The successful proposal will contribute to the implementation of the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, allowing local and regional authorities to address their climate risks and accelerate preparedness and resilience to the changing climate.

Proposals are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• Customisation/pre-operationalisation of customer-tailored solutions in the area of climate adaptation of public buildings, that respond to the common needs and beyond state-of-the-art performance targets of the buyers group.
• Reduction of fragmentation of demand for innovative solutions by enabling public procurers to collectively implement a Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) in the area of climate proofing of buildings, aggregating demand in an area subject to legislation and procedures that, due to its nature, is better/more efficiently addressed jointly, or which they would not have been able to tackle independently.
• New opportunities for wide market uptake and economies of scale for the supply side through the use of joint specifications, wide publication of results and – where relevant – contribution to standardization, regulation or certification to remove barriers for introduction of innovations into the market and creation of new products, processes and/or services ready for market uptake, leading to viable new businesses, jobs and sustainable economic growth.

Rationale & Background
Buildings are increasingly vulnerable to climate change (structural damage, reduced lifetime, indoor thermal discomfort, health impacts). The EU Adaptation Strategy stresses the need to climate-proof buildings, prioritising nature-based solutions (e.g. green roofs, walls, urban greening) and integrating them into urban planning. Renovation Wave, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and other EU policies highlight resilience, efficiency, and protection of vulnerable groups.

Supported Activities – PCP (Pre-Commercial Procurement)

• Joint demand-driven procurement of R&D services to develop innovative, climate-resilient solutions for public buildings.
• Deliver tested, market-ready products/services tailored to procurers’ needs, speeding up market uptake.
• Activities: procurement documentation, prototype customisation, validation, awareness raising, networking, training, dissemination.
• Core consortium: buyers’ group (public procurers); additional partners may include SMEs, innovation agencies, or sector organisations.
• Project duration: max. 3 years.

Proposal requirements

• Define the shared challenge, explain gaps in current market solutions, set targets for performance improvements.
• Show how the PCP contributes to job creation, sustainable growth, and new businesses.
• Ensure alignment with regional/long-term resilience strategies.

Links to the Mission

• Proposals must allocate resources to collaborate with the Mission Implementation Platform, Community of Practice, and platforms like Climate-ADAPT and Copernicus.

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other Eligible Conditions

The specific conditions for actions with PCP/PPI procurements in section H of the General Annexes apply to grants funded under this topic.

described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion

described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds

are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes

are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement

described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants

PCP/PPI procurement costs are eligible.

described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

described in the specific topic of the Work Programme