Enable sustained coordination and guidance at the European level on institutional non-profit open access publishing

The grant opportunity HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-02 is part of the Horizon Europe program, aiming to enhance the European Research and Innovation (R&I) system by focusing on sustainable, high-quality, institutional non-profit open access publishing services. The primary goal is to increase the capacity for open science across Europe and establish it as the prevailing approach in modern research.

Eligible applicants must form a consortium comprising at least three independent legal entities from different Member States or Associated Countries, with at least two entities based in a Member State. The targeted sectors include scholarly publishing with an emphasis on open access publishing, research innovation, and promoting open science.

The grant type is classified as a HORIZON Action Grant and falls under the category of Coordination and Support Actions (CSA). A total budget of 2,000,000 EUR is allocated for this specific call, with the indicative contribution around 2,000,000 EUR, aiming for one grant. The call includes multiple topics with varying budgets and expected outcomes, ranging from 1.5 million to 26 million EUR, signifying a broader strategy to reinforce institutional capacities.

Projects will focus on coordination and support for institutional non-profit publishers, enhancing the quality of their services, increasing access to tools and training programs, and fostering relevant networks across Europe. This appertains to both articles and book publishing contexts, addressing previous projects aimed at capacity-building and global cooperation for open access initiatives.

The submission for applications is structured as a single-stage process with opened dates from May 15, 2025, and a deadline set for September 18, 2025. Applicants must adhere to specified admissibility conditions, including proposal page limits and layout conditions outlined in relevant annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme.

While the exact success rates are not readily available, the indicative number of grants gives insight into the potential competitive landscape, as fewer grants are available for specific topics compared to others. Co-funding is not explicitly required for this grant.

In summary, this grant aims to foster a more equitable and accessible scholarly publishing landscape in Europe, ensuring institutional non-profit publishers align their services with quality standards and promoting collaborative efforts in open science. This initiative directly supports universities and research institutions, enhancing their open access publishing capabilities and improving accessibility to research outputs.

This EU funding opportunity aims to enhance the European Research and Innovation (R&I) system by supporting sustainable, high-quality, institutional non-profit open access publishing services. The goal is to increase the capacity for open science and establish it as the prevailing approach in modern research.

The funding call, Enhancing the European R&I system (HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06), is part of the Horizon Europe program. It focuses on enabling sustained coordination and guidance at the European level for institutional non-profit open access publishing. The expected outcomes include a broader range of services for developing skills and competencies of publishers, increased alignment to quality standards, and a well-connected European network.

The scope of the projects should address the provision of services to publishing initiatives, including quality assessment and access to tools and technology. It should also organize training programs for stakeholders and coordinate services and practices to create synergies. The action may build on earlier projects focused on capacity-building and global cooperation for open access publishing. The action should address articles, as well as monograph/book publishing. The duration of this action should not exceed 3 years.

Eligible applicants must form a consortium of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different Member State or Associated Country, with at least two of them established in a Member State.

The call includes several topics with varying budgets and grant numbers:

HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-01: HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) with a budget of 26,000,000 EUR, aiming for contributions between 1,500,000 to 2,000,000 EUR, and an indicative number of 13 grants.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-02: HORIZON CSA with a budget of 2,000,000 EUR, aiming for contributions around 2,000,000 EUR, and an indicative number of 1 grant.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-03: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) with a budget of 2,000,000 EUR, aiming for contributions around 2,000,000 EUR, and an indicative number of 1 grant.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-04: HORIZON RIA with a budget of 2,000,000 EUR, aiming for contributions around 2,000,000 EUR, and an indicative number of 1 grant.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-05: HORIZON CSA with a budget of 4,000,000 EUR, aiming for contributions around 2,000,000 EUR, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-06: HORIZON CSA with a budget of 2,000,000 EUR, aiming for contributions around 2,000,000 EUR, and an indicative number of 1 grant.

HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-07: HORIZON CSA with a budget of 6,000,000 EUR, aiming for contributions around 6,000,000 EUR, and an indicative number of 1 grant.

The opening date for submissions is May 15, 2025, and the deadline is September 18, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The call adopts a single-stage submission model.

General conditions for admissibility include proposal page limits 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. Eligible countries are detailed 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. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, submission and evaluation processes, and the indicative timeline are detailed in Annex D and Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. Legal and financial aspects are covered in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 60,000 per third party.

Application forms are available in the Submission System, using the standard application form for HE CSA. Evaluation form templates will be adapted as necessary, using the standard evaluation form for HE CSA. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (HE MGA), and call-specific instructions. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions.

This funding opportunity is designed to bolster the open science movement by providing resources and support to institutional non-profit publishers, ensuring their services meet quality standards, and fostering a collaborative network across Europe. It aims to create a more equitable and accessible scholarly publishing landscape, ultimately enhancing the European R&I system.

In simpler terms, this is a call for projects that will help universities and research institutions in Europe improve their open access publishing services. The EU wants to support these non-profit publishers by providing training, tools, and resources to make their services better and more aligned with common standards. The goal is to make research more accessible and to establish open science as the standard practice in Europe. If you are part of a university or research institution involved in open access publishing, this is an opportunity to get funding to enhance your services and collaborate with other institutions across Europe.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include universities, research institutions, and other organizations relevant to research. The call specifically targets institutional non-profit publishers. Applications must be submitted by a consortium including participation, as beneficiaries, of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different Member State or Associated Country, and two of which are established in a Member State.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. The call includes both HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA). Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties, but this support can only be in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 60 000 per third party.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. Applications must be submitted by a consortium including participation, as beneficiaries, of at least three independent legal entities.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): Eligible applicants must be established in a different Member State or Associated Country. Two of the three independent legal entities must be established in a Member State. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sector is scholarly publishing, specifically focusing on open access publishing, research and innovation, and open science. It aims to support and enhance institutional non-profit open access publishing services.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU Member States and Associated Countries as locations where applicant entities must be established. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that may have specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on coordination, support, research, and innovation actions. It aims to enhance existing services, develop skills, align standards, and foster network-building among institutional non-profit publishers. The projects may build on and valorise the results of earlier projects, in particular projects focused on capacity-building and global cooperation for institutional non-profit open access publishing, as well as of relevant national and European initiatives.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call:
HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-01: EUR 26,000,000 (Contributions of EUR 1,500,000 to EUR 2,000,000, 13 grants)
HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-02: EUR 2,000,000 (Contributions around EUR 2,000,000, 1 grant)
HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-03: EUR 2,000,000 (Contributions around EUR 2,000,000, 1 grant)
HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-04: EUR 2,000,000 (Contributions around EUR 2,000,000, 1 grant)
HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-05: EUR 4,000,000 (Contributions around EUR 2,000,000, 2 grants)
HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-06: EUR 2,000,000 (Contributions around EUR 2,000,000, 1 grant)
HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-07: EUR 6,000,000 (Contributions around EUR 6,000,000, 1 grant)

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 grants. Additionally, the program provides non-monetary services such as access to resources, activities, toolkits, training programs, and coordination at the European level.

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 into the potential success rate. For example, HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06-ERA-01 aims to award 13 grants out of a total budget of EUR 26,000,000, while other topics aim to award only 1 or 2 grants.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement.

This Horizon Europe call, Enhancing the European R&I system (HORIZON-WIDERA-2025-06), aims to bolster institutional non-profit open access publishing. It seeks to create a sustainable, high-quality open access publishing ecosystem that aligns with European research assessment standards and promotes open science. The call is structured around Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), each with specific budgets and expected outcomes. Eligible applicants include universities, research institutions, and other relevant organizations that form a consortium of at least three independent legal entities from different Member States or Associated Countries. The projects should focus on providing services, training, and coordination to enhance the quality and accessibility of institutional non-profit open access publishing across Europe. The call emphasizes the importance of equitable scholarly publishing models that do not impose fees on authors or readers, and it supports the ERA Policy Agenda Action 1, which aims to enable open science through the European Open Science Cloud. The application process involves a single-stage submission, with the deadline set for September 18, 2025. Successful projects will contribute to a broader range of services, increased alignment of publishing standards, and a well-connected European network for open access publishing.