Call for proposals for action grants to support transnational projects on judicial training covering civil law, criminal law or fundamental rights

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal has announced a call for proposals identified as JUST-2026-JTRA, focusing on action grants for transnational projects aimed at judicial training in civil law, criminal law, or fundamental rights. This initiative is part of the Justice Programme (JUST) for the period 2021-2027, with the aim of enhancing the consistent application of EU law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights across member states. The call is particularly targeted at addressing the training needs of justice professionals and aligns with the new Judicial Training Strategy.

The funding mechanism is structured as JUST Lump Sum Grants (JUST-LS), and a total budget of €4,075,000 is allocated for 2026. The application process will be single-stage, opening on December 11, 2025, and closing on March 3, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time.

Eligible applicants likely include organizations such as universities, judicial academies, bar associations, and training providers, with a strong emphasis on those capable of conducting transnational projects involving partners from multiple EU countries. The projects should focus on creating and delivering training activities and tools intended for implementation at the national level.

Submission of proposals must be done through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, and all applications will be evaluated after the deadline, with the evaluation period scheduled from March to July 2026. Information will be provided to applicants in July-August 2026, with grant agreements expected to be signed between August and December 2026.

While details regarding success rates and co-funding requirements are not explicitly mentioned, organizations are advised to contribute their resources alongside the lump sum grant to enhance competitiveness. Moreover, applicants are encouraged to review the comprehensive call document, which outlines eligibility criteria, evaluation standards, and additional important details.

Overall, this call aims to foster judicial cooperation through effective training of justice professionals, promoting consistent application of EU law and strengthening the rule of law across member states. Specific documents and resources are available through the portal to support applicant preparation. For assistance, applicants can reach out to EC-JUSTICE-CALLS@ec.europa.eu.

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals for action grants to support transnational projects on judicial training covering civil law, criminal law, or fundamental rights, identified as JUST-2026-JTRA. This call falls under the Justice Programme (JUST) and aims to enhance the effective and consistent application of EU law, including the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. It seeks to address the training needs of justice professionals in line with the new Judicial Training Strategy, financing training activities and tools for training providers to be rolled out at the national level.

The type of action is JUST-LS, which stands for JUST Lump Sum Grants, and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is JUST Lump Sum Grant [JUST-AG-LS]. The deadline model is single-stage. The planned opening date for submission is December 11, 2025, and the deadline for submitting applications is March 3, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time.

Regarding the conditions for application, the eligible countries, eligibility and admissibility conditions, evaluation criteria, scoring, threshold, process, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are all detailed in the call document. The proposal page limits and layout are specified in Part B of the Application Form, which is available in the Submission System.

The indicative timeline includes:
Opening for submission: December 11, 2025
Deadline for submitting applications: March 3, 2026, 17:00 (Brussels Time)
Evaluation period: March-July 2026
Information to applicants: July-August 2026
Signature of grant agreements: August-December 2026

The call document and annexes include the call document itself, application form templates (Standard application form (JUST) available in the Submission System), a detailed budget table (JUST LSII), a Declaration on Honour regarding CPP by public entities, and Model Grant Agreements (MGA) including the Lump Sum MGA.

Additional documents provided are the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Regulation establishing the Justice Programme 2021/693, the JUST Work Programme, the Decision authorising the use of lump sums for actions under the Justice programme (2021-2027), Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, Guidance on how to manage lump sum grants, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview indicates that the total budget for the JUST-2026-JTRA - JUST-LS JUST Lump Sum Grants topic is EUR 4,075,000. The call is a single-stage process, opening on December 11, 2025, and closing on March 3, 2026.

LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics on the portal, as can any user with an active public Person profile. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

Applicants are advised to read all provisions of the Call Document carefully and familiarize themselves with the proposal template, its annexes, and the submission system before preparing their application. For help related to the call, applicants can contact EC-JUSTICE-CALLS@ec.europa.eu. Additional support resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ for submission of proposals, the IT Helpdesk for technical issues, and the Online Manual for a step-by-step guide through the Portal processes.

In summary, this EU call for proposals aims to improve the training of justice professionals across the EU to ensure consistent application of EU law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It provides funding for transnational projects that develop training activities and tools, particularly for training providers. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, and the application process involves a single stage with a deadline in early March 2026. Applicants should consult all provided documents and resources to ensure their proposals meet the eligibility and evaluation criteria.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. The call document should be consulted for detailed eligibility criteria. However, the mention of "public entities" in the "Declaration on Honour regarding CPP by public entities" suggests that public entities are eligible. The mention of LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants also suggests that a variety of organizations with legal entity validation are eligible.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a "JUST Lump Sum Grant" (JUST-LS). The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is a Lump Sum MGA.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. The partner search announcements section suggests that collaboration is possible and perhaps encouraged, but the call document should be consulted for definitive information.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The eligible countries are not explicitly listed in the provided text but are stated to be "as described in the call document." Given the context of EU funding and the objective of contributing to the effective application of EU law, it is highly probable that EU member states are eligible.

Target Sector: The target sector is Justice, specifically focusing on judicial training. The call aims to address the training needs of justice professionals in civil law, criminal law, and fundamental rights, in line with the new Judicial Training Strategy.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned in the provided text. The focus is on the application of EU law, suggesting that the relevant geographic scope is primarily the EU.

Project Stage: The project stage is not explicitly defined, but the call focuses on "training activities and tools for training providers," suggesting that the projects should be at the development, validation, or demonstration stage, ready for implementation and rollout at the national level.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic JUST-2026-JTRA JUST-LS JUST Lump Sum Grants is EUR 4,075,000. The indicative number of grants is not specified in the provided text.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by "Call for proposals for action grants." The deadline model is single-stage.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage, meaning applicants submit a complete proposal by the deadline.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. The call document should be consulted for this information.

Summary:

This is a call for proposals under the Justice Programme (JUST) for action grants to support transnational projects on judicial training covering civil law, criminal law, or fundamental rights. The call, titled JUST-2026-JTRA, aims to contribute to the effective and consistent application of EU law by addressing the training needs of justice professionals, aligning with the new Judicial Training Strategy. The call finances training activities and tools for training providers, intended for rollout at the national level. The funding mechanism is a lump sum grant (JUST-LS), with a total budget of EUR 4,075,000 for the year 2026. The application process is single-stage, with a planned opening date of December 11, 2025, and a deadline of March 3, 2026. The evaluation period is scheduled for March-July 2026, with information to applicants provided in July-August 2026, and grant agreements signed between August and December 2026. Applicants must submit their proposals electronically through the Funding & Tenders Portal. The evaluation criteria, eligibility conditions, and other details are described in the call document, which applicants are strongly advised to read carefully. Additional documents, including application form templates, budget tables, model grant agreements, and relevant EU financial regulations, are available on the portal. The call is managed by the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, and applicants can contact EC-JUSTICE-CALLS@ec.europa.eu for help related to the call.