Deadline: 24 January 2023

The European Commission (EC) has announced proposals for sustainable and resource-efficient solutions for an open, accessible, inclusive, resilient and low-emission cultural heritage: prevention, monitoring, management, maintenance and renovation.

Reach

The proposal must:

• Providing technically and socially innovative, sustainable, energy and resource-efficient solutions for the economic improvement and preservation of the built environment of cultural heritage in all relevant aspects: inclusion, accessibility, resilience, environmental and energy performance.
• Ensure that the proposed solutions cover all relevant aspects of the heritage built environment's life cycle: design, renovation works, operation, monitoring and management and maintenance.
• Ensure that the proposed solutions make it possible to maintain the heritage value (e.g. artistic, historical, archaeological, social and scientific) of the targeted sites, improving access and comfort for users and visitors, and reducing maintenance and operating costs.
• Ensure, where relevant, that the proposed solutions are based on historical or traditional (adapted) construction techniques and materials for sustainable restoration.
• Ensure that the proposed solutions include low natural maintenance as well as advanced renovation techniques for high-quality design and construction, including new digital technologies, while preserving the cultural value of the targeted sites.
• Ensure that the proposed solutions help to facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources while respecting the aesthetic and cultural identity of the target buildings.
• Ensuring that the proposed solutions contribute to a cost-effective improvement in energy performance, while also reducing the cost of interventions compared to traditional methods.
• Ensure the involvement of relevant stakeholder groups (e.g. civil society organisations, associations, cultural heritage stakeholders such as cultural heritage protection bodies) and the acceptance of citizens thanks to co-creation processes and socially innovative ideas.
• Provide and demonstrate decision-support tools for optimised, low-disruption renovation of the heritage built environment to increase sustainability.
• Grouping and co-operation with other relevant projects is strongly encouraged; for example, with the Horizon Europe Partnership on 'Driving urban transitions'.
• This topic requires the effective contribution of HSS disciplines and the involvement of HSS specialists, institutions, as well as the inclusion of relevant HSS experts, in order to produce significant and meaningful effects, increasing the social impact of related research activities.
• This topic should consider social innovation as a driver of social change, new social practices, social ownership and/or market acceptance.

Financing information

The check will normally be made for the coordinator if the amount of the grant requested is equal to or greater than 500,000 euros, except for:

• public bodies (entities established as public bodies under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
• cases where the amount of the individual grant requested does not exceed 60,000 euros (low-value grant).

Expected results

The results of the project are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Greater availability and better overall performance, including in terms of cost-effectiveness, of solutions applicable to the reliable and respectful historic renovation of heritage buildings, preserving their architectural and cultural identity.
• Proven potential for sustainable, energy and resource-efficient renovation of historic buildings.
• Better protection of the value and inclusion, accessibility and long-term usability of cultural heritage sites.
• More economical and less disruptive modernisation and preservation of the built environment.
• Improved prevention and monitoring of the estate's built environment.
• The most important role of cultural heritage in the implementation, presentation and replication of solutions for a sustainable built environment.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be based in one of the eligible countries, i.e:

• the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
• the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
• eligible non-EU countries:
  • countries associated with Horizon Europe;
  • low- and middle-income countries.

For more information, visit European Commission.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3KTuQ9G