Innovative approaches to intangible cultural heritage for societal resilience

The funding opportunity titled "Innovative approaches to intangible cultural heritage for societal resilience" falls under Horizon Europe Cluster 2 for the year 2025. This is a two-stage call for HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant model. The total budget for this initiative is €12 million, with expected contributions of €3 million to €4 million for each project. The call is designed to address contemporary societal challenges by focusing on intangible cultural heritage and its role in fostering resilience against issues such as climate change, social disparities, and disasters.

Eligible applicants include universities, research institutions, cultural organizations, NGOs, and various entities involved in the preservation and exploration of cultural heritage. Participation is open to entities in EU member states, associated countries, and some international partners. A consortium approach is encouraged, emphasizing collaboration among communities, researchers, and stakeholders.

The application process consists of two stages. The first submission deadline is September 16, 2025, followed by a second stage deadline on March 17, 2026. Successful projects must propose innovative practices that enhance community engagement with intangible cultural heritage, develop methodologies for safeguarding such heritage, and analyze its potential for societal resilience.

Proposals should integrate digital technologies for documenting and communicating intangible cultural heritage, involve community participation especially from youth, and consider the implications of societal challenges on these cultural practices. The projects funded under this initiative will aim to create tools and strategies for policymakers to effectively incorporate these cultural elements into community resilience planning.

The expected outcomes include innovative strategies for safeguarding cultural heritage, methodologies for engaging young people, and sustainable integration of cultural practices into economic and social frameworks, such as cultural tourism. The call encourages a comprehensive understanding of the socio-economic dynamics affecting intangible cultural heritage and aims to build partnerships that enhance cultural sustainability and address the risks posed by globalization, climate change, and other societal challenges.

Overall, this funding initiative is a significant opportunity for collaborative research projects that explore the intersection of cultural heritage and societal resilience, promoting both innovation and sustainability in cultural practices.

The funding opportunity is HORIZON-CL2-2025-02-HERITAGE-02-two-stage, which falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society call for 2025. It is a two-stage call for HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and utilizes the HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model grant agreement. The call is currently open for submission, with a two-stage deadline model. The first deadline is September 16, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time, and the second deadline is March 17, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The total budget for this topic is 12,000,000 EUR for the year 2025. The indicative grant contribution ranges from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 EUR, with an expected number of 3 grants to be awarded.

The expected outcome of the projects funded under this topic is to provide policymakers with a multi-dimensional overview and assessment of the role of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in contemporary societal challenges and European social, economic, and cultural dynamics. This includes a comprehensive analysis of ICH’s potential for societal resilience and its contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Additionally, proposals should contribute to at least two of the following expected outcomes:

1. Access to innovative practices, strategies, and tools for incorporating ICH in community resilience planning, ICH innovative safeguarding, and expanding community engagement with ICH practice, safeguarding, and communication for policymakers, public authorities, and stakeholders. This includes awareness of gender dynamics in ICH practices and innovative policies aimed at preserving ICH amid disasters, conflicts, migration, and population displacements.

2. Availability of new methodological approaches and tools using digital technologies for documenting, communicating, and transmitting ICH. Broadened community engagement with ICH, particularly among youth, crucial for sustainable and intergenerational transmission of living cultural practices. Strengthened alliance between communities and researchers and enhanced involvement of education and heritage preservation institutions and agencies.

3. Enhanced sustainable use of ICH as a source of inspiration for creative designs and practices, to spur sustainable development and provide a valuable resource to communities, e.g., for attracting cultural tourism. Strengthened measures to prevent overuse, inappropriate use, and depletion.

4. Devising a future research agenda for sustainable ICH practices respecting cultural diversity, human rights, and gender equality; cultural aspects of societal resilience will be addressed.

The scope of the topic focuses on intangible cultural heritage (ICH), which includes traditions, oral histories, performing arts, social practices, rituals, and festive events, as defined by UNESCO. Societal challenges such as globalization, urbanization, migration, conflicts, disasters, and climate change significantly threaten the safeguarding and transmission of these cultural legacies. Research should address the impact of these challenges, including comprehensive risk assessments on the impact of societal challenges and climate change on ICH, including the erosion of cultural practices due to migration, displacement, or to a changed living environment.

A crucial under-researched area is the role of ICH in strengthening resilience against societal challenges and disasters and in fostering climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Traditional knowledge systems and practices developed over generations by communities, including indigenous communities, and embedded within ICH, provide insights for sustainable natural resource management and adaptation strategies tuned to local ecosystems. This includes identifying natural hazard risks, disaster response, and post-disaster restoration of social and natural environments. Additionally, ICH practices such as rituals, storytelling, or traditional craftsmanship, help preserve cultural identity while enhancing mental health and quality of life, contributing to social well-being, community resilience, and recovery efforts.

Innovative approaches are needed to sustain and revitalize ICH by fostering participatory approaches that actively involve communities, with particular attention to young people, whose engagement is key for safeguarding and transmitting ICH. Strengthening research-community collaboration and involving the education sector are essential for co-creating knowledge and innovation with concrete societal impacts. Potential areas for exploration include innovative methods to promote and safeguard ICH, and bridging gaps in heritage roles, including women’s contribution in the safeguarding and transmission of ICH.

Advanced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, can innovate support for ICH through sustainable documentation, safeguarding, and dissemination, including through immersive experiences, and respecting the balance between safeguarding and evolution. Consideration should be given to preserving audiovisual collections which serve as carrier of ICH and capture its history and evolution. Proposals might consider leveraging the digital platform and tools provided by the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage.

Leveraging ICH through sustainable practices can contribute to sustainable development. ICH reveals ways of living that are less resource demanding. For example, traditional building techniques can inspire sustainable architectural designs; centuries-old agricultural practices can inform organic farming; and traditional crafts, music, and folklore can drive innovation in fashion, product design, and the arts. By integrating intangible cultural elements into modern practices, communities can create globally resonant, high-value products while keeping their cultural significance. Cultural tourism, centred around ICH, can boost local economies, and foster intercultural dialogue. Maintaining the integrity of ICH and preventing depletion is essential, as is ensuring the sustainability and fair distribution of benefits from ICH among the community.

Proposals should consider involving communities bearing and practicing intangible cultural heritage alongside with researchers and other stakeholders. Proposals should build on existing knowledge, activities, and networks, notably those funded by the European Union. They should complement ongoing Horizon Europe projects and are expected to liaise with the European Partnership on Resilient Cultural Heritage (see HORIZON-CL2-2025-03-HERITAGE-01).

The Commission expects funded projects to regularly coordinate with relevant Cluster 2 projects (including those under the European Partnership on Resilient Cultural Heritage) to ensure complementarity of deliverables and outcomes, where appropriate.

The admissibility conditions include proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. The page limit for Part B of the application for the first stage is 10 pages. The second stage application will have a separate submission session with applicable templates.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Other eligible conditions are also described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D. Submission and evaluation processes are detailed in Annex F and the Online Manual, while the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also in Annex F.

Legal and financial aspects of the grants stipulate that eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021. Additional details are in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1) and the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA) for the second stage. Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including the Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1) and the Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) for the second stage.

Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, and a detailed budget table (HE LS) for the second stage. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and various guidelines and manuals related to Horizon Europe.

There are 39 partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

To start the submission process, applicants must access the Electronic Submission Service and select the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement.

This funding opportunity aims to support research and innovation projects that explore the role of intangible cultural heritage in addressing societal challenges and promoting resilience. It encourages the development of innovative approaches to safeguard and transmit cultural traditions, leveraging digital technologies and fostering community engagement. The ultimate goal is to provide policymakers and stakeholders with the knowledge and tools needed to integrate ICH into community planning and sustainable development strategies, ensuring the preservation and sustainable use of cultural heritage for future generations.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is open to a broad range of applicants, including those involving communities bearing and practicing intangible cultural heritage, researchers, and other stakeholders. The explicit eligible applicant types are not defined in the provided text. However, based on the context, eligible applicants could include universities, research institutions, cultural heritage organizations, NGOs, local communities, and other entities involved in cultural heritage preservation and research.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model grant agreement.

Consortium Requirement: The text suggests that a consortium is preferred, as proposals should consider involving communities, researchers, and other stakeholders. While not explicitly stated, the nature of the research and innovation actions implies a collaborative approach.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. The text 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. Further details can be found in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is culture, specifically intangible cultural heritage (ICH). It also touches upon areas such as societal resilience, climate change adaptation and mitigation, sustainable development, digital technologies, and cultural tourism.

Mentioned Countries: The text refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries, but does not explicitly list any specific countries. The opportunity is framed within the context of the European Union and its associated countries, with some provisions for third-country participation.

Project Stage: The expected project stage is research and innovation actions, which implies projects that are in the development, validation, or demonstration phase, rather than purely idea or commercialization stages. The call aims to address gaps in existing research and develop innovative approaches, suggesting a need for projects that can build on existing knowledge and activities.

Funding Amount: The budget for the topic HORIZON-CL2-2025-02-HERITAGE-02-two-stage is EUR 12,000,000, with an indicative contribution of EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 4,000,000 per grant.

Application Type: The application type is a two-stage open call. The opening date for submissions is 15 May 2025, with a first-stage deadline of 16 September 2025 and a second-stage deadline of 17 March 2026.

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

Application Stages: The application process consists of two stages. In the first stage, the page limit for Part B of the proposal is 10 pages. The second stage application will have a separate submission session with applicable templates.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe projects often involve some form of co-funding, which may be detailed in the General Annexes or Work Programme documents.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL2-2025-02-HERITAGE-02-two-stage, focuses on "Innovative approaches to intangible cultural heritage for societal resilience." It seeks research and innovation actions that explore the role of intangible cultural heritage (ICH) in addressing contemporary societal challenges, particularly in the context of climate change, disasters, and social dynamics. The call encourages projects to develop comprehensive risk assessments, innovative safeguarding methods, and participatory approaches that involve communities, researchers, and other stakeholders. The use of digital technologies and the integration of ICH into sustainable development practices are also emphasized. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, with an indicative contribution of EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 4,000,000 per project, and the application process involves a two-stage submission. The call aims to provide policymakers with a multi-dimensional overview of ICH's role and to enhance community engagement, strengthen research-community collaboration, and promote the sustainable use of ICH for societal benefit.