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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, 'Optimal combination of low embodied carbon construction products, technical building systems and circularity principles for climate neutral buildings', is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC opportunity under the Horizon Europe programme. Its core objective is to significantly reduce whole life carbon emissions and increase the uptake of carbon removals in buildings by fostering innovative combinations of construction products and systems based on circularity principles. The grant targets a broad range of organizations, including research entities, companies (SMEs and larger enterprises), and public bodies, that can form consortia to conduct Research and Innovation Actions (RIA). The geographic scope is primarily EU Member States and Associated Countries, requiring solutions to be validated in at least three countries with different climatic conditions and building stock characteristics. Key filtering criteria for initial screening include a strong focus on low embodied carbon, circular economy principles in construction, and ultimately contributing to climate-neutral buildings. This is a specific call within the broader Horizon Europe framework, part of the 'Built4People Partnership', indicating a recurring program with dedicated funding towards sustainable built environments.

Financial Structure

This grant operates on a lump sum contribution model, meaning payments are linked to the successful completion of defined work packages rather than actual incurred costs. This approach simplifies financial management and focuses on technical performance. Funding Amounts: * Total Budget for the Topic: 12,000,000 EUR (distributed across 3 expected grants). * Minimum Grant Amount per project: 4,000,000 EUR. * Maximum Grant Amount per project: 4,000,000 EUR. * Currency: EUR. Eligible Costs: Lump sums cover estimated direct and indirect costs that would typically be eligible under Horizon Europe rules. These categories include: * Personnel costs: For employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners, and natural person beneficiaries. * Subcontracting costs. * Purchase costs: For travel and subsistence, equipment (depreciation or full capitalization), and other goods, works, and services. * Other cost categories: Such as financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services, and access to research infrastructure. Ineligible Costs: Any costs that would not be eligible under standard Horizon Europe rules are excluded from the lump sum calculation. Indirect Cost Policies: An indirect cost flat rate of 25% is applied to the direct cost categories that qualify for indirect cost calculation under Horizon Europe rules. This 25% is included in the overall lump sum determination. Co-financing Requirements: The co-financing principle applies, meaning the total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated Union contributions. This ensures that the EU funding covers only a portion of the project's overall costs, with beneficiaries contributing the remainder. Payment Schedule and Mechanisms: Payments are made upon the proper implementation and completion of the corresponding work packages, as detailed in the grant agreement. Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules. Lump sum contributions for completed work packages are paid to the coordinator. If conditions for a work package are not met, payment is withheld and the grant amount may be reduced. Financial Reporting and Audit Requirements: There is no report of actual costs required for lump sum grants. Financial checks, reviews, or audits are typically not conducted on costs incurred. Instead, verification focuses on the technical implementation of the action and the fulfilment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package. Beneficiaries must, however, adhere to national accounting rules.

Eligibility Requirements

This grant is open to a wide array of organizations capable of participating in Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) within a consortium structure. While specific definitions for 'startup' or 'SME' are not detailed in this particular grant, standard Horizon Europe rules apply, meaning various legal entities can participate. Eligible Organization Types: * Companies: This includes SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) and larger ENTERPRISE organizations, as highlighted by the lump sum funding document's positive feedback from SMEs and its applicability to 'large multi-beneficiary projects'. * Research Organizations: Such as UNIVERSITIES, research centers, and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as consortium members. * Public Bodies: Including local, regional, or national public authorities. * Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other entities relevant to the built environment sector. Geographic Location Requirements: Applicants must be from EU Member States or Associated Countries. The solutions developed must be validated in at least three countries with diverse climatic conditions and building stock characteristics. Specific Qualifications and Certifications: Proposals require significant technical expertise in construction products, technical building systems, whole life carbon assessment, circular design, and building performance. A strong research track record in these areas is implied. Partnership Requirements: This is a consortium-based grant. Applicants must form a multi-beneficiary consortium, as projects are expected to involve collaborative efforts. The call is for a 'Research and Innovation Action', which by nature necessitates collaboration among different entities. Organizational Capacity: While no specific employee count is mandated, organizations must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity as described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This ensures they have the resources and expertise to undertake the proposed research and innovation activities.

Application Process

Application Process Overview This is a single-stage application process, meaning there is one submission deadline for full proposals. Application Deadlines: * Submission Deadline: 2026-02-17 00:00:00+0000. * Planned Opening Date: The submission system is planned to open on 2025-09-16. Required Documentation and Materials: * Application Form: Specific to this call (HE RIA, IA) and available in the Submission System. Part B of the form contains page limits and layout details (described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes). * Detailed Budget Table (HE LS): Applicants must prepare their estimated budget using the relevant templates provided by the granting authority, detailing costs per work package and per beneficiary, as the grant uses a lump sum model. * Declaration on Accounting Practices: Beneficiaries must declare that they have followed their own accounting practices for budget preparation. Submission Format and Platform: * Applications must be submitted through the online Submission System. Evaluation and Selection Process: * Evaluation Criteria: Proposals are assessed based on Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation (as detailed in the Evaluation Criteria section). * Review Process: External independent experts evaluate proposals, including a check of the budget estimate by experts with financial know-how. * Selection Criteria: Focus is on the quality of the proposals and their alignment with the grant's objectives and expected outcomes. Types of Support Offered (Beyond Funding): Numerous resources are available to support applicants throughout the process: * Online Manual: Guide for procedures from proposal submission to grant management. * Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on the program's structure, budget, and political priorities. * Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions. * Research Enquiry Service: For general questions about European research. * National Contact Points (NCPs): Guidance, practical information, and assistance on participation. * Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Advice for businesses, especially SMEs, on EU research funding. * IT Helpdesk: For technical issues with the Funding & Tenders Portal. * European IPR Helpdesk: Assistance with intellectual property issues. * CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Guidance on standardization in project proposals. * Partner Search: Tools to help find partner organizations for proposals. Project Implementation Timeline: * The grant duration is not explicitly stated in the provided documents, but Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions typically run for 3-5 years. Key milestones and deliverables will be defined in the grant agreement and linked to lump sum payments. Reporting Obligations: * Reporting focuses primarily on the technical implementation of work packages, as payments are conditional on their proper completion. There is no obligation to report on actual costs incurred. Progress tracking mechanisms will focus on the delivery of activities and outputs.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals for this grant will be evaluated according to standard Horizon Europe procedures, focusing on three main criteria:

Excellence: This includes the clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives, the soundness of its methodology (including interdisciplinary approaches), the extent to which the proposed work is ambitious and goes beyond the state-of-the-art, and the quality of the project team and consortium members.
- Innovation Requirements: Projects must develop novel solutions, processes, and strategies for optimal combinations of construction products and systems. This includes innovative approaches to minimizing lifecycle environmental impacts, designing for flexibility to accommodate future building use-change, and considering potential for automated or industrialized installation.
Impact: This assesses the project's potential to contribute to expected outcomes, including significant measurable reduction in whole life carbon emissions and increased carbon removals in buildings. It also evaluates the increased integration of circular approaches, the availability of more accurate benchmarks for whole life carbon emissions, and the potential for standardization. Projects should contribute to the objectives of the Built4People partnership and its network.
- Social Impact Expectations: Contributions to a healthy and comfortable indoor environment are implied through performance aspects. The focus on climate-neutral buildings benefits society broadly.
- Competitive Advantage Factors: Projects demonstrating cost-effectiveness, viable business models, and validated solutions across diverse geographical and climatic conditions will be highly regarded. Contributions to European standards are also a plus.
Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation: This criterion assesses the coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including the appropriateness of the resources allocated to work packages and the financial management. It also looks at the capacity of the participants and the consortium as a whole to implement the project successfully.
- Quality Thresholds: Experts with financial know-how will check the budget estimate based on relevant benchmarks, ensuring resources are adequate for achieving planned activities and outputs. The detailed estimation of costs in lump sum proposals must be sufficient.

Cross-cutting themes like circularity, climate neutrality, and sustainability are central to the grant's scope and will be integral to the evaluation of a proposal's excellence and impact.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Compliance and Regulatory Framework

Regulatory Compliance: Adherence to the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 is required.
Ethical Standards: Projects must comply with ethical standards and research integrity principles. These aspects will be monitored throughout the project lifecycle.
Intellectual Property Policies: Grant agreements include provisions for the management of intellectual property generated during the project.
Environmental Compliance: Central to this grant, projects must inherently contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and embracing circularity, aligning with broader environmental goals.
Labor Standards Compliance: While not explicitly detailed, general EU labor standards apply to participating entities.
Accessibility and Inclusion Standards: While not explicitly stated as a separate requirement, the broader 'People-centric' nature of the Built4People partnership may imply considerations for accessibility and inclusion in building design and solutions.

Special Considerations

Unique Funding Mechanism: This grant utilizes a lump sum funding model, which means payments are released upon the successful completion of defined work packages rather than based on detailed cost reporting. This simplifies administration but puts a strong emphasis on achieving technical milestones.
Co-programmed Partnership: The grant implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘People-centric sustainable built environment’ (Built4People). Projects are expected to report results to this partnership to support the monitoring of its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Joint Research Centre (JRC) Involvement: Selected proposals could consider the involvement of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC). JRC's contribution could involve providing added value on circular design, building solutions that reduce lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions, enabling carbon removals, and performing experimental research for validating solutions on full-scale prototypes.
Strategic Alignment: Projects must align with the objectives of the Built4People partnership and contribute to its network of innovation clusters.
Risk Mitigation Expectations: While financial risks are mitigated by the lump sum model (reducing financial error rates), checks will focus on technical implementation and compliance with grant agreement obligations (e.g., ethics, dissemination, IP management, gender equality). Undue payments can be recovered if work packages are not completed.

Grant Details