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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Grant's core objective is to enhance the 'smartness' of buildings, significantly reducing their energy demand and operational CO2 emissions, while increasing their ability to integrate renewable energy sources and improve grid flexibility. This involves developing user-friendly solutions that address societal needs.

Target recipient type: Organizations capable of developing and demonstrating innovative smart building solutions, including those with Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) expertise.
Target recipient size: All sizes, with a positive attitude towards SMEs noted in the lump sum funding context.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focuses on the 'construction', 'energy', and 'technology' sectors, specifically regarding 'buildings' and their interaction with the 'energy system'.
Geographic scope: Open to legal entities established in EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe.
Key filtering criteria: Projects must propose solutions for smart buildings, demonstrate measurable energy efficiency gains, enhance grid flexibility, and include a strong 'societal readiness' component with multiple pilot demonstrations.
Grant frequency: This is a specific topic within the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 (Cluster 5 Call 02-2026), implying it's part of an ongoing program, but this particular call is a one-time opportunity.

Financial Structure

Funding is provided in the form of lump sum contributions.
Total budget available for this specific topic: 12,000,000 EUR.
Expected number of grants awarded for this topic: 3.
Minimum grant amount per project: 4,000,000 EUR.
Maximum grant amount per project: 4,000,000 EUR.
Eligible costs are approximated based on beneficiaries' estimated direct and indirect costs.
Ineligible costs under Horizon Europe rules must be excluded from the lump sum proposal.
Indirect costs are calculated at a 25% flat rate applied to qualifying direct costs.
Payments are tied to the proper implementation and completion of work packages as defined in the grant agreement, not to actual costs incurred.
Co-financing principle applies: The total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated EU contribution.
No obligation for beneficiaries to document costs incurred for the action for financial ex-post audits; focus is on technical implementation of work packages.
Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Structure

Eligible organization types are not explicitly defined in the provided text but typically include universities, research organizations, public bodies, SMEs, and large enterprises capable of undertaking Innovation Actions under Horizon Europe.
A consortium is required, and it must include effective contribution from relevant SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) expertise and experts to meaningfully support 'Societal Readiness'.

Geographic Location

Applicants must be established in EU Member States or countries associated with Horizon Europe (as per Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes).

Technical & Project Requirements

Solutions must enhance the smartness of buildings by utilizing and facilitating the upgrade of existing Building (Energy) Management Systems (BMS/BEMS) and/or other technical equipment.
Proposed solutions must be user-friendly and provide expected indoor environmental quality, user satisfaction, and occupant comfort.
Demonstration of solutions is mandatory in at least three pilots.
These pilots must collectively cover at least three different climatic zones.
These pilots must collectively cover at least three different building types (e.g., residential, tertiary).
These pilots must collectively cover at least three different technical building systems.
A methodology must be developed to measure achieved energy demand reduction, increased grid flexibility, and enhanced interoperability compared to current best practices.
The project must investigate the cost-effectiveness and replicability of the proposed solutions.
Proposals must follow the specific instructions for a 'Societal Readiness pilot', as described in the introduction of the Horizon Europe Main Work Programme 2025 for Climate, Energy and Mobility.
An interdisciplinary approach is required.
SSH expertise is expected to facilitate the socio-technological interface and enable the design of project objectives with Societal Readiness related activities.

Application Process

Application Submission

Applications are planned to open on: 2025-09-16.
The single-stage application deadline is: 2026-02-17T00:00:00.000+0000.
The application form is available in the Submission System.
The proposal page limit is extended by two pages to 52 pages specifically to properly address 'Societal Readiness-related issues'.
Required documentation includes a detailed budget table (HE LS) using relevant templates, showing a breakdown of the lump sum contribution per work package and per beneficiary/affiliated entity.

Evaluation & Selection

Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes are detailed in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F.
Proposals are evaluated by independent experts based on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation.
Experts with financial knowledge will check the budget estimate against benchmarks.

Post-Award & Implementation

Grants will take the form of a 'Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement' (Lump Sum MGA).
Payments are disbursed when corresponding work packages of the action have been properly implemented in accordance with Annex 1 of the grant agreement and other obligations are met.
Progress tracking mechanisms involve checks, reviews, or audits that focus on the technical implementation of the action, particularly the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.

Evaluation Criteria

Overall Evaluation Principles

Proposals will be evaluated according to standard Horizon Europe procedures, focusing on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation.

Excellence

Scientific and technical quality of the proposed smart building solutions.
Soundness of the research and innovation methodology, especially for measuring energy reduction, flexibility, and interoperability.
Integration of 'Societal Readiness' principles and effective involvement of SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) expertise within the consortium and project design.
Appropriateness of the interdisciplinary approach.

Impact

Potential for measurable reduction in buildings' energy demand and a reduced gap between as-designed and as-built energy performance.
Potential for measurable increase in smart grid-connected renewable energy sources (RES) and energy storage, leading to increased flexibility in grid/network management.
Contribution to measurable enhancement of the 'Smart Readiness Indicator' (SRI) or other relevant building rating systems.
Expected improvement in responsiveness by stakeholders to user needs and concerns (including vulnerable/disadvantaged groups), leading to increased societal uptake and trust in smart building outcomes.
Demonstrated potential for cost-effectiveness and replicability of the proposed solutions.
Alignment with cross-cutting priorities such as 'RePowerEU' and 'Digital Agenda'.

Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation

Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including the design and execution of at least three pilot demonstrations across diverse climatic zones, building types, and technical systems.
Quality and expertise of the consortium partners, particularly the integration of mandatory SSH experts.
Soundness of the allocated resources and the detailed budget estimate, which will be subject to expert review for financial viability and alignment with project activities (for lump sum contributions).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must adhere to general conditions described in Annex A (Admissibility Conditions), Annex B (Eligible Countries and Other Eligible Conditions, including restrictions for protection of European communication networks), Annex C (Financial and operational capacity and exclusion), Annex F (Submission and evaluation processes, indicative timeline), and Annex G (Legal and financial set-up of the grants) of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Ethical Standards

Compliance checks during implementation cover ethics, research integrity, dissemination and exploitation of results, management of intellectual property, and gender equality.

Technical & Risk Management

Solutions are expected to involve upgrading existing Building (Energy) Management Systems (BMS/BEMS) and/or other technical equipment.
Risk management expectations are implicit as part of the 'Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation' evaluation criterion, ensuring soundness of the plan.

Special Considerations

This is designated as a 'Societal Readiness Pilot', requiring a deep consideration and responsiveness of research and innovation activities to societal needs and concerns.
An interdisciplinary approach is mandatory, specifically requiring the 'effective contribution of relevant SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) expertise' including their involvement within the consortium.
Projects should facilitate the socio-technological interface and design objectives that align with 'Societal Readiness' activities.
Emphasis on improving responsiveness to the needs and concerns of users from diverse social groups, including vulnerable and disadvantaged ones, to increase societal uptake and trust.
Strategic alignment opportunities with the 'RePowerEU' initiative and 'Digital Agenda' are highlighted.

Grant Details