Fostering cooperation and integration between SSH and STEM research and innovation in the EU

The EU grant opportunity known as HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-10 focuses on fostering cooperation and integration between Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) within research and innovation (R&I) efforts across the EU. The funding type is a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, specifically designed for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), with a total budget of €3,500,000. This grant is structured as a single-stage open call, scheduled to open on May 12, 2026, and close on September 23, 2026.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of organizations such as universities, research institutes, non-profit organizations, and public bodies with relevant expertise in SSH and STEM. The geographic eligibility encompasses EU member states and associated countries, thereby prioritizing a European-level coordination framework.

The project aims to improve the efficacy of SSH and STEM integration, address societal challenges, and contribute to European R&I policies by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. It requires the establishment of a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework that tracks SSH-STEM cooperation in EU-funded projects, thereby enhancing R&I activities.

Key components include monitoring and evaluation, facilitation and promotion of SSH-STEM collaboration, and providing evidence-based policy guidance to the European Commission and other stakeholders. The project should result in an enhanced understanding of SSH-STEM integration and recommendations to improve cooperation among research funders and policymakers.

The application process will evaluate submissions based on award criteria including excellence, impact, and implementation quality, and it is expected that there will be a very low success rate with only one grant likely to be awarded, making this a highly competitive opportunity. Co-funding is not required, as the lump sum grant covers the full eligible costs.

Overall, this grant represents a strategic effort to strengthen the role of SSH in conjunction with STEM across Europe, promoting an integrated approach in addressing complex societal issues through research and innovation.

This EU funding opportunity aims to foster cooperation and integration between Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research and innovation within the EU. The call, HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-10, falls under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society 2026 call. It is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant funding mechanism.

The planned opening date for submissions is 12 May 2026, with a deadline of 23 September 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of funded projects include:

Greater integration of SSH and STEM research and innovation in R&I initiatives at EU, national, and regional levels, as well as in R&I policies. This will be achieved by promoting dialogue, mutual learning, and strategic cooperation among research funders and policymakers in the EU.

Development and maintenance of a new, common, comprehensive ‘Monitoring and Impact Evaluation Framework’ for SSH integration in current and future EU R&I initiatives.

Enhanced facilitation of knowledge exploitation and support to cooperation between projects and stakeholders, and R&I policies involved in projects and other types of cross-border networks dealing with SSH and STEM research and innovation.

The scope of this funding opportunity is to create an SSH-STEM Action that focuses on SSH-STEM monitoring, facilitation, and promotion at the European level. This action should encompass the following aspects:

1. Monitoring:

Develop a new strategy in the first year of the project to develop and monitor SSH-STEM research cooperation, potentially using A.I. search tools.

Provide a clear justification of significant steps forward in methodology compared to previous reporting on SSH-STEM collaboration, data management, analytical methods, and data collection. Robust open data-driven approaches are strongly encouraged.

Describe the steps to ensure the delivery of reporting on a yearly basis, including data collection, data analysis, and interpretation of SSH-STEM related cooperation data in EU-funded projects in Horizon Europe where there is SSH-STEM cooperation.

2. Facilitation and Promotion:

Develop guidelines for SSH-STEM cooperation and support stakeholders in their projects where SSH-STEM cooperation is possible, focusing on increasing the quality and depth of cooperation and applying cooperation where most relevant.

Propose approaches such as training to researchers on how to best integrate either STEM or SSH into their research.

Consider the collaboration within SSH sciences and pay attention to both quantitative and qualitative SSH disciplines.

Organize an annual event showcasing SSH and STEM cooperation, with exchanges for policymakers, best practice examples, and showcasing funded projects/programs at EU, national, and other levels.

Provide a quantitative and qualitative R&D evidence base on how to ensure that policies (including funding) aimed at stimulating research & innovation are appropriate for the sectors with the greatest potential to contribute to Europe’s competitiveness.

Propose evaluation metrics for SSH-STEM cooperation within research projects.

3. SSH/ STEM Science for Policy:

Act as an SSH/ Science for policy exchange, providing the European Commission with feedback and advice on SSH-STEM cooperation and informing the European Commission of the latest developments in SSH-STEM cooperation.

Serve as a forum that promotes dialogue and cooperation among research funders and policymakers in the EU (linked to the European Research Area) and beyond to further the integration of SSH and STEM in EU-funded R&I initiatives.

Provide monitoring guidance in SSH and STEM cooperation in R&I programs at national/regional and European levels.

The consortium should contribute to the priorities of the European Research Area and the EU Competitiveness Compass. It is expected to liaise with the two Cluster 2 co-funded European Partnerships and look into successful SSH integration projects and initiatives funded at EU level.

The action should recognize the diversity within SSH disciplines and their differing levels of integration with STEM. It should include targeted strategies to increase humanities’ participation alongside qualitative and quantitative social sciences to ensure balanced SSH representation. STEM domain prioritization should be driven by thematic relevance and feasibility for SSH cooperation.

Projects should adopt a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach when integrating SSH and STEM, considering a variety of societal needs and perspectives to ensure inclusivity and equality in research and innovation in EU and national R&I policies.

The general conditions for this funding opportunity include:

1. Admissibility Conditions:

Proposal page limit: The Part B of the CSA application using lump sum has a page limit of 33 pages.

A detailed budget table must be submitted using the template available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries:

As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific provisions may exist for non-EU/non-Associated Countries; refer to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide for details.

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 are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

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

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

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants:

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

The specific conditions for this funding opportunity are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms, as well as the model grant agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System.

Additional documents include:

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

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

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. 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 this topic (HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-10) indicates a budget of 3,500,000 EUR for the year 2026. The action type is HORIZON-CSA (Coordination and Support Actions), and the funding will be provided through a single-stage process. The planned opening date is 12 May 2026, with a deadline of 23 September 2026. The estimated contribution is around 3,500,000 EUR, and the indicative number of grants is 1.

This funding opportunity aims to enhance the integration of social sciences and humanities (SSH) with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in European research and innovation. It seeks to create a coordinated action that monitors, facilitates, and promotes SSH-STEM collaboration across the EU. The goal is to improve the understanding and impact of research by ensuring that societal needs and competitiveness benefits are considered in all aspects of research and innovation policies. The action will also provide guidance and recommendations to the European Commission and other stakeholders on how to effectively integrate SSH and STEM in research programs and initiatives.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include entities capable of conducting research and innovation, coordination, and support actions. This likely encompasses universities, research institutes, NGOs, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations with relevant expertise. The call is open to entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially specific non-EU/non-associated countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Funding Type: The primary funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, used for HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA), Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to require a consortium, as it emphasizes cooperation between projects and stakeholders, cross-border networks, and the creation of an SSH-STEM Action. The text mentions the consortium should contribute to the priorities of the European Research Area.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries. Specific provisions may exist for non-EU/non-associated countries, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. The action is expected to promote dialogue and cooperation among research funders and policy makers in the EU (linked to the European Research Area) and beyond.

Target Sector: The program targets the integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) with Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). It aims to improve research activities, outcomes, and the impact of Horizon Europe by fostering cooperation between these sectors. The program also focuses on culture, creativity, and inclusive society.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are explicitly mentioned, but the focus is on the European Union (EU) and countries associated with the Horizon Europe program. The European Research Area is also referenced, indicating a European focus.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on monitoring, facilitation, and promotion of SSH-STEM cooperation. This suggests a focus on development, validation, and demonstration, with the aim of enhancing knowledge exploitation and supporting cooperation between projects and stakeholders.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific action type (RIA, IA, CSA) and topic. For the topic HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-10, which is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), the budget is EUR 3,500,000, with an indicative number of 1 grant. Other topics have different budgets and indicative numbers of grants, ranging from EUR 8,000,000 to EUR 16,000,000 for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA), with contributions ranging from EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 6,000,000 per project.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage open call, as indicated by the "single-stage" designation for the deadline model.

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

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

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. For example, a topic with a budget of EUR 3,500,000 and an indicative number of 1 grant suggests a highly competitive process.

Co-funding Requirement: The information provided does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. However, Horizon Europe grants often require some level of co-funding, which would be detailed in the specific call conditions.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, under the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society 2026 theme, aims to foster cooperation and integration between Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in research and innovation across the EU. The call seeks to enhance the impact of European research and development by promoting interdisciplinary collaboration and addressing societal challenges. It includes various funding instruments such as Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Innovation Actions (IA), and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), each with different budget allocations and objectives. Projects are expected to contribute to greater integration of SSH and STEM, develop monitoring and impact evaluation frameworks, and facilitate knowledge exploitation. The call is open to a wide range of eligible entities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially specific non-EU countries, with a single-stage application process and funding provided as lump sum grants. Applicants are encouraged to form consortia and address the specific requirements outlined in the call topic descriptions and general annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme. The overall goal is to strengthen the European Research Area, enhance EU competitiveness, and ensure that research and innovation policies are appropriate for sectors with the greatest potential to contribute to Europe's competitiveness.