Impact of in-kind benefits on income distribution and on vulnerable populations

The HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-TRANSFO-02 opportunity focuses on the impact of in-kind benefits on income distribution and vulnerable populations as part of the Horizon Europe program's Cluster 2 titled "Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society." This upcoming call for proposals, which opens on May 13, 2027, and closes on September 23, 2027, has a total budget of €10 million intended to fund three research projects. Each project may receive between €3 million and €3.3 million.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of organizations, such as universities, research organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises, non-profit organizations, and public bodies from EU member states and associated countries. Non-EU and non-associated countries may also participate provided they have specific funding arrangements.

The funding is provided in the form of a lump sum grant under the Horizon Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA). The grant delivery is based on a lump sum model, offering more financial predictability.

Applications must generally involve consortia, although specifics on the consortium size are not detailed. The program is designed to bring together multiple institutions and encourages collaboration to foster robust research.

The focus is on the social sciences and humanities sectors, particularly regarding social policy and protection, inequality, and the effects of in-kind benefits—such as healthcare, housing, childcare, and public transportation—on income distribution. The goal of the-funded research is to fill the existing knowledge gaps on how these benefits influence vulnerable groups and to produce actionable policy guidance for EU policymakers.

This initiative aims to develop comprehensive mappings and measurement frameworks for in-kind benefits, assess their availability and effectiveness, and provide insights into their redistributive roles. Potential applicants are encouraged to adopt a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach in their research.

The application process is straightforward, comprising a single-stage submission with no preliminary proposal phase. All proposals must be submitted through the EU Funding and Tenders Portal by the specified deadline. Given the expected competition for only three grants and historical context, the chance of success may be low, typically under 10%.

Co-funding, likely around 20% of total eligible costs, may be required, although specific details are not included. Applicants should consult the provided documentation and guidelines for precise participation conditions and evaluation criteria.

Overall, this grant opportunity seeks to enhance understanding of the role of in-kind benefits in social equality, providing substantial funding for research that will directly inform EU social policy.

This is a Horizon Europe call for proposals focusing on the impact of in-kind benefits on income distribution and vulnerable populations, specifically topic HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-TRANSFO-02. It falls under the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society call (HORIZON-CL2-2027-01) of the Horizon Europe program. The action type is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 13 May 2027, and the deadline for submission is 23 September 2027 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

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

1.  Policy makers will receive a mapping of in-kind benefits across Member States and a comprehensive measurement framework.
2.  Policy makers will gain insights into the availability of in-kind services, potential gaps in their provision, and reasons for non-take-up.
3.  Policy makers will gain insights into the redistributive role of in-kind benefits and the segregation of different social groups, through Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) research.
4.  Policy makers will receive operational advice to make informed policy choices that reduce inequality and strengthen fairness and cohesion.

The scope of the call is as follows:

In-kind benefits are defined as non-cash goods and services provided to individuals or households, typically by government entities (national, regional, and/or local), to support their well-being or fulfill basic needs. Examples include food banks, social housing, health and long-term care services, childcare, schooling, sport infrastructure, and public transport. Unlike cash transfers, in-kind benefits ensure resources are used for specific purposes, either for free or at a subsidised cost.

The call acknowledges a lack of empirical knowledge regarding the impact of in-kind benefits (except for healthcare) on income distribution and vulnerable groups, in contrast to the well-documented impact of cash benefits.

Research activities may include:

1.  Establishing a full mapping of in-kind benefits (both free and subsidised, universal and means-tested) provided by national, regional, and local governments. This mapping could be structured along a life-cycle perspective and/or around specific groups to improve EU indicators on in-kind benefits and enhance comparability.
2.  Developing a comprehensive measurement framework based on methods, tools, available data, and indicators, both qualitative and quantitative, and both ex ante and ex post. This framework may translate in-kind benefits into income, demonstrating their redistributive role across income groups, vulnerable populations, and marginal or small-size groups, while ensuring cross-country comparability.
3.  Identifying the availability of in-kind benefits at the local level, including potential gaps, take-up rates, and reasons for these rates (e.g., capacities' incompatibility with local needs). This may involve vulnerable communities in the evaluation design.
4.  Providing operational advice to policy makers on translating research results into concrete actions to reduce inequality and strengthen fairness and cohesion.

The overall aim is to close the knowledge gap covering various dimensions, with an expectation that proposals apply a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach, including age, to their research.

General conditions for participation include:

1.  Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limits 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 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.
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 also described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6.  Legal and financial set-up of the grants: The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results for up to 4 years after the action's end, as set out in Annex 5. Eligible costs will be in the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021. Additional information is available in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

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

Application and evaluation forms, and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) include:

1.  Application form templates, available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE RIA, IA).
2.  Evaluation form templates, which will be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form HE RIA, IA).
3.  Guidance from the HE Programme Guide.
4.  Model Grant Agreements (MGA) including the Lump Sum MGA.
5.  Call-specific instructions, 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 2027 includes several topics under the same call, with varying budgets, action types (CSA, RIA, IA), and indicative numbers of grants. For HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-TRANSFO-02, the budget is 10,000,000 EUR, and the indicative number of grants is 3, with contributions ranging from 3,000,000 to 3,300,000 EUR.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants after logging into the portal.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

Support resources include the 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, the European Charter for Researchers, and a partner search function.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to address the knowledge gap regarding the impact of in-kind benefits on income distribution and vulnerable populations. It seeks to provide policy makers with comprehensive data, measurement frameworks, and operational advice to reduce inequality and strengthen fairness and cohesion across Member States. The call encourages research activities that map in-kind benefits, develop measurement tools, identify gaps in provision, and involve vulnerable communities in the evaluation process, all while applying a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach. The funding will be provided as a lump sum grant, and the call is a single-stage process with a deadline in September 2027.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on 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, and other relevant organizations from EU member states and associated countries. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible if specific provisions have been made.

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

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the scope and objectives of the research and innovation actions, it is highly likely that a consortium of multiple applicants will be necessary to address the various aspects of the research. Coordination and Support Actions may be carried out by a single entity or a consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility is for EU member states and associated countries, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The opportunity also mentions that 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 program targets the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society sector, with a specific focus on the impact of in-kind benefits on income distribution and vulnerable populations. It also touches upon social sciences and humanities (SSH) research.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU member states and non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made specific provisions for funding.

Project Stage: The project stage is primarily research and innovation, with some elements of coordination and support. This suggests that the projects should be in the research, development, validation, or demonstration stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action (RIA or CSA). The indicative grant amounts range from €2,500,000 to €5,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, meaning that applicants must submit a full proposal by the deadline.

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

Application Stages: The application process appears to be a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, which can be used to estimate the potential success rate based on the number of expected proposals.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned. However, Horizon Europe grants typically fund a significant portion of the project costs, with the possibility of requiring some co-funding from the applicant or other sources.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, part of the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society program, focuses on research and innovation actions related to the impact of in-kind benefits on income distribution and vulnerable populations. The call aims to provide policymakers with a comprehensive understanding of in-kind benefits, including their mapping, measurement, and redistributive role, to inform policy choices that reduce inequality and strengthen fairness and cohesion. The call is open to a variety of organizations from EU member states and associated countries, as well as potentially non-EU/non-associated countries with specific provisions. Funding is provided as a lump sum grant, with indicative grant amounts ranging from €2,500,000 to €5,000,000 depending on the specific topic and type of action. The application process is a single-stage call with a deadline of September 23, 2027. Potential applicants should carefully review the call documents and guidelines to ensure their proposals align with the call's objectives and requirements.