Exploring and improving access to housing in rural areas and developing the houses and villages of the future

This grant opportunity under Horizon Europe focuses on exploring and improving access to housing in rural areas and developing future sustainable houses and villages. The eligible applicant types typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities. Given it operates under a multi-actor approach, a consortium comprising various stakeholders relevant to rural communities and housing is required.

The funding type is primarily a lump sum grant, specifically designated as a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, which falls under the categories of HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, HORIZON Innovation Actions, and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. The geographic scope includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU countries that meet specific funding arrangements.

Projects under this grant aim to address significant issues such as access to affordable and sustainable housing in rural areas, while tackling the impacts of demographic changes and migration flows. The focus areas encompass rural development, housing quality, social inclusion, climate resilience, and digital technologies.

The project stage involves research and development, with proposals expected to include analyses of real estate and rental markets, evaluations of housing quality and poverty, and recommendations for policymakers. The nature of support is monetary, provided in the form of lump sums, with expected funding amounts varying across topics but generally ranging from approximately €1 million to €5 million per topic based on comparisons with similar grants.

The application process consists of a single stage, with a deadline for submission on September 16, 2025. Success rates for Horizon Europe grants typically range from 10-20%, although specific rates for this grant have not been provided. Co-funding is generally not required for the lump sum grants, though partnerships must demonstrate a commitment of resources.

Proposals need to leverage a multi-actor approach and should involve stakeholders in the development of solutions. Projects are encouraged to collaborate with initiatives like the New European Bauhaus and embrace contributions from the social sciences and humanities, ensuring a holistic approach to addressing rural housing challenges.

Overall, this grant supports innovative projects aimed at enhancing rural housing accessibility, fostering sustainable practices in village development, and contributing to EU goals related to social rights and environmental sustainability.

This EU funding opportunity focuses on research and innovation actions (RIA) and coordination and support actions (CSA) within the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically under Cluster 6, Call 02, with a single-stage submission process. The call aims to support the long-term vision for EU's rural areas, the European pillar of social rights, and social fairness, empowering rural communities for transformative change in line with the Green Deal objectives. The call opened on May 6, 2025, with a deadline of September 16, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025).

The expected outcomes include:

Better understanding of real estate and rental markets in rural areas and their social impacts.
New solutions and strategies for affordable, quality housing in rural communities.
Affordable, sustainable, and replicable solutions for climate-resilient, smart houses and villages.

The scope of the proposals should address:

Analysis of real estate and rental markets in rural areas, evaluating housing quality and poverty.
Increasing data availability using digital technologies for settlement structures and buildings, including analysis of abandoned units and best practices for reuse.
Understanding access to affordable, quality housing, considering financial and social aspects.
Recommendations for policymakers on regulating real estate markets and promoting sustainable housing renovation or construction.
Participatory processes involving rural stakeholders to design sustainable houses and villages, focusing on affordability, replicability, climate change adaptation and mitigation, and circularity of materials.

The proposals must use a multi-actor approach, involve relevant actors in developing houses and villages, build on research from the EU rural observatory and Horizon Europe projects, and consider collaboration with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility. Effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH), including gender studies, is required, and the use of European research infrastructures like the European social survey (ESS ERIC) is encouraged.

The general conditions for admissibility, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation, award criteria, submission, evaluation processes, indicative timeline, and legal and financial setup are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Eligible costs will be in the form of a lump sum.

Application forms, evaluation forms, model grant agreements, call-specific instructions, and additional documents such as the HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme, EU Financial Regulation, and Funding & Tenders Portal guidelines are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The budget overview includes several topics:

HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-01: EUR 12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-02: EUR 19,500,000, indicative number of grants: 3
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-03: EUR 10,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-04: EUR 12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-CLIMATE-05: EUR 24,000,000 (2025), EUR 23,000,000 (2026), EUR 23,000,000 (2027), indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-01: EUR 13,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-02: EUR 6,000,000, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-03: EUR 6,000,000, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-COMMUNITIES-04: EUR 12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-01: EUR 30,000,000 (2025, 2026, 2027), indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-02: EUR 40,000,000 (2025, 2026, 2027), indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-03: EUR 12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-04: EUR 11,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-05: EUR 12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-06: EUR 16,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-07: EUR 12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-08: EUR 6,000,000, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-09: EUR 3,000,000, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-10: EUR 12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-11: EUR 12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-12: EUR 10,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-13: EUR 2,000,000, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-14: EUR 12,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-15: EUR 50,000,000 (2025), EUR 45,000,000 (2026), EUR 35,000,000 (2027), indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-16: EUR 6,000,000, indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-CL6-2025-02-FARM2FORK-17: EUR 8,000,000, indicative number of grants: 2

Partner search announcements are available, and applicants can use the Funding & Tenders Portal for electronic submission and to find answers to frequently asked questions. Support services, including the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points, Enterprise Europe Network, and IT Helpdesk, are available to assist applicants.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to foster sustainable and resilient rural communities by addressing housing affordability, quality, and sustainability through research, innovation, and policy recommendations. It encourages a multi-actor approach, collaboration with relevant initiatives, and the integration of social sciences and humanities to create affordable, climate-smart houses and villages of the future. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the submission deadline is September 16, 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that it is a Horizon Europe call, eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other legal entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities. The multi-actor approach requirement suggests the inclusion of various stakeholders relevant to rural communities and housing.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. There are also HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions. The call includes HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium, as indicated by the "multi-actor approach" which necessitates the involvement of relevant actors.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The text mentions that non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible if they have made specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: rural development, housing, climate, social sciences and humanities, energy, environment, innovation, and sustainable development. It focuses on improving access to affordable and quality housing in rural areas, developing sustainable and climate-resilient houses and villages, and addressing real estate and rental market issues.

Mentioned Countries: The text does not explicitly mention specific countries but refers to "EU member states" and "non-EU/non-Associated Countries." Therefore, the geographic scope is primarily the EU and associated countries, with potential eligibility for other countries based on specific funding arrangements.

Project Stage: The project stage varies depending on the specific action type. HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions) suggests projects in the research, development, and validation stages. HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions) indicates projects in the demonstration and commercialization stages. HORIZON-CSA (Coordination and Support Actions) suggests projects in the coordination and support stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and action type, ranging from €2,000,000 to €50,000,000 for the year 2025. Some topics have co-funding actions with budgets up to €130,000,000 across multiple years. Individual grants are expected to be around €4,000,000 to €70,000,000.

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 consists of a 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, some topics aim to fund only one project, while others aim to fund two or three, suggesting varying levels of competitiveness.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is required for HORIZON Programme Cofund Actions.

Summary: This Horizon Europe Cluster 6 call focuses on "Exploring and improving access to housing in rural areas and developing the houses and villages of the future." It aims to support the implementation of the EU's long-term vision for rural areas, the European Pillar of Social Rights, and the Green Deal objectives. The call seeks proposals that address the lack of research on rural real estate issues, the impact of demographic trends and migration flows, and the need for affordable, quality, and sustainable housing solutions in rural communities.

The call encompasses various topics related to climate, communities, and farm-to-fork initiatives. It encourages projects that analyze real estate and rental markets, increase data availability, improve access to affordable housing, provide policy recommendations, and design sustainable houses and villages of the future. The multi-actor approach is a key requirement, emphasizing the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the project activities.

Funding is provided through HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA), and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), with eligible costs taking the form of lump sums. The geographic scope includes EU member states and associated countries, with potential eligibility for non-EU countries under specific conditions. The application process is a single-stage submission, with varying funding amounts and indicative numbers of grants depending on the specific topic.