Foundations for climate-resilient cultural heritage - Assessing and managing impact and risk, dealing with damage and loss

The Joint Transnational Call "Foundations for climate-resilient cultural heritage" (European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage, Horizon Europe) supports transnational research and innovation projects addressing climate and environmental impacts on cultural heritage and how heritage can contribute to societal resilience. The total call budget is €36,512,611 and projects are expected to run 24–36 months; submission follows a mandatory two-stage process via the RCH EPSS with a pre-proposal cut-off on 11 January 2027 at 15:00 Brussels time and an invited full proposal cut-off on 16 June 2027 at 15:00 Brussels time. Proposals must be interdisciplinary consortia with at least three funded partners from three participating countries and must address one or more sub-themes: risk and impact assessment and preparedness, managing loss and damage, traditional/local/Indigenous knowledge for resilience, or sustainable governance of the heritage sector. Funding is provided by the EU co-funded partnership and participating national funders, so applicants must check the RCH call announcement and national annexes for specific eligibility, funding rates and any national submission requirements.

Assessing and managing impact and risk, dealing with damage and loss

Call snapshot

Co-funded call under the European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage (Identifier HORIZON-CL2). Open for submission via the RCH Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS). A mandatory two-step submission: pre-proposals first, full proposals second.

Participating funding organisations and ministries from 25 countries plus the European Union are co-funding the call to support research, innovation and transnational cooperation to strengthen preservation and adaptive responses for cultural heritage.

Footnotes

1. 1For EPSS access, technical support and the Call Announcement see RCH Joint Call Secretariat (RCH@anr.fr) and EPSS helpdesk epss.rch@proposals.ee; submission and evaluation procedures are detailed on the RCH EPSS platform.

Call identity and administrative data

Call title Foundations for climate-resilient cultural heritage - Assessing and managing impact and risk, dealing with damage and loss. Identifier HORIZON-CL2. This call is launched under the Co-funded European partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage (European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage, project acronym RCH, grant agreement number 101304744). Opening date 04 November 2026. Deadline model multiple cut-off with two published cut-off dates 11 January 2027 15:00 (Brussels time) and 16 June 2027 15:00 (Brussels time). Expected duration of funded participation 24-36 months. Total funding available for the call €36,512,611.

Purpose and thematic scope

Objective The call supports research and innovation activities that strengthen preservation and resilience of cultural heritage in the face of climate change, support innovative adaptation and mitigation solutions, and demonstrate cultural heritage as a driver of societal resilience. The call explicitly supports transnational research and innovation cooperation backed by funding organisations and ministries from 25 participating countries together with the European Union.

Acceptable topics and sub-themes

Proposals must address at least one of the four sub-themes listed below. Projects may address more than one sub-theme where relevant to the proposal.

Who can apply and eligible applicant types

Eligible applicant types are the categories typically supported under Horizon-style partnerships and co-funded calls. Intended and likely eligible applicants include: universities and higher education research departments; public research organisations and research institutes; small and medium-sized enterprises and large enterprises; cultural heritage organisations and museums; public authorities and local/regional/national government bodies; non-profit organisations and non-governmental organisations active in heritage or climate; community organisations including Indigenous and local community bodies; and public-private partnerships where legally permitted. Individual natural persons are generally not direct beneficiaries under this instrument; projects are implemented by legal entities.

Funding type, scale and financial arrangements

Primary funding mechanism Grant funding provided through the co-funded partnership. The call budget published is a total of €36,512,611 to be allocated to successful proposals under the partnership. The partnership is co-funded by the European Union and national funding organisations; national contributions may be channelled through national agencies and will affect eligibility and funding rates of individual partners.

Application process and submission

Submission model and platform A mandatory two-step submission and evaluation process applies. Step 1 mandatory pre-proposals (pre-proposals) must be submitted; selected pre-proposals will be invited to submit full proposals at step 2. Submissions are made via the RCH Electronic Proposal Submission System (EPSS). The EPSS home for this call is the RCH EPSS at epss.proposals.ee/rch/ and applicants must sign in to access the platform and submit proposals.

Consortium requirement and collaboration model

The call places emphasis on transnational cooperation and is supported by funding organisations from multiple countries. The partnership aims to fund transnational R&I projects. Applicants should plan for collaborative consortia that involve partners from different participating countries and relevant stakeholder groups (research organisations, heritage bodies, local communities, public authorities and SMEs). Specific minimum consortium composition and national participation rules are defined in the Call Announcement and on the RCH EPSS; applicants must consult those documents to confirm mandatory minimum numbers of partners and eligible country combinations.

Target sectors, disciplines and expected project maturity

Primary sectors targeted Cultural heritage and cultural heritage management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk management, environment and natural hazards, governance and policy, social sciences (including Indigenous and local knowledge systems), conservation science, architecture and built environment, and community resilience. Interdisciplinary proposals that combine heritage science, climate science, governance, social sciences and community-based approaches are encouraged.

Expected project stage Projects are expected to range from research and development, validation and demonstration of methods and tools, to development of governance models and piloting of solutions. Projects may include applied research, pilot demonstrations, case studies and co-created solutions with local or Indigenous communities.

Evaluation, selection and success rates

Success rates No specific historical success rates are published in the scraped content. Success rates for this call will depend on the number and quality of pre-proposals and full proposals received and on available budget. Applicants should expect competitive selection given the total budget and the likely large interest across heritage and climate communities.

Co-funding, national rules and contracting

Co-funding arrangements The partnership is co-funded by the European Union and national funding organisations. This implies that national funding organisations may apply specific co-funding rules and limits to applicants from their respective countries. Applicants must consult the Call Announcement and national agencies to determine whether co-funding from applicants or national co-funding contributions are required and to understand eligible costs and funding rates for each partner. Final contracting will follow the RCH partnership and national agency rules.

Templates, documents and help resources

Application forms and templates The call uses the RCH EPSS forms. The Call Announcement available on the RCH Partnership website and the EPSS contains templates, guidance for pre-proposal and full proposal stages, evaluation guide and eligibility rules. Applicants must use the EPSS submission templates and follow the structure and length limitations set in the Call Announcement. Technical and administrative contacts: RCH Joint Call Secretariat RCH@anr.fr and RCH EPSS helpdesk epss.rch@proposals.ee.

Contacts and useful links

Primary call portal details and EPSS The RCH EPSS platform is available at epss.proposals.ee. The RCH Partnership information and Call Announcement are available via the Heritage Research Hub and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. For administrative and technical help contact RCH Joint Call Secretariat RCH@anr.fr and EPSS technical helpdesk epss.rch@proposals.ee. Full call text and instructions are on the RCH Partnership website and on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal RCH Call Announcement 1.

Deadlines and timeline

Structured extraction: question-by-question

Key actions applicants should take now

1. Consult the full Call Announcement, the RCH Partnership webpages and the RCH EPSS to access the official call text, eligibility and funding rules, and EPSS templates. 2. Contact national funding organisations assigned to the partnership in your country to confirm national eligibility, co-funding rules and any national application steps. 3. Build an international consortium with relevant expertise across heritage science, climate risk, governance and community engagement, and prepare a compliant pre-proposal for the mandatory pre-proposal stage. 4. Use the EPSS helpdesk for technical submission support and the Joint Call Secretariat for administrative queries (epss.rch@proposals.ee, RCH@anr.fr).

For detailed instructions, templates and submission use the RCH EPSS and the RCH Partnership Call Announcement on the Heritage Research Hub and EU Funding & Tenders Portal RCH EPSS RCH Call Announcement 1.

This call is part of the Co-funded European partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage and funds transnational research and innovation projects that strengthen cultural heritage resilience to climate change. With a total budget of €36,512,611, the call supports projects of 24-36 months that address one or more of four sub-themes: risk and impact assessment and preparedness; managing loss and damage from climate-induced hazards; the role of traditional, local and Indigenous knowledge for resilience; and sustainable governance of the cultural heritage sector. Applications follow a mandatory two-step procedure (pre-proposal then full proposal) submitted via the RCH EPSS. The partnership is co-funded by the EU and national funding organisations from 25 countries; applicants must check national eligibility and co-funding rules. The call targets interdisciplinary consortia including research organisations, heritage managers, public authorities, NGOs, community actors and enterprises seeking to develop, validate and demonstrate approaches, tools and governance models that make cultural heritage more climate-resilient. Successful applicants will receive grant funding through the partnership and access to transnational networks and stakeholder engagement channels. For submission instructions, templates and contact details consult the Call Announcement and the RCH EPSS 1.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary sources: RCH EPSS and RCH Partnership Call Announcement available via the Heritage Research Hub and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: epss.proposals.ee and ec.europa.eu. For administrative queries contact RCH@anr.fr and for EPSS technical support contact epss.rch@proposals.ee.

Opportunity overview

This is the first Joint Transnational Call of the European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage. It supports collaborative research and innovation projects addressing the effects of climate and environmental change on cultural heritage, while examining how cultural heritage, associated knowledge and communities can contribute to societal resilience. The call is implemented under the Horizon Europe co funded European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage, project number 101304744, grant agreement number 101304744.

The call is intentionally broad and requires each proposal to address at least one of four specified sub themes. Proposals should be interdisciplinary, transnational and oriented towards usable knowledge, methods, technologies, governance approaches or community based solutions that can support climate adaptation, mitigation, preparedness and long term resilience.

Core call information

The European Commission portal identifies the opportunity as a cascade funding competitive call associated with the European Partnership for Resilient Cultural Heritage. The call has multiple cut off dates and uses a separate partnership electronic proposal submission system rather than the standard Horizon Europe proposal submission route.

Key facts

Funding purpose and expected contribution

The call aims to strengthen the preservation and adaptive capacity of cultural heritage in the face of climate change. It seeks research and innovation that can improve understanding of climate related risks, reduce vulnerability, manage unavoidable damage and loss, and use cultural heritage as a driver of collective resilience.

Projects are expected to combine relevant disciplines and stakeholder perspectives. Relevant approaches may include humanities and social sciences, heritage sciences, engineering, climate science, environmental research, digital methods, public policy, community based research and applied innovation. Proposals should demonstrate how research findings, tools or approaches can inform decision makers, heritage managers, communities and climate policy implementation.

Eligible thematic areas

A proposal must address at least one sub theme. A strong proposal may integrate several sub themes where the links are clear and the work plan remains coherent.

Who can apply

The call is aimed at international research and innovation consortia. The participating funding organisations indicate that eligible applicants may include non profit organisations, public research mission entities, research organisations, higher education institutions, scientific cooperation foundations, public bodies, nongovernmental organisations, other non profit associations and private companies, subject to the national or regional rules of the funding organisation from which each applicant requests funding.

Only transnational projects are eligible for funding. The core consortium must include at least three eligible partners from at least three different participating countries, with each of those partners requesting funding from a different participating funding organisation. The three legally independent entities used to satisfy this minimum must be independent from one another.

The general partnership conditions indicate a maximum of seven eligible funded partners and a maximum of two eligible funded partners requesting funding from the same country. Self funded partners may participate without requesting funding from a participating funding organisation and are not subject to the stated maximum partner limit. However, self funded partners must have sufficient resources and must satisfy all relevant participation, legal, ethical, data and implementation requirements.

A partner is eligible only if it satisfies the rules of its relevant national or regional funding organisation. National eligibility rules may restrict applicant types, permitted costs, maximum funding, co funding requirements, project activities, geographic participation or the involvement of companies and public bodies.

Specific Horizon Europe requirements

Legal entities from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries that are public bodies, research organisations or higher education establishments, including private research organisations and private higher education establishments, and that participate as beneficiaries or affiliated entities are expected to have a Gender Equality Plan in place at grant signature and throughout the grant period where the Horizon Europe requirements apply.

The Gender Equality Plan requirement generally concerns formal public documentation, dedicated resources, data monitoring and reporting, training or capacity building, and measures addressing equality in organisational decision making and working conditions. Applicants should verify the applicable national and Horizon Europe rules before submission.

Consortium requirements

The consortium should be designed around a clearly shared transnational research question rather than a collection of disconnected national activities. The application should explain the added value of cross border collaboration, the contribution of each partner, the integration of disciplines, the role of users and stakeholders, and the route from research results to practical resilience outcomes.

Recommended consortium capabilities include the following:

Funding and budget conditions

The call does not provide one uniform EU wide funding rate or one standard award amount for every beneficiary. Funding is distributed by the participating national or regional funding organisations, and each partner is funded according to the eligibility, cost and funding rules of the organisation to which it applies.

Applicants should therefore prepare a partner by partner budget. The budget should distinguish personnel, subcontracting, travel, equipment, consumables, other direct costs, indirect costs, coordination, dissemination, stakeholder engagement, data management and any national co funding or own contribution. Costs that are eligible for one country may be ineligible or subject to different limits in another country.

As an example of national variation, the French National Research Agency indicates that it will fund French partners of selected projects up to €250,000 per partner, or up to €350,000 where the partner is the Lead Project Investigator. This example applies to French applicants under the ANR rules and should not be treated as a general limit for all countries.

The official call documentation and national annexes should be checked for each partner before consortium commitments are finalised. Particular attention should be paid to maximum national budgets, eligible organisation types, national co financing, salary rules, equipment rules, indirect cost treatment, subcontracting restrictions and any requirement for a parallel national submission.

Application procedure

The call uses a mandatory two step process. Applicants first submit a pre proposal. Only consortia explicitly invited by the Joint Call Secretariat may submit a full proposal at the second stage.

Both stages require one joint transnational proposal prepared by the consortium. Pre proposals and full proposals must be written in English. Applications must be submitted through the RCH electronic proposal submission system. Proposals sent directly to a national funder are not eligible for the joint call.

For full proposals involving at least one partner applying for funding from the French National Research Agency, the available national guidance indicates that a parallel submission through the ANR IRIS platform is also required. Other countries may impose equivalent national steps, so each partner should confirm its national procedure with the relevant funding organisation.

Submission platform and support

RCH electronic proposal submission system: RCH EPSS

Partnership information and call updates: Heritage Research Hub

Likely evaluation considerations

The detailed evaluation criteria and scoring thresholds should be taken from the final call announcement. Based on the published call structure, applicants should expect close attention to the scientific or technical quality of the proposal, relevance to the selected sub themes, transnational added value, feasibility, consortium competence, stakeholder engagement, expected impact and the credibility of implementation and dissemination plans.

A competitive proposal should clearly demonstrate the problem being addressed, the climate or environmental hazard context, the cultural heritage affected, the knowledge gap, the proposed methodology, the role of each partner, the users of the results, the expected change beyond the project and the means of measuring impact.

Applicants should avoid proposals that are limited to generic heritage digitisation, routine conservation activity, isolated national case studies or descriptive climate analysis without a clear transnational research question and a credible pathway to resilience outcomes.

Project implementation expectations

Projects should be planned for 24 to 36 months. The work plan should include work packages, milestones, deliverables, decision points, risk management, data management, communication, dissemination, exploitation and appropriate monitoring of outcomes.

Where projects involve communities, traditional knowledge or Indigenous knowledge, the work plan should include ethical safeguards, informed participation, appropriate recognition, data governance and arrangements for protecting sensitive knowledge. Where projects address threatened or damaged heritage, applicants should explain how data, documentation and outputs will be made usable during preparedness, emergency response, recovery and long term planning.

Applicants should also plan for interoperability and reuse of outputs, where appropriate. Potential outputs may include risk assessment methods, decision support tools, datasets, monitoring protocols, policy recommendations, governance models, training resources, technical demonstrations, guidance for heritage managers and community resilience frameworks.

Applicant action checklist

Overall assessment

This is a substantial transnational research opportunity for consortia working at the intersection of cultural heritage and climate change. It is particularly suitable for projects that combine robust climate risk or hazard analysis with heritage expertise, practical management or governance solutions, and meaningful participation by communities, public authorities and heritage practitioners.

The opportunity is less suitable for a single organisation, a purely local project without transnational added value, routine conservation work without a research and innovation dimension, or a consortium that has not checked the national rules of every requested funder. The main preparation risk is not the thematic scope but the coordination of different national eligibility and budget conditions within one joint proposal.

The definitive source for dates, submission status and the portal level budget is the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. The definitive source for consortium conditions, national funding limits, national application procedures and detailed evaluation requirements is the final RCH call announcement and the national funding annexes.

Sources used for this assessment are the EU Funding and Tenders Portal call record EU Funding and Tenders Portal, the RCH Partnership call information RCH Joint Transnational Calls, and the French National Research Agency call information ANR RCH call information.