Towards autonomous robot collectives delivering collaborative tasks in dynamic unstructured construction environments
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Funding Overview
Call at a Glance
| Item | Details |
|------|---------|
| Call Identifier | HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-03 |
| Title | *Towards autonomous robot collectives delivering collaborative tasks in dynamic unstructured construction environments* |
| Programme / Instrument | Horizon Europe – EIC Pathfinder Challenges (Lump-Sum Grant) |
| Type of Action | HORIZON-EIC Grants – Lump Sum (HORIZON-AG-LS) |
| Planned Opening | 24 July 2025 |
| Deadline | 29 October 2025 – 17:00 (Brussels time) |
| Indicative Topic Budget | €120 million (shared across the portfolio) |
| Expected EU Contribution per Project | €0.5 – €4 million (larger budgets possible where duly justified) |
What the EU Will Fund
* TRL 4 demonstrators of multi-robot collaborative building systems, covering the full chain from modular element design to autonomous on-site assembly.
* Development and validation of autonomous mobile multi-robotic platforms (≥2 heterogeneous agents) capable of safe human-robot co-working.
* Digital twins, embedded sensing & simulation tool-chains to support design-for-robotic-assembly (DfRA).
* Scaling and deployment road-maps leading towards commercial on-site construction applications that align with the European Green Deal.
Funding Model – Lump Sum
* 100 % of eligible costs reimbursed via a pre-agreed lump sum: no cost reporting, but work packages and deliverables must be crystal-clear and traceable.
* Payments linked to milestones/deliverables approved by the EC Project Officer.
Geographic Eligibility
* Single entities or consortia from Horizon Europe Member States and Associated Countries. For consortia:
* ≥2 independent legal entities from ≥2 different eligible countries (if two partners) or ≥3 entities from ≥3 countries (if ≥3 partners), with ≥1 entity established in a Member State.
* Mid-caps and large companies cannot apply as single beneficiaries, but may join consortia.
Strategic Policy Fit
* Contributes to the European Green Deal, AI Strategy, Renovation Wave, and Circular Construction goals.
* Supports your country’s objectives on decarbonised construction and advanced manufacturing.
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📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages and Opportunities for HORIZON-EIC-2025-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01-03
1. Strategic Fit with EU Priorities
• European Green Deal: Autonomous, electrified robot fleets directly address zero-emission construction sites, circularity through disassembly, and resource efficiency targets.
• Digital Europe & AI Strategy: High-TRL demonstrators for multi-agent AI, digital twins and edge/cloud connectivity showcase European leadership in trustworthy, human-centred AI.
• Renovation Wave & Affordable Housing: Modular, robot-friendly systems shorten on-site time and costs, easing deployment of 35 million deep renovations announced for 2030.
• Circular Economy Action Plan: Design-for-assembly/disassembly enables reuse of building elements, meeting Level(s) indicators and forthcoming Construction Product Regulation (CPR) requirements.
• EU Skills Agenda: Project outputs feed into new micro-credential courses for construction robotics operators across Member States.
2. Single Market Access (450 + million end-users)
• Harmonised CE-marking and EN/ISO standards allow rapid roll-out of robotised building systems in all 27 MS without re-certification.
• Large public buyers (e.g., national infrastructure agencies, Defence, Housing companies) can procure under EU procurement directives once TRL≥7, opening a €1.3 trn construction market.
• Early compliance with upcoming Machinery Regulation and AI Act creates first-mover advantage and export potential via existing FTAs.
3. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange
• Pathfinder consortia can mix top robotics labs (DE, FR, IT, ES), material scientists (NL, SE), and high-growth SMEs/start-ups (EE, DK) in a single legal framework—impossible with purely national calls.
• Access to 400+ Digital Innovation Hubs and EDIHs for experimentation, plus living-labs such as Bauhaus Campus (DE), CEA Tech (FR), ARENA2036 (DE).
• EIC portfolio management offers yearly joint workshops, shared KPI dashboards, and IP matchmaking services.
4. Regulatory Harmonisation & Standardisation
• Engagement with CEN/TC 442 (BIM), CEN-CLC/JTC 21 (AI), ISO/TC 299 (Robotics) accelerates pan-EU standards for multi-robot construction.
• One conformity-assessment route replaces 27 national schemes, saving ~€250 k per product line.
• Participation in EU Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework secures regulatory acceptance for novel materials.
5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem
• Collaboration with nine EIT Knowledge & Innovation Communities (Manufacturing, Urban Mobility, Climate, RawMaterials) provides venture pipelines and piloting spaces.
• Synergy with Built4People (B4P) European Partnership—€420 m 2021-27—for demonstration sites and industry road-mapping.
• Use of pan-European testbeds (5G corridors, GAIA-X nodes) supports resilient, low-latency robot swarms.
6. Funding & Investment Synergies
• EIC Transition (up to €2.5 m) for TRL4→6 maturation; EIC Accelerator (up to €15 m blended) for market entry.
• InvestEU guarantees unlock private equity for large-scale pilot sites and robot leasing models.
• ERDF / Interreg funds regional deployment; CEF2 co-funds robotised infrastructure maintenance pilots.
• Eligibility for national Recovery & Resilience Facility (RRF) calls focused on digital construction.
7. Scale and Impact Potential
• Target market: ~10 % replacement of manual assembly tasks in EU construction by 2035 equals €120 bn annual revenues and 35 Mt CO₂e avoided.
• Portfolio coordination ensures coverage of super-structure, sub-structure and site-preparation, maximising complementarity and de-risking follow-on investment.
• Demonstrators create "lighthouse" references for global export (Africa, Middle East) under Global Gateway.
8. Actionable Next Steps for Applicants
1. Partner Mapping: Use Funding & Tenders Portal + Enterprise Europe Network to secure at least 3 entities in different MS/ACs; ensure mix of academia, SME & end-user.
2. Standardisation Plan: Engage CEN/ISO committees from month 1; budget for pre-normative testing.
3. Policy Alignment Chapter: Explicitly reference Green Deal, AI Act, CPR and Renovation Wave targets in proposal section 2 (Impact).
4. Synergy Matrix: Show how Pathfinder budget complements EIC Transition, ERDF regional pilots and private follow-on capital.
5. Dissemination: Plan joint EIC portfolio events, open-source datasets on Robot Operating System 2 (ROS2) and BIM-IFC repositories to speed adoption across Europe.
*By leveraging EU-level integration, applicants can de-risk disruptive robotic concepts, access unparalleled research networks and position themselves for continent-wide scalability—benefits a purely national grant cannot match.*
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