Development aid and democratic governance

The HORIZON-CL2 grant opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program, focusing on the relationship between development aid and democratic governance. This initiative emphasizes enhancing EU engagement with low- and middle-income countries, particularly those in the Eastern and Southern Neighbourhoods, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia. Eligible applicants include a diverse range of research organizations, such as universities, research institutes, civil society organizations, and development cooperation NGOs. A consortium of at least three partners is required, emphasizing international collaboration. The funding is structured as lump sum grants, with individual project budgets estimated between €3.5 million to €4 million, contributing to a total budget of €12 million for approximately three grants. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a submission window from May 13, 2027, to September 23, 2027. Projects should focus on research and innovation actions, validating and demonstrating methods to promote democratic governance, human rights, and socio-economic equity, while addressing the effects of development aid on democratic institutions and processes. Success rates are projected to be competitive, likely between 10% and 39%. The call encourages proposals that adopt gender-sensitive approaches, involve civil society in research, and seek synergies with existing EU-funded initiatives. Overall, this funding opportunity aims to generate evidence-based insights to inform EU development policies and strengthen democratic resilience in the targeted countries, thereby promoting stability and inclusive governance.

This EU funding opportunity focuses on research and innovation actions related to culture, creativity, and inclusive society, specifically addressing the challenges in promoting democracy and stability in third countries through development aid. The call, HORIZON-CL2, is part of the Horizon Europe program and aims to strengthen multilateral partnerships between the EU and low- and middle-income countries.

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

1. Improved capabilities for EU and national policymakers and development aid agencies to navigate the complexities of EU relations with low- and middle-income countries, enhancing their strategies for inclusive and equitable multilateralism.

2. Enhanced capacity and solutions for development cooperation organizations to support democratic institutions and tackle global challenges, including climate action, rule of law, human rights, and gender equality.

3. Strengthened multilateral partnerships between the EU and low- and middle-income countries in development cooperation.

The scope of the research includes:

1. Examining the effects of development aid on democratic institutions and processes.

2. Identifying gaps in funding for democratic governance.

3. Exploring innovative approaches to support democratic governance and reduce inequality.

4. Understanding the role of non-EU aid donors, including public, private, and philanthropic actors.

5. Analyzing the influence of the EU's economic and geopolitical competitors and their impact on developing countries.

6. Focusing on reducing socio-economic and gender inequalities, fostering democratic resilience, and promoting inclusive governance.

7. Identifying new opportunities to enhance the EU's soft power and geopolitical influence across the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus, including through dedicated diplomacies.

Proposals should:

1. Include development aid civil society organizations in the activities.

2. Use a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach in their research.

3. Identify relevant EU-funded projects for potential collaboration.

4. Incorporate participatory research approaches to enhance inclusivity and stakeholder engagement.

The geographical scope includes the EU Enlargement, Neighbourhood, and low- and lower middle-income countries, with a focus on their relationship with the EU. International cooperation is strongly encouraged. The EU Neighbourhood is defined as countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), including countries to the East (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) and to the South (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia). Low- and lower middle-income countries are defined as the low to middle income non-associated third countries in the list of participating countries according to the Horizon Europe rules for participation and proposal procedure.

The call is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 13 May 2027, and the deadline is 23 September 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The Model Grant Agreement is a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS].

General conditions for participation include:

1. Admissibility Conditions:Proposal page limit and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.

2. Eligible Countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

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

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

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

8. Legal and financial set-up of the grants, including the possibility of the granting authority objecting to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results up to 4 years after the end of the action.

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) details:

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

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

3. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

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

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

Additional documents include:

1. HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction

2. HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 5. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society

3. HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. 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 call in 2027 includes various topics related to democracy, heritage, and transformation, with opening dates on 2027-05-13 and deadlines on 2027-09-23. Contributions range from 3,000,000 to €5,000,000, and the indicative number of grants varies from 1 to 5 depending on the topic.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

This funding opportunity aims to address the complexities and challenges of development aid and democratic governance in low- and middle-income countries. It seeks to equip policymakers and development agencies with better strategies, enhance the capacity of development cooperation organizations, and strengthen multilateral partnerships. The research should focus on the interplay between development aid, security, and democratic governance, with a focus on reducing inequalities and promoting inclusive governance. By funding research and innovation actions, the EU aims to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of development outcomes and enhance its soft power and geopolitical influence. The call encourages international cooperation and the inclusion of civil society organizations, ensuring a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach in the research proposals.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given the nature of Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, nonprofit organizations, and other relevant entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities or providing coordination and support services. Civil society organizations are specifically mentioned as entities to include in the activities.

Funding Type:The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically through HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA). The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement:The text encourages international cooperation, implying that a consortium of multiple applicants is preferred, although not explicitly required. The partner search announcements also suggest that the opportunity is geared towards consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographical scope includes the EU Enlargement, Neighbourhood, and low- and lower middle-income countries. The EU Neighbourhood is defined as countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), including countries to the East (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine) and to the South (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, and Tunisia). Low- and lower middle-income countries are defined as non-associated third countries in the list of participating countries according to the Horizon Europe rules.

Target Sector:The program targets the following sectors: development aid, democratic governance, equality, security, climate action, rule of law, human rights, gender equality, culture, creativity, and inclusive society. It also encompasses the Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus.

Mentioned Countries:Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, EU member states, low-income countries, and low-middle income countries.

Project Stage:The project stage is primarily focused on research and innovation actions, as well as coordination and support actions. This suggests that the projects should be in the research, development, validation, or demonstration stages.

Funding Amount:The funding amounts vary depending on the type of action:

HORIZON-CSA:€3,000,000 to €5,000,000

HORIZON-RIA:€2,500,000 to €4,800,000

HORIZON-IA:€3,000,000 to €3,750,000

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

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of lump sum grants to support research and innovation actions, as well as coordination and support actions.

Application Stages:The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. For example, some topics indicate only 1 grant will be awarded, while others indicate up to 5.

Co-funding Requirement:The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society domain. It aims to address challenges in development aid, democratic governance, and related global issues. The call is open to a wide range of eligible applicants, including research institutions, universities, SMEs, and nonprofits. The funding is provided through lump sum grants, supporting research and innovation actions, as well as coordination and support actions. The geographical scope includes the EU Enlargement, Neighbourhood, and low- and lower middle-income countries. The call seeks to enhance the EU's soft power, promote multilateral partnerships, and develop effective strategies for sustainable development and democratic strengthening. Applicants are encouraged to form consortia and engage in international cooperation. The application process involves a single-stage submission, with funding amounts varying based on the type of action.