Fostering and maintaining the social fabric for the green transition in neighbourhoods

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility grant opportunity under the Horizon Europe Programme focuses on transforming neighborhoods through sustainable, inclusive, and aesthetically driven solutions. Eligible applicants include startups, SMEs, universities, research institutes, nonprofits, public-private partnerships, and NGOs, with an emphasis on collaboration and multidisciplinary consortia. The financial mechanism for this grant is a Horizon Lump Sum Grant, which simplifies reporting by providing predefined funding amounts based on deliverables.

While consortium-based collaboration is encouraged, single applicants can apply but may have lower chances of success due to the project's focus on cross-sectoral initiatives. Geographic eligibility covers EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe, prioritizing EU neighborhoods. The target sectors include urban development, social innovation, and the built environment, specifically focusing on circular construction, social cohesion, and innovative funding models for neighborhood transformation.

The total budget for this call is €9 million, with individual project funding likely ranging from €1 million to €5 million. The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline of November 12, 2025. Funding will be provided as monetary grants without co-funding requirements. The application format allows for the submission of proposals electronically, and the approval process will directly fund successful applications post-evaluation.

Although success rates for grants are not stated, they generally range from 10% to 39% in Horizon Europe programs, indicating competitive selection. The call aims to support projects that foster community engagement in green transitions, develop circular construction practices, and pilot novel funding mechanisms for urban regeneration.

Applicants must adopt a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, integrating public authorities, civil society, and various disciplines. The successful proposals will contribute valuable insights on enhancing cultural participation to strengthen social fabric and civic engagement, which ultimately supports green transitions in neighborhoods.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically focusing on "A research agenda for a beautiful, inclusive and sustainable transformation of neighbourhoods" (HORIZON-NEB-2025-01). The topic, HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-02, is titled "Fostering and maintaining the social fabric for the green transition in neighbourhoods." This call seeks to support Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant agreement.

The key objective is to study the interplay between cultural participation, social connections, and civic engagement to foster and maintain the social fabric of neighbourhoods, supporting their green transition, and addressing challenges like declining social connections.

Expected outcomes of the projects include:

Better evidence for public authorities and not-for-profit organizations regarding conditions under which cultural participation reinforces social fabric and civic engagement, contributing to the green transition.

Improved understanding of the role of cultural and creative sectors in participatory decision-making, community engagement strategies, and green transition activities.

Improved methods and strategies to enhance inhabitants’ sense of belonging, collective engagement, and ownership in the green transition.

The scope of the proposals should address the following:

Study the conditions under which cultural participation reinforces social fabric and civic engagement, contributing to the green transition. This involves reviewing existing evidence, collecting comparable data to identify trends, gaps, and correlations, and exploring the wider benefits of cultural participation for individuals and communities, including marginalized groups. A comprehensive analysis of relevant variables such as socio-demographic characteristics, context-specific aspects, meeting spaces, digital literacy, local innovation capacity, polarization, wellbeing, mental health, safety, crime, and loneliness is required.

Propose at least three evidence-based methods or strategies to foster and maintain the social fabric of neighbourhoods and support their green transition. These strategies should be demonstrated and monitored in at least three neighbourhoods across different Member States or Associated Countries to analyze their effectiveness and potential for sustained effects, particularly regarding community and civic engagement.

Based on research evidence, provide recommendations for public authorities and not-for-profit organizations on facilitating cultural participation, including necessary skills, competencies, and partnerships.

Proposals must adopt a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, integrating various actors such as public authorities, local actors, civil society, private owners, and cultural operators, as well as different disciplines. The effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines, SSH experts, and institutions is essential to enhance the societal impact of the research activities. 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 call is a single-stage submission process, opening on 06 May 2025, with a deadline of 12 November 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget for the HORIZON-NEB-2025-01 call is divided among several topics, with the HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-02 topic having a budget of 9,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.

General conditions for participation include admissibility conditions, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion criteria, and specific legal and financial setups for grants, all detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Application forms, evaluation templates, model grant agreements, and guidance documents are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal. Additional documents include the Horizon Europe Main Work Programme, the New European Bauhaus Facility (NEB) work programme, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and relevant EU financial regulations.

The Funding & Tenders Portal provides various support services, including an Online Manual, FAQs, a Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points, the Enterprise Europe Network, an IT Helpdesk, and helpdesks for intellectual property rights and standardisation. Partner search tools are also available to help applicants find suitable partner organizations.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to fund research and innovation projects that explore how cultural participation can strengthen social connections and civic engagement in neighbourhoods, supporting their green transition. It emphasizes a participatory, transdisciplinary approach, the involvement of SSH expertise, and the development of evidence-based strategies for public authorities and not-for-profit organizations. The call provides a lump sum grant with a single-stage submission process, opening on 06 May 2025 and closing on 12 November 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include public authorities, not-for-profit organizations, local actors from targeted neighborhoods, civil society, private owners, cultural operators, research institutions, social sciences and humanities experts, and other relevant stakeholders. The call emphasizes a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, suggesting a broad range of eligible applicants.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. The call also includes HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The call emphasizes a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, suggesting that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred, if not required. The integration of different actors such as public authorities, local actors, civil society, private owners, and cultural operators is expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. The call mentions that non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets multiple sectors, including culture, social sciences, humanities, urban development, green transition, civic engagement, and research and innovation. It focuses on the interplay between cultural participation, social connections, and civic engagement in neighborhoods, aiming to foster social fabric and support green transitions.

Mentioned Countries: The call explicitly mentions EU Member States and Associated Countries as geographically eligible. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that may have specific funding provisions.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project 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) implies projects in the demonstration and commercialization stages. HORIZON-CSA (Coordination and Support Actions) supports projects in the coordination and networking stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and action type, ranging from EUR 2,500,000 for Coordination and Support Actions to EUR 16,000,000 for Innovation Actions. The indicative grant amounts for each topic are specified in the budget overview. For example, HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-02 has a budget of EUR 9,000,000 with an indicative grant amount of around EUR 3,000,000.

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

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

Application Stages: The application process involves 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 instance, HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-02 aims to award around 3 grants with a budget of EUR 9,000,000.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, as a Horizon Europe action, it is possible that co-funding may be part of the financial model.

This Horizon Europe call, under the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, seeks to foster and maintain the social fabric of neighborhoods while supporting their green transition. The call, titled "Fostering and maintaining the social fabric for the green transition in neighbourhoods," aims to study the interplay between cultural participation, social connections, and civic engagement. The goal is to generate insights that can be used to address challenges such as declining social connections and to support the green transition in neighborhoods.

The call is structured around several topics, each with a specific focus and budget. These topics include actions related to business innovation, citizen participation, and neighborhood regeneration. The funding mechanisms include HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA), and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), all under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of stakeholders, such as public authorities, not-for-profit organizations, local actors, civil society groups, private owners, and cultural operators. The call emphasizes a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, requiring the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines.

Projects funded under this call are expected to contribute to outcomes such as better evidence for public authorities, improved understanding of the role of cultural and creative sectors, and enhanced methods to increase neighborhood inhabitants’ sense of belonging and engagement in the green transition. Proposals should address the conditions under which cultural participation reinforces social fabric and civic engagement, propose evidence-based strategies for fostering social fabric and green transition, and provide recommendations for public authorities and not-for-profit organizations.

The application process involves a single stage, with a deadline of November 12, 2025. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, and applicants are encouraged to use the partner search tools to form strong consortia. The call provides various resources and support services, including a Horizon Europe Programme Guide, a Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, and National Contact Points (NCPs).