On-site innovative robotic and automated solutions and techniques for more sustainable and less disruptive building renovation and construction
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for On-site innovative robotic and automated solutions and techniques for more sustainable and less disruptive building renovation and construction offering max €33.0M funding💰 Funding Details
Funding Description – Horizon Europe Call HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-01
Purpose of the Grant
This lump-sum Research and Innovation Action (RIA) finances cutting-edge R&D that deploys on-site robotics, automation and 3-D printing to make building construction and renovation faster, cleaner and more resource-efficient.
Key Facts at a Glance
* Call identifier: HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-01
* Topic title: *On-site innovative robotic and automated solutions and techniques for more sustainable and less disruptive building renovation and construction*
* Type of action: HORIZON-RIA (100 % funding, paid as a lump sum)
* Total EU contribution per project: up to €33 million (the EC expects 1–3 large-scale projects)
* Opening date: 16 Sep 2025
* Deadline: 17 Feb 2026 – 17:00 Brussels time (single stage)
* Project duration (typical): 36–48 months
* Technology readiness: start TRL 3–4, reach TRL 5–6 by project end
What the Grant Funds
1. Design, development and integration of at least three on-site robotic or automated prototype solutions, including one based on 3-D printing.
2. Benchmarking methodology that quantifies time savings, resource efficiency, accuracy, and pollution reduction versus current best practice.
3. Testing & validation in laboratories or other relevant environments, for both renovation and new construction, across several representative European building typologies.
4. Human-robot collaboration & safety research, including ergonomics, risk mitigation and training.
5. Environmental and socio-economic assessments (LCA, LCC, noise, air-quality, worker well-being).
6. Digital enablers such as BIM, digital twins, AI-driven path-planning, sensing and control.
7. Exploitation, standardisation and policy support actions that facilitate market uptake and alignment with EU sustainability objectives.
8. Optional but encouraged involvement of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) for full-scale experimental validation.
Eligible Applicants
* Consortium minimum: 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
* Recommended composition: research organisations, robotics manufacturers, construction firms, SMEs, digital tech providers, building owners, certification bodies, social science & humanities experts and public authorities.
* Participants from non-associated third countries may join with their own funding; several provide national top-ups (see Programme Guide).
* The JRC may join as a beneficiary or associated partner.
Funding Model – Lump Sum Specifics
* The EC fixes the lump sum at Grant Agreement signature; interim payments are linked to the *work package completion* rather than real costs.
* Still budget the project in detail (person-months, equipment, travel, indirect costs at 25 %) during proposal preparation; this shows realism and is used to set the lump sum amount.
* 100 % reimbursement rate for all beneficiary types; no co-funding obligation.
* Costs remain identical in nature to classic Horizon Europe rules (personnel, equipment depreciation, subcontracting, etc.) but are not reported after grant signature.
Evaluation Snapshot
1. Excellence (weighted 1) – scientific quality, novel robotics concepts, sound methodology.
2. Impact (weighted 1) – quantified KPIs, EU Green Deal relevance, market uptake, replication potential.
3. Quality & efficiency of implementation (weighted 1) – credible work plan, lump-sum budgeting, risk management, gender equality plan.
Thresholds: 4/5 per criterion, 15/15 overall ranking.
Indicative Timeline
* Evaluation results: ~5 months after deadline.
* Grant agreement preparation: additional 3 months.
* Earliest project start: Q4 2026.
Strategic Policy Alignment
The topic supports the Renovation Wave, Digital Europe, Fit-for-55, and Circular Economy Action Plan. Consortia should reference these drivers and show how robotic innovation accelerates EU green and digital transitions.
📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for Call HORIZON-CL5-2026-02-D4-01
1. Single Market Access
• Direct pathway to deploy on-site robotics and 3-D printing solutions across 27 Member States and EEA countries, giving immediate reach to a construction market worth ~€1.4 trillion/year and 450 + million consumers.
• Ability to certify, commercialise and scale one interoperable solution instead of tailoring to 27 different national rules, thanks to mutual recognition of CE-marking and Construction Products Regulation (CPR).
• Early entry into a market in which 35 million buildings are slated for deep renovation by 2030 under the Renovation Wave—creating predictable demand for automated, less-disruptive techniques.
2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange
• Consortium building can combine Nordic leadership in prefab automation, German robotics clusters, Italian 3-D printing know-how, and Spanish pilot sites with high seismic requirements—delivering holistic, pan-European prototypes.
• Access to EU partnerships (Built4People, Made in Europe, AI, Data & Robotics JU) and Digital Innovation Hubs for testing human-robot collaboration under diverse climatic and regulatory contexts.
• Facilitates researcher mobility (Marie Skłodowska-Curie, ERASMUS+), enabling standardised training modules for site workers on safe human-robot interaction.
3. Alignment with EU Flagship Policies
• European Green Deal & Fit-for-55: contributes to energy efficiency targets and circularity by boosting resource efficiency (>30 % material savings achievable via additive manufacturing).
• Digital Europe & Path to the Digital Decade: advances industrial digitisation, AI and data spaces for construction.
• New European Bauhaus: demonstrates aesthetic, inclusive, and sustainable renovation techniques.
• Construction Transition Pathway (updated 2023): matches policy roadmap actions on automation, skills and data interoperability.
4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits
• Testing prototypes in at least three Member States accelerates technical assessment under the EU’s CPR and Eurocodes, smoothing eventual market approval.
• Common occupational-safety directives (e.g., Machinery Regulation, OSH framework) allow one consolidated risk assessment for human-robot collaboration instead of multiple national ones.
• Horizon lump-sum model simplifies cost reporting across partners, reducing administrative burden for SMEs and RTOs.
5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem
• Leverage 200 + construction-oriented living labs and 29 European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Manufacturing and Urban Mobility nodes for rapid prototyping.
• Collaboration with the JRC enables full-scale testing in accredited facilities, adding regulatory credibility.
• Synergies with EU open-science clouds and high-performance computing centres for digital twins and predictive maintenance algorithms.
6. Funding & Investment Synergies
• Seal of Excellence/label facilitates follow-on financing from EIB, InvestEU and national Recovery & Resilience Plans.
• Results can feed into LIFE (environment), DIGITAL (AI testing facilities), CEF-Digital (5G deployment on construction sites) and Interregional Innovation Investments (I3) for commercial scaling.
• Eligible costs for pilot deployment can be co-funded by ERDF or ESF+ in Member States prioritising smart specialisation on building automation.
7. EU-Scale Deployment & Impact Potential
• Replicable prototypes covering at least three building archetypes (e.g., pre-war masonry, post-’70 concrete, social housing blocks) ensure relevance to >70 % of EU building stock.
• Harmonised KPIs (time-on-site, material consumption, noise/PM emissions) create comparable data sets usable by policymakers for future standard setting.
• Supports EU target to double renovation rate and reduce whole-life carbon of buildings by 55 % by 2030.
8. Strategic Value Over National-Level Projects
• Critical mass: pooling >€5–7 million per project enables testing of multiple prototypes that would exceed a single country’s budget.
• Risk diversification: trials in varied climates (Nordic cold, Mediterranean heat, Continental humidity) derisk EU-wide rollout.
• Market pull: Pan-European demonstrators enhance visibility, attracting large contractors (Skanska, Vinci, ACCIONA) and SME tech providers alike.
• Standard-setting power: EU-funded consortia can influence CEN/ISO standards for on-site robotic fabrication, securing first-mover advantage for European industry.
Bottom Line: Participating in this Horizon Europe call gives applicants a uniquely integrated platform to co-develop, validate and commercialise disruptive on-site robotic and automated construction solutions at EU scale—unlocking larger markets, faster certification, richer knowledge exchange and stronger policy alignment than any single-country initiative could provide.
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