Co-funded European partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage

The call identified as HORIZON-CL2-2025-03-HERITAGE-01, titled "Co-funded European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage," is part of the Horizon Europe Programme. Its main focus is on preserving and adapting cultural heritage in response to climate change and other environmental stressors. The initiative is currently open for submissions until September 16, 2025, with a total indicative budget of €60 million.

Eligible applicant types include ministries responsible for research and innovation policy, cultural heritage, education, environment, and tourism, along with national and regional funding agencies, research infrastructures, industries, charities, and non-profit organizations. The partnership encourages collaboration among multiple stakeholders, requiring a consortium for the proposals.

The funding is provided as a co-funding action, meaning beneficiaries must contribute financially or in-kind. The maximum funding rate is up to 30% of eligible costs, with individual grants potentially reaching up to €3 million for third parties. Projects are expected to span seven to ten years, necessitating long-term commitments.

The target sectors encompass cultural heritage and climate adaptation, with an emphasis on tangible and intangible heritage. The project stage aims for the validation and demonstration of ready-to-use solutions. The call specifically supports transnational activities that align with the European Climate Law, focusing on the intersection of cultural heritage and climate change sciences.

The application process is a single-stage open call, with no pre-proposal phase. While specific target countries are not explicitly named, the eligibility extends to EU member states, associated countries, and third countries wishing to join.

The partnership's expected outcomes include creating a comprehensive multi-annual research and innovation program related to cultural heritage and resilience, enhancing collaboration among various sectors, and generating policy recommendations to address climate-related challenges. The initiative encourages knowledge sharing and aims to integrate cultural heritage considerations into climate policies.

Proposals should build on existing knowledge and networks, addressing challenges posed by climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss while focusing on societal impacts and fostering resilience. Additionally, the partnership is designed to engage a diverse array of stakeholders to ensure broader participation and effective governance.

Overall, the partnership aims to enhance cultural heritage's contribution to a sustainable future, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge sharing across Europe and beyond.

The HORIZON-CL2-2025-03-HERITAGE-01 call, titled "Co-funded European partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage," is part of the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically under the Cluster 2 Partnerships (HORIZON-CL2-2025-03). It is a HORIZON-COFUND action, meaning it is a HORIZON Programme Cofund Action, utilizing a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] model grant agreement. The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline.

The call opened on May 15, 2025, and will close on September 16, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total indicative budget for this partnership is EUR 60 million, and it is anticipated that only one project will be funded.

The primary aim of this call is to support transnational activities that align with the European Climate Law and its vision for a climate-neutral and resilient Europe by 2050. It specifically targets expected impact 8, which focuses on realizing the full potential of cultural heritage, and expected impact 21, which aims to advance science for a fair transition to a climate-neutral and resilient society, as outlined in the Horizon Europe programme and its 2nd Strategic Plan 2025-2027.

The expected outcomes of this call are:

1. Provision of a holistic and strategic multi-annual research and innovation program related to cultural heritage and resilience, including challenges, expected impacts, outcomes, objectives, governance, and cooperation opportunities that contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement targets. This program is intended for public funders of research and innovation, policymakers, and research communities.

2. Increased and better-coordinated investments in research and innovation at the intersection of cultural heritage and climate change sciences. This involves sharing findings, data, tools, and methodologies across sectors for societal benefit. Research-based policy recommendations will be proposed to policymakers at national and regional levels to overcome fragmentation in the European Research Area (ERA).

3. Collaboration among research funders, businesses, policymakers, cultural heritage professionals, and research communities from various scientific disciplines (STEAM and SSH), as well as actors from different economic sectors, to work towards common objectives and measures. The long-term Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA) will aim to demonstrate the role of tangible and intangible cultural heritage in advancing Europe’s climate neutrality and green transition.

4. A significantly strengthened scientific knowledge base at the intersection of heritage- and climate sciences, contributing to more effective climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. Policymakers and stakeholders, including local communities, should be enabled to learn from the past and tailor risk management to specific threats.

5. Engagement of European cultural heritage professionals and stakeholders with partners from the EU, Associated Countries, and worldwide in research and innovation actions to address global climate change challenges, deploy good practices, and enhance cultural heritage transnational research.

The scope of this call includes addressing the challenges of preserving and safeguarding cultural heritage, which involves dealing with deterioration, damage, theft, conflict, changing societal values, and climate change. It emphasizes the need to balance accessibility for future generations with respect for cultural sensitivities. Proposals should aim to enhance efforts to understand and mitigate the effects of the triple planetary crisis (climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss), focusing on the impact of climate change on tangible and intangible cultural heritage, in line with the EU’s cultural and environmental policies, as embodied in the Creative Europe programme and the European Green Deal.

The partnership will focus on resilience as the capacity to anticipate, respond, and adapt to situations where protecting cultural heritage becomes more challenging due to increased risks of loss and damage. It also aims to harness the potential of cultural heritage to support resilience, recognizing its societal, environmental, economic, psychological, and well-being dimensions.

Proposals should build on existing knowledge, activities, and networks, notably those funded by the European Union, and consider input from other ERA entities such as HERA, CHANSE, and the JPI Climate. They should also take into account the findings of the European Climate Risk Assessment (EUCRA) report and contribute to the Communication Managing climate risks - protecting people and prosperity.

The partnership should contribute to the objectives of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, which includes a focus area on cultural heritage when protecting people, environment, and property against natural and man-made disasters.

The partnership should be implemented through a joint program of activities, including coordinating transnational research efforts, improving access to data and services, optimizing the use of research infrastructures, and conducting networking, capacity building, training, and dissemination activities.

In preparing topics for transnational calls, attention should be paid to the gender dimension and the intersectionality of grounds for potential discrimination.

The partnership aims to:

Build capacity by fostering interdisciplinary collaborative research between the cultural heritage and climate research communities.
Provide resources and incentives to conduct holistic research and nurture collaborative actions.
Create and disseminate new knowledge, techniques, skills, strategies, and materials for sustainable preservation and management of climate-related risks.
Promote innovations in industries and provide scaled-up solutions for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Develop a coherent methodology for obtaining reliable data on cultural heritage and climate change.
Improve long-term monitoring of cultural heritage through innovative technologies and risk management models.
Integrate cultural heritage into mainstream climate change and environmental regulations and policies.
Provide policy recommendations to enhance social cohesion and the European sense of belonging.
Encourage continued conservation and preservation through community participation.
Increase collaboration across countries and regions to overcome fragmentation.

The partnership is open to all EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe, as well as third countries. Partners are expected to contribute financially or in-kind. The partnership should include ministries responsible for R&I policy, cultural heritage, education, environment, and tourism; research infrastructures such as E-RIHS; industry; and charities and non-profit organizations.

The governance structure should involve key stakeholders, including the research and innovation community and cultural heritage professionals, and empower citizens to contribute to the co-design/co-creation/co-assessment of research and innovation agendas/contents/outcomes.

The partnership is expected to establish complementarities with other Horizon Europe actions, partnerships, and missions, such as “Adaptation to climate change – Climate-ADAPT”, “Restoring our ocean and waters by 2030”, “Biodiversa+”, “Climate-neutral and smart cities”, “Built4People”, and the “New European Bauhaus” Facility.

Proposals should be complementary to ongoing Horizon Europe projects and include a budget for joint coordination meetings and activities. They should also explore cooperation with other EU and international actions and consider synergies with EU space programmes (Copernicus, Galileo) and the Digital Europe programme.

The partnership should be linked to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s Knowledge and Innovation Community - EIT Culture & Creativity and may include synergies between Horizon Europe and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) programmes.

Cooperation with international organizations, the private sector, and non-European institutions and experts is encouraged. Proposals should pool financial resources from participating national or regional research programs to implement joint calls for transnational proposals.

The total indicative budget for the partnership is up to EUR 60 million, and the expected duration is seven to ten years.

The proposal page limit for the COFUND type of action is 70 pages, with additional annexes. If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

Representatives of the EU institutions will be part of the evaluation committee, and the granting authority can fund a maximum of one project.

The starting date of grants may be as of the submission date, with justification required for a retroactive starting date. Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 3 million per grant. The funding rate is up to 30% of the eligible costs.

Application form templates and evaluation form templates are available in the Submission System, along with guidance documents and model grant agreements.

This funding opportunity aims to create a co-funded European partnership focused on making cultural heritage more resilient to climate change and other risks. It seeks to bring together various stakeholders, including research institutions, policymakers, industry, and community organizations, to develop and implement a long-term research and innovation agenda. The goal is to enhance the understanding and protection of cultural heritage in the face of increasing environmental challenges, promote sustainable development, and foster a stronger European identity through cultural heritage. The partnership encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the integration of cultural heritage into broader climate change and environmental policies. The EU provides funding to support transnational projects that contribute to these goals, with a focus on creating ready-to-use solutions and empowering citizens to participate in the preservation of their cultural heritage.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicants include ministries responsible for R&I policy, national and regional R&I and technology funding agencies and foundations, ministries responsible for cultural heritage, education, environment, spatial planning and development, tourism, relevant national and regional authorities, organizations and providers, research infrastructures such as the European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science (E-RIHS), industry, and charities and other non-profit organisations, for example of end-users of cultural heritage assets, active in safeguarding cultural heritage and/or in adapting to or mitigating the effects of climate change. The partnership is open to all EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe and will remain open to third countries wishing to join.

Funding Type: The funding type is a co-fund action under the Horizon Europe Programme. It is a grant. Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The partnership should include or engage with a wide array of stakeholders, including ministries, R&I agencies, cultural heritage organizations, research infrastructures, industry, and charities.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States, countries associated to Horizon Europe, and third countries wishing to join.

Target Sector: The target sectors are cultural heritage, climate, environment, research and innovation, education, spatial planning, tourism, and related industries. It covers both tangible and intangible cultural heritage. It also involves STEAM (natural and formal sciences, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) and SSH (social sciences and humanities) disciplines.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, countries associated to Horizon Europe, and third countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is variable, ranging from research to innovation, and implementation of solutions. The focus is on transnational activities that contribute to the expected impacts of the Horizon Europe programme.

Funding Amount: The total indicative budget for the partnership is up to EUR 60 million. The funding rate is up to 30% of the eligible costs. The maximum amount of Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) to be granted to an individual third party is EUR 3 million, per grant, but may be higher if justified.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants. They may also provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is 1.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is required. Partners are expected to contribute financially and/or in kind, depending on the level of ambition of the proposed activities. The funding rate is up to 30% of the eligible costs.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call aims to establish a co-funded European partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage. The goal is to support transnational activities that contribute to a climate-neutral and resilient Europe by 2050, as envisioned in the European Climate Law. The partnership seeks to enhance efforts to understand and mitigate the effects of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss on tangible and intangible cultural heritage. It emphasizes resilience, which is the capacity to anticipate, respond, and adapt to challenges in protecting cultural heritage.

The partnership is open to EU Member States, countries associated with Horizon Europe, and third countries. It requires a consortium of diverse stakeholders, including ministries, R&I agencies, cultural heritage organizations, research infrastructures, industry, and charities. The EU provides funding up to EUR 60 million, with a funding rate of up to 30% of eligible costs. The partnership is expected to run for seven to ten years and will involve joint calls for transnational proposals, coordination of research efforts, improved access to data and services, and capacity building activities. The call aims to integrate cultural heritage into mainstream climate change and environmental regulations, promote innovation in industries, and enhance social cohesion through cultural heritage.