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Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to equip policymakers, public authorities, and citizens with updated scientific knowledge and tools to understand, detect, and resist increasing autocratic tendencies, including digital authoritarianism and the erosion of human rights. It seeks to enable informed decisions when dealing with autocracies. - Target recipient type: Organizations capable of conducting multidisciplinary research, including universities, research institutions, civil society organizations, and businesses. - Target size: No explicit size limits, but the lump sum funding model has shown positive feedback from small to mid-sized consortia and SMEs. - This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focused on social sciences and humanities research related to democracy and governance. - Geographic scope: Organizations from EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe are eligible. - Key filtering criteria: Focus on research addressing autocratic trends, digital authoritarianism, and strategies for resistance; requirement for multidisciplinary social sciences and humanities expertise; collaborative project. - Grant frequency: Part of the annual Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025.

Financial Structure

  • Funding takes the form of a 'lump sum' contribution.
  • The maximum grant amount per project is 3,500,000 EUR.
  • The minimum grant amount per project is 3,000,000 EUR.
  • The total budget for this topic is 10,500,000 EUR.
  • Currency: EUR.
  • Eligible costs are based on estimated direct and indirect project costs and include: Personnel costs (employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners), subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods/services), and other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services, access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement costs).
  • Ineligible costs are those explicitly stated as ineligible under Horizon Europe rules.
  • Indirect costs are calculated at a 25% flat rate on qualifying direct costs and are included in the lump sum calculation.
  • Payments are made per work package upon proper implementation of the corresponding work and compliance with grant agreement obligations.
  • Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules.
  • Between 5% and 8% of the total lump sum is retained for the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
  • Financial reporting does not require reporting of actual costs; focus is on technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.
  • Co-financing principle: The total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated Union contributions, implying that the grant may not cover 100% of all project costs.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Organization Types
  • UNIVERSITIES: Research and academic institutions.
  • NGOs: Civil society organizations involved in democracy, human rights, or social issues.
  • PUBLIC: Public authorities or governmental research bodies.
  • ENTERPRISE: Businesses, including SMEs, engaged in relevant research or technology development.
  • OTHER: Any legal entity established in an eligible country capable of conducting Research and Innovation Actions.
Geographic Location Requirements
  • Organizations must be established in one of the EU Member States or a country associated with Horizon Europe.
  • Eligible EU Member States include: 'AT', 'BE', 'BG', 'HR', 'CY', 'CZ', 'DK', 'EE', 'FI', 'FR', 'DE', 'GR', 'HU', 'IE', 'IT', 'LV', 'LT', 'LU', 'MT', 'NL', 'PL', 'PT', 'RO', 'SK', 'SI', 'ES', 'SE', 'BA', 'GE', 'IS', 'IL', 'MD', 'ME', 'MK', 'NO', 'RS', 'TR', 'TN', 'UA', 'UK', 'XK' (Kosovo under UNSCR 1244/99).
Consortium Requirements
  • A consortium of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country, is typically required for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).
  • International cooperation is encouraged.
  • Collaboration and clustering with other EU-funded projects are encouraged.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission
  • Application Submission Window: Opens on '2025-05-15'.
  • Application Deadline: '2025-09-16 00:00:00+0000'.
  • Submission Format: Single-stage online submission through the Electronic Submission System on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Required Documentation
  • Part B of the Application Form: This is the main proposal document, with a page limit of '50 pages' for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) using lump sum funding.
  • Detailed Budget Table: A mandatory submission using a specific template available in the Submission System.
  • Standard application form (HE RIA) will be used.
Evaluation and Selection Process
  • Proposals are evaluated by external independent experts based on excellence, expected impact, and quality/efficiency of implementation.
  • Financial experts will check the budget estimate for each work package based on benchmarks and historical data.
  • The awarding authority will determine the final lump sum amount based on the evaluation findings.
Post-Award Requirements
  • Grant agreements will be based on the Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement (MGA).
  • Compliance with all grant agreement obligations is required.
  • Checks and reviews will focus on the technical implementation of the action, specifically the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
  • Other aspects subject to checks include ethics and research integrity, dissemination and exploitation of results, management of intellectual property, and gender equality.

Evaluation Criteria

Overall Quality Assessment
  • Proposals will be evaluated based on 'excellence', 'expected impact', and 'quality and efficiency of the implementation'.
Excellence
  • Scientific and methodological rigor of the proposed research.
  • Novelty and innovative aspects in addressing autocratic tendencies and resistance strategies.
  • Multidisciplinary approach: Integration of fields such as political science, law, sociology, philosophy, psychology, media and digital studies, gender studies, and history.
  • Engagement of citizens and civil society organizations in activity development to ensure calibration and uptake.
Expected Impact
  • Contribution to equipping policymakers, public authorities, and citizens with updated scientific knowledge and tools regarding autocratic tendencies.
  • Development of methods and tools for early warning, characterization, and identification of resistance tactics.
  • Enablement of relevant actors (democratic governments, media, civil society organizations) to make more informed decisions when engaging with autocracies.
  • Contribution to invigorating democratic governance by improving accountability, transparency, effectiveness, and trustworthiness of institutions.
  • Expansion of active and inclusive citizen participation and engagement.
  • Safeguarding of fundamental rights.
  • Development of a robust evidence base for effective, relevant, and sensitive policies.
  • Alignment with specific impact areas: Global Challenges (e.g., science diplomacy, disinformation), Resilient Democracies (e.g., extremism, polarization, anti-democratic tendencies, politically motivated violence), and Agile Institutions & Inclusive Societies (e.g., innovative public administration, trust in governance, Rule of Law).
Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation
  • Soundness of the proposed methodology and work plan.
  • Coherence and effectiveness of the work packages.
  • Appropriateness of the resources allocated, including budget estimation, personnel, and infrastructure.
  • The feasibility of the proposed approach, including risk management.
  • Competence and expertise of the project team members.
  • Appropriateness of the lump sum budget estimate, checked against relevant benchmarks and resource assessment.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Ethical Compliance
  • Adherence to all conditions outlined in Annex A, B, C, D, E, F, and G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
  • Compliance with the 'Decision of 7 July 2021' regarding the use of lump sum contributions.
  • Emphasis on ethical standards and safeguarding fundamental rights, especially in politically sensitive research areas.
Data Management and Intellectual Property
  • Data produced within the project should adhere to 'FAIR' principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
  • Proposals should leverage data and services from European Research Infrastructures and relevant Data Spaces.
  • While not detailed, management of intellectual property is an area subject to checks during the project implementation.
Risk Management
  • The lump sum funding model is designed to minimize financial error rates by shifting focus from cost reporting to technical implementation and output delivery.
  • Risks related to technical implementation and achieving work package conditions will be assessed.
Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities
  • This topic addresses the critical and growing challenge of autocratic tendencies globally and within established democracies.
  • Strong encouragement for 'international cooperation' and 'synergies' with other relevant EU programs (e.g., Digital Europe, CERV, Erasmus+, ESF+, Global Europe).
  • Applicants are encouraged to collaborate with existing projects from previous EU calls (e.g., HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01-05, Horizon 2020 GOVERNANCE topics).
  • The grant encourages interdisciplinary research, combining social sciences and humanities perspectives.
  • Specific attention to the role of media literacy, culture, creativity, and arts in countering autocratic trends.
  • Focus on the impact of autocratic practices on vulnerable groups, including LGBTIQ people and various minorities.
  • Investigation into how autocracies use gender equality reforms for image boosting, while overall impacting gender equality negatively.
  • Addressing 'digital authoritarianism' and strategies for resistance in the digital realm.
  • Exploring the interrelations between science skepticism, science denial, distrust in democracies, and autocratic appeal.

Grant Details

autocracy authoritarianism autocratisation democratic resilience political science political systems governance political theory research social sciences humanities digital misinformation disinformation rule of law human rights equality inclusion sociology philosophy psychology media studies gender studies history innovation societal challenges policy democracy
The autocratic appeal: nature, drivers and strategies
HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-07
Horizon Europe
RESEARCH UNIVERSITY NGO ENTERPRISE SME OTHER
AT BE BG HR CY CZ DK EE FI FR DE GR HU IE IT LV LT LU MT NL PL PT RO SK SI ES SE
EDUCATION SOCIAL OTHER
DEVELOPMENT
OTHER
SDG5 SDG10 SDG16
FUNDING RESEARCH_DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY_BUILDING
10500000.00
3000000.00
3500000.00
EUR
None
Sept. 16, 2025, midnight
None