Pillar III: Promoting public engagement in R&I and scientific literacy

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-04 focuses on enhancing public engagement in research and innovation, emphasizing scientific literacy and trust in science. It requires applicants to form a consortium of at least three independent legal entities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries, with two entities being based in EU Member States. Individual researchers or single entities cannot apply.

The funding is structured around a lump sum contribution model, with each selected project receiving a fixed amount of €1,000,000. The total budget for this call is €2,000,000, expected to fund two projects. The submission process is an open call with a single-stage evaluation, with proposals due by March 11, 2027.

Projects should focus on practical activities that promote public engagement, targeting areas such as scientific literacy, youth engagement in science, and participatory approaches that tackle societal challenges like climate change and social inclusion. Activities may include workshops, community engagements, and the development of handbooks or guidelines for effective science communication.

The opportunity aligns with the European Research Area (ERA) policy agenda, which aims to connect research and innovation with societal needs and values. While specific success rates for applications are not provided, it is expected that the competition will be intense, reflecting typical Horizon Europe funding patterns.

Co-funding is not explicitly required, but applicants should ensure they have the resources to support project activities not covered by the grant. The call encourages collaboration across diverse stakeholders, including civil society organizations, universities, and research entities, and promotes gender equality and inclusivity in its initiatives.

Overall, this grant opportunity seeks to bridge the gap between science and society, enhancing public trust in scientific endeavors and fostering a more inclusive research environment.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-04, under the program Enhancing the European R&I system (HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05). It falls under Pillar III: Citizens and science in ERA, focusing on promoting public engagement in R&I and scientific literacy. The action type is HORIZON-CSA, which stands for HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions. The Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS].

The call follows a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 08 December 2026, and the deadline for submission is 11 March 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The scope of this topic is to promote the adoption of ERA (European Research Area) policies and practices that deliver innovative approaches to enhance links between science and society and to promote scientific literacy. The proposals should contribute to increasing trust in science and aligning R&I with societal needs, expectations, and values, thereby enhancing the democratic character and impact of science in the ERA.

Applicants are required to select and clearly identify one of the two areas outlined below, which contribute to the implementation of the ERA Structural Policy "Enhancing Trust in Science through Citizen Participation, Engagement and Science Communication." Proposals should develop the activities outlined for the selected area and propose additional activities to achieve the expected outcomes.

Project activities should reach large communities of stakeholders with wide geographical coverage, inclusivity, broad participation, and accessibility. The inclusion of stakeholders outside academia, such as through citizen science, is encouraged. Proposals should describe their target group in terms of its scope and size.

Project activities should pay particular attention to promoting inclusive gender equality and addressing gender-specific challenges where relevant. The expected project duration is up to 3 years, but a longer duration may be justified.

Area 1: Youth, science and democracy

The expected outcome of this area is that project results contribute to:

Innovative ways for engaging young people in science and promoting scientific literacy.
Common ERA approaches in engaging and communicating with young people in relation to R&I.

The scope of Area 1 is that society increasingly faces complex problems that require citizens to have the capacity to participate in processes incorporating scientific analysis with deliberation about societal goals. Involving young people in participatory scientific activities aimed at tackling social challenges fosters their scientific skills and scientific literacy, while also developing their civic and democratic skills. Civic engagement and scientific practice share characteristics like understanding systems, considering alternative explanations, and debating critically within a community.

Area 1 promotes innovative ways to effectively and inclusively engage and involve young people in R&I. It also invites public engagement and science communication practitioners to build on best practices in the field and develop handbooks and guidelines, co-creating with relevant stakeholders, and considering previous EU-funded activities.

Project activities should target actors such as research performing organisations, universities, researchers and innovators, civil society organisations working with youth, science communicators, and policymakers. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the following activities and propose any additional, complementary activities:

Engage young people, in different national settings, in participatory science activities that tackle complex social issues (e.g., climate change, biodiversity loss, digital skills inequalities, economic effects of AI transitions, energy poverty, social inclusion), ensuring the inclusion of those not habitually involved in science.
Create communities of practice that include public engagement experts, science communicators, citizen scientists, youth organisations, researchers and innovators, and policymakers with a view to co-developing handbooks and guidelines on engaging youth in science.
Provide recommendations for developing common ERA approaches to engage and communicate with young people regarding R&I.

Area 2: Scaling up science engagement at EU level

The expected outcome of this area is that project results contribute to:

Scaling-up national initiatives on public engagement in R&I to ERA level taking into consideration different audiences, languages and contexts.
Improved engagement and cooperation of researchers and innovators, science communicators, and public engagement experts with civil society.
Increased understanding of the value of scientific processes by society and the importance of public needs and values in addressing societal challenges through R&I.

The scope of Area 2 is to promote scientific literacy and dialogue and constructive interactions between scientists and the wider public. It supports visits by researchers, for example, to civil society organisations, workplaces or community youth centres, enabling dialogue and collaboration between researchers and civil society and fostering mutual understanding. Event participants can thus enhance their knowledge of different scientific fields and research focuses, gain insights on the conduct of research and different research career pathways. Through these interactions, researchers can enhance their understanding of audiences and incorporate their knowledge and values into their work and communication.

To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should include the following activities and propose any additional, complementary activities:

Develop online dialogue platforms, in different national (language) settings, containing profiles of researchers and innovators, their availability for public visits, and the scientific issues to be discussed; the platforms should also facilitate the arrangement of meetings between the researchers and interested organisations or institutions.
Implement the meetings while taking care to reach out to and include members of the public not habitually involved in science, and adapting the science communication and public engagement for different audiences, languages and contexts.
Take stock of all visits and provide lessons learned and recommendations for the future development of similar activities.

The guiding policy framework of this destination is the Communication "A New ERA for Research and Innovation", the Council Recommendation on the Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe (Pact for R&I), and the European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda (2025-2027). The funded actions will strengthen the ERA by promoting the freedom of movement of researchers, scientific knowledge, and technology and by providing new evidence for better-informed policymaking.

The EU Member States, Associated Countries, R&I stakeholders, and the Commission work together to implement the ERA. This process is steered by the ERA Policy Agenda, which identifies specific ERA Actions (time-limited initiatives) and Structural Policies (long-term policies) designed to tackle concrete challenges faced by R&I communities in Europe. This work programme is designed to support this process. The funded actions will build knowledge and capacities at the level of institutions and ecosystems to adopt reforms and practices in line with the ERA Policy Agenda, thereby contributing to the implementation of the ERA.

The destination will be implemented in synergy with the European Higher Education Area and the European Education Area, especially in relation to R&I careers and institutional changes in universities and research organisations. Several call topics and other actions will also contribute to the implementation of the European framework for research careers.

The destination includes two calls with 13 topics in total as well as other actions, targeting a wide range of R&I stakeholders, e.g., universities, research performing and funding organisations, research evaluation agencies, networks of researchers, publishers, industry and start-ups, policymakers, local authorities, and public bodies.

The effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines is encouraged under this destination, including the involvement of SSH experts, institutions, and the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, to enhance the societal impact of project activities.

The ERA Platform showcases results from Horizon Europe-funded projects, making them available to a wide range of stakeholders to facilitate progress in ERA policy areas. Applicants are encouraged to consider these results as well as propose new tools, resources, and visual material that can be featured on the platform.

All topics in the 2026 and 2027 ERA calls are organised around four pillars, designed to enable the funded projects to strengthen R&I capacities across four complementary dimensions while addressing selected ERA Actions and Structural Policies.

2026 and 2027 ERA calls: pillar structure

Pillar I: Institutional changes for ERA
Type: coordination and support actions
Focus: capacity building and support to foster adoption of ERA policies/practices within institutions.
Activity types: providing tools, resources, training, services, and policy advice.
Policy areas: Equity in open science, Inclusive gender equality, Research assessment reform, Research ethics and integrity, Open access policies

Pillar II: Ecosystems for ERA
Type: coordination and support actions
Focus: building and reinforcing networks and partnerships to foster broad uptake of ERA policies/practices.
Activity types: exchanging knowledge and practice, networking and cooperative actions.
Policy areas: Research ethics and integrity, Environmentally sustainable science, Knowledge valorisation, Open science practices, Research careers

Pillar III: Citizens and science in ERA
Type: coordination and support actions
Focus: connecting R&I with citizens and other stakeholders.
Activity types: implementing and promoting participatory approaches, such as citizen engagement and citizen science.
Policy areas: Trust in science, Knowledge valorisation, Citizen and societal engagement

Pillar IV: New knowledge for ERA
Type: research and innovation actions
Focus: creating new knowledge that supports design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and practices.
Activity types: conducting analyses, developing and testing new methods and practices.
Policy areas: Reproducibility in research, Research ethics and integrity, Inclusive gender equality, Research careers, Global approach to R&I

Proposals under this destination should set out a credible pathway to one or several of the following expected impacts:

Effective and sustainable structural institutional changes aligned with the ERA priorities;
Sustainable ecosystems established around the ERA priorities through enhanced cooperation, coordination and alignment;
Increased trust in science and alignment of R&I with society’s needs;
Strengthened evidence base for advancing the implementation of the ERA;
Increased reproducibility, trustworthiness and transparency of scientific research;
A more open, equitable and inclusive research and innovation ecosystem;
A research ethics and integrity ecosystem continually enhanced with robust methodologies that encourage benefit sharing and prevent ethics dumping;
Systemic reform of research assessment through the recognition of the diverse outputs, practices, and activities which maximise the quality and impact of research;
Improved research careers and mobility, based on the European framework for research careers, fostering knowledge flows and career interoperability across sectors and countries;
Stronger translation of R&I results into society and economy;
Enhanced gender equality and inclusiveness, leading to research excellence and more innovative, socially relevant, and economically impactful outcomes;
Increased uptake, effectiveness and impact of environmentally sustainable research;
More resilient and future-proof R&I policies and long-term strategies with effectively integrated strategic intelligence and strengthened foresight communities;
A more strategic, coherent, and evidence-based approach towards cooperation with China in the area of science, technology, and innovation.

General conditions for participation include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.
Eligible Countries: as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may exist for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.
Other Eligible Conditions: Applications must be submitted by a consortium including participation, as beneficiaries, of at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different Member State or Associated Country, with two of which established in a Member State.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Grants will be awarded to proposals ensuring a balanced portfolio covering different ERA policy areas, as outlined in the expected outcomes and scope, not only in order of ranking, but at least also to proposals that are the highest ranked within each area, provided that proposals pass all thresholds.
Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

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

Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form (HE CSA)).
Evaluation form templates will be used with the necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)).
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: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?".

Additional documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 11. Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area
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 the topic in 2027 is as follows:

HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-01 - HORIZON-CSA: EUR 2,000,000, Single-stage, Opening: 08/12/2026, Deadline: 11/03/2027, Indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-02 - HORIZON-CSA: EUR 29,000,000, Single-stage, Opening: 08/12/2026, Deadline: 11/03/2027, Contributions: EUR 2,000,000 to 4,000,000, Indicative number of grants: 12
HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-03 - HORIZON-CSA: EUR 6,000,000, Single-stage, Opening: 08/12/2026, Deadline: 11/03/2027, Indicative number of grants: 1
HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-04 - HORIZON-CSA: EUR 2,000,000, Single-stage, Opening: 08/12/2026, Deadline: 11/03/2027, Indicative number of grants: 2
HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-05 - HORIZON-RIA: EUR 3,000,000, Single-stage, Opening: 08/12/2026, Deadline: 11/03/2027, Indicative number of grants: 1

LEARs, Account Administrators or self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics after logging into this Portal, as well as any user having an active public Person profile.

The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

This funding opportunity is designed to enhance the connection between science and society within the European Research Area (ERA). It aims to boost public trust in science and ensure that research and innovation are aligned with societal needs and values. The call invites proposals that focus on two main areas: engaging youth in science and scaling up science engagement at the EU level. Projects should promote scientific literacy, encourage citizen participation in research, and foster dialogue between scientists and the public. Funding is provided as a lump sum, and successful projects are expected to contribute to a more open, equitable, and impactful research and innovation ecosystem in Europe. Consortia applying for this opportunity must include at least three independent legal entities from different Member States or Associated Countries, with at least two of them being from a Member State. The call is part of the broader Horizon Europe program and aligns with the ERA Policy Agenda, emphasizing the importance of research ethics, gender equality, and knowledge valorisation.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include research performing organisations, universities, researchers and innovators, civil society organisations working with youth, science communicators, policymakers, local authorities, and public bodies, industry and start-ups, research evaluation agencies, networks of researchers, and publishers. The call targets a wide range of R&I stakeholders.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: Applications must be submitted by a consortium including participation, as beneficiaries, of at least three independent legal entities. Each must be established in a different Member State or Associated Country, and two of which are established in a Member State.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. 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 sectors related to research and innovation (R&I), science communication, education, youth engagement, citizen science, and policymaking. It also encourages the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines. Specific policy areas include trust in science, knowledge valorisation, citizen and societal engagement, reproducibility in research, research ethics and integrity, inclusive gender equality, research careers, and the global approach to R&I.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States and Associated Countries as eligible regions. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that may have specific provisions for funding. China is mentioned in the context of a more strategic, coherent, and evidence-based approach towards cooperation in science, technology, and innovation.

Project Stage: The project stage appears to be focused on development, implementation, and scaling up of existing initiatives and best practices, as well as creating new knowledge to support policy design and evaluation. It includes activities ranging from participatory science engagement to developing handbooks and dialogue platforms.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call:
HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-01: around €2,000,000
HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-02: €2,000,000 to €4,000,000
HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-03: around €6,000,000
HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-04: around €1,000,000
HORIZON-WIDERA-2027-05-ERA-05: around €3,000,000

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

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive funding in the form of lump sum grants to support their project activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential success rate.

Co-funding Requirement: The document does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of the WIDERA program, aims to enhance the European Research Area (ERA) by promoting innovative approaches to science-society links and increasing scientific literacy. The call focuses on "Enhancing Trust in Science through Citizen Participation, Engagement and Science Communication" and is structured around four pillars: Institutional changes for ERA, Ecosystems for ERA, Citizens and science in ERA, and New knowledge for ERA. Applicants can choose to address either Youth, science and democracy or Scaling up science engagement at EU level. The call targets a wide range of stakeholders, including research organisations, universities, civil society, and policymakers, and requires consortia of at least three independent legal entities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Funding is provided as lump sum grants, with project durations expected to be up to 3 years. The call seeks to foster a more open, equitable, and inclusive research and innovation ecosystem, increase trust in science, and align R&I with societal needs and values.