Monitoring and Evaluation of the Societal Readiness Pilot

This grant opportunity falls under the Horizon Europe program, specifically titled "Monitoring and Evaluation of the Societal Readiness Pilot," identified as HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-09. The primary purpose of the grant is to enhance the understanding and implementation of Societal Readiness (SR) in Research and Innovation (R&I) projects, particularly within the Climate, Energy, and Mobility sectors (Cluster 5). The project aims to analyze existing pilot projects to identify how well they integrate societal needs and concerns, ultimately improving the societal uptake of R&I solutions.

The call is designed for a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), requiring a consortium that includes expertise in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and STEM fields. The total funding available for this project is €1.5 million, distributed as a lump sum grant. Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, and other entities capable of addressing the interdisciplinary challenges posed by the project.

The geographic eligibility covers EU member states and Horizon Europe associated countries, which expands the potential pool of applicants. The project is expected to run for a duration of 42 months, with a single-stage application process, and submissions are due by January 20, 2026. Preliminary activities include analyzing how SR is embedded in current HORIZON projects and synthesizing findings from pilot projects.

Key deliverables for the grant include:

1. An analytical report for the European Commission on SR integration within the pilot projects.
2. A proven strategy for enhancing interdisciplinary collaboration between SSH and STEM fields.
3. A public web platform showcasing successful practices, experiences, and actionable insights for future initiatives.
4. A set of clear recommendations to improve the current approach to SR in future EU-funded projects.

The evaluation criteria likely hinge on the demonstrable inclusion of SSH in project planning and execution, an understanding of societal impacts, and the effectiveness of collaborative practices among diverse disciplines. The funding is intended solely as financial support without requiring co-funding from other sources.

Overall, this grant offers a significant opportunity to influence how societal concerns are incorporated into R&I projects, aiming not only to enhance policy recommendations for the European Commission but also to foster a more inclusive approach to addressing societal challenges through innovation.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-09, for a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (CSA) titled "Monitoring and Evaluation of the Societal Readiness Pilot." The call falls under Cluster 5 of the Horizon Europe program, which focuses on Climate, Energy and Mobility. The action aims to improve the understanding and implementation of Societal Readiness (SR) in EU-funded Research and Innovation (R&I) projects. Societal Readiness is defined as an indicator of R&I results that reflects the consideration of diverse societal needs and concerns, thereby enhancing the potential for societal uptake.

The expected outcomes of the project are:
1. A comprehensive overview for the European Commission on how Societal Readiness is addressed and integrated into piloted projects, including the identification of key challenges and concerns.
2. A proven strategy to enhance collaboration between STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) partners, leading to in-depth interdisciplinary work in R&I projects, accounting for all involved project constituencies and relevant parts of society to ensure broad and sustainable support for R&I solutions.
3. A public web platform serving as a one-stop-shop for Societal Readiness, offering experiences, success stories, and practical advice for future EU projects.
4. A sound, clear, and replicable procedure for the European Commission, presented as an improvement to the current approach, to effectively address Societal Readiness in future EU-funded R&I projects.

The scope of the action involves analyzing how Societal Readiness is addressed and integrated in piloted projects, with the goal of designing an efficient and impactful approach for future EU-funded R&I projects that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration.

The selected project is expected to undertake the following actions:
1. Conduct a consolidated analysis of:
 a. The way Societal Readiness is considered and integrated in the Descriptions of Actions of selected pilot projects, focusing on content, implementation, and methodology. This includes assessing the level, timing, and quality of interactions between SSH and STEM partners during proposal preparation.
 b. All First reports on Societal Readiness delivered by the selected pilot projects, assessing how SR consideration unfolds from the Description of Actions’ methodology, observing how guiding questions are addressed, and planning responses to identified concerns. It also involves comparing the various ‘SR visions’ put forward by each consortium.
 c. All Final reports on Societal Readiness delivered by the selected pilot projects, assessing the projects’ experiences, challenges, and lessons learned during the implementation of Societal Readiness activities. This includes examining the participation and type of external actors in co-design methods, responses to SR guiding questions, and possible adjustments of R&I activities.
2. Provide mid-project recommendations based on the initial analysis to guide future Societal Readiness projects.
3. Analyze the various interdisciplinarity mechanisms (SSH vs. STEM, collaboration with societal stakeholders) across pilot projects and their effectiveness in practice, identifying successful and less successful approaches. This includes scrutinizing the degree of involvement from partners in SR activities and their perceptions of these activities. The analysis should result in a publication with concrete tips for future project partners on integrating implementable, efficient, and well-accepted interdisciplinary practices.
4. Organize annual workshops in physical format to facilitate interaction and exchange of experiences among pilot project representatives. The action should cover travel costs for all participants.
5. Set up a public web platform to provide direct support to future SR users, including examples of SR pathways, do’s and don’ts, and tips and tricks tailored to facilitate the use and understanding of the European Commission’s approach to Societal Readiness. The platform should be regularly updated and completed.
6. Provide a set of recommendations to the European Commission, taking stock of the work achieved and the recommendations elaborated by pilot projects in their Final reports on Societal Readiness. These recommendations should propose practical improvements to the current Societal Readiness approach, overcoming identified shortcomings while acknowledging successful aspects. The recommendations should aim for a lowest level of implementation complexity, a highest degree of understandability (including for non-SSH experts), replicability to various technology maturities and fields of applications, as well as a strong interdisciplinary component.
7. Perform an analysis of the added value of SR pilot topics compared to SSH-flagged-only-topics within Cluster 5, as well as of other relevant Societal Readiness routes (e.g. at national level) applied to R&I projects in the area of Climate, Energy and/or Mobility.
8. Collect information on perceptions, feelings, concerns, and past experiences on ways of working that is not translated into projects’ documents via direct interactions with project partners.
9. Initiate similar monitoring activities on Societal Readiness pilot projects funded under future Horizon Europe work programmes, whenever operational phases of this action and new pilot projects overlap.

The recommended duration for this action is 42 months. The proposed action requires the effective contribution of relevant SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts to support the monitoring and evaluation of Societal Readiness pilot projects in Cluster 5 work programme 2025. A declaration of confidentiality will be signed by the CSA.

The call specifies that eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

The planned opening date for the submission system is 16 September 2025, and the deadline for submission is 20 January 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The budget overview indicates that 16 topics are open for contributions, with opening date 2025-09-16 and deadline 2026-01-20. The topics are:
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-01 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 24 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3, Contribution around 8000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-04 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 30 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 3, Contribution around 10000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-05 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 15 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 7500000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-09 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, Budget 1 500 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1, Contribution around 1500000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D5-17 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 16 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 8000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 8 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 4000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-04 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 5 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1, Contribution around 5000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-05 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 4 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1, Contribution around 4000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-06 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 4 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1, Contribution around 4000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-07 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 22 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 11000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-08 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 15 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution 7000000 to 8000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-09 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, Budget 3 500 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1, Contribution around 3500000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-10 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions, Budget 16 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 8000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-13 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 10 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 5000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-14 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 10 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 2, Contribution around 5000000 EUR
HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-15 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget 4 000 000 EUR, Indicative number of grants 1, Contribution around 4000000 EUR

In summary, this call seeks a project to monitor and evaluate the Societal Readiness actions being piloted within the Horizon Europe Cluster 5 work programme. The project should analyze how Societal Readiness is integrated into these projects, identify best practices for interdisciplinary collaboration, create a public platform to support future SR projects, and provide recommendations to the European Commission for improving the SR approach. The project should involve SSH experts and have a duration of 42 months. The funding will be provided as a lump sum.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include entities capable of conducting coordination and support actions, particularly those with expertise in Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. This suggests eligible applicants could include universities, research institutes, non-profits, and potentially SMEs or large enterprises with relevant expertise.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the interdisciplinary nature of the project, involving both SSH and STEM expertise, a consortium is highly probable, if not explicitly required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, with potential provisions for non-EU/non-associated countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Therefore, the geographic eligibility is EU, EU associated countries, and potentially some EU third countries.

Target Sector: The program targets multiple sectors, including climate, energy, mobility, social sciences, humanities, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It focuses on the integration of societal readiness in research and innovation projects.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the opportunity is within the Horizon Europe framework, implying eligibility for EU member states and associated countries. Some non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible.

Project Stage: The project focuses on monitoring and evaluation of existing pilot projects, and providing recommendations for future projects. Therefore, the project stage is related to the analysis, validation, and improvement of existing methodologies and approaches, rather than basic research or initial idea development.

Funding Amount: The budget for the topic HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-09 is EUR 1,500,000, and the indicative number of grants is 1. However, the scraped content also includes a budget overview table with multiple topics, each with varying budgets ranging from EUR 1,500,000 to EUR 30,000,000. The indicative number of grants for these topics ranges from 1 to 3.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, as indicated by the "Deadline model: single-stage" information.

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

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be determined from the provided information.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D2-09, aims to fund a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) focused on monitoring and evaluating the Societal Readiness (SR) of pilot projects within Cluster 5 (Climate, Energy and Mobility) of the Horizon Europe program. The goal is to analyze how SR is integrated into these projects, identify best practices for interdisciplinary collaboration between STEM and SSH fields, and provide recommendations to the European Commission for improving the SR approach in future EU-funded research and innovation initiatives. The selected project will also be responsible for creating a public web platform to disseminate knowledge and support future SR projects. The funding will be provided as a lump sum grant, and the project is expected to last 42 months. The call is open to entities from EU member states and associated countries, with potential eligibility for some non-EU/non-associated countries. The project requires expertise in both social sciences and humanities (SSH) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The planned opening date for submissions is September 16, 2025, with a deadline of January 20, 2026.