Innovative models for neighbourhoods that integrate beauty, inclusiveness and sustainability

Home Funding Calls for proposals Enabling environments for a sustainable and circular construction sector Enabling environments for a sustainable and circular construction sector HORIZON-NEB-2027-01-REGEN-04 Topic Calls for proposals Internal navigation General information Topic description Destination Conditions and documents Budget overview Partner search announcements Start submission Topic Q&As Get support General information Programme Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Call Innovative models for neighbourhoods that integrate beauty, inclusiveness and sustainability (HORIZON-NEB-2027-01) Type of action HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions Type of MGA HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Forthcoming Deadline model Single-stage Planned opening date 05 May 2027 Deadline date 01 December 2027 17:00:00 Brussels time Topic description Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: Demonstrated environments that effectively enable the testing, validation, deployment and upscaling of NEB-aligned innovative construction solutions[1] are available to construction companies. Insights, data, evidence for replication and policy uptake, and practical blueprints are generated on the design, implementation and effectiveness of enabling environments and feed the three pillars of the NEB Academy[2]. Scope: The construction sector plays a central role in delivering on the EU’s climate, environmental, economic and social objectives. Accelerating its transition towards more sustainability and circularity is key to strengthen the competitiveness of the European construction industry and enhance global leadership. However, the uptake and deployment of innovation in the traditional[3] and offsite[4] construction sector is hampered by regulatory, institutional, fiscal, financial and societal barriers such as inadequate fiscal incentives, fragmented value chains, limited access to finance, insufficient standardisation, skills gaps, or low societal acceptance. In addition, access to real-life testing and demonstration environments remains insufficient, further constraining the validation and market uptake of innovative solutions. Accelerating the transition towards more sustainability and circularity in the construction sector thus requires supportive enabling environments that provide companies with spaces to test and validate their NEB-aligned innovative construction solutions in real-life conditions as well as appropriate regulatory, institutional, fiscal, financial and societal conditions where they can be deployed and scaled up. This topic should therefore support the development and demonstration of enabling environments which can take the form of: Physical innovation spaces, such as living labs or testbeds, where solutions can be tested and validated in real-life conditions; Frameworks providing supportive regulatory, institutional, fiscal, and financial conditions, such as regulatory sandboxes or innovations deals, to generate evidence on how existing conditions can be adapted to enable the deployment and scale-up of NEB-aligned construction solutions; Or a combination of both. Actions funded under this topic should contribute to bridging research, innovation and the deployment of solutions, enabling the transformation of the construction sector. By doing so, they will be an integral part of the NEB Academy, the NEB’s core infrastructure for capacity building and skills development, knowledge and research, and innovation and business development in the built environment. This topic contributes to and aligns with the Communication on the New European Bauhaus and the accompanying proposal for Council Recommendation, the Clean Industrial Deal, the Strategy for a Competitive and Sustainable EU Bioeconomy, the European Strategy for Housing Construction, the Affordable Housing Plan, the Innovation Act[5]) and the Circular Economy agenda and future Act. Proposals are expected to address all of the following: Develop and demonstrate at least one enabling environment(s), supporting at least two different companies – including at least one start-up – in developing a NEB-aligned construction solution(s). The enabling environment(s) will: Facilitate the interaction and actively involve relevant actors across the construction value-chain including industries, companies, researchers, designers, public authorities, investors, and civil society to ensure alignment; Develop a place-based approach taking into account local ecosystems, governance structures, regulatory frameworks and specific opportunities and risks. Ensure the NEB-aligned innovative construction solution is co-designed with end-users and answers societal needs. Contribute to the NEB Academy by proposing and applying structural feedback loops, ensuring, among others, that the results of the project inform the identification of potential skills policy as well as policy and regulatory learning. Proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach through the integration of different actors and disciplines in the development of the enabling environment. Proposals are expected to allocate at least 0.8% of their budget for engaging with the NEB Academy and the Horizon Europe-funded 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' to share their intermediate and final results, findings and learning, as well as to contribute to impact assessment. Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL. [1] “Construction solutions” include solutions related to renovation, retrofitting, and refurbishment, the latter being understood as changes to space plan or of function to new use, not typically covered by renovation, in line with the standards set by the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). [2] Find more information on the NEB Academy and its three pillars here. [3] Traditional construction involves carrying out all phases of a building’s development directly at the project site. [4] Offsite construction involves pre-fabricating components in a controlled factory environment, which are then transported on-site. [5] Not yet published Show more Topic destination Circular and regenerative approaches for the built environment (2026-27) Destination 2 aims to make neighbourhoods[1] more sustainable[1], circular[3] and regenerative[1] but also inclusive[1], accessible, affordable and beautiful[1], turning them into resilient places where nature and biodiversity can thrive, contributing to a better health and well-being for all, as well as clean air, soils, water and energy, in line with the Davos Declaration 2018[7]. It does so by contributing to making the built environment[1] – including cultural heritage buildings – and its composing construction materials and products more sustainable and circular and by rethinking their design, construction, use, maintenance and disassembly. Specific attention is paid to the reuse and to extending the lifespan of existing infrastructure in order to minimize extraction of resources from the natural environment. It also explores the potential of digital tools and technologies to achieve these objectives as well as the potential of the cultural and creative sectors. The solutions developed should be user-centred and placed-based, and consider cultural heritage and vernacular knowledge[1] while reflecting local diversity and cultural identity and meeting people's (long-term) needs. Destination 2 thus addresses three of the Commission political guidelines 2024-2029, namely: A new plan for Europe’s sustainable prosperity and competitiveness Supporting people, strengthening our societies and our social model Sustaining our quality of life: Food security, water and nature By looking into the entire life cycles of buildings, from extraction of resources, manufacturing of products, construction, use and end-of-life while keeping reusable products and materials in multiple use cycles as long as possible, Destination 2 contributes to the achievement of the Clean Industrial Deal, the EU Green Deal, the Circular Economy Action Plan, the EU Bioeconomy Strategy and the forthcoming Circular Economy Act thereby supporting Europe’s leading position in the green transition[1] and sustainable prosperity. Moreover, by exploring how the existing built environment can be used more efficiently, it contributes to the Renovation Wave and potentially the European Affordable Housing Plan[11]. Destination 2 explores how the built environment can contribute to restoring its environment by leveraging nature-based-solutions[1], biomimicry and regenerative designs. This includes clean soil, water and air and thus contributes to the Zero Pollution Action Plan[13], the EU Biodiversity Strategy[14], the Nature Restoration Regulation articles[15], as well as the EU Strategy on Green Infrastructure[16] and the Water Resilience Strategy[17]. Such innovative designs and solutions should also improve the climate adaptability and resilience of buildings, neighbourhoods, cities and regions, thus contributing to the European Climate Adaptation Strategy. In Work Programme 2026-2027, this Destination contributes to the following overarching expected impacts set out in the Horizon Europe strategic plan 2025-2027: Living and working in a health-promoting environment Achieving global leadership in climate-neutral, circular and digitised industrial and digital value chains Putting biodiversity on a path to recovery, and protecting and restoring ecosystems and their services Sustainably developing rural, urban and coastal areas The Destination aims to deliver on these objectives by: Advancing the development and integration of innovative, bio-based[1] and more circular construction materials and products in new construction and building renovations, while complying with current European standards and regulations, as well as informing them. Rethinking the way we design, build, use, renovate and disassemble our built environment over its entire life cycle to reach a more circular and sustainable built environment, better health and well-being of their occupants, better resources management, better biodiversity and regenerated ecosystems. Leveraging digital tools and technologies, local cultural identity and heritage as well as traditional and vernacular knowledge and knowhow. Developing new methods or improve existing ones to assess environmental performance and associated impacts of solutions, designs and techniques for the built environment. Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to the development of circular and regenerative approaches for the built environment and more specifically to one or several of the following impacts: The built environment, including cultural heritage buildings, and its composing elements and materials in neighbourhoods are more sustainable, circular, adaptable, multi-purposed, long-lasting, and have net-zero GHG emissions (and beyond) over their entire life cycles, resulting in an overall more sustainable, and climate-neutral building stock. Neighbourhoods are more beautiful, healthier places where human beings, natural ecosystems and biodiversity can thrive. Spaces, existing buildings and resources for construction and renovation are optimally used without compromising affordability, comfort and living conditions. The solutions developed are sustainable, beautiful, user-centred and place-based, connect with local cultural identity, historical knowledge and cultural heritage, answer the needs of and are accepted by users – including minorities, underrepresented groups and groups in a vulnerable situation. Information on long-term environmental, social, economic impacts of sustainable and circular construction and renovation solutions for built assets are si [... συνέχεια στην επίσημη πρόσκληση]