Press Release – PoliRuralPlus launches Enhance Open Call: validating JackDaw, Europe’s GeoAI chatbot for territorial analysis

Athens, Greece – 2/10/2025  – The PoliRuralPlus project has launched its Enhance Open Call, offering financial support of up to €25,000 for small-scale projects that validate JackDaw, the project’s flagship AI-powered chatbot for spatial data analysis.

Applicants (SMEs, NGOs, research bodies, public authorities, or self-employed persons) are invited to test JackDaw in real-world European contexts – from policy-making to citizen engagement – and provide structured feedback to improve its usability, reliability, and value.

Key dates:

• Call opens: 30 September 2025
• Deadline: 1 December 2025, 17:00 CET
• Results: January 2026
• Implementation: Feb–Jul 2026

“This call is more than funding; it is an invitation to co-create the future of AI-supported decision-making in Europe,” said Karel Charvát, Czech Center for Science and Society, technical coordinator of the project.

Full guidelines and application portal: https://www.poliruralplus.eu/open-calls/enhance-call/

Objective of the Enhance Open Call

The Enhance Call aims to fund validation projects that apply, test, and improve JackDaw, the PoliRuralPlus GeoAI chatbot. It seeks to demonstrate JackDaw’s value in policy-making, planning, research, and stakeholder engagement, while collecting structured feedback on its usability, reliability, and impact. The call empowers SMEs, NGOs, public authorities, citizens, and researchers to work with AI-based spatial tools, building digital capacity at local level and showcasing replicability across Europe.

Why Enhance?

By participating in the Enhance Call, the applicants will:

• Receive up to €25,000 in EU funding to validate JackDaw, the PoliRuralPlus GeoAI chatbot.
• Gain early access to an innovative AI tool that turns spatial data and maps into natural language conversations.
• Influence the improvement of JackDaw by providing structured usability and impact feedback.
• Contribute to the creation of inclusive, transparent, and AI-assisted rural–urban policy-making and planning.
• Showcase your work across Europe through PoliRuralPlus dissemination channels.

Expected results

• Practical validation of JackDaw in a real policy, planning, research, or stakeholder engagement context.
• Collection of feedback on usability, functionality, and impact, shared through reports and outreach.
• Engagement of relevant stakeholders, citizens, or institutions in testing the chatbot.
• Production of dissemination outputs (blogs, social media posts, news articles) to share experiences.
• Delivery of a final validation report (10–15 pages) with recommendations for improving JackDaw and its integration into European rural–urban ecosystems.

Call for participation

The PoliRuralPlus consortium invites research organisations, tech SMEs, NGOs, universities, municipalities, and other innovation actors to apply. By joining the Enhance Open Call, participants will not only receive funding but also access to expert mentorship, stakeholder networks, and a platform for sustainable, inclusive digital transformation.

How to apply

Interested participants can learn more and apply by visiting PoliRuralPlus Enhance Call.   

The deadline for submissions is December 1, 2025 17:00 CET.

For more information, please contact:

Katerina Sachsamanoglou
Project Manager
k_sachsamanoglou@c-gaia.gr

About PoliRuralPlus:

The PoliRuralPlus is dedicated to fostering the sustainable, balanced, and inclusive development of rural and urban communities across Europe. Through the use of innovative tools and collaborative approaches, PoliRuralPlus aims to enhance connectivity, promote equitable growth, and drive community-based solutions.