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HORIZON EUROPE TOPIC · New European Bauhaus

Mass customisation of offsite manufactured modular construction components to transform the existing built environment

HORIZON-NEB-2027-01-BUSINESS-01 — the expected outcomes as checkable statements, what evaluators look for in this topic, and the conditions that shape the proposal.

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ForthcomingIA · lump sumDeadline 1 December 2027around EUR 5 million per project

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TopicHORIZON-NEB-2027-01-BUSINESS-01
StatusForthcoming
CallHORIZON-NEB-2027-01 — Innovative models for neighbourhoods that integrate beauty, inclusiveness and sustainability
DestinationInnovative funding and new business models for transformation of neighbourhoods (2026-27)
Type of actionInnovation Actions · lump sum
Opening5 May 2027
Deadline1 December 2027
Budgetaround EUR 5 million per project · 2 projects expected · EUR 10 million in total
Part B page limit45 pages (standard application form; check your call)
TemplateWork Programme 2026–2027 application form

Expected outcomes

Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes. The topic says: “Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:”

  1. EO1 Stakeholders involved in the construction and renovation ecosystem adopt innovative solutions for the mass customisation of offsite manufactured modular construction components.
  2. EO2 Significantly reduced waste and environmental impacts (including air quality, noise and transportation) and enhanced local cultural heritage and/or aesthetics of the built environment compared to using conventional modular construction components.

Expected impacts named in the destination

The wider, long-term effects the destination seeks. Your outcomes feed them; they are not project deliverables.

  1. EI1 Better understanding of the contextual local conditions that drive or hinder sustainable neighbourhood developments and the uptake of NEB-aligned solutions and projects, such as capital and real estate market dynamics and socioeconomic, cultural, demographic, and climatic changes.
  2. EI2 Anticipation and consideration of future needs, functions and inhabitants (including more-than-human perspectives) of neighbourhoods and their developments towards the future.
  3. EI3 Demonstrated socioeconomic, financial, environmental, cultural, and aesthetic value of NEB-aligned solutions and projects driving the revitalisation of the built environment in neighbourhoods.
  4. EI4 Increased investment in the transformation of neighbourhoods in line with NEB through alternative, innovative, and community-based investment and ownership approaches.
  5. EI5 Community and place-based approaches that adopt a systemic perspective and use co-creation approaches with diverse local stakeholders, including marginalised or underrepresented groups or those in a vulnerable situation, and contribute to addressing pressing community challenges and needs such as homelessness and housing.
  6. EI6 ⁠Circular manufacturing, renovation, and reuse approaches in the built environment contribute to the sufficient use of resources and space.

What evaluators will look for in this topic

Expected outcomes

  • Projects should contribute to all of the expected outcomes.
  • For each outcome (EO1 to EO2), name who will use or adopt your results (a specific group, not “industry” or “society”), how they get them, and the indicator that shows the change, with baseline, target and date.
  • Use the topic's own words for each outcome, so the evaluator can tick it off.

What the scope asks for

Evaluators check the proposal against these sentences of the scope. Answer each one visibly, in the call's own words.

  • “The wider uptake and adaptation of such solutions require a manufacturing approach that is efficient, affordable, and accessible while at the same time being adaptable to different local needs and contexts.”
  • “Proposals are expected to address all of the following:.”
  • “Mass customisation of the modular construction components should address the needs of at least three application areas (e.g. residential, commercial, public space, cultural heritage, education, recreation).”
  • “Proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach through the integration of different actors and disciplines.”
  • “This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions, as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.”
  • “Proposals are expected to allocate at least 0.8% of their budget for engaging with the Horizon Europe-funded 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' to share their intermediate and final results, findings and learnings, as well as to contribute to impact assessment.”

Conditions that shape the proposal

  • Part B, sections 1–3: 45 pages (standard application form). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
  • Lump sum: the budget is fixed per work package and paid when each work package is completed. Every work package needs activities and deliverables an evaluator can verify, and the effort must match the money.
  • Innovation action: evaluators expect a plausible path to commercialisation and named first users or customers.
  • Other Eligible Conditions: “In line with the “ restriction on control in innovation actions in critical technology areas ” delineated in General Annex B of the General Annexes, entities established in an eligible country but which are directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to…”

Impact pathway and traps

  • The topic asks for social sciences and humanities (SSH) expertise. Evaluators look for SSH partners with a real role in the methodology, not a token task.
  • The scope expects pilots or demonstration. Name the sites, the partners who run them and what is measured there.
  • Standardisation is mentioned. Name the committees or bodies and the partner who engages with them.
  • Market uptake is part of the scope. Evaluators look for a credible route to market with named first adopters.
  • Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
  • For each destination impact you claim, show which of your outcomes feeds it. Destination impacts are long-term effects, not project deliverables.
  • Name the barriers outside the project (regulation, markets, user behaviour) that could block uptake, and what you will do if they do.
  • Section 2.3 (the summary canvas) is optional on this call; the old split into scientific, economic and societal impact is no longer required.
The scope, as published

Solutions to transform the existing built environment in line with the New European Bauhaus (NEB) have typically been at smaller, individual scale so far. The wider uptake and adaptation of such solutions require a manufacturing approach that is efficient, affordable, and accessible while at the same time being adaptable to different local needs and contexts. The mass customisation of modular construction components that are manufactured offsite can contribute to the sustainable and high-quality renovation and adaptation of the existing built environment that reflects local needs and preferences and fosters local cultural heritage, aesthetics, and identity. This can also contribute to modular disassembly, re-assembly, and renovation approaches within National Building Renovation Plans under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. Better understanding and demonstration are required of the potential, applications, and scalability of solutions for offsite manufactured modular construction components that can be customised to the existing built environment in line with NEB. Proposals are expected to address all of the following: Develop an innovative solution for the mass customisation of offsite manufactured modular construction components, which applies technologies and technological advancements such as distributed manufacturing, building information modelling (BIM), and modular construction approaches. Demonstrate the innovative solution in an operational environment in at least three Member States and/or Associated Countries. Mass customisation of the modular construction components should address the needs of at least three application areas (e.g. residential, commercial, public space, cultural heritage, education, recreation). Evaluate the economic, aesthetic, environmental, social, and cultural value and the business case to invest in the solution. Develop and demonstrate strategies to scale up and adapt the solution to different local contexts. This includes consideration of the solution’s long-term performance, durability (e.g. in changing climates), and repairability. Proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach through the integration of different actors and disciplines. This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions, as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. Proposals are expected to allocate at least 0.8% of their budget for engaging with the Horizon Europe-funded 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' to share their intermediate and final results, findings and learnings, as well as to contribute to impact assessment. See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27. See definition of "beautiful" in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27. See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27. See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27. Modular construction components refer to standardised building components that can be easily rearranged, added, or removed as requirements evolve. Offsite manufacturing refers to the process of planning, designing, and fabricating construction components in an external facility, rather than at the final construction or renovation site, after which these components are transported and installed in place. This approach enables faster, higher-quality, and more efficient construction and renovation with reduced on-site disruption and waste. See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27. European Commission, ’National Building Renovation Plans’, accessed 5 August 2025, https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/national-building-renovation-plans_en European Commission, ’Energy Performance of Buildings Directive’, accessed 5 August 2025, https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/energy-performance-buildings-directive_en European Commission, ’NEB Investment Guidelines’, New European Bauhaus, accessed 5 August 2025, https://new-european-bauhaus.europa.eu/tools-and-resources/neb-investment-guidelines_en.Sections of particular relevance for applicants to consider include: 1. Introduction; 2. Mapping the NEB; 4.4 Project risks; 5. Making the NEB case; and 6. Conclusions. See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27. See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27. See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP26-27.

Other topics in HORIZON-NEB-2027-01

Source and attribution

Topic text from the official topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, retrieved 19 October 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU (CC BY 4.0). Changes: the expected outcomes and impacts are split into numbered statements, long passages are shortened, and the evaluator checklist is GrantWise's own commentary. Your call and the Work Programme always win; check them before you submit. GrantWise is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the European Commission.