Deadline: February 17, 2026
The European Commission has announced a Horizon Europe research and innovation call under the Built4People Partnership, targeting the development of optimal combinations of low embodied carbon construction products, technical building systems, and circularity principles to achieve climate neutral buildings.
The focus lies on achieving climate neutrality in buildings by optimally combining low embodied carbon construction products with technical building systems and applying circularity principles, within the framework of the Built4People Partnership.
Buildings contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions over their entire life cycle, including embodied and operational emissions. The challenge is to deliver buildings and renovation projects that minimize life cycle impacts, especially global warming potential, while considering circularity principles. This means integrating innovative combinations of products and systems that optimize building performance and enable future use changes through design flexibility.
The scope includes developing or updating existing guidelines, tools, and training for key professionals to replicate successful innovative approaches for sustainable building and renovation. It also requires active involvement of public and private stakeholders and citizens through co-creation and community engagement to enhance the societal impact.
Project proposals must address measurable reduction in whole life carbon emissions and encourage uptake of carbon removals in buildings. The anticipated outcomes include increased integration of circular approaches, better benchmarks and calculations of whole life carbon emissions aligned with EU directives, and solutions adaptable to future renovations and use changes.
Ensuring compliance with requirements such as structural integrity, thermal, acoustic, and hygrometric performance, durability, potential for deconstruction, reuse at end-of-life, and potential for automated or industrialized installation are essential.
Proposals should consider cost-effectiveness, relevant business models, and end-user needs while contributing to the European Circular Economy and climate goals. Cooperation with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre can be considered to validate and support innovative building solutions.
This topic is part of the co-programmed European Partnership on People-centric sustainable built environment (Built4People), with projects expected to contribute to its key performance indicators.
The Commission estimates that an EU contribution of around EUR 4.00 million would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of a proposal requesting different amounts.
The total indicative budget for the topic is EUR 12.00 million.
For more information, visit EC.
