Persons with disabilities: opportunities for labour inclusion and social protection through the life course

The Horizon Europe funding opportunity HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-TRANSFO-07 aims to enhance labor inclusion and social protection for persons with disabilities. This initiative falls under the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society cluster and has a total budget of €12 million, with plans to allocate grants of €3 million to €4 million to three successful projects. The application process is a single-stage call, opening on May 13, 2027, and closing on September 23, 2027.

Eligible applicants include a broad range of entities such as research institutions, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, and social services organizations from EU member states and associated countries. The funding is provided in the form of a lump sum grant, which streamlines financial administration by offering set amounts rather than reimbursements for actual costs.

The project's focus is on addressing the substantial employment gap experienced by persons with disabilities, who have an employment rate of approximately 51%, compared to 75% for those without disabilities in the EU. Projects funded under this call will be expected to generate evidence-based data, develop scalable interventions, and suggest innovative policy approaches aimed at reducing barriers to participation in the labor market.

Key areas of research include exploring factors that contribute to the employment gap, evaluating the role of employers, identifying accessibility challenges, and leveraging technology to improve labor inclusion. Applicants are encouraged to involve diverse stakeholders, including persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, to ensure comprehensive engagement in the research process.

No co-funding is explicitly required by this call, although optional contributions may enhance the competitiveness of proposals. The initiative exemplifies an inclusive approach, seeking to drive policy changes that will lead to sustainable improvements in employment and social protection for persons with disabilities in Europe. Applications must adhere to specific conditions outlined in the Horizon Europe work program, with detailed guidance available through various support resources for potential applicants.

This EU funding opportunity, HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-TRANSFO-07, aims to address the challenges of labor inclusion and social protection for persons with disabilities. It falls under the Horizon Europe program, specifically the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society call for 2027. The action type is HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model. The deadline model is single-stage, with a planned opening date of May 13, 2027, and a deadline of September 23, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of funded projects should contribute to at least two of the following:

1.  Providing implementable, quality, disaggregated, and evidence-based data to policymakers and research and innovation stakeholders to bridge the employment gap between persons with disabilities and persons without disabilities.
2.  Delivering scalable and replicable inclusive person-centered interventions addressing the situation of persons with disabilities in relation to the labor market in a manner that they are transferable to new contexts of work, studying, and comparing their impacts.
3.  Developing innovative policy approaches in the area of social protection for persons with disabilities to compensate for the costs associated with disabilities, removing barriers to their participation, and encouraging them to engage in employment in the open labor market, while at the same time guaranteeing them an adequate level of social protection.

The scope of the funding opportunity is centered around the following key areas:

*  Addressing the employment gap: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes the right to work for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others. However, there is a significant employment gap, with only about half of the 42.8 million persons with disabilities of working age in the EU being employed, compared to a much higher rate for those without disabilities.
*  Exploring innovative inclusion methods: The call emphasizes the need to explore and test new and innovative ways of including persons with disabilities in the labor market, with the objective of reducing the gaps between persons with and without disabilities, reducing inequalities, and promoting their social and economic inclusion on an equal basis with others.
*  Assessing benefits of employing persons with disabilities: Projects can assess the benefits, including for society and the economy, of employing persons with disabilities.
*  Addressing disadvantages and barriers: Research should address the disadvantages and barriers faced for increasing inclusion in the labor market of persons with disabilities, collect data on proved effective measures to improve the situation, and provide a thorough analysis of the impact and efficacy of existing policy measures, such as positive discrimination provisions, quotas, employment targets and others.
*  Role of employers: The role of employers, their concerns, and good practices for labor inclusion of persons with disabilities needs to be assessed, as well as reasons to circumvent obligations to include employees with disabilities. Moreover, discrimination against persons with disabilities during the hiring process and the impact on job retention could be addressed.
*  Accessible working environments: Research should also take stock of existing accessible working environments tools and equipment, as well as reasonable accommodation tools and support at work already provided or still needed and their impact on the employment of persons with disabilities.
*  Role of technology: The role of accessible digital services, digital skills and assistive technologies and other advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its potential for advancing the labor inclusion of persons with disabilities may be explored.
*  Types of work: Different types of work adapted to the often-hidden talents of persons with disabilities should be explored, taking into account their competences and abilities, disability type, level, sex and age.
*  Transition to open labor market: The transition from supported/sheltered employment to the open labor market, including different models such as self-employment and entrepreneurship, re- and upskilling, vocational education and training, could be considered, looking for sustainable pathways to facilitate the process and to be maintained in the long run.
*  Social protection: Research is expected to address the issue of social protection through the life course of persons with disabilities, including different aspects such as disability benefits, possible in-kind benefits, coverage of extra costs associated to disabilities, the transition to pension age for persons with disabilities or acquiring disabilities after pension age.
*  Addressing disincentives: Attention should be paid to measures that disincentivise or create barriers to the employment of persons with disabilities in the open labour market. Proposals should consider also the in and out of employment and the possible compatibility with other benefits, such as disability benefits avoiding the benefit trap.
*  Data collection: Data collection is essential to understand the employment participation of persons with disabilities and remains a challenge to collect data disaggregated per type of disability, sex, and age. Thus, applicants are encouraged to ensure harmonised data collection by using Eurostat standards and existing international sets of questions in their areas of research.
*  Stakeholder involvement: Applicants are encouraged to involve persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, stakeholders, policymakers and public authorities, social services, citizens and civil society organizations, end-users and service providers.
*  Complementarities: Projects are also encouraged to explore potential complementarities with projects funded under the Cluster 2 topic HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-TRANSFO-9: “Good practices for increased autonomy of persons with disabilities, including physical, mental, intellectual and sensory disabilities” and Cluster 1 topic HORIZON-HLTH-2025-03-STAYHLTH-01-two-stage: “Improving the quality of life of persons with intellectual disabilities and their families”.

The general conditions for this funding opportunity include:

*  Admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
*  Eligibility of countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, noting that some non-EU/non-Associated Countries may have specific provisions for funding.
*  Other eligible conditions as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
*  Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
*  Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
*  Submission and evaluation processes as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
*  Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
*  Legal and financial set-up of the grants, including the possibility for the granting authority to object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results for up to 4 years after the action's end.
*  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.

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

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information:

*  Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including a standard application form (HE RIA, IA).
*  Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including a standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA).
*  Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.
*  Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the Lump Sum MGA.
*  Call-specific instructions include a detailed budget table (HE LS) and guidance on lump sums.

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 2027 includes various topics related to Democracy, Heritage, and Transformation, with specific budget allocations, opening and deadline dates, contribution amounts, and indicative numbers of grants for each topic. For HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-TRANSFO-07, the budget is 12,000,000 EUR, the opening date is May 13, 2027, the deadline is September 23, 2027, the contribution ranges from 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 EUR, and the indicative number of grants is 3.

There are partner search announcements available for those seeking collaborators. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

Support resources include:

*  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 and ETSI Research Helpdesk
*  The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment
*  Partner Search

In summary, this Horizon Europe funding opportunity aims to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labor market and ensure their social protection through research and innovation actions. It encourages projects that provide evidence-based data, scalable interventions, and innovative policy approaches. The call emphasizes the importance of addressing barriers, leveraging technology, and involving relevant stakeholders to create sustainable pathways for the employment and well-being of persons with disabilities. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the application process is single-stage, with a deadline in September 2027. Applicants are encouraged to consult the various guidance documents and support resources available to prepare their proposals.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the type of action (HORIZON-RIA and HORIZON-CSA), eligible applicants typically include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. Public authorities, social services, citizens and civil society organizations, end-users and service providers are encouraged to be involved.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, intended for 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, but the encouragement of involving various stakeholders suggests that consortia are welcome and potentially preferred.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, as part of the Horizon Europe program, it is implied that eligible applicants are from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially some non-EU countries as specified in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: social sciences and humanities (SSH), health, assistive technologies, artificial intelligence (AI), education, social services, and policy innovation, with a focus on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labor market and social protection.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions the European Union (EU) and non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The project stage targets research, data collection, development of interventions, and policy innovation. It encompasses activities from research to implementable solutions, including data collection, analysis, and the development of scalable interventions.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €3,000,000 to €5,000,000 for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and from €2,500,000 to €4,800,000 for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant to support their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The provided text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:
This Horizon Europe call, under the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society pillar, aims to foster the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labor market and ensure their social protection throughout their lives. The call invites proposals for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) that address the employment gap between persons with and without disabilities, develop innovative policy approaches for social protection, and provide evidence-based data for policymakers. Projects should contribute to bridging the employment gap, delivering scalable interventions, and developing innovative policy approaches. The call encourages the involvement of various stakeholders, including persons with disabilities, their representative organizations, policymakers, and service providers. Funding is provided as a lump sum, with varying amounts depending on the action type. The application process is a single-stage submission, and while co-funding is not explicitly mentioned, applicants should consult the relevant program guidelines for detailed eligibility and application requirements. This initiative seeks to promote equality, reduce inequalities, and enhance the social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities across the EU and associated countries.