COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS New European Bauhaus - from vision to implementation
Date: 2025-12-16
Institutions: European Commission, Joint Research Centre
Subjects: EU initiative, building industry, civil society, culture, distribution of EU funding, housing policy, innovation, sustainable development, town planning, vocational training

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Strasbourg, 16.12.2025  COM(2025) 1026 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS New European Bauhaus - from vision to implementation  
 
 
1.  INTRODUCTION  

European  citizens  and  businesses  face  challenges  at  an  unprecedented  scale  and 
complexity: from geopolitical upheavals and security threats on our own continent to the triple 
planetary crisis as well as technological changes and threats to our democracy and values. In 
these times of uncertainty, it is natural for citizens to feel concerned and it is therefore crucial 
to provide predictability and perspective, foster innovation and create places that support 
a sense of belonging, quality of life and a feeling of security. 

This is what the New European Bauhaus (NEB) is doing. Launched in 2020 by Commission 
President Ursula von der Leyen, it empowers people, communities and businesses to jointly 
find innovative solutions for a positive future, which combines inclusion, sustainability and 
quality of life. 

 NEB Values 

NEB Principles 

The NEB aims at creating tangible change on the ground for people and businesses, acting 
through an innovative, transformative and bottom-up approach. In five years, it has become a 
movement, with over 700 projects across Europe and beyond, a vibrant community of 
nearly 2000 organisations, reaching millions of people, and a network of national authorities 
acting as a bridge with the local level.  The various projects that have been researched, piloted 
and  demonstrated  from  2021  to  2025,  from  affordable  housing  districts  demonstrators  to 
accelerators  for  construction  digitalisation,  as  well  as  art-driven  participation  in  local 
communities, show that an inclusive, sustainable and quality built environment is possible and 
has  the  potential  to  take  more  citizens  on  board  and  to  strengthen  resilience  and 
competitiveness. 

Based on the experience and learnings from the past years, the moment has come to scale-up 
the NEB and move to the next level as a powerful enabler for the clean transition and 
innovation in Europe and beyond. This Communication outlines the policy objectives of the 
NEB for the next years and provides a framework for tangible actions to enhance innovation, 
resilience and sustainability. To increase its impact, this Communication is accompanied by a 
proposal for a Council Recommendation1 to Member States, in full respect of subsidiarity. 

The focus of the NEB remains the built environment. It is an essential part of the daily lives 
of  citizens,  has  a  huge  potential  to  improve  quality  of  life,  reduce  emissions,  support 
affordability  and  at  the  same  time  increase  the  competitiveness  of  our  industries. 
Neighbourhoods need policy action, funding and technical support for regeneration. More 
action is needed to build skills and scale-up affordable solutions that can increase the efficient 

1 COM(2025) 1027 

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use  of  the  built  space  in  urban  and  rural  areas,  adopt  bio-based  solutions  and  innovative 
materials and techniques, strengthening resilience and creating lead markets for Europe’s 
innovative competitive industries. In the upcoming years, the NEB will expand to other sectors, 
namely textiles and fashion. 

The potential for co-creation and multidisciplinary approaches, including through digital 
tools  needs  to  be  better  used  and  more  opportunities  and  capacities  are  needed  to  bring 
researchers, artists, authorities, citizens, and businesses together to co-create and implement 
visions on the ground.  

Five  years  on  from  the  launch  of  the  initiative,  the  Commission  and  its  partners  will 
strengthen the NEB and enlarge its Community, disseminate and scale-up creative concepts 
and innovations, with the aim to foster the business case of key projects. The NEB will further 
support  Member  States  in  bringing  NEB  inspired  approaches  into  national  housing 
policies,  building  renovation  plans  and  spatial  planning  decisions,  in  synergy  with  the  EU 
Agenda for Cities2 and cohesion policy territorial tools, as well as the European Affordable 
Housing  Plan3  and  the  Housing  Construction  Strategy4  presented  together  with  this 
Communication.  

2.  NEB AS AN ENABLER FOR INNOVATION AND THE CLEAN TRANSITION 

Capitalising on its achievements, the NEB will scale-up support to businesses, innovators 
and communities across Europe and beyond for an inclusive, sustainable and quality-driven 
transformation of neighbourhoods and industries. It will prioritise affordable solutions, in 
line with the Affordable Housing Plan, and it will offer co-creation spaces and evidence-based 
tools  where  professionals,  researchers,  users,  communities  and  businesses  meet  and  work 
together to create innovative solutions of highest value. It will develop the NEB Academy as 
core  structure  of  the  New  European  Bauhaus  to  enhance  the  training,  reskilling  and 
upskilling  of  the  different  actors  in  the  construction  ecosystem,  provide  sandboxes  for 
innovative solutions  and support start-ups offering solutions that enshrine the NEB values. 
The  NEB  Facility  will  support  excellent  research,  as  well  as  scaling-up  of  innovations  and 
demonstrators.  In  synergy  with  the  EU  Bioeconomy  Strategy5,  the  NEB  will  also  help 
accelerate the uptake of circular and bio-based materials and construction methods, creating 
new lead markets and strengthening Europe’s competitiveness. 

NEB good practices on circular and bio-based solutions 

❖  TOVA (ES): creates architectural constructions made from rammed earth built with a 
crane WASP 3D printer that can be completed in just weeks, generating zero waste and 
close to zero carbon emissions [NEB Prize 2023].  

❖  NEBourhoods:  revitalises  a  1970s  district  in  Munich  by  creating  mixed-use  spaces, 
stronger  community  ties  and  energy  solutions  like  solar  modules/shading  [Horizon 
Europe]. 

❖  Panelka 2.0 (TEPLO): supports Ukraine’s recovery through circular renovation with 
recycled  and  bio-materials,  energy-efficient  solutions  and  community  empowerment 
[LIFE]. 

2 EUR-Lex - 52025DC0739 - EN - EUR-Lex 
3 COM(2025) 1025 
4 COM(2025) 991 
5 COM(2025) 960 final 

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TOVA ©GregoriCivera - © NEBbourhoods - © TEPLO 

2.1 Enhance circularity, sustainability and innovation in the built environment 

2.1.1 Fostering innovative and sustainable solutions 

To support the transition of the construction ecosystem towards low-carbon, circular and bio-
based solutions, NEB projects have experimented over the past years with novel solutions for 
the construction sectors, such as modular construction, energy and water efficient design, as 
well as bio-based, recycled and innovative materials. It has researched and tested sustainable 
construction  techniques,  such  as  automated  and  robotic  construction,  3D  printing,  biogenic 
carbon  storage  in  buildings,  AI  applications  for  design  as  well  as  off-site  and  modular 
construction, often produced by SMEs.  

To strengthen economic resilience and implement the transformational Clean Industrial Deal, 
the  NEB  will  enhance  the  opportunities  provided  by  the  circular  economy  and  the 
bioeconomy,  boost  markets  for  innovative  materials  and  construction  methods,  harvesting 
sustainable and affordable energy, water and mobility solutions as well as digital technologies, 
data and trustworthy AI. The NEB will promote research, scale-up and mainstreaming of 
innovative resource-efficient solutions, support businesses in prototyping new cost-efficient 
approaches  which  can  be  scaled  up,  and  support  new  and  wide-spread  standards  for 
decarbonised, circular and nature-positive design. It will also support communities to serve 
as hubs of innovations and bottom-up solutions for the clean transition, tailored to local needs 
and capacities. By prioritising innovation, skills and industrial competitiveness, the NEB will 
help ensure that Europe leads globally in high-quality, sustainable and affordable solutions. 

Public financing alone will not be sufficient to carry out the transformation. NEB projects 
show that integrated solutions are safe to invest in, because they develop buy-in of citizens and 
involvement of end-users, resulting  in  attractive  environments  and  vibrant  local  economies. 
Instruments such as InvestEU could help mobilise additional private investment. The European 
Commission,  in  partnership  with  the  European  Investment  Bank  (EIB),  developed  NEB 
Investment Guidelines6 to provide investors and developers with good practices and quality 
guarantees  to  boost  impact  investments  that  transform  buildings,  public  spaces  and 
neighbourhoods along the NEB values. Building on those guidelines, the Commission will – 
via the NEB Academy - step-up action and facilitate matchmaking between NEB concepts 
and funding sources, including innovative funding models.  

By  combining  innovation,  business  creation  and  training,  the  European  Institute  of 
Technology and Innovation (EIT) and its Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) 
are  well  placed  to  support  the  transformational  and  transdisciplinary  nature  of  the  NEB.  In 
particular, it aims to support entrepreneurs and SMEs in NEB-relevant sectors – such as 

6 NEB Investment Guidelines - New European Bauhaus - European Union 

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construction, design, fashion, crafts, agri-food, manufacturing, energy and mobility – to bring 
their ideas to market. 

The Commission will: 

•  Develop a NEB Label to reward NEB projects and practices and increase their 

visibility with potential promoters and investors. 

•  Fund the development of NEB demonstrators for innovative solutions such as 
on the use of vertical space, mass customisation of offsite modular construction 
components, social infrastructures in neighbourhoods, intergenerational 
neighbourhoods or addressing homelessness. 

•  Encourage Member States to develop via Cohesion Policy one NEB Lighthouse in 

each Member State. 

•  Support entrepreneurs and SMEs in NEB-relevant sectors, notably via the EIT, 

by helping them access funding to commercialise and scale up new solutions. 

•  Through the Roll-out component of the NEB Facility, support NEB-relevant sectors 
- construction, design, fashion, crafts, agri-food, manufacturing, energy, mobility – to 
deploy  and  scale-up  NEB  innovative  methods,  processes  and  practices  which 
combine sustainability, inclusion and quality.  

•  Lead by example by applying the NEB approach in the construction or renovation 
of Commission  buildings,  inspired by the example of  the  future  JRC net-positive 
energy building in Seville and the JRC Citizens Forum in Geel, and by promoting 
it in other EU, national and local institutions. 

The future JRC building in Seville, built according to the NEB values and principles - © Playtime 

2.1.2 Inclusive, sustainable and quality-driven transformation of neighbourhoods 

Local  communities  and  neighbourhoods  are  increasingly  exposed  to  climate  change, 
biodiversity loss, water scarcity and human-induced risks like droughts, wildfires, floods, 
and  water  scarcity,  and  remain  exposed  to  pollution,  including  from  dirty  heating7,  which 
undermine  economic  security,  deepen  social  and  health  inequalities8  and  jeopardise  the 
European way of life. There is a pressing need to implement the European Green Deal and the 
Clean Industrial Deal on the ground through a fair transition. This means providing affordable 

7 See EEA 2025: EU Heating and Cooling Systems Drive Air Pollution, Urgent Action Needed. 
8 See European Environment and Health Atlas. 

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solutions to all citizens and boosting the resilience and crisis preparedness of neighbourhoods, 
while respecting Europe’s cultural diversity and local heritage. 

The NEB will foster place-based transformations that boost people’s and communities’ 
preparedness to climate-related risks and natural disasters, in line with the EU Preparedness 
Union Strategy9, and the phase out of fossil fuels dependency through sustainable, efficient 
mobility  and  energy  production  and  consumption  in  our  housing  stock.  The  Commission 
already supports the empowerment of citizens for renovation and climate-adaptation projects, 
e.g.  through  the  EU  Missions  on  Climate-Neutral  and  Smart  Cities  and  on  Adaptation  to 
Climate Change, and the Citizen-Led Renovation initiative10. NEB experimentation and co-
designed solutions can demonstrate the effectiveness of spatial planning that integrates low 
carbon,  water-efficient,  water  resilient  and  nature-based  solutions  as  well  as  social 
innovation, thus making communities safer, healthier and more resilient.  

Building renovation or refurbishment11, in particular when combined with social practices such 
as  mixed  use,  flat  swapping  or  intergenerational  living,  can  help  deliver  affordable  and 
sustainable housing for all, slowing down urban sprawl and soil sealing, foster social cohesion 
and acceptance while protecting our cultural heritage. The NEB will tap into the potential of 
vacant  and  under-occupied  built  environment,  prioritising  the  better  use  of  existing 
buildings  over  demolition  and  new  construction  and  contribute  to  the  pilot  project  of  the 
Competitiveness  Coordination  Tool  (CCT)  on  industrialised  construction.  Procurement, 
supported by transparent criteria, can also be an important catalyst for the uptake of sustainable 
practices and products for neighbourhoods. 

The Commission will: 

•  Support communities in  their efforts to strengthen  resilience to natural  disasters, 
including crisis prevention and preparedness, and in post-disaster recovery and 
rebuilding by financing integrated bottom-up initiatives such as nature-based, water-
efficient and culture-led innovative solutions. 

•  Ensure  capacity  building,  development  of  tools  and  sharing  of  good  practices  on 
including  floods12,  wildfire  risk 
building  adaptation 
mitigation13, urban ecosystems restoration14, as well as on comprehensive risk and 
threat assessment. 

to  natural  disasters 

•  Promote  AI-powered  analytics,  to  enable  data-driven  decision-making  to 
anticipate challenges and co-develop smarter spatial planning15, and deploying Local 
Digital Twins for reconstruction and providing authorities with AI-enabled tools to 
manage construction projects transparently16. 

9 See Preparedness Union Strategy JOIN (2025) 130 final. 
10 Home - Citizen-led renovation - European Commission 
11 ‘Refurbishment’ includes changes to space plan or of function to new use, not typically covered by 
renovation, in line with the standards set the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). 
12 See EU-level technical guidance on adapting buildings to climate change. 
13 The Commission will present a European Strategy on Wildfire prevention in early 2026. 
14 See article 8 Regulation (EU) 2024/1991 on nature restoration. 
15 https://interoperable-europe.ec.europa.eu/collection/ldttoolbox  
16 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/digital-twin-reconstruction-ukraine  

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•  Support the sustainability and efficiency of the built environment by providing a 
common  methodology17  and  evidence  on  the  decarbonisation  of  buildings  and 
guidance on prioritising the efficient use of the built environment18. 

•  Foster procurement procedures that enable sustainable, inclusive and quality-
led  solutions,  notably  via  the  European  Innovation  Council  (EIC)  Innovation 
Procurement  Programme,  and  seek  to  promote  the  procurement  of  sustainable 
solutions through the upcoming revision of the Public Procurement Directive. 
•  Finance through the R&I component of the NEB Facility research and innovation 

to revitalise neighbourhoods through design for sustainability and inclusion. 

2.2 Empower citizens through participatory processes to build democratic, inclusive and 

resilient neighbourhoods  

Participation is a key principle of the NEB. As defined in the NEB Compass19, participation 
refers  to  the  degree  to  which  communities  affected  by  a  project  are  involved  in  its  design, 
decision-making, implementation and validation. The resilience of Europe’s neighbourhoods 
ultimately depends on their ability to engage their communities and to serve all citizens. 
Transdisciplinary  approaches  and  evidence-based  design  methodologies  that  combine 
expertise from a range of stakeholders and disciplines are not only more representative and 
coherent  with  the  needs  of  citizens,  but  they  also  build  trust,  legal  certainty  for  project 
developers, increase acceptability and strengthen the social fabric. Inclusive public spaces 
also have a crucial role to play to facilitate social connections, promote equality in general, 
gender  and  intergenerational  fairness,  create  a  sense  of  belonging  and  ultimately  foster 
grassroots democracy20. 

NEB good practices to strengthen local democracy and connect communities 

❖  NEB-STAR:  creates  governance  and  financing  models  to  reuse  buildings,  prevent 

gentrification and democratise urban development [Horizon Europe]. 

❖  SOFTAcademy: renovates Soviet-era prefabricated apartment buildings in Tallinn with 

a holistic and neighbourhood-level approach [ERDF] 

❖  Activating Spaces  with  neuroDiverse  Publics: helps  public authorities  in Barcelona 
improve playgrounds and public areas for children with autism [EIT Community NEB]. 

17  See  Union  framework  for  the  national  calculation  of  life-cycle  global  warming  potential:  Commission 
Delegated Regulation amending Annex III to Directive (EU) 2024/1275, C(2025) 8723 - PE/2025/8966. 
18 Based on Commission studies: Conversion of offices into affordable housing, Sufficiency in the built sector and 
on a more efficient use of the building stock (results mid-2027). 
19 Use the Compass - New European Bauhaus - European Union. 
20 As highlighted in the JRC Science for Policy Brief on Public Spaces.  

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© NEB STAR – SOFTAcademy © SvenZacek – ©ASDpublics 

The Commission intends to tap the transformational potential of the NEB to support local 
democracy, fight increasing polarisation in our societies and empower communities as well as 
local public-private partnerships. The NEB aims at boosting the capacities of public authorities 
and stakeholders to integrate genuine participatory and transdisciplinary practices in the 
design  and  decision-making  processes  of  local  development  projects,  thereby  enabling 
citizens to co-create their future neighbourhoods adapted to local needs. It will support local 
transformation by using experimentation, including with digital and virtual reality tools 
for citizens and professionals to co-design, co-create and co-manage inclusive, beautiful and 
sustainable living environments. 

The NEB develops and provides innovative tools for supporting democratic participatory 
processes at local level, thereby contributing to implementing the objectives of the European 
Democracy  Shield21  on  the  ground.  It  serves  as  a  catalyst  to  empower  citizens  in  local 
transformation, including in former industrial and brown mining regions and in disadvantaged 
suburban areas. The NEB Compass and the NEB toolbox22 help citizens and communities 
shape  their  own  living  environment  through  a  step-by-step  approach  for  participation,  co-
creation and engagement. The 23 NEB Lighthouse Demonstrators23 have revitalised over 90 
neighbourhoods together with residents and developed tools to democratise urban planning.   

The Commission will: 

•  Expand  democratic  design  and  citizens’  co-ownership  of  urban  and  rural 
regeneration processes by using digital platforms, virtual reality and immersive 
digital environments through the Local Digital Twins and CitiVERSE24. 

•  Launch a 2026 edition of the NEB Boost for Small Municipalities to reward key 
local players for their contribution to building inclusive and sustainable societies. 
•  As part of the European Democracy Shield and contributing to the  future EU 
Strategy  for  Intergenerational  Fairness,  support  local  democracy  through 
innovative approaches to community engagement, intergenerational connections, and 
inclusive public spaces. 

•  Support  public  authorities  in  designing  and  implementing  participatory 
processes  in  neighbourhoods’  transformation  by  drawing  on  the  EU  Competence 
Centre  on  Participatory  and  Deliberative  Democracy25  in  connection  with  the 
European Citizens’ Panels and the Citizens’ Engagement Platform26. 

2.3 Harness the transformative power of education, arts and culture to boost creativity 

and innovation for local transformation 

21 EUR-Lex - 52025JC0791 - EN - EUR-Lex 
22 NEB Toolbox 
23 Projects resulting from the first wave of NEB calls in 2021-2022 under different EU funding programmes. 
24 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/factpages/citiverse 
25 Participatory Democracy 
26 Citizens' Engagement Platform - Citizens’ Engagement Platform 

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Culture and arts are a core feature of individual and communities’ well-being and have 
the  power  to  unleash  creativity  and  innovation.  They  are  at  the  core  of  civil  structures  that 
foster empathy, tolerance, intergenerational fairness and social cohesion. 

Spatial  design  and  architecture  are  an  essential  part  of  a  truly  transdisciplinary  response  to 
social  demands  and  environmental  challenges.  Quality  of  design  is  a  magnet  for 
acceptability  and  funding.  Designers,  architects  and  artists  who  integrate  sustainability, 
inclusion and quality in their projects unlock both financial support and community acceptance 
as they ultimately build  creative,  meaningful  and  lasting  solutions that are affordable, cost-
efficient and act as landmarks of local culture and history. As acknowledged in the Culture 
Compass  for  Europe27,  the  NEB  is  an  important  initiative  to  promote  a  shared  culture  of 
architecture and design and to invest in high-quality living for everyone.  

NEB good practices illustrating the power of arts, culture, education and research 

❖  Bauhaus of the Seas Sails: engages artists to highlight the ocean’s value and connects 

coastal and inland communities through cultural spaces [Horizon Europe]. 

❖  Bauhaus4EU:  European  Universities  alliance  driving  NEB  regional  transformation 

through campus renewal, living labs and transdisciplinary curricula [Erasmus+]. 

❖  Cultuur&Campus: renovates a heritage building in Rotterdam into a multifunctional 
learning  hub,  using  artistic  tools  to  engage  residents  and  document  stories  [Horizon 
Europe]. 

© Bauhaus of The Sea Sails - © Bauhaus4EU - © Cultuur&Campus 

Education and culture are key to raise awareness on the benefits of holistic and explorative 
approaches in combination with evidence-based design methodologies. The Commission will 
promote NEB values in schools across Europe through the Education4Climate Coalition28 and 
its work on School learning environments for sustainability29.  

The Commission will also support action to break silos between art, science and industry as 
NEB projects show that embedding artists in technological and scientific environments and 
vice-versa  can  spark  paradigm-shifting  collaborations  leading  to  innovation  and  concrete 
outputs. In synergy with  the actions announced  under  the Culture  Compass  for Europe,  the 
NEB  will  foster  the  interaction  of  cultural  professionals,  artists  and  academics  with 
industry and construction players to provide new perspectives, imagine alternative futures 

27 EUR-Lex - 52025DC0785 - EN - EUR-Lex  
28 https://education-for-climate.ec.europa.eu/community/ 
29 Greening schools: New report on school learning environments for sustainability | European School Education 
Platform  

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and  co-create  out-of-the  box  and  forward-looking  solutions  for  the  regeneration  of 
neighbourhoods.  

In  line  with  the  2021  Council  conclusions  on  ‘culture,  high-quality  architecture  and  built 
environment  as  key  elements  of  the  New  European  Bauhaus  initiative’30,  the  Commission 
promotes  a  culture-led,  evidence-  and  quality-driven  participatory  approach  to  the  built 
environment, notably by supporting the uptake of the Davos Baukultur Quality System31 and 
of the recommendations of the Member States’ expert group on “High-quality architecture and 
built environment for everyone”32. 

The Commission and its partners will: 

•  Make  a  proposal  to  the  Council  and  the  European  Parliament  to  strengthen  the 
European  Capitals  of  Culture  in  a  way  that  synergises  with  the  values  and 
principles of the New European Bauhaus. 

•  Set-up a NEB Ocean Lab to foster collaborations in the marine environment and 

contribute to the EU Ocean Observation Initiative33.  

•  Engage young people to get involved in European heritage preservation as well as 

urban and rural regeneration through the NEB Route within DiscoverEU. 

•  Support NEB artists’ residencies through the “Culture Moves Europe” initiative. 

3. ENABLERS 

3.1 NEB Community and grassroots participation  

The NEB has been growing thanks to the drive of its Community of almost 2000 public and 
private members, ranging from local to international organisations across Europe and beyond, 
spanning various fields such as culture, education, architecture, heritage, forestry, construction, 
housing,  and  fashion,  and  reaching  millions  of  citizens  and  businesses  through  the  NEB 
Festival and NEB Prizes.  

While the Commission can do its part, it is only a piece of the puzzle. The NEB Community 
has actively taken up actions: from local funding schemes to building standards aligned with 
the NEB, as well as NEB masters’ and PhD programs. It has acted as the true engine of the 
initiative and multiplier of EU funding and support, which has made it possible to replicate and 
scale-up NEB-proven solutions. 

Knowledge and best practice exchange is crucial especially when further transformation and 
acceleration is needed, often for implementation at the local level. The NEB will launch a pilot 
for cities to exchange on  solutions on the resilience of the built environment to climate 
change  and  natural  disasters.  The  NEB  Community  will  bring  together  stakeholders  to  co-
create,  prototype  and  test  tools  and  solutions  for  transformation,  in  particular  through  its 
innovative Labs. NEB Labs currently host eight projects tackling a wide range of topics - from 
public infrastructure in Ukraine34, green transition in the Danube region35 to trans-European 

30 2021/C 501 I/03 
31 Davos Baukultur Quality System 
32 Home - Towards a shared culture of architecture - EAC 
33 Flagship action announced in the European Ocean Pact 
34 Public Infrastructure for Ukraine - New European Bauhaus - European Union  
35 NEB Lab: New European Bauhaus on the Danube - New European Bauhaus   

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Modernism36 - and new ones are being created, in particular to deliver solutions on affordable 
housing.  

Building on this experience, the Commission aims at expanding and diversifying the NEB 
Community,  attracting  new  members  from  different  sectors,  groups  and  policy  areas, 
increasing  engagement  and informing relevant  policies. The  Commission  will optimise the 
use of digital tools to facilitate interactions and collaboration, in particular at regional and 
local levels and for public-private partnerships, and to make the sharing of good practices and 
evidence-based  data  easy  and  fast.  It  will  seek  synergies  and  maximise  collaboration  with 
related initiatives, in particular by integrating the NEB values and principles in the Covenant 
of Mayors, the European Climate Pact and the Green Cities Accord. 

The Commission and the NEB Community will: 

•  Set up an EU network of local NEB Ambassadors, in cooperation with the NEB 

Local Chapters and, where relevant, with EUROPE DIRECT centres.  

•  Set-up a NEB Lab on affordable housing to collect good practices on affordable 
housing solutions focusing on off-site construction and densification in synergy with 
the EU Housing Alliance. 

•  Boost stakeholder engagement and exchange of good practices through the biennial 
NEB  Festival,  focusing  on  priority  topics  such  as  housing  and  democracy,  and 
through other relevant events such as the European Researchers’ Night. 

•  Promote  NEB prizes  to  reward  good  practices  and  raise  awareness  on  innovative 
solutions, and develop special prizes for water resilience (2026) and for innovative 
student accommodation (2027). 

•  Provide  regions  and  cities  with  a  common  space  to  co-create  and  learn  together 
through the ‘Transforming Territories NEB Experimentation Journey’37 and a 
follow-up pilot with cities on the resilience of the built environment. 

•  Ensure synergies and collaboration between the NEB Community members and the 

future EU Housing Alliance. 

3.2 The NEB Academy: Knowledge, Skills, Innovation and Funding   

A wide range of universities and competence centres have already started contributing actively 
to the NEB, to foster research, pioneer new models of education and trainings and to connect 
knowledge with business applications. In 2022, the European Commission launched the NEB 
Academy38  on  skills  for  sustainable  construction,  bringing  researchers  and  practitioners 
together to accelerate the up-skilling and re-skilling of workers in the construction ecosystem.  
The NEB Academy will now become the core infrastructure for knowledge and research, 
safe  experimentation  and  innovation,  and  skills  development,  providing  a  dynamic  link  to 
ensure that all knowledge produced under the NEB Facility R&I is channelled towards skilling 
activities, capacity-building and applied innovation.  

Three streams will power the NEB Academy:  

36 European Triennial of Modernism (ETOM) - New European Bauhaus  
37 Preparatory Action (2024-2026) - Innovation for place-based transformation 
38 NEB Academy - New European Bauhaus - European Union 

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3.2.1  Capacity building and skills development  

As a framework for training, capacity-building and skills development, the NEB Academy will 
foster systemic change across sectors. It will translate research insights into practical skills, 
develop training frameworks and learning pathways for the workforce, public authorities 
and SMEs, and strengthen the pedagogical quality, coherence and certification of NEB-related 
training  across  Europe.  Particular  attention  will  be  paid  to  SMEs  and  skilled  workers, 
recognising  that  Europe’s  clean  transition  depends  on  a  strong  productive  economy  and  on 
enabling smaller actors to innovate and compete. It will support the upskilling and reskilling 
of  the  workforce  in  the  construction  ecosystem,  in  particular  for  bio-  and  nature-based 
construction,  scaling-up  its  brand  for  high-quality  courses  and  connecting  cutting-edge 
research and practitioners. This will include support for apprenticeships and vocational training 
targeting young people. It will also promote the use of digital tools for optimising resources, 
efficiency and data-driven decision making, in line with the Digital Decade targets and by 
relying  on  the  EU  Cities  web-Portal  as  common  access  point  to  EU  tools  and  initiatives 
supporting local transitions. 

In the broader framework of the Union of Skills, the NEB Academy will also contribute to 
develop skills intelligence at EU level, supporting the European Construction Observatory39, 
the European Training Foundation40, the future European Skills Intelligence Observatory and 
the  Construction  Large-Scale  Partnership.41  It  will  also  contribute  to  the  Build  Up  Skills 
initiative42,  which  supports  energy  renovation  via  national  skills  platforms  in  all  Member 
States. 

3.2.2  Knowledge and research 

The  NEB  showcases  practical  experimentation  on  local  transformation,  generating 
evidence on the cultural, societal and environmental benefits of neighbourhood regeneration 
and  co-design.  The  scientific  community  has  shown  a  strong  interest  in  researching  the 
methods  and  impacts  of  such  integrated  approach,  and  there  is  currently  an  ecosystem  of 
doctoral  and  masters’  programmes  focused  on  the  NEB,  as  well  as  scientific  publications 
emerging  from  NEB  projects  such  as  the  Lighthouse  Demonstrators  or  the  NEB  Academy 
Alliance. However, this is still a very fragmented landscape, therefore with a limited impact in 
terms  of  tested  blueprints  offered  for  replication  to  communities,  professionals,  local 
authorities, businesses and other stakeholders.   

Through  an  evidence-based  approach,  and  by  exploiting  digital  opportunities,  the  NEB 
Academy  will  support  practitioners,  professionals,  businesses  and  authorities  in  integrating 
NEB values and principles in their initiatives and optimise the storing, sharing and assessing 
of data and good-practice evidence. The knowledge generated through experimentation and 
evidence-based design methodologies will be compiled and accessible, providing data and 
successful blueprints to mainstream and roll-out the most successful NEB experiments. The 
NEB Hub for Results and Impact43 will collect, analyse and share lessons learned and tools.  

3.2.3  Business development 

The  Commission  has  developed  a  variety  of  tools  to  help  project  developers  design  and 
implement NEB projects.44 The NEB Academy will support SMEs, start-ups and creative 

39 European Construction Observatory (ECO) 
40 Home | ETF 
41 Construction  
42 https://build-up.ec.europa.eu/en/bup-skills  
43 Implemented through Horizon Europe.   
44 Tools and resources - New European Bauhaus - European Union 

11 

 
 
 
toolboxes 

through  advisory  services  and 

to  enable  experimentation 
practitioners 
environments  and  to  trial  NEB  blueprints.  Building  on  the  solutions  developed  in  the  NEB 
Labs and through EU funded projects, the NEB Academy will create pathways for community-
led and interdisciplinary innovation to grow, replicate and reach the market, for example by 
moving innovative bio-based materials from the lab to applied use in building construction and 
renovation.  The  NEB  will  act  as  an  enabler  on  the  ground  to  implement  EU  legislation  on 
circular economy and the clean and water resilient transition by supporting businesses and 
stakeholders moving to new sustainable practices, e.g. in fashion through the NEB Fashion 
Shift (EIT). 

EIT will provide dedicated support to the NEB Academy by enhancing knowledge-sharing 
among NEB projects and launching innovation pilots through the EIT CC, by fostering and 
scaling  up  innovation  through  the  EIT  Community  NEB  Journey45,  and  by  offering  a  pre-
acceleration  pathway  for  early-stage  innovators  through  the  EIT  Jumpstarter46.  The 
Commission  and its  partners  will  support capacities  and access  to  funding, in  particular for 
small actors and funding opportunities adapted to local needs47. They will build on existing 
good practices to attract private funding and set up innovative governance and financing 
models. Investment support, including matching projects with potential investors, will also be 
supported  through  the  new  Pan  European  Investment  Platform  for  affordable  and 
sustainable housing, comprising the EIB Group, National Promotional Banks, the Council of 
Europe Development Bank (CEB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development 
(EBRD), and other financial institutions.  

Through the NEB Academy, the Commission and its partners will: 

•  Support the upskilling and reskilling of the construction sector and its value chain 
to accelerate the transition towards a more regenerative and circular system of material 
use. 

•  Launch innovation and training pilots such as the NEB Fashion Shift to help fashion 

SMEs develop circular strategies and expand into new markets  

•  Support an exploratory action for a possible NEB joint European Degree to develop 
transdisciplinary competences across architecture, design, sustainable engineering, and 
the arts that are relevant for NEB at university level. 

•  Build on and set up university-business partnerships to develop skills and competences 

in NEB-related sectors (e.g. workforce and future entrepreneurs).  

•  Strengthen the role of NEB as a space for frontier research, including by promoting 

scientific publications and academic gatherings on NEB practices and blueprints. 

•  Develop indicators and guidance to assess the effects of community-led initiatives 

that combine sustainability, inclusion and quality.  

•  Produce a digital catalogue of NEB good practices and blueprints on affordable and 
resilient  housing  in  synergy  with  the  NEB  Pilot  project  on  cities,  to  inform  local 
authorities, businesses, and practitioners on state-of-the-art solutions.  
In synergy with the European Investment Platform and building on the NEB investment 
guidelines, improve access  to  funding for smaller players through the  NEB Advisory 
Hub,  including  by  engaging  with  philanthropy  associations,  and  develop  a  NEB 
Investment Accelerator alongside this hub to attract and facilitate private, public and 

• 

45 See EIT Community NEB: Impact Report 2025. 
46 EIT Jumpstarter 
47 For example, through BlueInvest and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator. 

12 

 
 
 
blended  finance  and  the  development  of  innovative  business  models  based  on  NEB 
values and principles. 

3.3  Funding and governance  

In  five  years,  over  700  NEB  projects  have  already  been  supported.  Under  the  2021-2027 
Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), EUR 1.4 billion have been devoted to the NEB, with 
the bulk stemming from cohesion policy (over EUR 840 million) and Horizon Europe (over 
EUR 530 million). The NEB has now its first-ever multiannual funding tool, anchored in the 
Horizon Europe Programme: the NEB Facility, running from 2025 to 202748. It consists of two 
components: a research and innovation component49, with an indicative budget of around EUR 
120 million per year to develop and demonstrate novel solutions; and a roll-out component, to 
implement and scale up NEB success stories and innovations, expected to leverage the same 
amount  from  different  EU  programmes  as  well  as  national  and  private  funding.  The 
Commission, together with Member States, will strive to optimise the use, synergy and 
complementarity  of  EU  funding  across  different  levels  of  government50,  and  to  increase 
access  to  funding, especially  for small  players.  In particular, the Commission  will continue 
encouraging Member States and regions to mainstream the NEB values and principles in 
the implementation of cohesion policy and other strategies and policies relating to the built 
environment, including through the development of one NEB Lighthouse in each Member 
State.  In  collaboration  with  the  Member  States,  the  Commission  will  seek  to  diversify  the 
landscape of funding opportunities, in particular to boost support for grassroots initiatives. The 
Commission  also  invites  the  co-legislators  to  support  its  proposals  for  the  future  MFF, 
allowing for continuity of funding for the NEB Facility after 202751. 

An optimal use of the EU funding requires a strong role  of Member States, to act as a 
bridge  with  the  local  actors  and  ensure  their  access  to  funding,  but  also  to  maximise 
coordination  and  coherence  across  funding  instruments  and  policies.  Member  States 
appointed NEB National Contact Points (NCPs) in 2021. Since then, they have played  a 
crucial role in implementing the NEB at national and local levels. With the establishment of 
the NEB Facility, two additional networks were established: NEB R&I NCPs52 as well as a 
dedicated  network  of  managing  authorities  and  other  relevant  bodies  for  promoting    NEB 
investments in 2021-27 Cohesion Policy programmes53. 

Notwithstanding the progress made, most Member States lack a model and resources for a truly 
holistic multi-level  and  cross-sectoral  NEB  governance, leading to missed opportunities for 
stakeholders  and  local  authorities.  In  close  collaboration  with  the  Member  States,  the 
Commission will redefine the tasks for NEB NCPs and provide support through capacity 
building  and  funding  opportunities,  strengthening  also  their  cooperation  with  managing 
authorities, such as the  NEB P2P community. The Commission  has issued a proposal  for a 
Council Recommendation with the aim of empowering the Member States as key players in 

48 See the NEB Facility Roadmap 2025-27.  
49 The R&I component has an indicative budget of around EUR 120 million per year, implemented in the Horizon 
Europe Work Programmes for 2025-2027. 
50 Also building on good practices such as  THRIVE | Southern Regional Assembly or the delivery of the Just 
Transition Fund to advance the climate-neutral transformation of industry in Saxony-Anhalt’s coal-mining region. 
51 Commission proposals on the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2028-2035 
52 R&I NCPs support the implementation of the R&I component of the NEB Facility under Horizon Europe. 
53 NEB Peer2Peer (P2P) Community 

13 

 
 
 
 
the  NEB  governance  and  making  the  NEB  operational  from  the  neighbourhood  to  the 
European level. Implementation must respect subsidiarity and national specificities, allowing 
Member States, regions and local authorities to tailor the NEB to their environmental, cultural 
and  social  contexts.  The  NEB  therefore  reinforces  the  central  role  of  Member  States  in 
designing and steering approaches that reflect  national  priorities, governance structures  and 
local  needs,  ensuring  that  the  EU-level  supports  and  complements,  rather  than  replaces, 
domestic policy choices. The European Semester as well as the new EU Housing Alliance 
will  also  support  Member  States  to  take  holistic  approaches  that  combine  sustainability, 
affordability and quality as regards housing. 

The Commission will: 

•  Provide an easy search and overview of NEB-related funding opportunities across EU 
programmes,  including in  the EU Funding  and  Tenders Portal54 and through the EU 
Cities Platform. 

•  Provide direct tailored support to national and regional authorities for integrating the 
NEB values and principles into cohesion policy programmes, and collaborate with the 
EIB/JASPERS55 to develop additional assessment and capacity building tools. 

•  Support capacity building for public administrations and stakeholders through peer-
to-peer learning and good practice sharing, including activities such as Living Spaces56 
to promote high quality architecture and the built environment for everyone. 

•  Provide  funding  for  NEB  NCPs  and  R&I  NCPs  to  strengthen  their  capacities  and 

cooperation. 

3.4  International dimension   

Cities and neighbourhoods around the world face the same challenges as in Europe, such as 
climate impacts, water scarcity, demographic changes and housing crises. In some cases, like 
in the Global South, those challenges may be dramatic and driving migration or even conflicts. 
The NEB has the potential to bring integrated solutions beyond Europe, but also to learn 
and inspire European neighbourhoods through international practices and success stories.  

The  NEB  can  play  an  important  role  in  the  EU  enlargement  process  by  promoting 
sustainable local development, cultural heritage preservation, innovative solutions for a green 
and digital transition and the integration of social, economic and cultural values. It can provide 
a platform for candidate countries to share good practices, expertise, resources and networks, 
and  to  collaborate  with  EU  Member  States  on  joint  projects.  Since  2022,  the  NEB  has 
specifically supported Ukraine’s green recovery and participatory reconstruction through 
innovation  projects  such  as  the  circular  renovation  of  panelka  buildings  in  Chernihiv, 
sustainable land use initiatives, and green urban restoration in the Black Sea Basin57. The NEB 
aims  to  make  rebuilding  Ukraine  sustainable,  innovative,  and  inclusive  by  leveraging 
partnerships  and  resources  such  as  the  NEB  Community,  specific  guidelines  and  technical 
assistance. 

NEB  initiatives  have  also  inspired  dialogue  and  action  in  other  non-EU  countries,  in 
particular Japan, Brazil and Mexico. The Commission will continue to expand its international 
network and encourage further cooperation among interested international experts, citizens and 

54 Based on a ‘NEB flag’, currently used for Horizon Europe. 
55 Joint Assistance to Support Projects in European Regions. 
56 Living Spaces - Culture and Creativity 
57 Those projects were funded through LIFE, Horizon Europe, and Interreg. 

14 

 
 
 
 
governments  to  discuss  and  co-design  global  solutions  inspired  by  the  NEB.   In  2025,  the 
Osaka World Expo was the opportunity for the EU to showcase the NEB globally, to connect 
to  professionals  worldwide,  and  to  launch  a  specific  EU-Japan  NEB  dialogue.  The 
Commission will expand on those occasions and  also use the visibility offered by the NEB 
Festivals to showcase international good practices and testimonials. 

The Commission will: 

•  Support  Ukraine’s  reconstruction  and  urban  regeneration  by  promoting 
affordable and sustainable quality  design  through local  and replicable projects  for 
schools,  hospitals  and  cultural  heritage,  by  supporting  the  creation  of  a  NEB 
Academy  Hub,  and  by  integrating  NEB  values  across  relevant  legislation  and 
reconstruction  activities,  in  particular  through  ‘EU4Reconstruction’58  and  Local 
Digital Twins for reconstruction59. 

•  With  the  support  of  EU  Delegations,  expand  the  international  constituency  of  the 
NEB Community through local NEB networks in third countries and the creation 
of NEB Academy Hubs, notably in Japan and Brazil.  

•  Support  EU  enlargement  by  providing  funding,  capacity  building,  and  technical 

assistance to initiate NEB projects and initiatives in candidate countries. 

•  Launch an international strand of the New European Bauhaus Prizes to showcase 

and reward international projects that reflect the NEB values. 

•  Foster  international  cooperation  on  quality  architecture  through  the  Davos 

Baukultur Alliance60. 

4.  CONCLUSIONS AND WAY FORWARD 

The  NEB  has  generated  enthusiasm,  creativity  and  participation  across  Europe  and  beyond 
since it was created in 2020. By fostering innovation, skills and industrial strength, the NEB 
will  support  a  more  competitive  and  resilient  Europe,  grounded  in  high-quality  affordable 
solutions and responsibility shared across all levels of governance. The next key step will be 
the  further  mobilisation  of  relevant  actors  and  networks  across  multiple  levels  of 
governance,  policy  areas  and  economic  sectors  to  boost  the  full  potential  of  the  initiative. 
Professionals,  researchers,  authorities,  civil  society  representatives  and  businesses  are 
invited to join the NEB Community and work together to co-create and scale-up innovative 
solutions to support the regeneration of neighbourhoods and the clean transition. 

The European Commission counts on the cooperation of the European Parliament, the Council 
of the EU, the European Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social 
Committee to raise awareness and to promote the NEB and its related opportunities in their 
constituencies, to involve civil society, artists, local authorities, businesses and scientists, 
and to share available resources. It will build on the strengths of its growing community and 
will disseminate its good practices. Non-EU countries, interested international organisations 
and networks  are also invited to disseminate and support NEB values and principles and  to 
promote participatory co-designed projects and initiatives.  

58 At local level, the project will work with around 50 medium-sized “lighthouse” municipalities to prepare and 
manage reconstruction investments that reflect the “build back better” approach and the NEB values.  
59 https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/digital-twin-reconstruction-ukraine  
60 Davos Baukultur Alliance  

15 

 
 
 
 
The  Commission  invites  in  particular  the  Council  to  discuss  and  adopt  the  proposal  for  a 
Council Recommendation accompanying this Communication, in order to strengthen cross-
sectoral efforts in their respective country and to ensure that the NEB becomes operational and 
factored into relevant national, regional and local initiatives and funding.   

16