EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for “Applying Regenerative Design to the Built Environment in Neighbourhoods” (HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-REGEN-01)

1. Single Market Access (450+ million citizens)

• Unified entry point for sustainable construction solutions – once tools/technologies are validated under Horizon Europe, they can be commercialised in all 27 Member States without re-certification thanks to the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) and mutual recognition of CE-marking.

• Growing demand driven by Green Deal legislation – EPBD recast, EU Taxonomy, Renovation Wave and Biodiversity Strategy are generating mandatory sustainability criteria for >220 million existing dwellings and >5 million non-residential buildings.

• Public procurement leverage – 14 % of EU GDP is public procurement; compliance with Level(s) and NEB principles positions beneficiaries for priority scoring in green-public tenders across the Union.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

• Consortium requirement – the call obliges demonstration in ≥3 Member/Associated States (urban, peri-urban, rural), catalysing a pan-European living-lab network.

• Access to transnational expertise – integrate Nordic timber-based carbon-storing know-how, Mediterranean water-positive designs, Central-European energy-positive retrofits, and Baltic digital fabrication, ensuring diversity of climate zones & socio-economic contexts.

• Mobility & training – budget can cover researcher exchanges (Marie-Curie rates) and stakeholder residencies, fostering a new generation of “regenerative designers” with EU-wide employability.

3. Alignment with Flagship EU Policies

• European Green Deal & Fit for 55 – direct contribution to carbon-negative built environment and circular economy targets.

• New European Bauhaus (NEB) – the topic sits in the NEB work programme; project results feed directly into the NEB Hub ensuring visibility at EU level and eligibility for NEB Prizes.

• One-Health & Biodiversity Strategy – regenerative neighbourhoods improve ecosystem services, aligning with Restoration Law objectives.

• Digital Europe & Data Space for Smart Communities – BIM/AI solutions developed can plug into the upcoming EU Built Environment Data Space, benefiting from interoperability standards.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits

• Level(s) & upcoming Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) provide EU-wide common metrics, simplifying multi-country performance benchmarking.

• EU environmental and social safeguards (EIA/SEA, Social Climate Fund) create predictable compliance pathways, lowering legal uncertainty for cross-border pilots.

• Standardisation pathway – results can feed CEN/TC 350 (sustainability of construction works) and CEN/TC 465 (circular economy), accelerating market uptake.

5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem

• 8 000+ Horizon Europe beneficiaries open partnering pools, including leading research institutes (Fraunhofer, VTT, TNO, CSTB, Tecnalia).

• European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Communities – EIT Urban Mobility & EIT Climate-KIC offer acceleration and venture funding for follow-up spin-offs.

• Digital Innovation Hubs & Construction Technology Platforms provide test-beds, HPC resources and matchmaking.

6. Funding Synergies & Leveraging

• Cohesion Policy / ERDF & Just Transition Fund can co-finance large-scale roll-outs in less developed regions after Horizon IA.

• LIFE Clean Energy & Nature Calls – complementary grants for biodiversity and energy-positive neighbourhood measures.

• Innovation Fund (ETS revenues) – scale-up carbon-storing materials or CCU components developed.

• InvestEU & ELENA (EIB) – de-risk private investments for replication at municipal level.

• Interreg programmes – support cross-border replication corridors (e.g., Alpine, Danube, MED regions).

7. Scale & Impact Potential

• Minimum €10–15 M Horizon budget (typical for IA) + €60 k cascade funding per third party enables a distributed network of SMEs, start-ups and local authorities (>30 entities possible).

• Policy feedback loop – direct channel to DG RTD, DG ENV, DG ENER and DG REGIO via NEB Hub increases chances of mainstreaming regenerative metrics into future EU legislation.

• Replication toolkit – open-source digital tools aligned with EU standards facilitate rapid adoption by the 96 000 municipalities across Europe.

• Market creation effect – demonstration of cost-effective regenerative retrofits may unlock new ESCO models and Green Bonds aligned with the EU Green Bond Standard, stimulating private capital mobilisation.

8. Strategic Value of Operating at EU Scale

1. Critical mass – pooling diverse climatic, cultural and regulatory contexts strengthens evidence base and makes findings more generalisable than single-country pilots.

2. Economies of scope – shared R&D costs across countries lower per-partner expenditure while increasing TRL advancement.

3. Policy influence – EU-wide demonstrators provide robust datasets that national ministries use when transposing directives, giving the consortium first-mover advantage.

4. Resilience & risk mitigation – geographic diversification spreads climatic, financial and regulatory risks.

5. Enhanced visibility – EU-labelled projects enjoy higher media and investor attention, easing post-grant fund-raising.

9. Actionable Opportunities for Applicants

• Target municipalities preparing Climate City Contracts (100 Climate-Neutral Cities Mission) as demo sites to tap additional mission funding.

• Engage standardisation bodies early to fast-track pre-normative research.

• Integrate EU Skills Agenda by creating micro-credentials for regenerative design professionals, boosting workforce capacity and Erasmus+ synergies.

• Align KPIs with EU Taxonomy Technical Screening Criteria to ease future sustainable finance certification.

• Prepare a replication investment pipeline eligible for InvestEU / EIB financing upon project end.

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Bottom Line: Leveraging this Horizon Innovation Action at EU level unlocks unparalleled market reach, regulatory clarity, policy influence and financial leverage that individual national programmes cannot match, positioning successful consortia at the forefront of Europe’s transition to regenerative, climate-positive and people-centric neighbourhoods.