Societal impact of cultural heritage

The grant opportunity HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-HERITAGE-07 titled "Societal impact of cultural heritage" is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically aimed at enhancing understanding of cultural heritage's role in promoting social cohesion, civic engagement, and democratic values. The focus is on encouraging multidisciplinary research that examines how cultural heritage influences societal structures, including cultural participation, gender roles, and security issues.

Eligible applicants include a variety of entities such as universities, research institutions, cultural organizations, civil society actors, and NGOs, emphasizing the necessity for collaborations within consortia composed of multiple partners. The funding mechanism is through lump sum grants, allowing flexibility in project management, with direct funding ranging from €2.5 million to €3 million per project. The total budget for this call is set at €15 million, with approximately five projects intended to be funded.

The application process operates on a single-stage submission model, opening on May 13, 2027, and closing on September 23, 2027. The successful proposals will be assessed based on their ability to deliver robust research outcomes in three key areas: cultural participation and access, gender representations, and the intersection of cultural heritage with cohesion and security.

Applicants should utilize participatory methodologies and engage with existing EU initiatives, such as the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage. While no additional co-funding is explicitly required, in-kind contributions from partners may be anticipated. The expected success rate for proposals is between 10% and 39%, indicating a competitive selection process.

Overall, this funding opportunity is strategically oriented towards addressing contemporary societal challenges through cultural heritage research, fostering inclusive narratives, and reinforcing a shared European identity. The potential outcomes include policy recommendations, toolkits, publications, and resources aimed at enhancing cultural engagement and resilience across communities.

This EU funding opportunity focuses on the societal impact of cultural heritage, aiming to enhance understanding, document good practices, build capacity, disseminate knowledge, and produce policy recommendations. The call, HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-HERITAGE-07, is part of the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society - 2027 call (HORIZON-CL2-2027-01).

The action type is HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant (HORIZON-AG-LS) model grant agreement. It is a forthcoming, single-stage deadline model with a planned opening date of May 13, 2027, and a deadline of September 23, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The scope of the funding opportunity emphasizes that heritage is a dynamic resource that can foster societal resilience, intercultural dialogue, and a sense of belonging in increasingly diverse and fragmented societies. It contributes to social cohesion and resilience through arts, design, and cultural practices, making it central to preserving the social fabric and community cohesion. The goal is to understand and amplify the societal impact of cultural heritage to reinforce identity, cohesion, and global leadership based on shared values. Research proposals should explore how cultural heritage actively shapes civic engagement, social innovation, collective memory, and the transmission of democratic values.

The opportunity highlights the importance of developing new, forward-looking narratives around heritage that are deeply connected to Europe's evolving values. This work aims to strengthen Europe's internal cohesion and position cultural heritage as a strategic asset in addressing global challenges. Social innovation can involve cultural heritage practitioners and custodians exploring how cultural heritage can solve societal challenges related to social inclusion, cohesion, well-being, and equality. While previous research has covered heritage-based education, rural development, and cultural tourism, further research is encouraged in areas such as cultural participation and access, especially for young people, gender roles and identities, and shared cultural heritage in the context of security challenges.

Research projects are expected to choose one of the following areas:

A. Cultural participation and access to cultural heritage: This area focuses on improving access to cultural heritage, particularly for young people, to tackle cultural inequality and strengthen identity and belonging. It addresses barriers such as geography, under-representation of minority groups, and economic disparity. Proposals should explore good practices for fostering access, empowering young people, and strengthening social cohesion, while also identifying barriers and effective means to increase cultural participation for different groups. Interdisciplinary and participatory methods should be used to identify effective models for inclusive cultural participation, guiding policies on cultural access with recommendations for digital infrastructure, educational programs, and cross-sector collaboration.

B. Gender roles and identities: This area examines the complex relationships between cultural productions, representations, and societal attitudes towards different sexes and gender identities. It aims to understand how culture shapes the cultural landscape and influences attitudes and imaginaries. Proposals should analyze the representation of different gender identities and intersecting factors like racial or ethnic background, disability, or socioeconomic background in cultural fields. They should explore how gender aspects have been absent or forgotten in major supranational cultural narratives and provide actionable recommendations for promoting inclusive and diverse representation, developed in dialogue with stakeholders like researchers, policymakers, and cultural heritage institutions.

C. Cultural heritage, cohesion, and security: This area explores the role of cultural heritage as a distinctive element of shared identities and democratic values, examining the links between culture and security, including issues of disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). Proposals should explore notions of shared heritage and responsibility as expressions of social interdependence and culture as a factor of union and cohesion. They should also consider cases of instrumentalization of cultural heritage and political influence on cultural institutions, as well as factors of destabilization and attacks on cultural heritage. Proposals should suggest good practices, policy guidelines, pilot projects, and didactic materials to raise awareness, enhance neutrality in cultural heritage management, and promote collective responsibility and cultural resilience.

Proposals must clearly indicate the thematic area they have selected. A multidisciplinary approach is required, involving fields such as heritage and museum studies, cultural anthropology, ethnology, media studies, theatre studies, literary studies, and musicology. Proposals should demonstrate how cultural heritage initiatives contribute to societal well-being, community empowerment, inclusion, and sustainable development, while also identifying needs for further research.

Empirical research, participatory methodologies, and policy innovation are prioritized to maximize and communicate the transformative power of cultural heritage across all layers of society. Projects should connect to formal and non-formal education, particularly arts education, and encourage collaboration between cultural heritage actors and educational institutions.

Proposals should build on existing knowledge, activities, networks, and platforms, including those funded by the EU, such as the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH) and the Common European Data Space for Cultural Heritage. Links and complementarities with related actions funded by Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020 should also be established.

The general conditions for this funding opportunity 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.

2. Eligible Countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

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.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds: Grants will be awarded to applications that are highly ranked and attain all thresholds, with a balanced portfolio across the scope areas (A, B, and C).

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes: As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: As 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. Eligible costs will be in the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of July 7, 2021, and 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 model grant agreement (MGA) information:

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including the Standard application form (HE RIA, IA).

Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including the Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA).

Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the Lump Sum MGA.

Call-specific instructions and a detailed budget table (HE LS) are provided, along with 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 the HORIZON-CL2-2027-01 call includes various topics related to democracy, heritage, and transformation, with opening dates on May 13, 2027, and deadlines on September 23, 2027. The contributions and indicative number of grants vary by topic.

Partner search announcements are available for those seeking partners to collaborate on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests after logging into the portal.

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

For support, applicants are encouraged to read all provisions carefully, use the Online Manual, consult the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, check the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, use the Research Enquiry Service, contact National Contact Points (NCPs), and reach out to the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and IT Helpdesk. Additional support is available from the European IPR Helpdesk and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to support research and innovation actions that explore and enhance the societal impact of cultural heritage. It encourages multidisciplinary approaches, participatory methodologies, and policy innovation to maximize the transformative power of cultural heritage across various societal layers. The call seeks to address challenges related to cultural participation, gender roles and identities, and the role of cultural heritage in cohesion and security, ultimately contributing to a more inclusive, resilient, and democratic European society.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given 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 organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities. Public entities and NGOs could also be eligible.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily grant-based, specifically HORIZON Lump Sum Grants. The actions include HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA), as well as HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) often benefit from a consortium approach to bring together diverse expertise and resources. Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) can be performed by a single entity in some cases, but consortia are also common.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but it can be inferred from the general conditions referring to Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Typically, Horizon Europe is open to applicants from EU Member States, associated countries, and potentially some third countries, depending on specific provisions.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is culture, creativity, and inclusive society, with a specific focus on cultural heritage and its societal impact. The program also touches upon democracy and transformations.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned in the provided text. However, the program operates within the framework of Horizon Europe, which generally includes EU Member States and associated countries. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible under specific provisions.

Project Stage: The project stages targeted vary depending on the type of action:
Research and Innovation Actions (RIA): These actions typically target projects from research to development and validation stages.
Innovation Actions (IA): These actions focus on demonstration, piloting, and commercialization stages.
Coordination and Support Actions (CSA): These actions support networking, coordination, and dissemination, which can be relevant across various project stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action, as indicated in the budget overview. The contributions range from €2,500,000 to €5,000,000, with total topic budgets ranging from €3,500,000 to €20,000,000.

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of lump sum grants to support their research, innovation, coordination, and support activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, depending on the specific call conditions and the type of applicant, co-funding may be required.

Summary: This opportunity is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically within the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society call. It aims to fund projects that explore and enhance the societal impact of cultural heritage, foster democratic values, and support social transformations. The program includes various topics ranging from research and innovation actions to coordination and support actions, each with specific goals and funding ranges. Eligible applicants can apply for lump sum grants to support activities such as research, pilot projects, policy recommendations, and dissemination of knowledge. The application process is a single-stage submission, and projects should align with the expected outcomes of enhancing the understanding and positive impact of cultural heritage on society. The program also emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches, participatory methodologies, and collaboration between cultural heritage actors and educational institutions.