Reducing soil sealing through sustainable urban and territorial design in the New European Bauhaus

Overview

Funding for innovative, regenerative urban and territorial design solutions that reduce soil sealing, improve soil health, and align with the New European Bauhaus principles of sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusivity. Targets consortia developing scalable, place-based approaches for urban, peri-urban, and rural areas across Europe.

Who Can Apply

Consortia of legal entities (e.g., research institutions, local authorities, NGOs, businesses, startups, artists, architects, and community groups) from eligible EU Member States and Associated Countries. Multi-actor and transdisciplinary collaboration is required, including contributions from social sciences, humanities, and arts (SSHA) disciplines.

Funding Details

• Maximum grant amount: 7,500,000 EUR per project.
• Funding rate: Not specified (refer to Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes for standard rates).
• Total budget: Not specified.

What Is Funded

• Development of regenerative planning and spatial design solutions to prevent or reverse soil sealing, improve soil health, and enhance climate resilience and biodiversity.
• Integration of nature-based, human-centred, and regenerative approaches (e.g., permeable pavements, green roofs, urban agriculture, community gardens).
• Demonstration of solutions in at least three neighbourhoods (urban, peri-urban, and rural) across different Member States or Associated Countries.
• Participatory co-creation processes involving diverse stakeholders (e.g., local authorities, citizens, researchers, artists, startups).
• Upscaling plans, knowledge exchange, and capacity-building for broader adoption.
• Monitoring and evaluation using soil health and urban health indicators.
• Development of innovative funding models and policy recommendations to support long-term sustainability and replicability.

Technology / Maturity Requirements

• Technology Readiness Level (TRL): 7–9 (system prototype demonstration in operational environment to actual system proven in operational environment).

Key Dates

• Open date: 2027-05-04T22:00:00Z.
• Deadline: 2027-09-14T22:00:00Z.

Application Process (High-Level)

• Single-stage submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
• Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Post-Award Obligations

• Collaboration with the Mission Soil Platform and, where relevant, the Mission "100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities."
• Sharing of intermediate and final results with the Horizon Europe-funded "New European Bauhaus hub for results and impact."
• Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on project impacts using defined indicators.
• Dissemination of results to inform policy and scaling efforts.

Geographic Scope & Language

• Eligible countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, Switzerland.
• Application language: English.

Notes

• Projects must align with key EU strategies, including the European Green Deal, Nature Restoration Regulation, EU Soil Strategy for 2030, and the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy.
• Proposals should integrate social sciences, humanities, and arts (SSHA) disciplines to enhance societal impact.
• Synergies with ongoing Horizon Europe projects (e.g., Cleverfood, URSOILL, SPADES) are encouraged.