European Commission logo
Horizon Europe New European Bauhaus (NEB)

Horizon Bauhaus: Vacant Space Reuse

Funds two €4.5M projects that turn empty buildings and unused land into spaces neighbourhoods need, tested with communities in three countries.

OpenEuropean CommissionEU

Europe has a lot of empty and half-used space — an estimated 19,000 km² of underused brownfield land and 300 km² of vacant or underused office space. At the same time housing is short, and the EU wants no net loss of undeveloped land by 2050. Reusing what's already built, instead of building new, is the obvious fix — but right now it mostly happens one building at a time, and often only as a tempo

Developing and validating a systematic, context-sensitive method for identifying, prioritising and reusing vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces — buildings, land, infrastructure — in neighbourhoods, built together with local communities. The method has to be tested in at least three neighbourhoods (one urban, one peri-urban, one rural) in different EU Member States or Associated Countries, assessed for social, cultural, environmental and economic value, and cover how the reuse actually gets financed. Social sciences and humanities expertise is a required part of the team.

CycleiHow often this grant runs — e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.Annual
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.1 Dec 2026
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.22 weeks
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.
Award typeiThe form of funding — grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.Grant
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.0%
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.€9M

Sign up free to see the funding breakdown

Sign up free to see the industries in scope

Sign up free to see the full eligibility

Sign up free to see how to apply

Sign up free to see what you submit

Sign up free to see how they score you

Sign up free to see the timeline

Sign up free to see where teams trip up

Last verified: 25 Aug 2026Funder reference: HORIZON-NEB-2026-01-BUSINESS-03Source: ec.europa.eu