Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to strengthen democratic systems by funding research into the independence of the judiciary and overall rule of law compliance within EU Member States and enlargement countries. - Single, clear statement: To generate new knowledge and policy recommendations that improve the accountability, transparency, effectiveness, and trustworthiness of judicial institutions and democratic governance. - Target recipient type: Research organizations, universities, public authorities, civil society organizations, and businesses with research capabilities. - Target recipient size: No explicit size limitations specified; typically open to various organizational capacities capable of conducting comprehensive research. - MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC - Geographic scope: EU Member States and countries on the path to EU enlargement. - Key filtering criteria: Proposals must focus on judicial independence, rule of law, comparative legal systems, and involve social sciences and humanities research. - Grant frequency and program context: This is a specific topic within the annual calls of the Horizon Europe Work Programme, indicating a recurring program with specific, evolving topics.

Financial Structure

Funding is provided as a lump sum contribution, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.
The maximum grant amount per project is EUR 3,500,000.
The minimum grant amount per project is EUR 3,000,000.
The total budget allocated for this topic (HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-11) is EUR 10,500,000, intending to fund approximately 3 grants.
Eligible costs for lump sum calculation include: Personnel costs (for employees, direct contractors, seconded staff, SME owners, and natural person beneficiaries), Subcontracting costs, Purchase costs (for travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services), and Other cost categories (including financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, transnational/virtual access to research infrastructure, and PCP/PPI procurement costs).
Indirect costs are calculated by applying a 25% flat rate to eligible direct cost categories.
Payments are linked to the proper implementation of agreed work packages, not to the actual costs incurred by beneficiaries.
A contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism, typically between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum, is retained.
Financial checks, reviews, or audits will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action and the fulfillment of work package conditions, rather than detailed cost reporting.
The final lump sum amount for the grant agreement is calculated by applying the reimbursement rate (typically 100% for RIA) to the total estimated eligible costs in the detailed budget table, in compliance with Article 34 of the Horizon Europe Regulation.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Legal Status

Open to any legal entity as defined by Horizon Europe general rules (as per Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes).
No explicit restrictions on organization type; generally includes universities, research organizations, public bodies, non-profit organizations, and private companies (SMEs, enterprises) with relevant research and innovation capabilities.

Geographic Location

Participants must be established in EU Member States or specific non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made funding available for Horizon Europe projects (as per Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes).
Research focus includes EU Member States and enlargement countries.

Technical & Operational Capacity

Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity to carry out the proposed research (as per Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes).
Required to undertake multidisciplinary research, including social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines.
Teams should possess expertise in legal studies, political science, public administration, criminology, and penology to conduct comparative analysis of judicial systems.

Application Specifics

Proposals must adhere to a strict page limit: Part B of the Research and Innovation Action (RIA) proposal, using lump sum, is limited to 50 pages.
Submission of a detailed budget table using the template available in the Submission System is mandatory.

Application Process

Application Submission

Application deadline: 2025-09-16 00:00:00+00.
Submission method: Applications must be submitted through a single-stage procedure via the Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service.
Required documentation: A standard application form for Research and Innovation Actions (HE RIA, IA), specific to this call, must be completed. This form is available within the Submission System.
Submission materials: A mandatory detailed budget table, using the provided template, must be submitted alongside the application form.
Page limits: Part B of the application form has a page limit of 50 pages for Research and Innovation Actions using the lump sum model.

Evaluation & Award Process

The evaluation and award process, including the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, follows the guidelines outlined in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Grant Management & Reporting

Grant funding takes the form of a lump sum, which is paid out per work package upon verification of its proper implementation.
Progress tracking mechanisms: Checks, reviews, and audits will concentrate on the technical implementation of the project and adherence to the conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
Legal and financial setup of the grants is governed by Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Support and Resources

Applicants can access comprehensive guidance through the Online Manual, the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ section.
Support is available from National Contact Points (NCPs) and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) for general guidance and business advice.
Technical assistance for the Funding & Tenders Portal is provided by the IT Helpdesk.
Specific advice on intellectual property issues is available from the European IPR Helpdesk.
A partner search tool is available on the Funding & Tenders Portal to help identify potential collaborators.

Evaluation Criteria

General Award Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the standard Horizon Europe criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and efficiency of the implementation (as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes).
Evaluation is conducted by external independent experts following standard Horizon Europe procedures.

Budget Assessment

Experts with financial expertise will rigorously check the proposed budget estimate against relevant benchmarks, such as market prices, statistical data, or historical data from comparable actions.
The assessment will verify that the proposed resources and the breakdown of lump sum shares are appropriate and sufficient to achieve the planned activities and expected outputs.
Applicants' declaration of having used their own accounting practices for budget preparation will be verified.

Project Specifics & Expected Impact

Contribution to the expected outcomes, including providing comparative research on judicial independence, impartiality, and integrity across the EU.
Potential to strengthen accountability and judicial cooperation among Member States.
Capability to improve understanding of the national implementation of international and EU standards on judicial independence.
Contribution to strengthening the EU's capacity to proactively promote the rule of law, fundamental human rights, and democracy.
Demonstration of a multidisciplinary research approach, particularly including SSH disciplines.
Quality of the comparative analysis and critical assessment of national frameworks for judicial independence, with a focus on practical implementation of national rules (e.g., appointments, workload, disciplinary proceedings).
Ability to build concrete knowledge on current legal practice, statutory frameworks, leading court cases, and major relevant developments at the national level.
Identification and highlighting of good practices in implementing international and EU rules and standards at the national level.
Development of clear policy recommendations aimed at strengthening judicial cooperation between Member States.
Encouragement for clustering and cooperation with other relevant projects funded under Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, or other EU programs (e.g., CERV, ISF).
Consideration of and leverage from EU-funded European Research Infrastructures, with a focus on making data FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Legal & Regulatory Compliance

Compliance with all conditions described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (Annex A, B, C, D, E, F, G) is mandatory.
Adherence to the Decision of 7 July 2021, which authorizes the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, is required.
Projects must comply with Regulation (EU) 2021/695, establishing Horizon Europe, and Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2018/1046 (EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509).

Data & Technical Standards

All data produced within the project context must adhere to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
Proposals should leverage data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud, as well as data from relevant Data Spaces, where applicable.

Ethical & Social Considerations

Societal engagement and Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) research are integral cross-cutting priorities for this topic.
Projects are expected to contribute to social cohesion and justice, and to promote gender equality and protect minority rights, as highlighted in the destination details.
Policy recommendations and developed solutions must be effective, relevant, and sensitive to bolster democratic resilience.

Research & Innovation Focus

The call supports Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), focusing on generating new knowledge, strategies, innovative solutions, and policy recommendations.
Research should specifically address: 'Global Challenges' (e.g., science diplomacy, disinformation, EU enlargement), 'Resilient Democracies' (e.g., extremism, radicalization, hate speech, political violence), and 'Agile Institutions & Inclusive Societies' (e.g., modernizing institutions, trust in governance, Rule of Law, judicial independence/efficiency).

Collaboration & Dissemination Expectations

Clustering and cooperation with other relevant projects (including those funded under Horizon Europe, Horizon 2020, and other EU programs such as Citizen, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) or Internal Security Fund (ISF)) are strongly encouraged.
Synergies with other relevant EU programs like Digital Europe, Technical Support Instrument, Erasmus+, ESF+, and Global Europe are encouraged for maximizing research uptake and impact.
Active involvement of stakeholders such as community organizations, policymakers, and civil society representatives is encouraged to facilitate the uptake and impact of research results.

Financial Control & Accountability

While beneficiaries are not obligated to document costs incurred for the action for grant reporting purposes, they must comply with national accounting rules.
Control mechanisms will focus on verifying the technical implementation of the action and the fulfillment of conditions for lump sum payments per work package. Failure to meet these conditions may result in recovery of undue payments.

Grant Details