The EU building sector needs to develop and deploy more innovative solutions in order to enhance the building stock’s energy efficiency and help meet energy and climate policy targets. The European Union is therefore supporting projects that address design and construction processes as well as new technologies, with funding from the Horizon 2020 programme. The results developed by these projects address key challenges at each stage of the value chain for new nearly zero-energy buildings, deep renovation of existing buildings, and energy-smart buildings.

The relevance of this article for policy is that it reports on the "The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) [which]requires every new building across the EU to be a Nearly Zero-Energy Building (NZEB) by the end of 2020.".  In addition "Member States have also devised long-term strategies to reduce energy consumption in existing buildings by promoting cost-effective renovations under the Energy Efficiency Directive. The European Commission’s Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME) is helping the buildings sector to meet these goals by supporting innovation in high energy performance buildings, through the Horizon 2020 programme for research and innovation."