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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

GRANT PURPOSE AND TARGET

The core objective of this grant is to strengthen and augment an existing European network of democracy researchers and practitioners, contributing to EU policy aimed at renewing and reinforcing democracy.
It targets research organisations, public bodies with policy-making roles, civil society organisations, and practitioners of civic participation and deliberation.
This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant, focused on social sciences and humanities research related to democracy, governance, and civic engagement.
Geographic scope is primarily Europe, specifically EU Member States and Associated Countries. Legal entities from non-associated third countries may participate exceptionally.
Key filtering criteria: Applicant must be part of a consortium including a public body with a policy-making role and a civil society organisation. The project must build upon the work of the 'Nets4Dem' network.
This grant is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically the 'Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society' work programme for 2025, continuing prior efforts in strengthening European democracy.

Financial Structure

FINANCIAL STRUCTURE

Funding will be provided as a lump sum contribution.
The maximum grant amount for this specific topic is 3,500,000 EUR.
The minimum contribution identified for this specific topic is 3,000,000 EUR.
Only one project is expected to be funded for this topic.
Eligible costs for lump sum calculation include:
Personnel costs (employees, direct contract, seconded, SME owners/natural persons).
Subcontracting costs.
Purchase costs (travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods/works/services).
Other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, transnational/virtual access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement, Euratom Cofund staff mobility, ERC additional funding).
Indirect costs are calculated by applying a 25% flat rate to eligible direct costs.
Payments do not depend on costs actually incurred; they are made upon the proper implementation of the corresponding work packages.
Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules.
A contribution of 5% to 8% of the total lump sum is retained for the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.
Co-financing principle applies: the total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated Union contribution.

Eligibility Requirements

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Organizational Type and Structure

Legal entities are eligible.
Consortium required: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium.
A consortium must include, as beneficiaries or affiliated entities:
at least one public body with a policy-making role.
at least one civil society organisation.

Geographic Location

Eligible Countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes (typically EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries).
Legal entities established in non-associated third countries may exceptionally participate as a beneficiary or affiliated entity, if eligible for funding.

Project Requirements

The project must build on, rather than repeat or reproduce, the work produced by 'Nets4Dem' under the previous 'HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-02-01' call.

Financial Capacity

Financial and operational capacity will be assessed as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

APPLICATION PRACTICAL INFORMATION Application Timeline and Deadlines

The submission session opened on 2025-05-15.
The application deadline is 2025-09-16 00:00:00+0000.
This is a single-stage submission process.
The project should have a minimum duration of 36 months.

Required Documentation and Materials

Application form, specific to this call, available in the Submission System.
Part B of a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) has a page limit of 33 pages.
A detailed budget table using the provided template is mandatory.

Application Procedure

Submission is via the Electronic Submission Service on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Applicants must create an EU Login account or use third-party sign-in options.

Support Availability

Online Manual: Guide for proposal submission and grant management.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide: Detailed guidance on structure, budget, and political priorities.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ: Answers to frequently asked questions.
Research Enquiry Service: For general inquiries about European research.
National Contact Points (NCPs): Guidance and assistance for participation in Horizon Europe.
Enterprise Europe Network (EEN): Advice for businesses, especially SMEs.
IT Helpdesk: For technical issues with the Funding & Tenders Portal.
European IPR Helpdesk: Assistance on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk: Advice on standardisation.
Partner Search: Tools to find partner organizations.

Evaluation Criteria

EVALUATION CRITERIA Proposals will be evaluated by external independent experts based on the following criteria: Excellence

Scientific/technical quality of the proposed work.
Soundness of the proposed methodology.

Expected Impact

Credible pathway to contributing to the expected impact of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan, which includes:
Reinvigorating democratic governance by improving accountability, transparency, effectiveness, and trustworthiness of institutions and policies based on rule of law.
Expanding active and inclusive citizens' participation and engagement.
Developing a robust evidence base for effective, relevant, and sensitive policies that bolster democratic systems' resilience.
Contribution to generating new knowledge, understanding, strategies, methods, innovative solutions, and policy recommendations.
Promotion of gender equality and protection of minority rights are considered necessities that reinforce social cohesion and justice.
Encouraged to foster international cooperation where relevant to maximize R&I impacts.

Quality and Efficiency of Implementation

Quality and efficiency of the proposed implementation plan.
Appropriateness of the resources proposed.
Assessment of the detailed budget estimate:
Experts with financial knowledge will check the budget estimate based on relevant benchmarks (market prices, statistical data, historical data).
They will assess whether the proposed resources and lump sum breakdown allow for achieving the activities and expected outputs.
Proposals must include a declaration by beneficiaries that they have used their own accounting practices for budget preparation.

Cross-cutting Themes

Consideration of inclusivity and diversity, particularly in capacity building activities on participatory and deliberative democracy.

Compliance & Special Requirements

COMPLIANCE AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS Regulatory and Legal Compliance

Adherence to the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (Annex A, B, C, D, F, G).
Compliance with the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under Horizon Europe.
Compliance with Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 2018/1046 (Financial Regulation).

Data and Research Standards

Data produced in the context of this grant should be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
Research activities must adhere to ethical standards and research integrity principles.

Monitoring and Reporting

Checks, reviews, and audits will focus on the technical implementation of the action and the fulfilment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
There is no obligation to report actual costs incurred; the focus is on the completion of work packages.

Intellectual Property (IP) Policies

General Horizon Europe rules on intellectual property management apply.

Special Considerations

Lump Sum Funding Model: This grant uses a lump sum contribution model, which simplifies financial management by focusing on the delivery of work packages rather than detailed cost reporting. Payments are tied to the completion of defined outputs, not incurred costs.
Building on existing work: The proposal must build upon the work of the 'Nets4Dem' network established under 'HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-02-01', ensuring continuity and avoiding duplication.
Consortium Composition: A key requirement is the inclusion of at least one public body with a policy-making role and at least one civil society organisation, emphasizing collaboration between research, policy, and practice.
Strategic Alignment: Projects should align with the EU's broader objective of strengthening and renewing democracy, including addressing issues like disinformation, extremism, and trust in institutions.
Cross-cutting themes: Proposals should consider and integrate aspects of gender equality, protecting minority rights, and enhancing diversity and inclusion.
Knowledge Sharing: Expected outcomes include creating accessible, publicly available policy recommendations through a central open-access repository, and organizing networking events, retreats, and conferences for knowledge exchange.

Grant Details