Approaches to reuse vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces

The EU-wide funding call "Approaches to reuse vacant, obsolete or underutilised spaces" within the framework of Horizon Europe and the New European Bauhaus is aimed at consortia consisting of at least three independent legal entities (public institutions, educational institutions, companies, non-profit organizations) from different Member States or associated countries. The objective is to develop and test systematic, context-sensitive approaches for identifying, prioritizing, and reusing vacant, obsolete, or underutilised spaces – in urban as well as peri-urban and rural neighborhoods. The focus lies on the elaboration of innovative financing and business models to demonstrate socio-economic, cultural, environmental, and cost-efficiency effects. The project results are intended to provide recommendations on how this approach can be adapted to different neighborhood contexts. Interdisciplinary teams from social, humanities, and environmental sciences as well as from construction, finance, and real estate sectors are required for this purpose.

The funding amount is up to €4.5 million, with a rate of 100% for personnel, material, travel, and subcontractor costs. Eligible applicants are municipal actors and local authorities, New European Bauhaus stakeholders, as well as researchers and experts jointly driving innovative neighborhood revitalization. Submissions must be made by 1 December 2026 via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; required documents include, among others, Part A and Part B of the application form, project description, detailed budget table, as well as ethics and security documentation. Projects will start no earlier than May 2026. By combining context analysis, co-creation methods, and demonstrating value creation for different neighborhood types, sustainable, inclusive, and livable urban spaces are to be created.