5th REINFORCING Open Call (Incubators Call) on "Responsible Digitalization"

The REINFORCING Fifth Open Call, referred to as the Incubator Call, aims to support organizations and institutions in Europe in transitioning to responsible digital practices within the framework of Open and Responsible Research and Innovation (ORRI). This initiative focuses on societal challenges linked to digital transformation and the green transition, aiming to encourage open and transparent research and innovation processes.

Eligible applicants include public and private organizations of all sizes, such as startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, nonprofits, and public-private partnerships. A key requirement is that the main applicant (project coordinator) must have little or no prior experience in ORRI, while partners may have more experience.

The funding mechanism provides grants of up to €60,000 per project, with a total budget of €720,000 designated for up to 12 projects. The call necessitates that each proposal includes at least two entities from EU member states or associated countries, aligning with Horizon Europe’s eligibility criteria.

Projects are expected to operate at the development or validation stage and focus on creating strategies for ethical digital transformation. The themes include addressing issues of privacy, transparency, digital trust, misinformation, and manipulation within digital tools and services.

The open call is set to open for submissions on June 5, 2025, with a deadline of August 5, 2025. Successful projects will start on November 1, 2025, and run for 12 months, concluding on October 31, 2026. Proposals must be submitted electronically, and applicants are required to provide an online form, a technical proposal, and a Declaration of Honour.

The evaluation process comprises three stages: an eligibility check, a preliminary assessment by the REINFORCING Consortium to ensure alignment with call objectives, and a final evaluation conducted by external experts, ensuring a fair and unbiased review. Although the exact success rate isn’t specified, it is anticipated that it will be below 10% due to the competitive nature of the call.

Funded projects will require participation in mandatory training, public webinars, and various internal meetings, while also producing an ORRI resource or tool to be added to the REINFORCING online platform. Specific activities may include stakeholder engagement models, future scenario workshops, and KPIs for evaluating ORRI initiatives, though the call expressly excludes funding for training outside the consortium, technological development activities, and projects involving artificial intelligence systems.

In summary, this funding opportunity is directed towards fostering responsible digitalization practices in Europe by supporting the development of projects that embed ethical approaches in research and innovation.

The REINFORCING project is offering the Fifth Open Call (Incubator Call) on "Responsible Digitalization" to support organizations and institutions in Europe to transition to a new paradigm where responsibility and openness drive research and innovation (R&I) processes. The call aims to address societal challenges related to the green and digital transitions by promoting open and transparent R&I practices.

The opening date for submissions is June 5, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is August 5, 2025, at 17:00 (Brussels time). The expected duration of participation is 12 months. A total funding of 720,000 euros is available. The project acronym is REINFORCING, and the full name of the EU funded project is Responsible tEerritories and Institutions eNable and Foster Open Research and inClusive Innovation for traNsitions Governance. The grant agreement number is 101094435. The topic is HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ERA-01-40 - Stepping-up institutional and territorial changes towards open and responsible research and innovation.

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the REINFORCING project website (https://www.reinforcing.eu/open-calls/open-calls). Late proposals or proposals submitted by any means other than those indicated in the Guide for applicants will not be considered. The application form consists of three parts: an online form, a technical proposal, and a Declaration of Honour. Only complete applications will be considered for selection/evaluation.

The evaluation process consists of three steps: Eligibility Check and Formal Requirements; Preliminary Assessment by REINFORCING Consortium to evaluate the alignment with call objectives; Final Evaluation carried out by external experts that will be selected through an open call. The evaluation process will be fair and impartial. All applicants will be informed on the outcomes of the evaluation at the end of the selection process. All applicants from the final evaluation receive an Evaluation Summary Report with ranking and outcomes.

The call is open to public and private organizations of all sizes, including startups and SMEs. All kinds of organizations that can apply for Horizon Europe funds are welcome to apply for the REINFORCING grant.

The REINFORCING Fifth Open Call, as an Incubator, has specific and mandatory requirements to comply with: The consortium should include at least 2 entities based in EU countries (Member State or associated country), including their outermost regions or associated countries eligible to receive Horizon Europe grants, provided that the applicants are not covered by the Council sanctions in force. The main applicant (in terms of budget and activities) - the project Coordinator - must have little or no experience in ORRI. Applicants must release an ORRI resource (or ORRI Tool) to be inserted into the REINFORCING online platform. The resource should be included in the proposal text as one of the results to be delivered and its development in the list of activities to be performed. Applicants must attend the online internal 5th REINFORCING Open Call Kick-off meeting and online monthly meetings with the 5th REINFORCING Open Call Coordinators and REINFORCING consortium representatives. Applicants must partake in the REINFORCING ORRI training workshop on-site in Brussels (costs related to training can be funded by the grant), led by REINFORCING partners. Applicants must take part in the online 5th Open Call mid-term review meeting. Applicants must join the online internal 5th REINFORCING Open Call Final Event. Applicants must participate in the public 5th REINFORCING Open Call Webinar at the end of the projects. Applicants must contribute to the online communication and update of the REINFORCING project channels (e.g., website, social media, etc.) with grantees' achievements and information. Applicants must engage in peer learning activities.

For the 5th REINFORCING Open Call, no more than 12 consortia implementing projects lasting 12 months will be supported with grants of up to 60,000 euros each. Different durations of the projects (less or more than 1 year) are not possible and will be considered not eligible. All the funded projects will start all together on 1st November 2025 and end up on 31st October 2026. No change in these dates can be negotiated.

The call focuses on "Responsible Digitalization" and addresses challenges associated with the speed and spread of digitalisation. The ORRI approach can help address some of these shortcomings and challenges by ensuring a responsible approach is taken, making research and innovation development ethical, legitimate, reflective, and societally relevant by design.

Specific challenges that "Responsible Digitalization" could address include: Privacy, transparency, and trust in digitalisation tools and services, and Misinformation and manipulation. Applicants must demonstrate how their project addresses one or more of these challenges through a process of starting to embed and institutionalize ORRI within their organisation or territory, through experimentation with organisational processes and procedures that ensure long-term commitment to Responsible Digitalisation. Alternatively, applicants may apply for addressing other topics related to the start of institutionalization of Responsible Digitalisation in their organisation, which they have identified, by justifying the selection in the application process.

Potential activities for projects include: Designing and implementing co-creation processes to develop digital solutions and services in the context of “Responsible Digitalization”; Developing and formalizing an internal ORRI strategy for digitalisation; Designing and testing a stakeholder or citizen engagement model (e.g., user panels, community advisory boards, citizen juries) that can potentially be used regularly in digital development decisions, AI strategy or policies related to digitalisation; Future scenario or visioning workshops within a particular organizational or local/regional context with stakeholders, including citizens, that address potential ethical, legal, and social implications of the deployment of digital technologies into particular contexts; Developing internal KPIs or evaluation frameworks for ORRI (e.g., tracking how often stakeholder feedback changes product direction, or inclusion metrics in data governance).

REINFORCING does not fund: Training or consulting activities for institutions, organizations and territories that are not part of the consortium; Activities related to technological developments and/or proof of concepts; Activities of any kind in which artificial intelligence-based systems or techniques are used or developed.

In summary, the REINFORCING Fifth Open Call (Incubator Call) on "Responsible Digitalization" is a funding opportunity for European organizations and institutions to develop projects that promote responsible and open research and innovation in the context of digital technologies. The call aims to address challenges related to privacy, transparency, trust, and misinformation by embedding ORRI principles within organizations. Successful applicants will receive up to 60,000 euros for a 12-month project and will be required to participate in various meetings, workshops, and communication activities. The call encourages experimentation with organizational processes and procedures to ensure a long-term commitment to Responsible Digitalisation, excluding activities related to AI development, technological development, and general training or consulting.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is open to public and private organizations of all sizes, including startups and SMEs. All kinds of organizations that can apply for Horizon Europe funds are also welcome.

Funding Type: Grant, specifically cascade funding.

Consortium Requirement: Consortium. The consortium should include at least 2 entities based in EU countries (Member State or associated country), including their outermost regions or associated countries eligible to receive Horizon Europe grants, provided that the applicants are not covered by the Council sanctions in force.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): EU countries (Member States or associated countries), including their outermost regions or associated countries eligible to receive Horizon Europe grants.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is digital technologies, with a focus on responsible digitalization. This includes addressing challenges related to privacy, transparency, trust, misinformation, and manipulation in the context of digital tools and services. The program also touches upon research and innovation (R&I) processes, ethical considerations, societal engagement, and the green and digital transitions.

Mentioned Countries: EU member states, Horizon Europe associated countries. Brussels (Belgium) is mentioned as the location for an on-site training workshop.

Project Stage: Idea, Research, Development, Validation. The call is designed as an "Incubator," implying that projects are expected to be in the early stages of development, focusing on experimentation and institutionalization of Open and Responsible Research and Innovation (ORRI) practices.

Funding Amount: Up to 60,000 euros per consortium. A total funding of 720,000 euros is available, supporting no more than 12 consortia.

Application Type: Open call.

Nature of Support: Money (grants). The grant can fund costs related to training in Brussels.

Application Stages: 3 stages: Eligibility Check and Formal Requirements, Preliminary Assessment by REINFORCING Consortium to evaluate the alignment with call objectives, and Final Evaluation carried out by external experts that will be selected through an open call.

Success Rates: Not specified, but given that no more than 12 consortia will be funded out of all applicants, the success rate is likely to be below 10%.

Co-funding Requirement: Not explicitly mentioned, but it is implied that the grant covers the full cost of the project activities, up to 60,000 euros.

Summary:

The REINFORCING Fifth Open Call is an "Incubator" grant opportunity focused on "Responsible Digitalization" within the framework of Open and Responsible Research and Innovation (ORRI). It aims to support organizations and institutions in Europe to transition to more open, transparent, and responsible R&I practices, particularly in the context of the green and digital transitions. The call is open to public and private organizations of all sizes, including startups and SMEs, that can apply for Horizon Europe funds.

The selected consortia, each comprising at least two entities from EU member states or associated countries, will receive up to 60,000 euros to implement 12-month projects. These projects should address challenges related to responsible digitalization, such as privacy, transparency, trust, misinformation, and manipulation, by embedding and institutionalizing ORRI within their organizations or territories. The main applicant (project coordinator) must have little to no experience in ORRI.

Funded projects are expected to start on November 1, 2025, and end on October 31, 2026. Applicants are required to release an ORRI resource or tool to be included in the REINFORCING online platform, attend online and in-person meetings and training, and contribute to the project's communication channels.

The application process involves submitting an online form, a technical proposal using a mandatory template, and a Declaration of Honour. The evaluation process consists of eligibility checks, preliminary assessment by the REINFORCING Consortium, and a final evaluation by external experts.

The call specifically excludes funding for training or consulting activities for entities outside the consortium, activities related to technological developments and/or proof of concepts (except for co-creation and visioning workshops), and activities involving the use or development of artificial intelligence-based systems or techniques.

In essence, this call provides funding and support for organizations to experiment with and implement ORRI practices in the realm of digital technologies, fostering a more responsible and ethical approach to digitalization in Europe.