EUROPAISCHE FODERATION BAUWERKSBEGRUNUNGSVERBANDE - EFB

Their core work

EFB is the European umbrella federation for national green roof and living wall associations, representing practitioners and industry across the continent. Their core work is setting standards, providing technical guidance, and promoting the adoption of building-integrated green infrastructure — green roofs, facades, and urban growing systems. In EU research, they serve as a sector-knowledge bridge, connecting the green building industry to research consortia and helping disseminate results to practitioners. Their cross-national membership network makes them a rare asset for projects needing uptake of green infrastructure results within the construction sector.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EFB entered H2020 through an urban ecology lens: their first project (proGIreg, 2018) was grounded in on-the-ground urban greening — urban agriculture, soil regeneration, community co-production, and post-industrial regeneration in Eastern Europe. By their second project (METABUILDING, 2020), the framing shifted markedly toward systemic innovation — metaclustering, digital platforms, cascade funding, and cross-border SME ecosystems in the construction sector. This suggests EFB is moving from being a practitioner network toward a more strategic actor in the innovation system for green and sustainable construction.

EFB appears to be positioning itself as a connector between green infrastructure practice and the broader construction innovation ecosystem, making them increasingly valuable for projects that combine nature-based solutions with digital or cluster-based approaches.

How they like to work

EFB participates exclusively as a consortium partner — they have not coordinated any H2020 project. Despite their modest funding share (EUR 143,638 total across two projects), they have engaged with 59 unique partners across 15 countries, indicating they join large, multi-partner consortia where they contribute sector access and dissemination reach rather than research leadership. This profile is typical of industry associations that add value through their membership network rather than through direct research execution.

EFB has collaborated with 59 unique partners across 15 countries through just two projects, indicating participation in large, geographically diverse consortia. Their network spans both Western and Eastern Europe, consistent with proGIreg's explicit Eastern European regeneration focus.

What sets them apart

EFB is the only European-level federation specifically representing green roof and living wall associations, giving them a cross-national membership network that no single research institute or company can replicate. For projects needing access to the green building industry — contractors, architects, material suppliers — EFB provides a direct channel to practitioners across multiple European countries. Their combination of green infrastructure expertise and growing involvement in construction innovation clusters makes them a compact but strategically useful partner for projects at the environment-construction intersection.

Highlights from their portfolio

• proGIreg
  EFB's largest H2020 grant (EUR 94,538) and most thematically aligned project, directly applying productive green infrastructure to post-industrial urban regeneration across European cities.
• METABUILDING
  Signals EFB's strategic diversification into construction sector innovation ecosystems and digital platforms, moving beyond their core green roof advocacy identity.