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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant, a Research and Innovation Action (RIA) under Horizon Europe, aims to deepen the understanding of how economic inequalities affect democratic systems. It seeks to generate new knowledge, strategies, and policy recommendations to strengthen democratic resilience. - Single, clear statement: To enhance understanding and address the impact of economic inequalities on democratic processes and trust, with a focus on diverse demographic groups and territorial contexts. - Target recipient type and size: Primarily research organizations, universities, public bodies, and non-governmental organizations, as well as companies engaged in research (SMEs, enterprises). No specific size limits are provided. - SECTOR-SPECIFIC - Geographic scope and any location requirements: Open to entities from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries (as per Annex B of Work Programme General Annexes). - Key filtering criteria: Focus on interdisciplinary social sciences and humanities research, addressing economic inequalities and their democratic implications, with an emphasis on intersectionality and stakeholder involvement. - Grant frequency and program context: This is a call within the Horizon Europe 'Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society' Work Programme 2025, specifically under the 'Democracy' destination. It is part of a recurring EU research funding framework.

Financial Structure

Funding mechanism: Grants will take the form of a lump sum contribution, which is a fixed amount not dependent on actual costs incurred.
Grant budget per project: Each selected project is expected to receive between 3000000.0 EUR and 3500000.0 EUR.
Total budget for this topic: The total budget allocated for this specific topic (HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-08) for 2025 is 10500000.0 EUR, with 3 expected grants.
Eligible costs: Lump sum contributions cover estimated direct and indirect project costs, including personnel costs, subcontracting, purchase costs (travel, equipment, other goods/services), and other specific cost categories (e.g., financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods/services, research infrastructure access).
Ineligible costs: Costs that would typically be ineligible under standard Horizon Europe rules are excluded from the lump sum calculation.
Indirect cost policy: A flat rate of 25% for indirect costs is included in the calculation of the lump sum contribution.
Co-financing: The total estimated costs of the action must be greater than the estimated Union contribution, ensuring compliance with the co-financing principle.
Payment schedule: Payments are made upon the proper implementation and completion of corresponding work packages, as agreed in the grant agreement. Unmet work packages are not paid but can be re-evaluated in subsequent reporting periods.
Financial reporting: Beneficiaries do not report actual costs; instead, reporting focuses on the technical implementation and fulfillment of work package conditions.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Legal Status

Eligible organization types: Universities, research organizations, public sector entities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and larger enterprises conducting research.
Legal structure preferences: Must comply with Horizon Europe rules for legal entity validation.

Geographic & Regulatory

Geographic location requirements: Applicants must be established in an EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe, as defined in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Regulatory compliance: Adherence to EU financial regulations and specific Horizon Europe rules (e.g., related to lump sum funding).

Technical & Capacity

Technical expertise requirements: Projects require strong research capabilities in social sciences and humanities, including economics, political science, sociology, psychology, gender studies, history, and public policy. Expertise in data science techniques is also encouraged.
Organizational capacity requirements: Must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Partnership & Collaboration

Partnership requirements: A consortium approach is typically required, involving diverse disciplinary perspectives and a broad array of stakeholders (e.g., trade unions, civil society organizations, social welfare bodies, local government representatives).

Exclusion Criteria

Exclusion factors: As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes (e.g., for financial insolvency, grave professional misconduct, fraud).

Application Process

Application Process Overview

Submission procedure: Single-stage submission process.
Application forms: Standard application form (HE RIA) specific to this call is available in the Submission System.
Submission platform: Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Deadlines and Timeline

Application deadline: 2025-09-16 00:00:00+00.
Planned opening date: 2025-05-15.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Required Documentation

Proposal page limit: Part B of the Research and Innovation Action (RIA) application using lump sum has a limit of 50 pages.
Detailed budget table: Mandatory submission using the template available in the Submission System.
Other general documents: Standard forms and declarations as per Horizon Europe guidelines.

Evaluation and Selection

Evaluation criteria: 'Excellence', 'Impact', and 'Quality and efficiency of the implementation', as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Review process: External independent experts will assess proposals, including a check of the budget estimate for each work package.

Support and Assistance

Application assistance: Available through National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk, Research Enquiry Service, and the European IPR Helpdesk.

Evaluation Criteria

Standard Horizon Europe Evaluation Criteria

Proposals are evaluated based on three core criteria: 'Excellence', 'Impact', and 'Quality and efficiency of the implementation'.

Excellence

Clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives.
Soundness of the proposed methodology and interdisciplinary approach.
Consideration of intersectional dimensions of inequalities (e.g., sex, gender, disability, social class, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, age) alongside economic ones.
Novelty of the approach, particularly combining social science theories with data science techniques or mixed methodologies.

Impact

Potential to contribute to expected outcomes: enhanced understanding of economic inequalities and democracy, deeper insights into citizens' perceptions, and enhanced policymakers' awareness.
Generation of evidence-based policy recommendations.
Effective use of existing data and exploration of new data avenues.
Development of novel and intersectional approaches to enhance democratic participation among vulnerable populations.
Contribution to reinvigorating democratic governance by improving accountability, transparency, effectiveness, and trustworthiness of institutions.
Synergies with other relevant EU programmes (e.g., Digital Europe, CERV, Erasmus+).

Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation

Coherence and effectiveness of the work plan, including the appropriateness of the allocated resources to work packages.
Quality and expertise of the project team and consortium members.
Appropriateness of involving diverse stakeholders across demographic groups (e.g., different ages, genders, minority communities, persons with disabilities, socio-economically disadvantaged populations).
Plans for utilizing European Research Infrastructures in the social sciences and humanities (e.g., CESSDA, ESS, SHARE).
Efforts to ensure data produced is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).
Sound financial management of the lump sum budget, with justification of estimated costs.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory & Ethical Compliance

Regulatory compliance: Adherence to all relevant EU regulations and national laws.
Data protection and privacy: Compliance with EU data protection regulations, including ensuring data produced is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).
Ethical standards: Compliance with ethical principles and requirements for research, including research integrity.
Intellectual property policies: Standard Horizon Europe IP policies apply, requiring management of intellectual property resulting from the project.

Project Implementation Specifics

Focus on Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH): Projects must have a strong SSH dimension, integrating diverse disciplinary perspectives (e.g., economics, political science, sociology, gender studies).
Stakeholder Involvement: Proposals are strongly encouraged to involve a diverse array of stakeholders from different demographic groups (age, gender, minority communities, persons with disabilities, socio-economically disadvantaged populations), including trade unions, civil society organizations, social welfare bodies, and local government representatives.
Research Infrastructure Use: Applicants are encouraged to use data provided by European Research Infrastructures in the social sciences and humanities domain (e.g., CESSDA, European Social Survey, SHARE).
Synergies: Cooperation with the Community of democracy practitioners and researchers funded under HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-12 is sought. Proposals should build on results from previous EU projects (e.g., H2020-SC6-REV-INEQUAL-05-2016).
International Cooperation: Encouraged whenever relevant to maximize the impact of research.
Cross-cutting themes: The grant addresses societal engagement, open science (EOSC and FAIR data), digital agenda, SSH integration, and AI as cross-cutting priorities.
Risk management: Proposals should account for potential challenges related to complex societal issues and interdisciplinary research.

Grant Details