Reverse local construction supply chains for the beautiful re-assembly of reclaimed construction products
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-03
- Programme
- A research agenda for a beautiful, inclusive and sustainable transformation of neighbourhoods
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- May 6, 2025
- Deadline
- November 12, 2025
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €12,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €6,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €6,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 2
- Keywords
- HORIZON-NEB-2025-01-BUSINESS-03HORIZON-NEB-2025-01Circular economyConstruction & AssemblyConstruction skillsDesign innovationNew business opportunitiesSupply chain managementWellbeing
Description
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Innovative approaches, methods, and techniques for the safe and sustainable[1] re-assembly of construction products in ways that increase the aesthetic and cultural value of the built environment in line with the New European Bauhaus.
- Increased re-assembly of construction products at neighbourhood[1], local, and regional level.
- New scientific evidence on the social, cultural, economic, and environmental (including reduced resource consumption, reduced waste and litter generation, including microplastic pollution, and carbon storage[3]) benefits, on new business opportunities and models, and on value and revenue streams for the beautiful re-assembly of reclaimed construction products at neighbourhood, local, and regional level.
The move towards increased renovation and the greater reuse of construction products in the built environment[1] has created a growing interest in new business models and approaches centred on modularity, adaptability, disassembly, and sufficiency[1]. Whereas significant research and practice has focused on the disassembly, collection, sorting, and re-processing of construction products, less attention has been directed so far to their later re-assembly.
The re-assembly stage is key for the re-integration of increasing quantities of reclaimed[6] construction products into new applications. Concurrently, the endeavour to transform the built environment along the New European Bauhaus values[1] of sustainability, inclusion, and beauty creates opportunities to re-think how to re-assemble reclaimed construction products safely and creatively in ways that increase the aesthetic and cultural value of buildings and infrastructures, enhancing inhabitants’ well-being and living conditions.
The re-assembly of safe and sustainable reclaimed construction products requires solid knowledge of their historical uses and characteristics as well as traceability of their condition and displacement. Digital tools and technologies such as Digital Product Passports and reverse construction supply chains[8], following the circular economy’s[1] cascading principle for bio-based materials[10] and 10R-Strategies (refuse, reduce, resell/reuse, repair, refurbish, remanufacture, repurpose, recycle, recover, re-mine)[11] for non-biobased materials, are key for the effective management, movement and reuse of safe reclaimed construction products.
Local reverse construction supply chains that re-circulate safe construction products as locally as possible have the potential to maximise economic value and resource utilisation, reduce waste, pollution, energy use, procurement costs, and the environmental footprint of construction and renovation activities, and foster creativity and innovation towards greater circularity and the regeneration of social and cultural meanings in the built environment.
Proposals are expected to address all of the following:
- Explore at least one innovative approach, method, or technique to re-assemble construction products in ways that increase their embedded economic and environmental value and the aesthetic value of buildings and building ensembles by exploring existing aesthetic and cultural standards in the built environment.
- The proposed innovative solution(s) should consider the reassembled construction products’ environmental footprint and the availability of reclaimed construction materials and components at neighbourhood, local or regional level. Proposals should build, where possible, on existing circular construction product pooling networks and platforms, construction logistics hubs as well as informal markets for reused construction products.
- Validate how the proposed innovative solution(s) create new value, revenue streams and business opportunities, building, wherever possible, upon existing research on related business models in the field.
Proposals are expected to follow a participatory and transdisciplinary approach[12] through the integration of different actors (such as public authorities, local actors from the targeted neighbourhoods, civil society, private owners, material suppliers, etc.) and disciplines (such as architecture, urban design, design, arts, (civil) engineering, economics, finance, business, etc.).
Proposals are expected to dedicate at least 0.2% of their total budget to share their intermediate and final results and findings with the Coordination and Support Action 'New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact' (HORIZON-MISS-2024-NEB-01-03).
[1] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[2] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[3] Considering tools such as Carbon Removals and Carbon Farming (CRCF) certification for buildings.
[4] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[5] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[6] Reclaimed construction products are understood to include secondary ones that are auxiliary to the primary structural construction components, such as insulation, cladding, tiles, nails, bolts, decorative elements, etc.
[7] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[8] Additional information at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705817360265
[9] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[10] See Guidance on cascading use of biomass with selected good practice examples on woody biomass
[11] See Chapter 3 ”Conceptualization of Circular Economy 3.0: Synthesizing the 10R Hierarchy of Value Retention Options” in
[12] See definition on NEB working principles in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
Destination & Scope
The built environment[1] faces diverse challenges that hinder its transition towards greater sustainability[1], circularity[1], and social inclusion[1]. It has traditionally been resistant to change due to established norms, practices, and a conservative mindset, especially regarding the renovation of existing buildings and infrastructures. For the built environment to change and adapt, appropriate market conditions and business demand and incentives must be in place.
New business models can disrupt the status quo by providing a framework to rethink how renovation projects are designed, planned, and executed and how they contribute to shaping and re-shaping neighbourhood[1] structures and spaces and support initiatives such as the EU Renovation Wave[6]. Demonstrating their economic, environmental, societal, and cultural feasibility and benefits can drive the built environment and other related ecosystems (e.g. financial, insurance, social economy) towards circular and sustainable practices that are resilient to natural, including climate change-induced, and human-made hazards. At the same time, new business models can promote new values such as affordability, inclusion, diversity, functionality, and beauty[1].
Developing new business models and coupling them with innovative funding mechanisms is crucial to encourage the uptake of new practices and approaches that do not only ensure cost-effectiveness and efficiency but align with and contribute to larger societal goals and values, driving positive cultural, social, and environmental change in the built environment and enhancing the ecosystem’s long-term sustainability and competitiveness.
In Work Programme 2025, this Destination contributes to the following expected impacts set out in the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2025-2027:
- 8. Realising the full potential of cultural heritage, arts, and cultural and creative sectors
- 9. Strengthening social and economic resilience and sustainability
- 15. Achieving global leadership in climate-neutral, circular and digitized industrial and digital value chains
Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to innovative funding and new business models for the transformation of neighbourhoods, and more specifically to one or several of the following impacts:
- Innovative supply chains and new incipient business models in the built environment are based on circular economy[1] principles, life cycle thinking, and sustainable practices and are economically attractive. They reclaim, reuse, and re-assemble construction products at local and regional scales, reducing resource consumption, waste and litter generation, environmental footprint, and reliance on resource-intensive, linear practices.
- Innovative processes, methods, and techniques for the renovation of buildings and infrastructures leverage design innovation, creativity, cultural heritage, economies of scale, and cost-effective technologies. They are economically attractive and affordable and contribute to the high-quality, sustainable, inclusive, and resilient revitalisation of neighbourhoods in urban, peri-urban and rural environments.
- Public authorities, investors, construction developers, inhabitants and community[1] groups, and other relevant neighbourhood and built environment stakeholders overcome perceived barriers and risks (e.g. market demand, consumer preferences, and price sensitivity) associated with renovation projects in line with the New European Bauhaus. Incentives, including financial rewards, regulatory advantages, and positive public perception are in place and contribute to the wider adoption of innovative funding and new business models for the sustainable, inclusive and beautiful revitalisation of neighbourhoods.
- Inhabitants and other neighbourhood stakeholders, including marginalised and vulnerable groups, engage in public decision-making, co-create their neighbourhoods in response to local needs and specificities, and benefit from increased well-being and living conditions.
- Increased investment in neighbourhood transformation projects in line with the New European Bauhaus. Projects generate and investors receive returns beyond financial capital, including environmental, aesthetic, social, and cultural value.
This Destination considers neighbourhoods in urban, peri-urban, and rural environments.
[1] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[2] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[3] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[4] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[5] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[6] Additional information at: https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/renovation-wave_en
[7] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[8] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
[9] See definition in the Glossary section of the NEB part of the HE WP25.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
2. Eligible Countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other Eligible Conditions
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Guidance
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 13. New European Bauhaus Facility (NEB)
HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Support & Resources
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