HORIZON EUROPE┋New European Bauhaus – Innovative solutions for greener and fairer ways of life through arts and culture, architecture and design for all

Expected Outcome

Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Innovative solutions, validated in pilot trials, demonstrating how strategic investments in the spirit of the New European Bauhaus initiative[1] in cultural heritage (which may include cultural landscapes) and the CCIs can be successfully realised.
• Increase the understanding and visibility of the role that cultural-led innovation integrating the New European Bauhaus approach can play.
• Wider involvement and social inclusion of citizens in the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage through engagement with local ecosystems.

Scope

The New European Bauhaus, as closely connected to cultural heritage and culture, brings a cultural and creative dimension to the European Green Deal. The September 2021 Communication on the New European Bauhaus[2], recognises that artists and cultural and creative professionals are essential actors when it comes to reflecting and conveying values, to transmitting new and symbolic meanings, and to ensuring sustainability and enabling societal transformation.

Proposals should test, demonstrate and refine innovative solutions to achieve strategic investments in cultural heritage and the CCIs in the spirit of the New European Bauhaus initiative and search for links with the ESFRI Research Infrastructures in the Social and Cultural Innovation.[3]. They are expected to bring together researchers, practitioners, managers and entrepreneurs from different cultural and creative industries (e.g. design, fashion, crafts, arts and heritage professionals at large) as well as to engage with the on-the-ground communities. At least 5 small scale-trials under real world conditions should be carried out in a minimum of 3 different Member States/Associated Countries.

Proposals should tackle at least one of the thematic axes of the New European Bauhaus. They should include an ambitious and credible executive plan that:

• Identifies and analyses the challenges and resources of the targeted spaces in terms of the three core values of the New European Bauhaus.
• Proposes a set of strategies and methodologies to address the challenges identified, considering the wide variety of actors involved.
• Foresees the development and implementation of an ambitious, quality co-design process, based on citizens' and stakeholders' participation, inter-disciplinary, and multi-level collaboration.

They should highlight the social value of cultural heritage and cultural diversity. The proposed solutions should consider:

• Use of renewable materials (e.g. nature-based materials produced sustainably) with a circular economy mind-set
• Role of arts, design and quality architecture, in line with quality principles[4] to leverage the full potential of cultural heritage and cultural landscapes
• Synergies between crafts and new industrial techniques that can also help revitalising traditional skills
• Regeneration, life extension (i.e. smart monitoring, conservation and restoration), re-use and transformation of cultural heritage buildings and landscapes[5], while ensuring attentive cultural interpretation of the original buildings and respecting their cultural contents and contexts.

The proposed solutions should be replicable[6] under different cultural, political and societal conditions across Europe. Results should be appropriately documented to serve as guidance for actors in other territories and contexts. Proposals should build on existing knowledge, activities, networks and platforms, notably the ones so far funded by the European Union or under the New European Bauhaus initiative.

Proposals are expected to contribute to the New European Bauhaus initiative by interacting with the New European Bauhaus Community, NEBLab and other relevant actions of the initiative[7] through sharing information, best practice, and, where relevant, results.

To ensure a balanced portfolio covering demonstration activities in diverse geographical areas of the European Union and Associated Countries, grants will be awarded first to the highest ranked application according to the standard procedure described in Horizon Europe General Annexes D and F, followed by other applications that are the highest ranked among those that ensure the most complementary geographical coverage, provided that the applications attain all thresholds. When assessing geographical coverage, the evaluation will take into account the location of the application’s demonstration activities, not the location of the application’s participants/beneficiaries.

In the context of this topic, geographical areas of the European Union and Associated Countries are NUTS level 1 regions of European Union Member States and of Associated Countries for which they are defined. In the case of Associated Countries without NUTS classification, the country as a whole is to be considered as one geographical area:

• List of Associated Countries not defined by NUTS level 1: Armenia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Faroe Islands; Georgia; Kosovo*; Israel; Moldova; Tunisia; Ukraine.

• List of countries not defined by NUTS level 1 with which association negotiations are being processed or where association is imminent: Morocco.

[1] For further information on the initiative, please refer to the Commission Communication on the New European Bauhaus (COM(2021) 573 final) as well as its official website (https://europa.eu/new-european-bauhaus/index_en ).

[2]COM/2021/573 final “New European Bauhaus Beautiful, Sustainable, Together” https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52021DC0…

[3] COM (2020)628 final “A new ERA for Research and Innovation” https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52020DC06….

[4] As framed in the ICOMOS revised publication on “Quality principles for EU funded interventions having a potential impact on cultural heritage” See also OMC report Towards a shared culture of architecture - Publications Office of the EU (europa.eu) and Council conclusions on culture, high-quality architecture and built environment as key elements of the New European Bauhaus initiative.

[5] For further info, see the UNESCO Recommendation on the Historic Urban Landscape.

[6] Results generated during the project implementation (for example, know-how, innovative solutions, new business models, policy recommendations, guidelines, prototypes, demonstrators, databases and datasets, new infrastructures, networks) should be directly usable for implementation after the project ends. Results should be appropriately documented to serve as guidance for actors in other territories outside the project interested in applying or adapting the solutions to their specific context.

[7] See NEB website at https://europa.eu/new-european-bauhaus/index_en

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSC 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.