Germany’s Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has issued a call for proposals to support the development of urban and regional uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) applications.
Funding is available for the conception and testing of new possibilities that can bring about lasting change through the innovative integration of UAS technologies, routines and practices of companies, public authorities and civil society.
“The sustainable development of our cities and communities is crucial for achieving the German government’s climate protection and sustainability goals—as mandated, among other things, by the Climate Protection Act,” BMFTR states in its call for proposals. “However, increasing traffic volumes, high CO₂ emissions in the mobility and building sectors, demographic aging, a shortage of skilled workers, competition for land in densely populated areas and supply bottlenecks in sparsely populated regions pose significant challenges for many cities and communities.”
The ministry says these challenges require a new approach and that UAS applications can increase efficiency and climate protection as well as bring improvements in addressing supply gaps and traffic optimisation and relief. Given the projected market growth, BMFTR says UAS-based innovations also offer very high added value potential for Germany. But these potential advantages are countered by negative consequences such as rebound effects, safety and data privacy concerns, noise emissions and challenges for urban planning.
Consequently, BMFTR aims to promote research and testing on the question of how socio-technical innovations based on the use of UAS have the potential to contribute to climate-friendly urban and regional mobility as well as sustainable urban and regional development.
“Socio-technical innovations refer, for example, to new commercial business models, non-profit applications, or municipal services that, through the innovative integration of UAS technology, sustainably change the routines and practices of businesses, public authorities, consumers, and citizens and offer new options for addressing the challenges of sustainable urban and regional development,” the ministry says. Examples include a UAS-supported delivery service that improves the supply situation in sparsely populated regions while simultaneously reducing net CO₂ emissions because consumers and suppliers forgo car journeys, or sharing models in which municipalities collaborate to jointly use UAS as efficiently as possible for sustainable urban development purposes such as traffic management, infrastructure or environmental monitoring.
The research objectives of the funding call are as follows:
- Identify innovative UAS applications with potential for sustainable urban and regional mobility and sustainable development of cities and regions.
- These UAS-supported innovations will be tested, researched, and their sustainability impacts assessed as comprehensively as possible, both qualitatively and quantitatively, with a view to opportunities and risks for sustainable development, as well as identifying possible rebound effects.
- To test and research application and market potential as well as the social and economic feasibility/viability of UAS-supported innovations.
- Promising socio-technical innovations, applications, and business models that are expected to have a positive impact on sustainable urban and regional development and offer ecological, social and economic added value should be further developed to the point of application through research funding. Direct practical application of such solutions is desirable.
Projects can relate to one or more of the following areas of action:
Regional delivery traffic / logistics
The research aims to determine whether and how UAS-supported logistics and the integration of UAS into delivery networks can relieve regional traffic congestion and reduce emissions, land use and resource consumption.
Sustainable applications and business models for municipal tasks
The intention is to identify UAS-based applications and business models that can help cities and municipalities fulfill their responsibilities as sustainably as possible. This could include, for example, UAS-based (automated and AI-supported) innovations in urban and transport planning, traffic flow management, environmental protection, urban development/construction, municipal administration or the improved provision of essential public services.
Sharing models / innovative operating concepts
The research aims to explore the extent to which UAS can be shared to conserve resources and utilise them as efficiently and economically as possible. At the municipal level, this could involve, for example, municipal “fleets” and operational centres that multiple city authorities can access for their specific needs.
Projects in areas not listed here are also possible, provided their contribution to the sustainable development of cities and regions is clearly evident. Passenger transport using UAS is explicitly excluded from this call for proposals.
The process is two-stage. In the first stage, project outlines must be submitted electronically by April 1, 2026 at the latest. In the second stage of the process, the authors of the positively evaluated and selected project outlines are asked to submit a formal funding application. Grants will be awarded as non-repayable subsidies through project funding for a period of usually 45 months.
A public information event addressing content-related and administrative questions is scheduled for January 30, 2026.
For more information
Image: Shutterstock