Co-funded European Partnership for Social Transformations and Resilience

The Horizon Europe call titled "Co-funded European Partnership for Social Transformations and Resilience" (HORIZON-CL2-2026-02-TRANSFO-01) is a forthcoming initiative aimed at establishing a long-term, strategic partnership focusing on social sciences and humanities research. It is part of the Horizon Europe program and specifically falls under Cluster 2 partnerships, with an earmarked budget of €60 million for a duration of 7-10 years.

The opportunity is set to open on May 12, 2026, with a submission deadline of October 13, 2026. The application process is a single-stage submission, and approximately one grant is anticipated to be awarded, meaning competition is expected to be highly competitive.

Eligible applicants include national research funding agencies, ministries relating to research, labour, social affairs, climate, and education from all EU Member States and associated countries. The partnership aims to create a unified program that addresses significant social transformations propelled by climate change, technological advancements, demographic shifts, and global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical conflicts.

The partnership will operate by pooling national and regional research resources to fund transnational projects, specifically designed to ensure social equity, inclusiveness, and resilience in European societies. The funding mechanism provides for up to 30% of eligible costs to be covered by EU contributions, with a maximum of €3 million available for any single third-party beneficiary over the program's duration.

The nature of support includes both financial grants to consortium partners and financial support to third parties through future joint calls for proposals. The partnership seeks to implement four interconnected impact areas: modernizing social protection systems, reshaping the future of work, fostering education and skills development, and achieving fair transitions to climate neutrality.

The partnership prioritizes multi-disciplinary collaboration and will engage various stakeholders, including civil society, NGOs, and the private sector, in identifying and addressing research needs tailored to social challenges. Additionally, the framework aims to enhance the European Research Area and align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

This significant funding opportunity is positioned to leverage social sciences and humanities expertise to create actionable knowledge and tools that can inform policy-making and address pressing European societal issues. The call encourages collaborative, evidence-based research, ultimately building a comprehensive support structure for navigating ongoing and future social transformations in Europe.

The HORIZON-CL2-2026-02-TRANSFO-01 call, titled "Co-funded European Partnership for Social Transformations and Resilience," is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically under Cluster 2 Partnerships. It is a HORIZON-COFUND action, meaning it is a HORIZON Programme Cofund Action. The type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. This is a forthcoming call with a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date is 12 May 2026, and the deadline for submission is 13 October 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget allocated for this topic is 60,000,000 EUR, and it is expected that around one grant will be awarded.

The project aims to contribute to several key outcomes. It seeks to provide research funders, policymakers, and research communities in the social sciences and humanities (SSH) with a multi-annual Research and Innovation (R&I) program focused on social transformations and resilience. This program should address megatrends such as climate change, biodiversity loss, digitalisation, demographic changes, and unexpected shocks. Furthermore, the project aims to increase research investments in areas like social protection and essential services, the future of work, education and skills, and a fair transition to climate neutrality. Ultimately, the goal is to equip stakeholders, including social partners, civil society, and policymakers, with evidence-based knowledge, tools, and innovative solutions that can contribute to new policies and strategies for strengthening resilience, fairness, inclusiveness, and social cohesion at European, national, and regional levels.

The scope of the call addresses the critical social transformations occurring in Europe, driven by factors like climate change, biodiversity loss, digitalisation, demographic shifts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine. These transformations present both challenges and opportunities, including changing skills demands, labor shortages, digital and intergenerational divides, increasing inequalities, threats to social cohesion, and rising costs of social protection. The magnitude and heterogeneity of these transformations across different welfare systems and labor markets necessitate combined inter- and transdisciplinary knowledge, resource sharing, and long-term concerted actions based on a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).

Proposals should focus on creating a 7-year research and innovation program for the Social Transformations and Resilience (STR) partnership. This program should leverage the potential of SSH to build resilience, ensure fairness and inclusiveness, and foster social cohesion in the face of changes in climate, the environment, technology, demography, and unexpected shocks. A key aspect is the pooling of financial resources from participating national or regional research programs to implement joint calls for transnational proposals, resulting in grants to third parties.

The innovations and scientific results are expected to contribute to EU priorities outlined in the European Pillar of Social Rights and the EU Green Deal. They should also strengthen the European Research Area (ERA) and the European Education Area (EEA), and inform the design of better national, regional, and local policies. The call also aims to support the implementation of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including No Poverty (SDG 1), Quality Education (SDG 4), Gender Equality (SDG 5), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Reducing Inequalities (SDG 10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Climate Action (SDG 13), and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (SDG 16).

To achieve these objectives, the partnership is expected to launch annual transnational calls for proposals and additional activities in four interconnected impact areas: Supporting the modernisation of social protection systems and essential services, Shaping the future of work, Fostering education and skills development, Contributing to a fair transition to climate neutrality.

The STR partnership is expected to organise activities along the following six operational objectives:

1.  Collect data and evidence to measure social transformations, drawing from a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods in the social sciences and humanities, and use these to inform the development of evidence-based public policies and strategies.
2.  Promote comparative studies to identify and share best practices and failures at regional, national and EU level.
3.  Construct new, innovative ways to connect researchers with policymakers, stakeholders, citizens and social innovators in working together, communicating needs and results.
4.  Develop social and individual experimentations at all levels (subnational, national, European) to better understand the impact of social transformations and public policies.
5.  Encourage the development of new analytical, methodological and epistemological tools to better understand social transformations and resilience.
6.  Build capacity among the R&I community and policymakers to adjust and strengthen social infrastructures and services in light of unexpected shocks.

Proposals should build on the work of ERA-NETs CHANSE, as well as other relevant networks and initiatives, such as HERA and NORFACE, the Trans-Atlantic Platform for Social Sciences and Humanities (T-AP) and the Joint Programming Initiative More Years, Better Lives (JPI MYBL). The partnership should bring together stakeholders from academia, policymaking, social partners, trade associations, civil society, and international organizations to create a critical mass of knowledge and resources for implementing a long-term SRIA.

The partnership should engage with the following stakeholders:

(i) National research funding agencies and ministries in research and higher education.
(ii) Ministries responsible for labour, social affairs, employment, climate and environment, where possible, as well as other relevant public authorities in the four impact areas.
(iii) Researchers from the social sciences and humanities and transdisciplinary fields.
(iv) Social partners, citizens’ organisations and NGOs at local, national and EU level, such as trade unions, employer associations, practitioners and non-profit organisations advocating for the rights of disadvantaged groups.
(v) Private sector, which may include employment agencies, providers of essential services, social entrepreneurs, and private education institutions.

Given the partnership's focus on fundamental aspects of peoples’ lives, it is crucial to involve relevant actors, interest groups, and potential end-users of the research results. Gender and intersectional aspects should be considered throughout all activities and joint calls. EU agencies like Eurofound, ELA, and CEDEFOP, as well as international organizations such as the ILO and the OECD, should be considered as stakeholders. Collaboration with existing research infrastructures (e.g., European Social Survey, SHARE, CLARIN, CESSDA, Eurostat) is encouraged to facilitate data access and utilization.

The partnership is open to all EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe, as well as third countries wishing to join. Partners are expected to contribute financially or through eligible activities, depending on the ambition of the proposed activities. The partnership should remain open to new partners, but the EU contribution will not be increased.

Synergies with other Horizon Europe projects, such as the Driving Urban Transitions (DUT) partnership, the Clean Energy Transition (CET) partnership, the Biodiversa+ partnership, the Missions on climate-neutral and smart cities and Climate Adaptation, and the New European Bauhaus Facility, are expected to ensure coherence and complementarity.

The proposal page limit for the Part B template of the COFUND action is 70 pages. Additional annexes must also be included.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Some non-EU/non-Associated Countries have specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

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

The starting date of grants may be as of the submission date, provided applicants justify the need for a retroactive start. Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants. The EUR 60,000 threshold in Article 207 of Financial Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2024/2509 does not apply. The maximum FSTP amount for a single third party is EUR 3 million for the action's duration, but this may be higher if justified.

The funding rate is up to 30% of eligible costs. The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results for up to 4 years after the action's end.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, along with standard evaluation forms, the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (MGA), call-specific instructions, and additional documents such as the Annual Work Programme (HE Cofund) and relevant sections of the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027.

The topic budget for 2026 is 60,000,000 EUR. The call is a single-stage process, opening on 12 May 2026 and closing on 13 October 2026. Approximately one grant is expected to be awarded.

This Horizon Europe call aims to establish a co-funded partnership focused on Social Transformations and Resilience (STR). It seeks to create a 7-year research and innovation program that addresses critical social challenges and opportunities arising from climate change, digitalisation, demographic shifts, and other major trends. The program will pool resources from various national and regional research initiatives to fund transnational projects. The ultimate goal is to provide policymakers and stakeholders with evidence-based knowledge and tools to promote resilience, fairness, inclusiveness, and social cohesion across Europe. The initiative encourages collaboration among researchers, policymakers, social partners, and civil society organizations to develop innovative solutions and strategies for navigating these complex social transformations and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include national research funding agencies and ministries in research and higher education; ministries responsible for labour, social affairs, employment, climate and environment; researchers from the social sciences and humanities and transdisciplinary fields; social partners, citizens’ organisations and NGOs at local, national and EU level, such as trade unions, employer associations, practitioners and non-profit organisations advocating for the rights of disadvantaged groups; and the private sector, which may include employment agencies, providers of essential services, social entrepreneurs, and private education institutions.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Programme Cofund Action. Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. The proposals should pool financial resources from participating national or regional research programs.

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

Target Sector: The program targets social sciences and humanities (SSH), social protection, essential services, the future of work, education and skills development, climate, environment, technology, demography, and a fair transition to climate neutrality. It also addresses the implementation of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe, and third countries. Russia and Ukraine are mentioned in the context of the war.

Project Stage: The project stage is for creating a 7-year research and innovation program, which implies a development stage, and for implementing joint calls for transnational proposals, which suggests a validation and demonstration stage.

Funding Amount: The topic budget is EUR 60,000,000. The funding rate is up to 30% of the eligible costs. The maximum amount of Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) that may be awarded to any single third party is set at EUR 3 million for the entire duration of the action.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, specified as a single-stage application process.

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

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

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is 1, suggesting a highly competitive success rate.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is required. Partners are expected to contribute financially and/or through eligible activities, depending on the level of ambition of the proposed activities. The funding rate is up to 30% of the eligible costs, implying that the remaining 70% must be covered by other sources.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL2-2026-02-TRANSFO-01, focuses on establishing a co-funded European Partnership for Social Transformations and Resilience (STR). The primary goal is to create a 7-year research and innovation program that leverages the potential of social sciences and humanities (SSH) to address critical social transformations driven by factors like climate change, digitalisation, and demographic shifts. The program aims to foster resilience, fairness, inclusiveness, and social cohesion across Europe.

The call encourages proposals that pool financial resources from national and regional research programs to implement joint transnational calls for proposals, ultimately providing grants to third parties. The expected outcomes include providing research funders, policymakers, and research communities with a multi-annual R&I program, increasing research investments in key areas, and providing stakeholders with evidence-based knowledge and tools for policy development.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of stakeholders, such as national research funding agencies, ministries, researchers, social partners, citizens' organizations, NGOs, and private sector entities. The partnership is open to EU Member States, countries associated with Horizon Europe, and third countries.

The funding mechanism is a grant, with a total budget of EUR 60,000,000 and a funding rate of up to 30% of eligible costs. The maximum FSTP that can be awarded to a single third party is EUR 3 million. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline of October 13, 2026. The granting authority can fund a maximum of one project, making it a highly competitive opportunity. The program seeks to align with EU priorities, including the European Pillar of Social Rights and the EU Green Deal, and contribute to the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goals.