Countering and preventing radicalisation, extremism, hate speech and polarisation

This Horizon Europe grant opportunity, identified as HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-05, focuses on addressing radicalization, extremism, hate speech, and polarization through research and innovation. Open for submissions until September 16, 2025, the funding mechanism is a lump-sum grant tailored for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), with expected contributions ranging from €3.00 to €3.50 million per project. The total indicative budget for the topic is €10.5 million.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, and police authorities from EU member states and associated countries. A consortium is mandatory for application, requiring collaboration among at least two police authorities from different EU countries as well as civil society organizations or NGOs.

The project aims to provide insights to EU and national policymakers regarding radicalization and extremism, thereby equipping decision-makers, researchers, and practitioners with effective strategies for prevention. Expected outcomes include improved understanding of hate ecosystems online, the connection between disinformation and hate speech, and methodologies to counter these threats. The project encourages involving a diverse range of stakeholders, including public bodies, media organizations, and private entities under the Digital Services Act, to support data accessibility for research purposes.

Application procedures follow a single-stage process and do not explicitly require co-funding. Although success rates are not detailed, the program aims for actionable research outcomes that can reinforce social cohesion and challenge extremist narratives, thus contributing to democratic resilience across Europe. The research activities are expected to advance knowledge regarding the impacts of radicalization on youth and the dynamics of online and offline misinformation.

In summary, this grant supports collaborative projects that investigate and propose solutions to combat hate speech and radicalization, drawing on comprehensive stakeholder engagement to ensure relevance and practicability of research findings.

The EU funding opportunity is focused on countering and preventing radicalisation, extremism, hate speech, and polarisation. It falls under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society call for 2025 (HORIZON-CL2-2025-01). The type of action is HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions), and the Model Grant Agreement is a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline of September 16, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this opportunity are:

1.  Equipping EU and national decision-makers, researchers (including from SSH disciplines), practitioners, educators, and media organisations with effective prevention and counter measures against radicalisation, extremism, hate speech, and polarisation. This involves gaining a comprehensive understanding of the linkages between social and economic inequality, polarisation, radicalisation, and hatred, and implementing effective recommendations, tools, narratives, methodologies, and other innovative solutions.

2.  Providing EU institutions and national policymakers with insights into radicalisation, extremism, and hate speech, including their impact on young people and how youth perceive and engage with information on these phenomena, whether online or offline.

3.  Enabling EU institutions, national decision-makers, and civil society organisations to acquire a thorough understanding of the mechanisms driving successful extremist, radical, and hate campaigns, as well as the diverse political environments and their modes of interaction and communication, extending beyond social media and online platforms.

In addition, projects should contribute to at least one of the following expected outcomes:

1.  Improved understanding of methodologies to effectively map hate ecosystems online through qualitative and quantitative tools, also with a view to supporting the enforcement of existing laws prohibiting racist, xenophobic and misogynistic hate speech, and to protect potential victims.

2.  Increased understanding of the link between disinformation (including foreign information manipulation and interference FIMI) and hate speech, and radicalisation and extremism, in particular how disinformation and hate campaigns deepen social divisions and create the conditions for radicalisation and extremism.

3.  Increased understanding of patterns of media consumption by individuals and their use of traditional media vs social media to form their own opinion, the effects of a polarised public sphere on the media landscape, including the role of journalists; and the possible developments in the area of citizens’-led media content.

4.  Increased understanding of the role of traditional media, online media, social media, and artificial intelligence in countering mis- and disinformation and information manipulation, hatred, and the spread of narratives that drive radicalisation, polarisation, and extremism in societies.

5.  Improved tools and methods to assess the reliability of sources and related meta-tagging systems to map different points of view, as well as other actionable journalistic practices (e.g. forums, citizens’ engagement and outreach, communication channels with editorial teams) which have proven effective in improving the quality of debate in the media.

6.  Increased availability of training tools, materials, and methods for educators and educational organisations to engage with students, enhancing their capacity to provide opportunities to raise awareness and counter hate, extremism and polarisation.

The scope of this funding opportunity addresses the growing threat of radicalisation, extremism, incitement to hatred, and polarisation to democracy and social cohesion. It acknowledges that social media amplifies these phenomena through algorithm-driven personalisation and confirmation bias, creating "echo chambers" and fueling mis- and disinformation. The scope also recognises that these phenomena arise from distortions in online interactions and media outlet characteristics, especially those that are mostly if not solely disseminated online. The scope extends beyond social media to include offline social networks.

Research activities should involve a wide range of stakeholders and potential end-users, including non-scientific and non-academic actors, such as public bodies, media organisations and outlets, journalists, social media platforms, representatives from other social networks, non-governmental organisations, civil society organisations, policymakers, educational bodies, and other potential end-users of the research results. The involvement of private entities, such as providers of intermediaries’ services under the Digital Services Act (DSA), is encouraged to provide researchers with access to data necessary to undertake research and access to platform data on the spread and behaviour of disinformation online.

Proposals are encouraged to explore themes such as:

1.  Radicalisation and polarisation driven by stereotypes related to gender, religion, or ethnic minorities.

2.  The impact of new technologies on the production and dissemination of radicalisation and extremist content.

3.  The role of social cohesion.

4.  Linkages between social and economic inequality and radicalisation, extremism, hatred and polarisation.

Historical and comparative analysis is encouraged to understand the past uses of hate speech and contemporary efforts by radical and extremist organisations. Collaboration with the EU Knowledge Hub on radicalisation prevention (RAN – Radicalisation Awareness Network) is required. Collaboration with relevant projects selected under previous EU-funded calls, such as HORIZON-CL3-2022-FCT-01-03 - Enhanced fight against the abuse of online gaming culture by extremists, is encouraged.

Where applicable, proposals should leverage the data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud, as well as data from relevant Data Spaces. Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

The admissibility conditions include:

1.  Proposal page limit and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and in Part B of the Application Form. The page limit for Part B of the Research and Innovation (RIA) application using lump sum is 50 pages. A detailed budget table must be submitted.

2.  Eligible countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding.

3.  Other eligible conditions as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

4.  Financial and operational capacity and exclusion as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5.  Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6.  Submission and evaluation processes as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

7.  Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):

1.  Application form templates are available in the Submission System.

2.  Standard application form (HE RIA, IA).

3.  Evaluation form templates will be used with the necessary adaptations.

4.  Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA).

5.  Guidance: HE Programme Guide.

6.  Model Grant Agreements (MGA): Lump Sum MGA.

7.  Call-specific instructions: Detailed budget table (HE LS) (version 3.3).

8.  Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"

Additional documents:

1.  HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction.

2.  HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 5. Culture, creativity and inclusive society.

3.  HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes.

4.  HE Programme Guide.

5.  HE Framework Programme 2021/695.

6.  HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764.

7.  EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.

8.  Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

9.  Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment.

10. EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement.

11. Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

12. Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions.

13. Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview for the year 2025 includes several topics:

1.  HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-01: HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), Budget: EUR 3,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 1, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

2.  HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-02: HORIZON CSA, Budget: EUR 3,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1, Contributions: EUR 2,500,000 to 3,000,000.

3.  HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-03: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Budget: EUR 10,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

4.  HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-04: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 7,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 2, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

5.  HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-05: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

6.  HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-06: HORIZON CSA, Budget: EUR 3,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 1, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

7.  HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-07: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

8.  HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-08: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

9.  HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-09: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

10. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-10: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

11. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-11: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

12. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-12: HORIZON CSA, Budget: EUR 3,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 1, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 3,500,000.

13. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-03: HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA), Budget: EUR 26,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 8, Contributions: EUR 2,500,000 to 4,000,000.

14. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-04: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 15,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 4,000,000 to 5,000,000.

15. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-05: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 2,500,000 to 3,500,000.

16. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-06: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 13,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,500,000 to 4,500,000.

17. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-07: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 12,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 4,000,000.

18. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-08: HORIZON CSA, Budget: EUR 3,500,000, Indicative number of grants: 1, Contributions: EUR 2,500,000 to 3,500,000.

19. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-09: HORIZON CSA, Budget: EUR 2,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1, Contributions: around EUR 2,000,000.

20. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-01: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,200,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: around EUR 3,400,000.

21. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-02: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,200,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: around EUR 3,400,000.

22. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-03: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,200,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: around EUR 3,400,000.

23. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-05: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,200,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: around EUR 3,400,000.

24. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-06: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,200,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: around EUR 3,400,000.

25. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-07: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,200,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: around EUR 3,400,000.

26. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-08: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 15,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 5,000,000.

27. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-09: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,200,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: around EUR 3,400,000.

28. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-10: HORIZON RIA, Budget: EUR 10,200,000, Indicative number of grants: 3, Contributions: EUR 3,000,000 to 4,000,000.

29. HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-11: HORIZON CSA, Budget: EUR 2,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 1, Contributions: around EUR 2,000,000.

There are partner search announcements available to help find partner organisations for proposals.

This Horizon Europe call aims to fund research and innovation projects that address the urgent and growing threats of radicalisation, extremism, hate speech, and polarisation in Europe. The call seeks to equip policymakers, researchers, educators, and media organisations with the knowledge, tools, and strategies necessary to counter these phenomena effectively. By fostering a deeper understanding of the root causes and dynamics of radicalisation and hate, the EU aims to promote social cohesion, protect vulnerable groups, and safeguard democratic values. The call encourages collaborative projects that involve a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, civil society organisations, and private entities, to ensure that the research findings are relevant, actionable, and readily implemented in real-world settings. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the call is open to eligible entities from EU member states and associated countries.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are broad and include public bodies, media organizations and outlets, journalists, social media platforms, representatives from other social networks, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, policymakers, educational bodies, private entities such as providers of intermediaries’ services under the Digital Services Act (DSA), and other potential end-users of the research results. The call is open to both scientific/academic and non-scientific/non-academic actors.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically through HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) using a lump sum grant agreement (HORIZON-AG-LS). There are also HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to favor consortia, as research activities should involve a wide range of stakeholders and potential end-users. The involvement of one or more categories of stakeholders is required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries, with specific provisions as outlined in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: culture, creativity, inclusive society, media, education, ICT, security/cybersecurity, and innovation. The thematic focus includes countering radicalisation, extremism, hate speech, polarisation, disinformation, and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).

Mentioned Countries: While specific countries are not explicitly listed, the opportunity is geared towards EU member states and associated countries. There is also mention of non-EU/non-associated countries that may be eligible under specific provisions.

Project Stage: The project stage appears to be geared towards research, development, and validation, with an emphasis on implementing effective recommendations, tools, narratives, methodologies, and other innovative solutions. The inclusion of Innovation Actions suggests support for projects closer to demonstration and commercialization.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the type of action:
HORIZON-CSA: typically between €2,000,000 and €3,500,000
HORIZON-RIA: typically between €3,000,000 and €5,000,000
HORIZON-IA: between €2,500,000 and €4,000,000, with some actions having a total budget of €26,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

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

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, given that the eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, it is possible that applicants will need to cover costs exceeding the lump sum amount.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society pillar, aims to fund research and innovation projects that counter radicalisation, extremism, hate speech, and polarisation. The call is structured around several topics, each with its own budget and expected number of grants, and is open to a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, media organisations, policymakers, and civil society organisations. Projects should contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the drivers and impacts of these phenomena, as well as to the development of effective prevention and counter measures. The call encourages collaboration with the EU Knowledge Hub on radicalisation prevention (RAN) and leveraging data and services from the European Open Science Cloud. Funding is provided as a lump sum, and applications are submitted through a single-stage process. The call addresses the urgent need to combat hate speech and extremism, particularly in the context of social media and online platforms, and seeks to equip decision-makers and practitioners with the tools and knowledge to promote democracy and social cohesion.