Sufficiency measures in the built environment

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility grant opportunity aims to support the transformation of neighborhoods through sustainable design and inclusive practices. It is part of the Horizon Europe framework and emphasizes Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), which focus on applying innovative solutions in the built environment towards sustainability and circularity.

Eligible applicant types include universities, research institutions, small and medium-sized enterprises, non-governmental organizations, public-private partnerships, and consortia involving entities from multiple EU countries. The call encourages collaborative efforts across a variety of sectors and encourages a participatory and transdisciplinary approach involving diverse stakeholders.

The funding is categorized as grants, specifically focusing on RIA and other actions under the Horizon Europe program. Consortium requirements include participation from partners across at least three different EU member states or associated countries. The geographic scope spans EU member states, the European Economic Area, and other associated countries, promoting inclusivity in applications.

The target sectors of the grant are the built environment, urban planning, and climate action, emphasizing sustainability and efficient use of resources. The program seeks to validate and implement sufficiency measures that optimize existing spaces, reduce resource consumption, and extend the lifecycle of buildings and infrastructures.

Projects funded under this call should comprehensively address the mapping of vacant spaces, implementing at least two sufficiency measures across diverse urban and rural settings. The expected funding amounts for individual projects range from one to five million euros, with a total budget available for this initiative reaching 118.4 million euros for 2025.

The application process consists of a single-stage open call with a deadline on November 12, 2025. Partnerships must reflect interdisciplinary collaboration and must specifically include contributions from social sciences and humanities to ensure a holistic approach.

The success rates for applications are estimated to be between 10 to 39%, given the competitive nature of Horizon Europe grants. While co-funding requirements are not explicitly outlined, provisions may vary depending on project specifics. Overall, this initiative aims to enhance the aesthetic, social, and environmental quality of neighborhoods throughout the EU by fostering innovative and sustainable approaches in the built environment.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically focusing on "A research agenda for a beautiful, inclusive and sustainable transformation of neighbourhoods" (HORIZON-NEB-2025-01). The call, titled "Sufficiency measures in the built environment," aims to address the under-explored potential of sufficiency measures in the built environment by mapping vacant spaces, understanding non-technical barriers, and validating measures that reduce resource demand.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this call are:

Easier mapping of vacant and under-utilised spaces in buildings and other physical spaces in the built environment, leading to better informed and effective decision-making.

Improved understanding of sufficiency measures, their non-technical barriers, and their environmental, economic, and social impacts among built environment professionals.

Validated sufficiency measures, integrating circular economy principles, leading to an absolute reduction in demand for energy, raw materials, land, water, floor space, and other resources, while extending the lifecycle of spaces, buildings, and infrastructures.

The scope of the call emphasizes that sufficiency is a set of policy measures and practices that reduce the demand for energy, materials, land, water, and other natural resources, while delivering well-being for all within planetary boundaries. It is an integrated approach to sustainability and circularity, balancing decarbonisation and equity. In the built environment, floor space is considered a resource, and sufficiency measures aim to optimise the use of existing spaces, buildings, and infrastructures, leading to an absolute reduction in demand for new-built floor space.

Proposals are expected to address the following:

Test and validate an approach to map and quantify vacant and under-utilised spaces with high sufficiency potential in the built environment.

Test and validate at least two sufficiency measures that optimise, repurpose, or expand the use and functionality of space. These measures should be tested in at least three neighbourhoods in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas located in at least three Member States or Associated Countries.

Quantify the potential of the proposed sufficiency measures to contribute to an absolute reduction in demand for floor space and resources (including, as a minimum, energy, raw materials, land, and water) in the built environment.

Propose and validate solutions to overcome non-technical barriers in the built environment towards sufficiency measures (e.g. regulatory barriers or acceptance).

Proposals should follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, integrating different actors (such as public authorities, local actors, civil society, private owners) and disciplines (such as architecture, design, arts, civil engineering). The call requires the effective contribution of SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts and institutions.

Proposals are expected to dedicate at least 0.2% of their total budget to share their intermediate and final results and findings with the Coordination and Support Action 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' (HORIZON-MISS-2024-NEB-01-03).

The call specifies several general conditions related to admissibility, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, evaluation and award processes, and legal and financial setup, all detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms, as well as the Model Grant Agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. Additional documents include the Horizon Europe Main Work Programme, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, the EU Financial Regulation, and various guidance documents and legal frameworks.

The budget overview lists several topics under the call, including:

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-01 (HORIZON Innovation Actions): Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-02 (HORIZON Innovation Actions): Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-03 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions): Budget 12,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-01 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions): Budget 10,500,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-02 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions): Budget 9,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-03 (HORIZON Innovation Actions): Budget 10,400,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-04 (HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions): Budget 2,500,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-01 (HORIZON Innovation Actions): Budget 16,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-02 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions): Budget 10,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-03 (HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions): Budget 8,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-04 (HORIZON Innovation Actions): Budget 16,000,000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2.

The opening date for submissions is May 6, 2025, and the deadline is November 12, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Partner search announcements are available, and the portal provides various support resources, including online manuals, FAQs, research enquiry services, national contact points, and IT helpdesks.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on promoting sufficiency measures in the built environment to reduce resource consumption and environmental impact. It encourages transdisciplinary and participatory approaches, involving various stakeholders and integrating SSH expertise. The call provides funding opportunities for research and innovation actions, as well as coordination and support actions, with specific budget allocations and expected outcomes for each topic. The ultimate goal is to transform neighbourhoods into more sustainable, inclusive, and beautiful spaces by optimising the use of existing resources and reducing the demand for new construction and resource-intensive practices.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include a range of entities such as public authorities, local actors from targeted neighborhoods, civil society organizations, private owners, research institutions, universities, SMEs and other relevant organizations. The call emphasizes a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, suggesting a broad eligibility to encourage diverse collaborations.

Funding Type: The primary funding mechanism is grants, specifically HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA), and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) under the Horizon Europe program.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity encourages a consortium approach, as proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach through the integration of different actors and disciplines. While not explicitly stated as mandatory, the nature of the projects suggests that a consortium would be more competitive.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes Member States and Associated Countries of the European Union. The call text specifies that proposals are expected to test sufficiency measures in at least three neighborhoods in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas located in at least three 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 the built environment, with a focus on sustainability, circularity, and the reduction of demand for resources such as energy, materials, land, and water. The program also targets architecture, design, arts, civil engineering, urban planning, and social sciences and humanities (SSH).

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

Project Stage: The project stage ranges from research and innovation to validation and demonstration. The HORIZON-RIA actions focus on research and innovation, while the HORIZON-IA actions focus on innovation and demonstration of validated measures.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action. The indicative funding ranges are:
HORIZON-IA: €4,000,000 to €8,000,000 per project, with total budgets of €12,000,000 to €16,000,000 per topic.
HORIZON-RIA: €3,000,000 to €5,000,000 per project, with total budgets of €8,000,000 to €12,000,000 per topic.
HORIZON-CSA: €2,500,000 per project, with a total budget of €2,500,000 per topic.

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 grants to support their research, innovation, and coordination activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants per topic provides some insight. For example, some topics indicate that around 2 or 3 projects will be funded out of a total budget of 8 to 16 million EUR, while others indicate only 1 project will be funded for a smaller budget.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, under the New European Bauhaus initiative, focuses on promoting sufficiency measures in the built environment to reduce resource consumption and enhance sustainability. It seeks to optimize the use of existing spaces, buildings, and infrastructures by mapping vacant and under-utilized areas, testing and validating sufficiency measures, quantifying resource reduction potential, and overcoming non-technical barriers. The call encourages a transdisciplinary and participatory approach, involving diverse actors and disciplines. Funding is provided through various Horizon Europe instruments, including Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), with varying budget allocations and project scopes. Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities from EU Member States and Associated Countries, such as public authorities, research institutions, businesses, and civil society organizations. The overall goal is to transform neighborhoods into more beautiful, inclusive, and sustainable spaces by integrating circular economy principles and reducing the environmental impact of the built environment.