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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Core objective: To equip EU institutions, national decision-makers, and relevant societal actors with knowledge and tools to effectively combat disinformation and information manipulation, while simultaneously safeguarding the fundamental right to freedom of expression.
Target recipients: Research organizations, universities, public bodies, private corporations (especially in media and technology sectors), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), educational bodies, cultural heritage institutions, and fact-checkers.
Target size: Not explicitly limited by size, open to organizations of varying capacities involved in research and societal impact.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Focuses on Social Sciences & Humanities, Media, Technology, Governance, and Public Policy.
Geographic scope: EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe (as per general Horizon Europe rules).
Key filtering criteria for initial screening: Proposals must address the complex interplay between fighting disinformation and protecting freedom of expression, offer research-based solutions, and involve a wide array of stakeholders.
Grant frequency and program context: Part of the Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme, specifically under the 'Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society' cluster. These calls are recurring within the Horizon Europe framework (2021-2027).

Financial Structure

Funding is provided as a lump sum contribution, which simplifies financial management by focusing on work package completion rather than detailed cost reporting.
The estimated project budget for this topic ranges from €3,000,000 (minimum) to €3,500,000 (maximum) per grant.
The total budget allocated for this specific topic is €10,500,000, with 3 expected grants.
Eligible costs, which form the basis for calculating the lump sum, include: personnel costs (employees, contracted persons, seconded persons, SME owners), subcontracting costs, purchase costs (travel, subsistence, equipment, other goods, works and services), and other cost categories (financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services, research infrastructure access, PCP/PPI procurement costs).
Ineligible costs under Horizon Europe rules must be excluded from the lump sum calculation.
Indirect costs are calculated by applying a 25% flat rate to the eligible direct costs.
Payments are tied to the proper implementation and completion of corresponding work packages as defined in the grant agreement, not on actual incurred costs.
There is no requirement for beneficiaries to report actual costs to the granting authority, nor are there typical financial ex-post audits.
Pre-financing follows standard Horizon Europe rules, and 5-8% of the total lump sum is retained as a contribution to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Legal Status

Eligible organizations are defined in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
A consortium approach is typically expected for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) of this nature, involving multiple beneficiaries.
Specific types of organizations encouraged to be involved include: public bodies, policymakers, private corporates (especially media organizations, online news platforms, digital services), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), fact-checkers, educational bodies, education and security practitioners, libraries, and other cultural heritage institutions.
Entities that are signatories of the Code of Practice on Disinformation, or are subject to the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA), are specifically encouraged to participate in research activities.

Geographic Location

Eligible countries are as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. This generally includes all EU Member States and countries associated with the Horizon Europe Programme.

Financial & Operational Capacity

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

Proposal Admissibility

Proposals must adhere to a page limit: Part B of the Research and Innovation (RIA) application using a lump sum has a maximum of 50 pages.
The layout must conform to specifications in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
It is mandatory to submit a detailed budget table using the template provided in the Submission System.

Application Process

Application Deadlines

The submission session opened on 2025-05-15.
The final application deadline is 2025-09-16 00:00 UTC.

Submission Process

Applications must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission Service.
The process follows a single-stage submission model.
Applicants will need to authenticate using an EU Login account or a compatible third-party sign-in service.

Required Documentation and Materials

The application includes Part B of the Research and Innovation (RIA) application form, which has a page limit of 50 pages for lump sum proposals.
A detailed budget table is mandatory and must be submitted using the specific template provided in the Submission System (version 3.3 for HE LS).

Support and Guidance Available

Applicants can access the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ for procedural and program details.
Support is available from the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs) in EU and associated countries, and the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) for SMEs.
Technical assistance for submission is provided by the IT Helpdesk.
Intellectual property (IP) advice can be sought from the European IPR Helpdesk.
Guidance on standardisation in project proposals is available from CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk.
Information on researcher roles, responsibilities, and entitlements is in The European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct.
A Partner Search tool is available to help find collaboration partners.

Project Implementation and Post-Award Requirements

Project payments are contingent upon the proper technical implementation and completion of defined work packages.
Clustering and cooperation with other selected projects under this topic and other relevant projects are strongly encouraged.
Projects are expected to leverage data and services from European Research Infrastructures, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and relevant Data Spaces where applicable.
Data produced within the project should adhere to FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on three main criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and efficiency of the implementation.
External independent experts will assess the quality of proposals against these criteria.

Financial Aspects of Evaluation

Experts with financial knowledge will review the detailed budget estimate provided by applicants.
The budget will be checked against relevant benchmarks such as market prices, statistical data, and historical data from comparable actions.
Experts will assess whether the proposed resources and the breakdown of lump sum shares are sufficient and appropriate for achieving the outlined activities and expected outputs.
Applicants must confirm that their estimated budget was prepared following their own accounting practices.
The final lump sum amount in the grant agreement will be adjusted based on the findings and recommendations from this financial assessment.

Expected Outcomes and Impact (Specific to this Topic) Proposals should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: - EU institutions, national decision-makers, practitioners, and civil society organizations are better equipped to confront and prevent mis- and disinformation, while respecting freedom of expression. - EU institutions and national decision-makers gain a better understanding of stakeholders opposing anti-disinformation policies, including their narratives and drivers, to improve engagement. - EU institutions and national decision-makers understand how digital media shapes public opinion and can regulate it without compromising citizens' rights to information, media freedom, privacy, and data protection. In addition, proposals should contribute to at least one of the following: - Media, education, and security practitioners become more knowledgeable about tools and legal remedies to counter narratives opposing anti-disinformation policies. - EU institutions and national decision-makers better understand the role of independent media, 'media dissemination hubs,' and 'professional mediators' in facilitating access to professionally produced content. - EU institutions, national decision-makers, and media practitioners understand astroturfing, its use in spreading mis/disinformation, and are equipped with tools and policy recommendations to counter it. - Relevant actors have adequate educational materials to design and implement initiatives against mis/disinformation without harming freedom of expression. Scope and Research Focus

Investigation into how media systems (especially data-driven ones) foster disinformation, including gendered disinformation and anti-LGBTIQ rhetoric.
Exploration of market incentives for media that promote mis- and disinformation.
Development of regulations to counter disinformation that comply with fundamental rights, such as freedom of expression and pluralistic news media.
Design and management of trust indicators and comparison tools for online news media (e.g., browser plugins, journalism trust indicators) to help citizens distinguish journalistic content from opinions.
Research into the role of 'professional mediators' (journalists, editors) and 'media dissemination hubs' in shaping public discourse.
Development of policy recommendations and methodologies for legal safeguards protecting open civic discourse (e.g., against Holocaust denial, hate speech).
Emphasis on building upon past EU-funded projects and collaborating with ongoing ones.
Requirement to involve a wide range of stakeholders, including non-scientific and non-academic actors (e.g., public bodies, policymakers, private corporates, media organizations, NGOs, CSOs, fact-checkers, educational bodies, cultural heritage institutions).
Encouragement to use participative methodologies and experimental methods.
Where applicable, proposals should leverage data and services from European Research Infrastructures, European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), and relevant Data Spaces. Data produced should be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Legal & Financial Framework

The grant operates under the Decision of 7 July 2021, which authorizes the use of lump sum contributions within the Horizon Europe Programme.
The legal and financial set-up of grants is further detailed in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Data & Intellectual Property

Produced data should be FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).
Specific intellectual property policies, as outlined in the general grant agreement (MGA) and Work Programme General Annexes, will apply.

Ethical & Societal Standards

Compliance with ethical standards and research integrity is a key focus for monitoring and review.
Proposals should demonstrate how they promote gender equality and protect minority rights, recognizing these as crucial for social cohesion and justice.
Research should contribute to more inclusive, flexible, and adaptable democratic systems.

Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration

Projects are expected to involve a wide range of stakeholders, including public bodies, policymakers, private corporates (especially media and digital service providers), media organizations, NGOs, CSOs, fact-checkers, educational bodies, and cultural heritage institutions.
Active involvement of signatories of the Code of Practice on Disinformation and entities subject to the Digital Services Act (DSA) and European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) is specifically encouraged in research activities.

Risk Management and Monitoring

Due to the lump sum funding model, checks, reviews, and audits will primarily focus on the technical implementation of the action, including the fulfillment of work package conditions, rather than detailed financial expenditures.
Failure to meet the conditions for payment of a work package will result in the non-payment of the corresponding lump sum, and the grant may be reduced.

International Cooperation and Synergies

International cooperation is encouraged where relevant to maximize the impact of research and innovation efforts.
Projects should seek synergies and potential complementarities with other relevant EU programs, including Digital Europe (DIGITAL), Technical Support Instrument, CERV (Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values), Erasmus+, ESF+, and Global Europe: Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument.

Grant Details