The impact of common space on neighbourhood communities

The EU funding opportunity discussed is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically under the call "A research agenda for a beautiful, inclusive and sustainable transformation of neighbourhoods (HORIZON-NEB-2025-01)." This call focuses on the impact of common spaces on neighborhood communities, aligning with the values of the New European Bauhaus (NEB). The funding will address various topics with different budgets, types of actions, and indicative number of grants. The submission period opens on May 6, 2025, and closes on November 12, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The funding is provided through instruments including Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) using a lump sum grant structure. Expected outcomes from funded projects include better understanding of how design and aesthetics of common spaces affect social interactions, civic engagement, and community cohesion. The initiative aims to enhance the capacity of stakeholders to integrate insights into local policies and strategies related to the regeneration of these spaces.

Proposals should examine common space projects in at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries, focusing on several specific areas such as the effects of common space on community cohesion, the design and maintenance of public areas, and how different demographics utilize these spaces. The study should draw data and evidence to inform policymakers and other stakeholders about best practices.

The call promotes a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, encouraging collaboration among various actors, including public authorities, civil society, cultural institutions, and experts from multiple fields such as architecture and social sciences. Proposals must allocate a minimum portion of the budget towards sharing results with the NEB hub.

Participation conditions stipulate compliance with admissibility and eligibility requirements across several annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme. The funding opportunity emphasizes inclusion and the regeneration of common spaces while promoting peaceful coexistence and community trust.

Specific budget allocations for different topics include significant sums, with notable amounts available for RIA and IA proposals. The initiative not only supports research and innovation but also encourages active engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders to foster social and spatial cohesion. Partner search tools are available for organizations seeking collaboration.

Overall, the initiative aims to deepen understanding of common spaces' impact on communities while promoting the values of inclusion, sustainability, and beauty inherent in the New European Bauhaus ethos. The call invites comprehensive proposals that adhere to specific funding requirements and contribute to a broader societal benefit.

The EU funding opportunity described is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically under the call "A research agenda for a beautiful, inclusive and sustainable transformation of neighbourhoods (HORIZON-NEB-2025-01)". The focus is on understanding and enhancing the impact of common spaces on neighbourhood communities, aligning with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) values. The call includes several topics, each with its own budget, type of action, and indicative number of grants. The opening date for submissions is May 6, 2025, and the deadline is November 12, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The funding is provided through HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) using a lump sum grant approach.

Project results are expected to contribute to:

Better understanding of the effects of the design, aesthetics, and other features of common spaces on inhabitants’ behavior, including social interactions, civic participation, health, sense of belonging, diversity and inclusion, security, resilience, and opportunities to produce social, cultural, and local economic value.
Enhanced capacities of relevant stakeholders to integrate insights in policies, strategies, plans, and measures for the regeneration of common spaces in neighbourhoods.

The scope of the funding opportunity emphasizes the core NEB value of inclusion and the role of regenerating common spaces to foster social interaction, safety, and community trust. It recognizes that a neighbourhood's diversity improves social and spatial cohesion, contributing to peaceful coexistence. The call aims to generate better knowledge of how common spaces affect social relations to scale up successful initiatives across Europe.

Proposals should address the following:

Study a range of common space projects in at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries, collecting data and drawing on evidence, to better understand:
The medium and long-term impacts of common spaces on community cohesion, social interactions, active civic participation, resilience, diversity, as well as sense of security and belonging. This includes identifying if and to what extent these impacts vary in neighbourhoods with different characteristics, for example, in terms of social infrastructure, economy, housing ownership patterns, services, etc.
How the design and maintenance of common spaces (including the process, for example relying on participatory approaches), the degradation of the bordering built environment, and the preservation of cultural heritage, influences the above identified effects of common space.
How the integration of the three core NEB values in the design of common spaces impacts the above identified effects of common space.
How the different groups of people (such as women, children, youth, older adults, people with disabilities, underrepresented, vulnerable and marginalised groups, LGBTIQA+) make use of and experience common spaces.
How variations in the use of common spaces in different periods of the year influence community cohesion, social interactions, and civic participation.
Based on the research evidence, provide recommendations for public administrations and other stakeholders involved in the regeneration of common spaces in neighbourhoods.

The proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, integrating various actors such as public authorities, local actors, civil society, private owners, cultural institutions, and disciplines like architecture, design, arts, and engineering. The effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines, experts, and institutions is required 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).

General conditions for participation include:

Admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
Eligibility of countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
Other eligible conditions as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial setup of the grants, with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

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 guidance and documents include the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table, HE Main Work Programme 2025, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and various guidelines and manuals related to Horizon Europe.

The budget overview for the call includes the following topics:

HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-01 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 12,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-02 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 12,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 12,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-01 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 10,500,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 9,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-03 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 10,400,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-04 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions with a budget of 2,500,000 EUR and an indicative number of 1 grant.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-01 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 16,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 10,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 8,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.
HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-04 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 16,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.

Partner search announcements are available for those seeking collaborators, and the Electronic Submission Service can be accessed via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to improve the understanding of how common spaces impact neighbourhood communities and to enhance the capacity of stakeholders to regenerate these spaces effectively, promoting inclusion, sustainability, and beauty in line with the New European Bauhaus values. It encourages transdisciplinary and participatory approaches, requiring the involvement of SSH expertise and a commitment to sharing project results. The funding is distributed across various topics, supporting both research and innovation actions with a lump sum grant mechanism.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the call for proposals, they include public authorities, local actors from targeted neighborhoods, civil society organizations, private owners, cultural institutions, research institutions, and experts in social sciences and humanities, architecture, design, arts, and engineering. The call emphasizes a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, suggesting a broad range of eligible entities.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the Horizon Europe Programme. There are also Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) available.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity encourages a consortium approach. Proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach through the integration of different actors and disciplines. The study requires a range of common space projects in at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and 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 program targets several sectors, including urban development, architecture, design, arts, civil engineering, social sciences, humanities, culture, and local economic development. It focuses on the regeneration of common spaces in neighborhoods and their impact on social relations, inclusion, and community cohesion.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States and Associated Countries. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is research and innovation actions, as well as innovation actions. The call aims to produce insights on the impacts of common spaces, which suggests projects that are in the research, development, or demonstration phase.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call. Some topics offer around EUR 2,500,000, while others offer around EUR 8,000,000 or even EUR 6,000,000. The budget overview provides a detailed breakdown of the funding available for each 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 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 into the potential success rate. For example, some topics indicate that only one grant will be awarded, while others may award two or three.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, the lump sum grant mechanism suggests that the EU will cover the eligible costs up to the agreed lump sum amount.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, "A research agenda for a beautiful, inclusive and sustainable transformation of neighbourhoods," focuses on the impact of common spaces on neighborhood communities. It seeks to fund research and innovation actions that study the effects of common spaces on social relations, inclusion, and community cohesion. The call encourages a participatory and transdisciplinary approach, involving various stakeholders such as public authorities, local actors, civil society, and experts from different disciplines. Proposals should study common space projects in at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries, collecting data and providing recommendations for public administrations and other stakeholders. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single stage. The call aims to enhance the capacities of stakeholders to integrate insights into policies and strategies for the regeneration of common spaces in neighborhoods, contributing to the New European Bauhaus (NEB) values of inclusion, sustainability, and aesthetics.