Cultural Strategies for Peace: culture and creativity as catalysts for conflict prevention and post-conflict reconciliation

The Horizon Europe funding opportunity titled "Cultural Strategies for Peace: culture and creativity as catalysts for conflict prevention and post-conflict reconciliation" (HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-HERITAGE-07) focuses on utilizing cultural heritage and creativity to foster peace and prevent conflict. The primary eligible applicants are universities, research institutes, and NGOs involved in cultural heritage or peacebuilding, with potential inclusion of public-private partnerships and cultural organizations. The funding is categorized as a lump sum grant under HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, emphasizing collaborative approaches typical of such grants.

Geographic eligibility encompasses EU member states, EEA countries, and associated nations, aiming for a broad EU-wide impact. The project targets multiple sectors including culture, creativity, security, and peacebuilding, seeking innovative solutions for integration of culture into broader policies and frameworks.

Although the exact funding amounts are not explicitly detailed, similar projects generally fall within a range of €2 million to €15 million based on the type of actions specified. The application process is single-stage with a deadline set for September 16, 2025.

The call emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary research and international cooperation, especially regarding programs that involve cultural relations. It encourages projects that analyze successful peacebuilding strategies, develop policy guidelines, and enhance community resilience through cultural approaches. The success rates for such grants are typically around 10-20%, reflective of the competitive nature of Horizon Europe funding.

Overall, the initiative seeks to build sustainable collaboration mechanisms among various stakeholders, generating insights and recommendations that policymakers can utilize to integrate culture into peace and security strategies, ultimately aiming to promote a more peaceful global community through cultural engagement.

The EU Funding Opportunity is a Horizon Europe call under the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society pillar, specifically targeting "Cultural Strategies for Peace: culture and creativity as catalysts for conflict prevention and post-conflict reconciliation." The call aims to leverage culture, including cultural heritage and the arts, to foster innovative approaches to security frameworks, foreign policy, and peacebuilding strategies in response to escalating global conflicts and crises.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this call include:

Enhanced understanding among diplomacy, culture, research, and education organizations regarding the strategic importance of culture in contemporary geopolitics. This includes recognizing how culture can be manipulated to fuel conflict and how it contributes to conflict prevention, reconciliation, and sustainable peace.

An empirical knowledge base derived from case studies, analysis, and evaluation, offering adaptable models for integrating culture into sustainable peacebuilding, conflict prevention, preparedness, and post-conflict reconciliation for public authorities, international organizations, NGOs, and society.

Evidence-based recommendations and guidelines for policymakers to develop innovative, sustainable peacebuilding strategies aligned with EU principles and values.

Established collaboration mechanisms among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to ensure sustained progress in culture for security, foreign policy, and sustainable peace, promoting continuous knowledge advancement.

The scope of the call encompasses:

Research and Innovation (R&I) actions to develop groundbreaking solutions for security and foreign policy through the integration of culture, cultural heritage, and the arts.

Adaptation of international cultural relations to contemporary and future challenges by leveraging innovative strategic approaches to culture for dialogue, mutual understanding, and addressing socio-cultural disparities that fuel conflicts.

Exploration of arts and culture as unique avenues for expression, communication, and trust, transcending socio-political barriers and fostering non-violent strategies for social change, while supporting citizen preparedness during major disruptions.

An interdisciplinary approach to addressing the innovative role of culture in conflict prevention, security, preparedness, resilience, and post-conflict reconciliation.

Mapping and analysis of relevant actions and initiatives led by European institutions, international organizations, individual States, and civil society organizations in Member States and Associated Countries, including those from partnerships in international cultural relations.

Examples of activities that proposals might undertake include:

Identifying successful approaches to integrating cultural heritage into foreign policy and security frameworks.

Exploring the potential of cultural heritage as common ground for conflicting parties, contributing to social fabric reconstruction and long-term stability.

Examining intangible cultural heritage and traditional knowledge as sources for peacebuilding strategies.

Exploring strategies at the intersection of art and culture, emergency management, and community resilience.

Collecting and analysing case studies of peacebuilding initiatives involving cultural and creative expressions.

Analysing current policies to identify gaps and opportunities for integrating culture and peacebuilding.

Developing policy guidelines and frameworks for incorporating cultural strategies into peacekeeping, security, and social development agendas.

Exploring digital technologies for enhancing cultural exchange and dialogue in peacebuilding.

Exploring imaginaries, narratives, and metaphors in the AI sector to enhance cultural diversity and intercultural understanding.

Developing metrics for evaluating the impact of cultural initiatives on peacebuilding and conflict resolution.

Investigating how culture can be manipulated to provoke conflict and how cultural heritage can contribute to reconciliation.

Collecting and analysing good practices related to leveraging cultural heritage to address societal challenges.

Investigating how intersectional factors affect participation in cultural peacebuilding initiatives.

Evaluating the role of cultural institutions in restorative and transformative justice.

Conducting longitudinal studies to assess long-term effects of cultural interventions.

Investigating the link between culture, cultural heritage, and sustainable economy in post-conflict recovery.

Establishing sustainable collaboration mechanisms among key stakeholders.

International cooperation and synergies with the Jean Monnet project HER-UKR are encouraged.

The Commission encourages projects to seek complementarities for stronger impact and build on existing knowledge, activities, and networks funded by the European Union.

The call specifies several general conditions:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and 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, with a mandatory detailed budget table.

Eligible Countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other Eligible Conditions: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

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

Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

Evaluation and award: The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021, with additional details in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

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

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including a standard application form (HE RIA, IA).

Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including a standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA).

Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the Lump Sum MGA.

Call-specific instructions include a detailed budget table (HE LS) version 3.3 and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction

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

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide

HE Framework Programme 2021/695

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764

EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509

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

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

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget overview for the call in 2025 includes various topics under Democracy, Heritage, and Transformation, with opening dates on May 15, 2025, and deadlines on September 16, 2025. The contributions range from around 2,000,000 EUR to 5,000,000 EUR, with indicative numbers of grants ranging from 1 to 8 depending on the specific topic.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests.

The call provides links to the Electronic Submission Service, Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, European Charter for Researchers, and Partner Search tools.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to address the critical need for innovative approaches to conflict prevention and post-conflict reconciliation by leveraging the power of culture, cultural heritage, and the arts. It seeks to generate insights, best practices, and policy guidelines that can be used by organizations and policymakers to integrate culture into security frameworks, foreign policy, and sustainable peacebuilding strategies. The call encourages interdisciplinary research, international cooperation, and the establishment of sustainable collaboration mechanisms to ensure long-term progress in this field. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the call provides detailed guidance on eligibility, application procedures, and evaluation criteria.

The Horizon Europe call, "Cultural Strategies for Peace: culture and creativity as catalysts for conflict prevention and post-conflict reconciliation," is essentially a funding opportunity designed to explore and enhance the role of culture in promoting peace and security. It recognizes that in a world marked by increasing geopolitical instability and conflict, innovative approaches are needed to foster long-term peace and stability. The call invites researchers, cultural organizations, and policymakers to investigate how culture, including heritage and the arts, can be used as a tool for conflict prevention, reconciliation, and building resilient communities.

The core idea is that culture can serve as a bridge between conflicting parties, promote dialogue and understanding, and help communities recover from the trauma of conflict. The call encourages projects that map existing initiatives, analyse successful approaches, and develop policy guidelines for integrating culture into peacebuilding efforts. It also emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, international cooperation, and the use of digital technologies to enhance cultural exchange and promote peace.

In essence, this funding opportunity is about harnessing the power of culture to create a more peaceful and secure world. It's an invitation to explore the potential of cultural heritage, artistic expression, and intercultural dialogue as tools for building bridges, fostering understanding, and promoting sustainable peace in conflict-affected regions. By supporting research, innovation, and collaboration, the EU aims to develop evidence-based strategies that can be used by policymakers and practitioners to integrate culture into their peacebuilding efforts and create more resilient and inclusive societies.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include European institutions, international organisations, individual States, and civil society organisations in Member States and Associated Countries, as well as organisations active in diplomacy, culture, research (including SSH disciplines), and education, public authorities, and NGOs. The call is open to a wide range of entities involved in cultural heritage, peacebuilding, security, and foreign policy.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum. There are also HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to favor consortia, as it mentions partnerships in international cultural relations and encourages collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. However, single applicants might be possible for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA).

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes Member States and Associated Countries of the Horizon Europe Programme. The text also mentions non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sectors are culture, creativity, and inclusive society, with a focus on cultural heritage, the arts, security, foreign policy, peacebuilding, conflict prevention, emergency management, and community resilience. It also touches on digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and sustainable economy.

Mentioned Countries: Ukraine is explicitly mentioned in relation to the Jean Monnet project HER-UKR. The text also refers to Member States and Associated Countries of the Horizon Europe Programme, as well as non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is geared towards research and innovation actions, suggesting projects should be in the research, development, validation, or demonstration phases. The call also supports coordination and support actions, which may involve earlier-stage activities like mapping and analysis.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the type of action:
HORIZON-CSA: €2,000,000 to €3,500,000, with some topics specifying "around €2,000,000" or ranges like "€2,500,000 to €3,000,000".
HORIZON-RIA: €7,000,000 to €15,000,000, with contributions ranging from €3,000,000 to €5,000,000 per project. Some topics specify "around €3,400,000".
HORIZON-IA: €26,000,000, with contributions ranging from €2,500,000 to €4,000,000.

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: Based on the indicative number of grants and the budget overview, the success rates are variable depending on the action type. For RIA actions, typically 3 grants are awarded per topic, while CSA actions usually have 1 grant per topic, and IA actions have 8 grants for one specific topic.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe typically funds a percentage of the total eligible costs, implying that applicants might need to cover the remaining costs.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, under the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society pillar, focuses on "Cultural Strategies for Peace: culture and creativity as catalysts for conflict prevention and post-conflict reconciliation." It seeks to fund research and innovation actions (RIA), coordination and support actions (CSA), and innovation actions (IA) that explore the strategic role of culture, cultural heritage, and the arts in addressing geopolitical challenges, preventing conflict, promoting peacebuilding, and enhancing community resilience. The call encourages interdisciplinary approaches and international cooperation, particularly with the Jean Monnet project HER-UKR. Eligible applicants include a wide array of organisations, from research institutions and NGOs to public authorities and international bodies, primarily from EU Member States and Associated Countries, with potential participation from non-EU/non-Associated Countries. The funding amounts vary depending on the action type, ranging from €2,000,000 for CSAs to €15,000,000 for RIAs and €26,000,000 for IAs, with project contributions varying accordingly. The application process is a single-stage open call, and the funding is provided as a lump sum grant. The call aims to generate insights, evidence-based recommendations, and sustainable collaboration mechanisms to integrate culture into security frameworks, foreign policy, and sustainable peace initiatives.