Bottom-up social entrepreneurship for the co-creation of neighbourhoods in line with the New European Bauhaus

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility grant under Horizon Europe promotes sustainable and inclusive transformation of neighborhoods through social entrepreneurship. The funding aims to support bottom-up projects that enhance community engagement and address social and environmental challenges.

Eligible applicant types include social enterprises, civil society organizations, public-private partnerships, and local authorities, emphasizing a consortium approach that requires partnerships from at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries.

The funding type is a grant provided under the HORIZON Lump Sum model, with an overall budget of €118.4 million for the NEB Facility for 2025. Individual projects may receive between €1 million to €8 million based on specific topics described in the call.

Projects must focus on demonstration and validation stages, engaging local communities in pilot initiatives that foster social innovation, urban development, and participatory governance. The application process is single-stage, with a submission deadline of November 12, 2025.

Success rates are generally low, likely ranging from 10% to 39%, reflecting the competitive nature of Horizon Europe funding. Co-funding requirements may vary based on the applicant type, especially for for-profit entities.

Overall, this grant seeks to innovate neighborhood transformations, enhance quality of life, and foster community integration through collaborative efforts that align with the NEB initiative's values of sustainability, beauty, and inclusivity. Proposals should deliver tangible outcomes by analyzing barriers to market uptake and enhancing social cohesion through community participation.

This is a summary of multiple Horizon Europe calls for proposals related to the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, focusing on the sustainable and inclusive transformation of neighborhoods through social entrepreneurship, innovation actions, research and innovation actions, and coordination and support actions. The calls are part of the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically under the call "A research agenda for a beautiful, inclusive and sustainable transformation of neighbourhoods (HORIZON-NEB-2025-01)". The submission session opened on May 6, 2025, and the deadline for submission is November 12, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant.

The overarching goal is to leverage bottom-up social entrepreneurship to drive sustainable and inclusive neighborhood co-creation, aligning with the values of the New European Bauhaus. This involves addressing local social and environmental challenges, generating local economic value, creating employment opportunities, leveraging cultural and creative industries, and addressing segregation.

Key expected outcomes across the calls include:

New scientific evidence on how bottom-up social entrepreneurship contributes to neighborhood co-creation, aligning with NEB values.
Enhanced knowledge sharing and cooperation among inhabitants and civil society actors, including marginalized groups, to foster engagement in social entrepreneurship.
Increased quality of life, well-being, social cohesion, and economic opportunities within neighborhoods through social entrepreneurship.

The scope of the calls emphasizes the need for research on various aspects of using bottom-up social entrepreneurship for neighborhood co-creation. Proposals should:

Deliver bottom-up social entrepreneurship pilots in multiple Member States or Associated Countries.
Analyze local barriers and drivers affecting the market uptake and competitiveness of social enterprises.
Assess the business case and potential for attracting impact investment.
Demonstrate how cooperation among inhabitants and civil society can foster knowledge exchange and capacity building.
Demonstrate how social entrepreneurship can improve quality of life, social cohesion, and a sense of belonging.
Assess the impact on future co-creation and decision-making in neighborhood development.

A participatory and transdisciplinary approach is expected, integrating various actors (public authorities, local actors, investors) and disciplines (architecture, design, arts, business, economics, finance). The calls require the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and experts. A minimum of 0.2% of the total budget should be dedicated to sharing results with the Coordination and Support Action 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' (HORIZON-MISS-2024-NEB-01-03).

The general conditions for participation include admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, eligible countries, and financial and operational capacity. Evaluation and award criteria, submission and evaluation processes, and indicative timelines are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. Eligible costs will be reimbursed as a lump sum contribution.

Application forms, evaluation forms, model grant agreements, and additional guidance documents are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Partner search tools and support services are also provided to assist applicants.

The specific topics and their respective budgets and indicative number of grants are as follows:

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-01: HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 6,000,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-02: HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3, Contribution around 4,000,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-03: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3, Contribution around 4,000,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-01: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 10,500,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3, Contribution around 3,500,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-02: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 9,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3, Contribution around 3,000,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-03: HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 10,400,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 5,200,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-04: HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, Budget 2,500,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1, Contribution around 2,500,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-01: HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 16,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 8,000,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-02: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 5,000,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-03: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 8,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 4,000,000 EUR.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-04: HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 16,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 8,000,000 EUR.

In essence, this funding opportunity aims to stimulate research and innovation that empowers communities to actively participate in shaping their neighborhoods, fostering sustainability, inclusivity, and a high quality of life, all while adhering to the core principles of the New European Bauhaus. It encourages collaborative, multi-disciplinary projects that can demonstrate tangible impact and attract further investment in social entrepreneurship initiatives.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the description, they could include a wide range of entities involved in social entrepreneurship and neighbourhood development. This includes small businesses, collectively owned companies, cooperatives, civil society and community-building initiatives, neighbourhood associations, grassroots initiatives, community land-trusts, public authorities, local actors from targeted neighbourhoods, social economy entities, civil society organizations, and investors. The call emphasizes the integration of different actors and disciplines, suggesting a broad eligibility to foster diverse partnerships.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the Horizon Europe Programme. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to favor a consortium approach. The call emphasizes a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, requiring the integration of different actors and disciplines. The need to deliver pilots in at least 3 Member States or Associated Countries also suggests that a consortium of multiple applicants is required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes Member States and Associated Countries of the European Union. The call mentions delivering pilots in at least 3 Member States or Associated Countries. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sector is broad, encompassing social entrepreneurship, urban development, architecture, design, arts, business, economics, finance, social sciences and humanities (SSH), and the New European Bauhaus initiative. It focuses on sustainable and inclusive neighbourhood co-creation.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions Member States and Associated Countries of the European Union.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the pilot stage, with an emphasis on demonstration and validation. The call requires delivering at least 3 bottom-up social entrepreneurship pilots.

Funding Amount: The funding amount varies depending on the specific topic within the call. The budget overview provides the following indicative funding ranges:
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-01: around €6,000,000 (2 grants)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-02: around €4,000,000 (3 grants)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-03: around €4,000,000 (3 grants)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-01: around €3,500,000 (3 grants)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-02: around €3,000,000 (3 grants)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-03: around €5,200,000 (2 grants)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-04: around €2,500,000 (1 grant)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-01: around €8,000,000 (2 grants)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-02: around €5,000,000 (2 grants)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-03: around €4,000,000 (2 grants)
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-04: around €8,000,000 (2 grants)

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. For example, HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-01 aims to award 2 grants with a budget of €12,000,000, suggesting a highly competitive environment.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, applicants are expected to attract (impact) investment opportunities, which may imply a need for leveraging additional funding.

This Horizon Europe call, part of the New European Bauhaus initiative, focuses on fostering sustainable and inclusive neighbourhood co-creation through bottom-up social entrepreneurship. It seeks to generate scientific evidence and practical pilots demonstrating how local communities, in partnership with public and private entities, can address social and environmental challenges, create economic value, and improve the quality of life in their neighbourhoods. The call encourages transdisciplinary projects that integrate diverse actors, including public authorities, civil society, investors, and experts from various fields such as architecture, design, business, and social sciences. Proposals should deliver at least three social entrepreneurship pilots across different EU Member States or Associated Countries, analyzing the barriers and drivers for market uptake, assessing the business case for attracting investments, and demonstrating how cooperation among inhabitants and civil society can build capacity and strengthen social cohesion. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single-stage submission. The call aims to promote innovative approaches to neighbourhood development that align with the values of sustainability, inclusion, and beauty, as envisioned by the New European Bauhaus.