Pre-commercial procurement of breakthrough solutions for climate proofing of public buildings

The EU funding opportunity titled "HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06" is part of the Horizon Europe program, focusing on pre-commercial procurement of innovative solutions for climate-proofing public buildings. It aims to foster innovation for enhancing the climate resilience of public infrastructure amid climate change challenges. The call is open for submissions from May 6, 2025, with a deadline of September 24, 2025. The total budget allocated for this specific topic is €5 million, with expectations to fund one grant.

Eligible applicants are required to form a consortium primarily consisting of a qualified public procurement "buyers' group," which may also include research institutions, private sector actors, and other supportive organizations. The consortium must comprise partners from at least three different EU Member States or associated countries, in line with the EU's broader goals for climate resilience.

The focus of the funding aligns with the EU's climate adaptation strategy, which emphasizes using nature-based solutions and green infrastructure to tackle vulnerabilities such as structural damage and thermal discomfort in buildings. Successful proposals must present tailored climate adaptation solutions that demonstrate superior performance compared to existing options, with clear performance improvement targets and economic benefits.

Proposals need to include mechanisms for collaboration with relevant platforms and communities, showcasing how the project will contribute to job creation and sustainable economic growth. They should also address specific climate-related hazards and incorporate a lifecycle approach to building management.

The competition is rigorous, with unspecified success rates, suggesting that applicants need to demonstrate excellence in their submissions. Moreover, co-funding details are not clarified in the information provided, but some topics within the horizon program may require it.

This opportunity is a strategic move towards transforming the building sector to robustly adapt to climate challenges, emphasizing collaboration among public and private sectors to deliver fully tested, market-ready products and services.

The EU Funding Opportunity: Pre-commercial Procurement of Breakthrough Solutions for Climate Proofing of Public Buildings

This opportunity, HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06, is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically targeting the implementation of the Adaptation to Climate Change Mission. It is a HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP) action with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] model grant agreement. The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline.

Key Dates:

Opening Date: 6 May 2025

Deadline Date: 24 September 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels time

Budget:

The total budget allocated for this topic is 5,000,000 EUR. The indicative number of grants to be awarded is 1.

Expected Outcomes:

Successful proposals are expected to contribute to the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, enabling local and regional authorities to manage climate risks and enhance preparedness and resilience. Specific outcomes include:

Customization/pre-operationalization of customer-tailored climate adaptation solutions for public buildings, exceeding state-of-the-art performance targets.

Reduction of demand fragmentation for innovative solutions through collective Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) implementation, addressing needs more efficiently than individual efforts.

New market opportunities and economies of scale via joint specifications, result dissemination, standardization contributions, and the creation of new market-ready products, processes, and services, fostering sustainable economic growth and job creation.

Scope:

Rationale: Buildings are vulnerable to climate change, facing risks such as collapse, material damage, structural integrity issues, and loss of value due to extreme weather, water encroachment, and indoor climate deterioration. Climate change also affects indoor conditions, potentially causing thermal discomfort, health issues, and reduced productivity.

EU Strategy Alignment: The EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change emphasizes improving building preparedness, utilizing nature-based solutions (e.g., green roofs and walls), and enhancing climate change stress predictions. Investment decisions require solid climate data, and buildings' insurance needs to address the climate protection gap. The water-energy nexus is also a critical consideration.

Nature-Based Solutions: The strategy prioritizes nature-based solutions like green roofs and walls as sustainable alternatives to air conditioning. Green infrastructure measures can increase resilience when integrated into urban planning.

Renovation Wave: The 2020 Renovation Wave Communication aims to double renovation rates, improve energy and resource efficiency, and address heating and cooling standards while considering vulnerable populations. Green Public Procurement criteria for office buildings now include climate resilience indicators.

Directives and Guidance: The Directive on Energy Performance of Buildings and the Energy Efficiency Directive offer guidance on climate-related considerations. The European Commission also released EU-level guidance on building climate resilience in March 2023.

Synergies: This initiative aims to create synergies with Mission Cities and the New European Bauhaus initiative.

Supported Activities:

This Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) aims to drive innovation in climate-proofing public buildings by bridging the gap between supply and demand for innovative solutions. The PCP should deliver fully tested, marketable products and services that meet the needs of the procurers' consortium, accelerate time-to-market, and provide value for money. This action supports the follow-up to the July 2023 Communication on EU Missions assessment.

Activities include:

Preparing documentation for the procurement procedure.

Joint research on customizing prototypes and end-user services for climate change adaptation and mitigation, validating the PCP strategy.

Follow-up activities such as awareness raising, networking, training, evaluation, validation, and result dissemination.

Consortium Requirements:

The core must be a qualified "buyers' group" (public procurement consortium).

Additional partners like business/SME support organizations, innovation agencies, or sectoral organizations can assist with market consultations.

Project duration is expected to be a maximum of 3 years.

Proposal Content:

The proposal should:

Describe the jointly identified challenge and its alignment with consortium partners' long-term climate resilience plans.

Explain why existing solutions are inadequate.

Present concrete targets for functionality/performance improvement.

Explain how job creation, sustainable economic growth, and new businesses will be assessed.

Mission Links:

Proposals must include mechanisms and resources for collaboration with the Mission Implementation Platform, the Mission’s Community of Practice, and knowledge platforms like Climate-ADAPT or Copernicus.

Applicants must acknowledge these requirements and allocate resources accordingly.

General Conditions:

Admissibility: Proposal page limits and layout must adhere to Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.

Eligible Countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may apply to non-EU/non-Associated Countries; refer to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other Eligible Conditions: Specific conditions for PCP/PPI procurements in section H of the General Annexes apply.

Financial and Operational Capacity and Exclusion: As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and Award:

Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are detailed in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Legal and Financial Set-Up: PCP/PPI procurement costs are eligible, as described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific Conditions:

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and Evaluation Forms and Model Grant Agreement (MGA):

Application Form Templates: Available in the Submission System. Includes standard application forms for HE RIA, IA, CSA, RI, and PCP.

Evaluation Form Templates: Standard evaluation forms for HE RIA/IA, CSA, PCP/PPI, COFUND, and FPA will be adapted as necessary.

Guidance: HE Programme Guide.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA): HE MGA, HE Unit MGA, Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA.

Call-Specific Instructions: Detailed budget table (HE LS), information on financial support to third parties (HE), information on clinical studies (HE), and guidance on lump sums.

Additional Documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 (General Introduction, Missions, General Annexes).

HE Programme Guide.

HE Framework Programme 2021/695.

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764.

EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment, and Financial Capacity Assessment.

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement.

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions.

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

Budget Overview:

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Budget: 17,650,000 EUR, Indicative Grants: 1

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-02: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Budget: 25,000,000 EUR, Indicative Grants: 1

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-03: HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA), Budget: 30,000,000 EUR, Indicative Grants: 3 (around 10,000,000 EUR each)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-04: HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA), Budget: 30,000,000 EUR, Indicative Grants: 3 (around 10,000,000 EUR each)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-05: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Budget: 6,000,000 EUR, Indicative Grants: 2 (around 3,000,000 EUR each)

HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06: HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (PCP), Budget: 5,000,000 EUR, Indicative Grants: 1

Partner Search:

There are 6 partner search announcements available. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

Submission:

To access the Electronic Submission Service, click the submission button next to the action type and model grant agreement.

General Support:

The Online Manual provides guidance on proposal submission and grant management. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide offers detailed information on the program's structure, budget, and priorities. The Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ addresses common questions. The Research Enquiry Service answers questions about European research. National Contact Points (NCPs) provide guidance and assistance. The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) offers advice to businesses, especially SMEs. The IT Helpdesk assists with technical issues. The European IPR Helpdesk supports intellectual property matters. CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks advise on standardisation. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct outline researcher roles and responsibilities. Partner Search helps find partner organizations.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to foster innovation in climate-proofing public buildings through a pre-commercial procurement approach. It seeks to bring together public procurers, research organizations, and businesses to develop and deploy cutting-edge solutions that enhance the resilience of buildings to climate change, while also promoting sustainable economic growth and job creation. The focus is on nature-based solutions and alignment with EU climate adaptation strategies and directives. Successful applicants will need to form a strong consortium, demonstrate a clear understanding of the challenges, and propose innovative solutions that meet the needs of public authorities and contribute to the broader goals of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.

Eligible Applicant Types: The core of the consortium should be a qualified “buyers’ group” (public procurement consortium). Additional partners such as business/SME support organisations, innovation agencies or sectoral organisations may be included to assist procurers in knowing what is available on the market through market consultations. Local and regional authorities are also mentioned as relevant to the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change.

Funding Type: Pre-commercial Procurement (PCP) and Action Grant Budget-Based. This involves a joint procurement of research and development services.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required, with the core being a qualified “buyers’ group” (public procurement consortium).

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The text mentions eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and that 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. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: This program targets the built environment, specifically focusing on climate proofing public buildings, energy efficiency, green infrastructure, and nature-based solutions. It also touches upon the water-energy nexus and buildings’ insurance.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the opportunity is within the framework of the Horizon Europe program, implying eligibility for EU member states and associated countries. The text mentions 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.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on research, development, and pre-commercialization. The PCP aims to deliver successful innovative and fully tested products and/or services. Activities include the customisation/pre-operationalisation of prototypes end-user services in the area of climate change adaptation and mitigation validating the PCP strategy.

Funding Amount: The budget for the topic HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06 is EUR 5,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 1. Other topics in the same call have different budgets and numbers of grants. For example, HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-01 has a budget of EUR 17,650,000 and an indicative number of grants of 1. HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-03 and HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-04 each have a budget of EUR 30,000,000 and an indicative number of grants of 3.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money to fund research, development, and pre-commercial procurement activities.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be determined from the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

This EU funding opportunity, HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06, is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the implementation of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change. It aims to foster innovation in climate proofing public buildings through a Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) approach. The core of the applying consortium should be a qualified "buyers' group," which is a public procurement consortium. Other entities like business support organizations, innovation agencies, and sectoral organizations can also be part of the consortium. The project is expected to have a maximum duration of 3 years.

The primary goal is to develop and deploy innovative solutions that enhance the climate resilience of public buildings, addressing vulnerabilities such as structural damage, material degradation, indoor thermal discomfort, and increased energy consumption. The call emphasizes nature-based solutions, green infrastructure, and alignment with the EU's broader climate and energy efficiency directives, including the Renovation Wave Communication and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Successful proposals should outline a jointly identified challenge related to climate resilience, demonstrate why existing solutions are inadequate, and set concrete targets for improvement. They should also detail how the project will contribute to job creation, sustainable economic growth, and new business opportunities. Furthermore, proposals must include mechanisms for collaboration with the Mission Implementation Platform, the Mission’s Community of Practice, and relevant knowledge platforms like Climate-ADAPT and Copernicus.

The funding is provided through a Horizon Action Grant Budget-Based mechanism, with a budget of EUR 5,000,000 allocated to the HORIZON-MISS-2025-01-CLIMA-06 topic. The call is a single-stage process, with the deadline for submissions on 24 September 2025. The call is open for submission as of 06 May 2025.