groups (e.g. policymakers, SMEs, NGOs, citizens) interact with and benefit from JackDaw.
  • Recommendations for improvement, identifying limitations, opportunities, and pathways for further development and adoption.
  • Contributions to sustainability and replicability, through documented lessons learned and transferable examples of JackDaw use.
  • Capacity building and visibility for applicants, strengthening their skills in AI-supported analysis, enhancing their reputation as innovators, and expanding their networks across Europe.

JackDaw GeoAI Chatbot

The Enhance Call is dedicated to testing and validating JackDaw, the flagship technological tool developed within PoliRuralPlus.

JackDaw GeoAI Chatbot

https://www.poliruralplus.eu/services/

JackDaw is an AI-powered chat agent designed for spatially contextualised conversations. It addresses challenges in rural and urban development where traditional language models struggle with location-specific queries.

Users interact with JackDaw by selecting a location on a map and submitting a natural language query. The system analyses the query, determines necessary spatial and temporal parameters, and retrieves relevant data from available sources. The enriched spatial context is then integrated into AI-generated responses, which may be presented as text, tables, charts, maps, or dashboards.

JackDaw combines natural language processing with geospatial intelligence, enabling smarter, data-informed decision-making for regional development, policy analysis, and stakeholder engagement.

Under this call, applicants are expected to:

  • Apply JackDaw in real-world contexts across Europe,
  • Collect structured user feedback on its functionality and usability,
  • Demonstrate its added value for decision-making and communication.

Other PoliRuralPlus tools are not in scope for this call.

jackdaw

Eligibility criteria

Who can apply?

  1. Type of entity: Any type of legal entity (e.g. SME, NGO, public authority, research organisation, self-employed natural persons) can apply, provided they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the proposed activities.
  2. Single applicants only: Consortia or joint submissions are not permitted for this call. Each application must be submitted by one legal entity
  3. Eligible countries: Applicants must be legally established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country as outlined by the Horizon Europe rules.
  4. Third parties: Subcontracting or transfer of financial contribution to third parties is not permitted.
  5. One proposal per applicant: Only one proposal will be accepted for funding per applicant. In case of multiple submissions, only the last one received (based on system timestamp) will be evaluated, with all others declared ineligible.
  6. Non-beneficiary clause: Organisations that are current PoliRuralPlus beneficiaries or their affiliated entities are not eligible to apply.
  7. Declaration of honour: Applicants must declare their eligibility and absence of conflict of interest in the online application form.
  8. Language: English is the official language of the PoliRuralPlus open calls. Submissions and deliverables in other languages will not be evaluated. Supporting documents must also be in English, except for the document proving the legal status of the organisation.
  9. GDPR compliance: Any project involving personal data must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to ensure privacy and protection.
  10. Deliverable obligations: Applicants commit to produce obligatory deliverables as outlined in Chapter 6.
  11. Proposal page limit: The total length of Part B (Technical Description) must not exceed 8 pages, including the cover page. Excess pages will be disregarded during evaluation.

Obligatory deliverables

Selected applicants will be required to provide the following deliverables as part of their contractual obligations. These outputs will serve to validate JackDaw in practice, capture user feedback, and ensure visibility of results.

  • Dissemination outputs
    • At least 2 blog posts for the PoliRuralPlus platform, reporting on project progress and experiences with JackDaw.
    • At least 2 social media posts, highlighting milestones and results.
    • At least 1 news article on an institutional or external website to ensure outreach to wider communities.
      All outputs must acknowledge PoliRuralPlus funding and comply with GDPR.
  • Validation feedback
    • Structured feedback on JackDaw must be submitted via the online form provided by the PoliRuralPlus consortium.
    • This feedback will cover usability, functionality, relevance for stakeholders, and the extent to which JackDaw supported decision-making and communication.
    • Applicants are also required to collect and report participation data disaggregated by gender and other relevant diversity indicators.
  • Final validation report
    • A comprehensive report (10–15 pages) summarising the full validation exercise, including:
      • User journey insights, lessons learned on usability, and clear evidence of decision-making or communication support.
      • Description of the use case(s) where JackDaw was applied.
      • Stakeholder groups involved and feedback collected.
      • Key findings on usability, reliability, and added value.
      • Identified barriers and recommendations for improvement.
      • Evidence of dissemination and outreach activities.
    • The report will be made public, with sensitive information excluded to ensure compliance with confidentiality requirements.

Submission process

Proposal submissions are solely via the online form on the PoliRuralPlus Knowledge Hub available below.

Upon submission, applicants will receive an on-screen confirmation, ensuring that their proposal has been successfully received.

The proposal contains two parts:

  • Part A: Administrative Form - This section is designed to collect essential information about your entity and designated contacts for technical and contractual matters. Please provide accurate and complete details to facilitate smooth communication throughout the application and project implementation process.

Note: During the application and contracting process, applicants will be required to submit documentation verifying the legal status of their organisation as well as beneficial ownership information, in accordance with EU regulations and financial transparency requirements.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL

  • Part B: Technical Description - Part B is the narrative part of the proposal and must be uploaded as a single PDF document using the provided template. It includes three sections corresponding to the evaluation criteria:
    • Objectives – Describe the context in which JackDaw will be validated, the expected use case(s), and how these align with the Enhance Call objectives
    • Impacts – Outline the expected results, benefits for stakeholders, and how feedback will contribute to improving JackDaw and its adoption across Europe.
    • Implementation – Provide a realistic work plan, timeline, and budget allocation, including the expertise of the team involved.
Download template

Important documents

For more information about the open call and evaluation process, see Guidelines for applicants:

The official Call for Proposal document can be found here:

Part B: Technical Description template:

Contract for the provision of financing will be available soon.

If you have any questions, contact opencalls@poliruralplus.eu