New European Bauhaus

Summary

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) was launched in 2021, striving to translate the European Green Deal into tangible change on the ground. This policy and funding initiative was further strengthened in the political guidelines for the European Commission 2024-2029 under the goal Supporting people, strengthening our societies and our social model.

Programme Description

Against this backdrop, the NEB Facility is a multi-annual (2025-2027) and cross-cutting tool to revitalise European neighbourhoods with design for sustainability and inclusion. It will support projects on the sustainable transformation of the built environment. The NEB Facility aims to make the inhabitants of the built environment partners of change.
Activities under the NEB Facility should contribute to the wider social acceptance of the innovative solutions developed, accelerating the just green and digital transformation and strengthening and restoring citizens’ trust in democracy.
They should also explore the built environment’s function in the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, its relation to historical urban, peri-urban or rural areas, the improvement of social cohesion as well as people’s health and well-being. The NEB Facility is composed of a research and innovation (R&I) component and a roll-out component.

The R&I component will cover fundamental research, testing and demonstration. It will be implemented as a cross-cluster issue in the Horizon Europe Work Programmes with an indicative budget of €120 million per year for the period 2025-27.

The roll-out component of the NEB Facility will seek to facilitate the uptake, further development and deployment of new knowledge, methods, approaches and technologies developed under the R&I component.

The roll out component will also include all actions delivered under EU programmes that contribute to the goals of the Facility and particularly the implementation of the NEB values and principles at the neighbourhood level. It will build further on the projects and experiences from the first three years of the NEB.

The commitment and the support of innovative solutions are rooted in the three intertwined NEB values: sustainable, inclusive and beautiful.

  • Sustainability is about prioritising the needs of all life forms and of the planet by ensuring that human activity does not exceed
    planetary boundaries which define a safe operating space for humanity based on the intrinsic biophysical processes that regulate the stability of the Earth system.
  • Inclusion means granting and securing equal access to opportunities and resources for all and encouraging exchanges across cultures, genders, ages, and socioeconomic groups.
  • Beautiful refers to projects that are genuinely attentive to their context which includes arts and culture, quality, diversity and heritage.

Total Budget

€ 120 million

Thematic Categories

  • Culture
  • Environment and Climate Change
  • Natural and Cultural Heritage
  • Rehabilitation of Architectural Heritage
  • Research, Technological Development and Innovation
  • Social Affairs & Human Rights

Eligibility for Participation

  • Local Authorities
  • NGOs
  • Non Profit Organisations
  • Other Beneficiaries
  • Private Bodies
  • Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
  • Semi-governmental organisations
  • State-owned Enterprises
  • Youth

Programme Opening Date

01/01/2025

Programme Closing Date

31/12/2027

National Contact Point(s)

Research and Innovation Foundation
Address:
 29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia, P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Websitehttps://www.research.org.cy/en/

Programme/Sub-programme/Plan Calls
  • Reverse local construction supply chains for the beautiful re-assembly of reclaimed construction products

    Opened

    Code: 37003 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-03 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    The move towards increased renovation and the greater reuse of construction products in the built environment has created a growing interest in new business models and approaches centred on modularity, adaptability, disassembly, and sufficiency. Whereas significant research and practice has focused on the disassembly, collection, sorting, and re-processing of construction products, less attention has been directed so far to their later re-assembly.

    The re-assembly stage is key for the re-integration of increasing quantities of reclaimed construction products into new applications. Concurrently, the endeavour to transform the built environment along the New European Bauhaus values of sustainability, inclusion, and beauty creates opportunities to re-think how to re-assemble reclaimed construction products safely and creatively in ways that increase the aesthetic and cultural value of buildings and infrastructures, enhancing inhabitants’ well-being and living conditions.

    The re-assembly of safe and sustainable reclaimed construction products requires solid knowledge of their historical uses and characteristics as well as traceability of their condition and displacement. Digital tools and technologies such as Digital Product Passports and reverse construction supply chains, following the circular economy’s cascading principle for bio-based materials and 10R-Strategies (refuse, reduce, resell/reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, recover, re-mine) for non-biobased materials, are key for the effective management, movement and reuse of safe reclaimed construction products.

    Local reverse construction supply chains that re-circulate safe construction products as locally as possible have the potential to maximise economic value and resource utilisation, reduce waste, pollution, energy use, procurement costs, and the environmental footprint of construction and renovation activities, and foster creativity and innovation towards greater circularity and the regeneration of social and cultural meanings in the built environment.

  • Bottom-up social entrepreneurship for the co-creation of neighbourhoods in line with the New European Bauhaus

    Opened

    Code: 37001 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-02 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    Bottom-up social entrepreneurship can act as a key driver of sustainable and inclusive neighbourhood co-creation in line with the values of the New European Bauhaus. Bottom-up social entrepreneurship leverages local expertise to tackle local social and environmental challenges. It can generate local economic value, create new and inclusive employment opportunities, leverage cultural and creative industries, and address the segregation of different community and civil society groups, including marginalised and vulnerable inhabitants.

    Research is required on the various aspects of using bottom-up social entrepreneurship for the co-creation of neighbourhoods.

  • Renovating the built environment through design for adaptability and disassembly

    Opened

    Code: 36998 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-01 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    Design for adaptability and disassembly is a concept for the design of buildings, common spaces, and infrastructures integrating circular economy principles for greater economic, environmental and social sustainability. It presents significant potential for the renovation of the built environment by allowing for easy adaptation of spaces and structures to changing needs and uses or technological advancements.

    Renovating with modular components and elements that can be dis- and re-assembled and thereby repurposed across different applications further supports the long-term use, adaptation, and repurposing of buildings, common spaces, and infrastructures. This maximises their economic value (by retaining the embedded value of construction materials, components, and elements), improves their environmental performance (by reducing waste and the extraction of new raw materials and resources), and avoids their demolition as well as the construction of new structures.

    The application of design for adaptability and disassembly has focused on new constructions. However, most structures and spaces in urban, peri-urban and rural areas have already been built and require adaptation and repurposing for new and updated uses and functions. Therefore, research should address design for adaptability and disassembly for the renovation of existing buildings, common spaces, and infrastructures.

  • Innovative approaches for sustainable, inclusive and beautiful social and affordable housing

    Opened

    Code: 36995 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-04 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    An increasing number of new building technologies and construction methods became available on the market in recent years that can make construction and renovation more sustainable. Current policies and regulations set ambitious standards (e.g., in terms of energy efficiency and carbon footprint), which come with higher initial investment costs, making the provision of sustainable, high-quality social and affordable housing in many European neighbourhoods a challenge.

    Innovative approaches are necessary to make the best use of available building technologies and construction methods to improve climate adaptability and resilience and reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions and resource use in social and affordable housing while delivering housing that is affordable, inclusive and improves well-being, in line with the European Commission’s Affordable Housing Initiative.

  • Sufficiency measures in the built environment

    Opened

    Code: 36993 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-03 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    Sufficiency is a set of policy measures and practices which reduce the demand for energy, materials, land, water, and other natural resources, while delivering well-being for all within planetary boundaries. It represents an integrated approach to sustainability and circularity, acknowledging and balancing the interplay of decarbonisation and equity.

    In the built environment, floor space is considered as a resource. Sufficiency measures seek to optimise the use of existing (vacant and under-utilised) spaces, buildings, and infrastructures. These measures lead to an absolute reduction in demand for new-built floor space, reducing resource consumption, embodied and operational carbon emissions, and other environmental impacts in the built environment. By alleviating strain on land resources, sufficiency measures can help address social issues, such as housing shortages, and reduce infrastructure costs for municipalities.

    The potential of sufficiency measures in the built environment is yet under-explored due to data constraints, limited understanding of their impacts, and insufficient knowledge exchange.

  • Bio-fabricated materials for sustainable and beautiful construction

    Opened

    Code: 36991 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-02 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    Along with the current paradigm shift towards a sustainable and circular bioeconomy and the use of circular design principles in the built environment, new materials and innovative technologies are emerging to help reach zero-waste goals and the lowest environmental impact. Bio-fabricated materials open new avenues for reaching higher ambitions in terms of sustainability, especially if associated with high-technological solutions that can accelerate and simplify their manufacturing, retrofitting and renewal.

    Bio-fabricated materials and their potential as an alternative to conventional materials are still underexplored. The widespread integration of bio-fabricated materials in the built environment[1] faces several barriers, from technical and regulatory hurdles to high production costs, limited knowledge and expertise among construction professionals, and low acceptance by the construction ecosystem. Bio-fabricated materials and their potential as an alternative to conventional materials are underexplored.

    Research is required to investigate new ways to address the main technical challenges of bio-fabricated materials.

  • Applying regenerative design to the built environment in neighbourhoods

    Opened

    Code: 36989 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-01 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    Regenerative design aims to actively restore, revitalise and enhance ecosystems, contributing to both human and planetary health, in line also with the ‘One Health’ approach. Regenerative design thus contributes to creating sustainable, thriving environments for local communities and ecosystems. This involves principles such as circularity, waste reduction, resource and energy efficiency, promoting biodiversity, and the use of carbon-storing materials.

    Regenerative design offers pathways to develop construction and renovation methods and designs that go beyond conventional approaches. However, the potential and application of regenerative design in the built environment is still under-explored due to the novelty of the solutions, the complexity of inter-related factors, the limited understanding of their impacts, and insufficient knowledge exchange and technology transfer.

  • Network of neighbourhoods for innovative policies on gentrification

    Opened

    Code: 36986 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-04 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    Strategies and interventions to regenerate neighbourhoods may lead to gentrification, a process that can bring revitalization, sustainable economic growth, diversity and integration but also segregation, insecurity, exclusion, displacement, loss of cultural identity, and socio-economic inequality. Mitigating the negative consequences of gentrification cannot be achieved without policy innovation.

    This topic supports informal networking among neighbourhoods to exchange knowledge and experiences, build their capacity, facilitate innovation in policymaking to mitigate the negative consequences of gentrification – including green gentrification – that may result from interventions aligned with the New European Bauhaus.

  • Beautiful, sustainable and inclusive street furniture for the transformation of neighbourhoods

    Opened

    Code: 36982 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-03 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    Infrastructural decay, unequal access to essential public amenities (e.g., seating elements, facilities for people with disabilities such as ramps and lifts, etc.) and safety concerns (e.g., related to insufficient lighting or hazardous spatial conditions) represent just some of the challenges that especially older and poorer European neighbourhoods face.

    The design of street furniture in neighbourhoods can have a positive impact on people’s lives by enhancing comfort, safety, well-being, health, and accessibility. It can also foster social interaction, cohesion, a sense of belonging, cultural identity and community, respect for common spaces, etc.

    Furthermore, the attention to aesthetic values in the design of street furniture can contribute to local economies by attracting new visitors (e.g. developing creative tourism) and supporting local businesses, cultural and creative sectors and industries, and social economy entities and enterprises.

    More prototyping and demonstration are essential to speed up the integration of innovative street furniture, that offer more attractive, sustainable, and inclusive design solutions for common spaces, following the values and principles of the New European Bauhaus.

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

    Opened

    Code: 36979 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-02 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    Social connections and cultural participation are core features of individual well-being. Evidence shows a strong association between participation in cultural activities and civic behaviour (such as voting and volunteering), empathy, tolerance, security and social cohesion. Conversely, low interpersonal trust, heightened risk-taking, and disengaged civic attitudes are correlated with an increased sense of loneliness – the lack of meaningful social interactions. Cultural organisations and artistic practices with a social purpose or dimension can help to better connect people, strengthen social fabric, and overcome social boundaries.

    This topic aims to study the interplay between cultural participation, social connections and civic engagement. The resulting insights can be used to foster and maintain the social fabric of neighbourhoods and support their green transition while addressing other challenges such as the decline in social connections.

  • The impact of common space on neighbourhood communities

    Opened

    Code: 36976 | Identifier Code: HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-PARTICIPATION-01 | Programme name: New European Bauhaus | Sub-program: New European Bauhaus | Start submission calls: 06/05/2025 | End submission calls: 12/11/2025

    One of the core NEB values is inclusion. The regeneration of common spaces can facilitate inclusiveness and social interaction in neighbourhoods by providing a safe, accessible, and attractive environment. Attractive, well-designed, well-maintained, and secure common spaces can bring people together for commercial, cultural, and leisure activities. A safe environment can also create a sense of trust and community among inhabitants. Recognising a neighbourhood’s diversity “not only improves social and spatial cohesion but also contributes to democratic, peaceful coexistence”. Social, economic, and cultural services and amenities that reflect this diversity and allow for people to come together and interact, can have a particular impact on inclusion and can lead to new forms of collaboration, solidarity and social recognition.

    Better knowledge of how common spaces affect social relations is required to scale up successful common space initiatives across Europe. This topic seeks to produce insights on the impacts of common spaces (new, redesigned or redeveloped) on neighbourhoods and their communities