Enabling environments for a sustainable and circular construction sector
Enabling environments for a sustainable and circular construction sector supports construction companies with testing spaces and frameworks to deploy and scale sustainable, circular solutions.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: May 5, 2027 (Opening) | December 1, 2027 (Application deadline, 17:00 Brussels time)
Funding Amounts: Around €4.5 million per project; €9 million total indicative budget; 2 expected grants
Summary: Supports demonstration of testing spaces and supportive frameworks that help companies deploy and scale sustainable, circular construction solutions aligned with the New European Bauhaus.
Key Information: Each project must support at least two companies, including at least one start-up.
Description
The European Commission funds this Horizon Europe Innovation Action through the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Facility. It supports enabling environments that help construction companies test, validate, deploy and scale innovative solutions aligned with NEB values: sustainability, inclusion and beauty. Environments may be physical innovation spaces, such as living labs and testbeds; supportive regulatory, institutional, fiscal and financial frameworks; or a combination of both.
The topic addresses barriers including fragmented value chains, limited finance, insufficient standardisation, skills gaps and low societal acceptance. Projects should connect research and innovation with deployment through place-based, participatory and transdisciplinary approaches. Demonstrations should generate evidence and practical blueprints for replication and policy uptake, while feedback to the NEB Academy informs skills policy and regulatory learning. Construction solutions can include renovation, retrofitting and refurbishment.
