The last call of the Horizon 2020
The European Commission has announced what will be the last and largest financing call of the Horizon 2020 framework for innovation projects, with a budget of 1 billion Euros. Following the Green Deal, this call aims to encourage the transition to a carbon-free future, where efficient buildings play a major role. The ultimate goal of the Green Deal is for Europe to have a clean and sustainable economy that improves the well-being of people and businesses, taking the lead in climate action across the planet, creating new services and revenue streams in the process.
The challenge
The call is focused on the design and construction of new or retrofitting of existing buildings as zero emission/zero pollution houses within sustainable green neighbourhoods. The objective is to foster a transition to energy and resource efficient construction and renovation of both social housing and non-residential buildings, with two major components:
- A transition in designing and constructing buildings to reduce their emissions and to increase the energy efficiency of their operation; the same for retrofitting existing buildings.
- A transition to energy positive buildings (producing electricity, covering their heating and cooling needs and contributing to the energy grid stability) with renewable energy technologies.
The technologies considered eligible for the European funds can cover any portion of the construction value chain. From the recycling/reuse of construction materials, to the reduction of maintenance costs and designs incorporating thermal design and orientation for energy efficient dwellings, creating new services and revenue streams in the process.
Who can participate?
The call is designed for consortia of, at least, three legal entities (independent of each other), from three different EU Member States or Horizon 2020 associated countries.
The European Commission is interested in projects that are in the validation stage, with a duration of 2 to 4 years.
How to participate?
To participate in the last call of Horizon 2020 for efficient buildings, the consortium must submit a written proposal including a complete work plan to bring the technology from the validation stage to a complete system. The expected EU contribution for each project is from 10 to 20 million Euros.
As part of the developments, the project must deliver at least two (residential and non-residential), real life demonstrations of the technologies in different climatic regions of Europe. These demonstrators must bring outcomes such as energy savings, decreased greenhouse gas emissions or reduction of construction time and costs.
