Smarter buildings as part of the energy system for increased efficiency and flexibility – Societal Readiness Pilot

This summary pertains to a grant opportunity under Horizon Europe, specifically the HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-02 call focused on "Smarter buildings as part of the energy system for increased efficiency and flexibility – Societal Readiness Pilot." The funding is mainly a lump-sum grant type, with a total budget of €15 million allocated for approximately three grants, resulting in about €5 million each. The application process involves a single-stage submission, with the opening date set for September 16, 2025, and a deadline of February 17, 2026.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutions, small and medium enterprises, and other organizations that engage in research and innovation activities, generally within EU member states, associated countries, and select international partners. A consortium is necessary, emphasizing the collaboration between STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) experts to ensure societal readiness and address broader societal impacts.

The goal of the grant is to enhance the energy efficiency, integration of renewable energy sources, and adaptability of smart buildings while addressing user satisfaction and societal concerns. Projects should demonstrate measurable improvements in energy demand reduction and grid management across diverse settings, including different climatic zones and building types.

The call supports interdisciplinary approaches to innovation, expecting applicants to develop solutions that upgrade existing building management systems and enhance user acceptance and satisfaction. Each project should showcase its solution via pilot programs and includes a methodology to gauge effectiveness compared to existing standards.

Overall, this funding opportunity encourages innovative approaches to building management that prioritize societal readiness, user needs, and engagement with various stakeholders, all while contributing to the EU's climate and energy ambitions.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call, specifically Cluster 5 Call 02-2026 (WP 2025) (HORIZON-CL5-2026-02). The topic is "Smarter buildings as part of the energy system for increased efficiency and flexibility – Societal Readiness Pilot" (HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-02). It is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage. The planned opening date is 16 September 2025, and the deadline date is 17 February 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the projects are: Measurable reduction in buildings’ energy demand together with a reduced gap between their as-designed and as-built energy performance; Measurable increase in the number of building typologies with smart grid connected renewable energy sources (RES) and energy storage together with increased flexibility in grid/network management and operations; Measurable enhancement of the smart readiness of buildings as rated by the Smart Readiness Indicator and/or other relevant building rating systems; Improved responsiveness by the relevant stakeholders to the needs and concerns of users from a diversity of social groups, including vulnerable and disadvantaged ones, involved in or potentially affected by the smart buildings, thereby increasing the potential for beneficial societal uptake and building trust in outcomes.

The scope of the call is to address the lack of digitization in the construction and building subsectors. Smart buildings can reduce energy demand, curb CO2 emissions, integrate RES, and enhance grid flexibility. It is essential that smart buildings are flexible, adaptive, and user-friendly for grid operators, construction professionals, building facility managers, and users. Increased user knowledge, acceptance, and satisfaction are needed to ensure the societal benefits of smart building technologies.

Proposals are expected to: Develop solutions that enhance the smartness of buildings by using and facilitating the upgrade of existing Building (Energy) Management Systems (BMS/BEMS) and/or other technical equipment; Ensure that the proposed solutions are user-friendly and provide the expected indoor environmental quality, as well as user satisfaction and occupant comfort; Demonstrate the proposed solutions in at least three pilots, covering at least three different climatic zones, three different building types (residential, tertiary etc.), and three different technical building systems; Develop a methodology to measure the achieved energy demand reduction, increased flexibility in the grid, and enhanced interoperability, compared to current best practices; Investigate the cost-effectiveness and replicability of the proposed solutions.

This topic is a Societal-Readiness pilot, requiring an interdisciplinary approach to deepen consideration and responsiveness of research and innovation activities to societal needs and concerns. Effective contribution of relevant SSH expertise, including the involvement of SSH experts in the consortium, is required to meaningfully support Societal Readiness. SSH expertise is expected to facilitate the socio-technological interface and enable the design of project objectives with Societal Readiness related activities.

The general conditions include: Admissibility Conditions regarding proposal page limit and layout, described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form. The page limit is extended by two pages to 52 to address Societal Readiness-related issues. Eligible Countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding. Other Eligible Conditions include restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described 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 described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021. This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal. Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes provides further details. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA): Application form templates are available in the Submission System. The standard application form (HE RIA, IA) has a page limit extended to 52 pages. Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including a standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA). Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is a Lump Sum MGA. Call-specific instructions include a detailed budget table (HE LS) and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility, HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. 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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview for the year 2025 includes several topics: HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-01 (33 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-02 (8 000 000 EUR, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-05 (15 000 000 EUR, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-07 (15 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-08 (15 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-10 (24 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-12 (8 000 000 EUR, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-13 (20 000 000 EUR, around 1 grant), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-14 (6 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-18 (18 000 000 EUR, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-19 (16 000 000 EUR, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-20 (20 000 000 EUR, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-22 (18 000 000 EUR, around 2 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D3-24 (18 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-01 (15 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-02 (12 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-03 (15 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-04 (15 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-05 (12 000 000 EUR, around 3 grants), and HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-06 (15 000 000 EUR, around 2 grants). All are single-stage, open on 2025-09-16, and have a deadline of 2026-02-17.

There are 28 partner search announcements available. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests.

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Support is available, including the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk, the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment, and Partner Search.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on promoting smarter buildings as part of the energy system to increase efficiency and flexibility, with a specific emphasis on societal readiness. It seeks innovative solutions that upgrade existing building management systems, integrate renewable energy sources, and enhance grid flexibility. Projects should demonstrate their solutions through pilot programs across diverse climates and building types, while also considering user satisfaction and societal impact. The call encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, particularly with social sciences and humanities experts, to ensure that the developed technologies are responsive to societal needs and concerns. Funding is provided as a lump sum, and the application process involves a single stage with a deadline in February 2026. Various support resources are available to assist applicants in preparing their proposals and finding suitable partners.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of Horizon Europe calls, eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations involved in research and innovation activities. The mention of LEAR (Legal Entity Appointed Representative) suggests that any legal entity validated by the EU can apply.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. There are different types of actions including Innovation Actions (IA), Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Pre-commercial Procurement (PCP) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required. However, the presence of a "Partner Search" section and the complex nature of the projects suggest that consortia are common and potentially encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The text mentions "non-EU/non-Associated Countries" and refers to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for specific provisions for funding participants from these countries. This indicates that the geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially some third countries, depending on specific agreements.

Target Sector: The program targets the construction sector and the building subsector, with a focus on smart buildings, energy efficiency, renewable energy integration, grid flexibility, and societal readiness.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions "non-EU/non-Associated Countries," but does not list specific countries. Therefore, the relevant region is the EU and associated countries.

Project Stage: The program supports projects at various stages, including research, innovation, pre-commercial procurement, coordination, and support. This is evident from the different types of actions funded (RIA, IA, PCP, CSA), which correspond to different stages of project maturity. The focus on demonstration in pilots suggests a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 or higher.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action. The budget overview lists topics with budgets ranging from €6,000,000 to €33,000,000. The indicative number of grants per topic ranges from 1 to 3, with the exception of the pre-commercial procurement action which has a budget of 20,000,000 and only one grant. Therefore, the funding range is variable, from under €50k to over €5M, depending on the topic.

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 is single-stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This is a Horizon Europe funding opportunity under Cluster 5, focusing on "Smarter buildings as part of the energy system for increased efficiency and flexibility" with a Societal Readiness Pilot. The goal is to improve the energy efficiency, grid integration, and user-friendliness of smart buildings, while also addressing societal needs and concerns. The call supports a range of activities, including research, innovation, pre-commercial procurement, coordination, and support actions. Eligible applicants include a variety of organizations, such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, and large enterprises, from the EU, associated countries, and potentially some third countries. Funding is provided as lump sum grants, with budgets ranging from 6 million to 33 million euros per topic. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline of February 17, 2026. Successful projects are expected to demonstrate measurable reductions in energy demand, increased integration of renewable energy sources, enhanced smart readiness, and improved responsiveness to user needs. The call emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and the integration of social sciences and humanities (SSH) expertise to ensure societal readiness.