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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The grant's core objective is to enhance understanding and engagement on intergenerational fairness in the EU, provide scientific knowledge and data for evidence-informed policies, and develop actionable plans to adapt the European economic and social model to reduce intergenerational imbalances.
The target recipients are primarily research-oriented organizations, including universities, research centers, social partners (trade unions, business organizations), civil society organizations, practitioners, vocational education and training (VET) providers, and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
This grant is SECTOR-SPECIFIC, focusing on social sciences, humanities, public policy, and demographic studies.
The geographic scope includes all EU Member States. Organizations from a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible for funding if specific provisions have been made.
Key filtering criteria for initial screening are a focus on intergenerational fairness, demographic change, and the generation of scientific knowledge to directly inform public policy.
This is a recurring grant opportunity, part of the broader Horizon Europe program.
The program context is Horizon Europe, specifically Cluster 2 'Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society', within the 'Innovative Research on Social and Economic Transformations' destination.

Financial Structure

Funding for this grant will be provided as a lump sum contribution.
The total budget allocated for this topic is 10200000 EUR.
It is expected that 3 grants will be awarded under this topic.
The minimum contribution per grant is 3000000 EUR.
The maximum contribution per grant is 4000000 EUR.
Eligible costs that can be covered by the lump sum include:
Personnel costs (employees, direct contract workers, seconded persons, SME owners, natural person beneficiaries).
Subcontracting costs.
Purchase costs (travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services).
Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services, transnational access to research infrastructure costs, virtual access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement costs, Euratom Cofund staff mobility costs, ERC additional funding).
Costs that are ineligible under Horizon Europe rules must not be included.
Indirect costs are calculated by applying a flat rate of 25% to the direct cost categories that qualify.
Payments are based on the proper implementation of corresponding work packages and do not depend on actual costs incurred.
A retention of 5% to 8% of the total lump sum is made as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
While beneficiaries are not required to document costs incurred for the granting authority, they remain subject to national accounting rules.
Compliance with co-financing principles is ensured, meaning the total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated Union contributions where the EU contribution partially covers costs.
Double funding is actively avoided through checks during evaluation, grant agreement preparation, and implementation.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type

Eligible organizations include universities, research centers, social partners (trade unions and business organizations), civil society organizations, practitioners, VET providers, and SMEs.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may participate as a member of the consortium selected for funding.

Geographic Location

Organizations from EU Member States are eligible.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects (applicants should consult the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for details).

Consortium Requirements

Applications must be submitted by a consortium.
The consortium should bring together the right mix of actors to achieve the highest quality research and maximize societal and economic impact.

Submission Conditions

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

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must meet financial and operational capacity requirements as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

Applications must be submitted through the Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service.
The application form specific to this call is available within the Submission System.
Applicants will use the standard Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (RIA) application form.
A mandatory detailed budget table, provided as a template in the Submission System, must be submitted alongside the proposal.

Submission Deadlines

The call opened on 2025-05-15.
The definitive submission deadline is 2025-09-16.
The submission procedure is a single-stage process.

Review and Selection Process

Proposals will be evaluated by external independent experts according to standard Horizon Europe procedures.
The evaluation covers excellence, expected impact, and quality/efficiency of implementation.
Experts with financial knowledge will check the budget estimate based on benchmarks (e.g., market prices, historical data).
Following evaluation, the final lump sum amount will be established, potentially with modifications based on expert recommendations.

Grant Agreement and Implementation

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, as detailed in the Decision of 7 July 2021.
The final lump sum contribution will be stipulated as the maximum grant amount in the grant agreement.
Lump sum contributions for work packages will be paid to the coordinator once conditions for their proper implementation are met.

Support and Resources

Comprehensive guidance is available via the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
Support services include the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and European Standards Organisations' Research Helpdesks.
The European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for their recruitment provide ethical and professional guidelines.
A partner search functionality is available to assist in forming consortia.

Evaluation Criteria

General Criteria (based on Horizon Europe)

Excellence: Assesses the quality of the research, methodology, and the extent of innovation.
Impact: Evaluates the potential for societal, economic, and scientific impact, and alignment with EU strategic priorities.
Quality and Efficiency of Implementation: Examines the soundness of the work plan, appropriateness of proposed resources, and management structure.

Specific Scoring Factors

In-depth analysis of at least 3 different drivers of intergenerational inequalities (e.g., education, labor market opportunities, wealth accumulation/distribution, housing affordability, well-being, health including environmental impact, role of institutions, public services).
Investigation of intergenerational fairness, solidarity, and trust through an intersectional lens, explicitly considering gender, family structure, racial or ethnic origin, socioeconomic, and migration backgrounds.
Focus on developing and/or forecasting intergenerational fairness indicators.
Ability to draw lessons from recent policy interventions in EU Member States and propose or test adjustment measures through social innovation experiments.
Focus on democratic participation and socially inclusive pathways to co-creating public values for current and future generations.
Contribution to strengthening social and economic resilience and sustainability.
Contribution to boosting inclusive growth and effectively reducing vulnerabilities, poverty, and inequalities.
Leveraging data and services from European Research Infrastructures, particularly those in social sciences and humanities (e.g., SHARE, CESSDA) and those federated under the European Open Science Cloud and relevant Data Spaces.
Ensuring that data produced in the context of the research is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
Encouragement of international cooperation where relevant to maximize impact.
Engagement with a vast array of stakeholders, including universities, research centers, social partners, civil society organizations, practitioners, VET providers, and SMEs.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Legal and Financial Compliance

Projects must adhere to the Decision of 7 July 2021, which authorizes the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.
Pre-financing will follow the standard Horizon Europe rules.

Reporting and Monitoring

Checks, reviews, and audits will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action, including the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
Other aspects subject to scrutiny include ethics and research integrity, dissemination and exploitation of results, management of intellectual property, and gender equality.
Beneficiaries are not obligated to document costs incurred for the granting authority, but they must comply with national accounting rules.

Data and Research Requirements

Applicants are encouraged to leverage data and services from existing and future EU-funded European Research Infrastructures, particularly those in the social sciences and humanities domain (e.g., SHARE, CESSDA).
Data produced within the project must be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
The involvement of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) is encouraged, given its role in bridging research activities and policymaking.

Ethical Standards

Compliance with ethical standards and research integrity principles is mandatory.

Cross-Cutting Themes and Policy Alignment

Proposals should investigate intergenerational fairness through an intersectional lens, considering gender, family structure, racial/ethnic origin, socioeconomic, and migration backgrounds.
Alignment with key EU policies and strategies is expected, including: the European Pillar of Social Rights (employment, training, poverty reduction targets), European Education Area targets, Union of Equality policies (disability rights, gender equality, anti-racism, Roma equality, LGBTIQ+ equality), the Communication on Demographic change in Europe, the EU's just transition policy framework, the Council Recommendation on strengthening social dialogue, the European Child Guarantee, and the Council Recommendation on adequate minimum income.

Collaboration and Dissemination

Clustering and cooperation with other selected projects under this call and other relevant projects are strongly encouraged.
There is an expectation to maximize feedback to policy and the dissemination and exploitation of research and innovation results and practices.

Risk Management

The lump sum approach aims to minimize administrative burden and financial errors, with controls focusing on technical implementation and output delivery. Undue payments can be recovered if work package conditions are not met.

Grant Details