Societal resilience, engagement of the younger generations and digital innovation for disaster resilience

The grant opportunity HORIZON-CL3-2027-01-DRS-02, part of the Horizon Europe program, focuses on enhancing societal resilience by actively engaging younger generations aged 13 to 30 in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. This initiative aims to leverage digital innovation, education, and community involvement through research and innovation actions.

Eligible applicants include a diverse range of participants, such as civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research institutions, and enterprises, with a specific requirement for at least two CSOs and two NGOs representing youth from at least three different EU Member States or Associated Countries. This ensures that youth voices are integrated into project governance.

The funding type is structured as a grant under the Horizon Lump Sum model, providing full financial support for eligible costs without requiring co-funding. The total budget allocated for this opportunity is €6 million, anticipated to fund two projects at €3 million each. The application process follows a single-stage submission model, with the opening date set for May 5, 2027, and the deadline for submitting proposals due by November 4, 2027.

Projects under this call should focus on several key areas, including the development of innovative education programs that incorporate digital tools and gamification, strengthening community resilience through youth-led initiatives, and enhancing disaster awareness. Additionally, the use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and social media analytics is encouraged.

While the success rates for proposals are not specified, historical data suggests they typically range between 10% to 39% for similar calls. Applicants must ensure their proposals align with EU disaster risk reduction policies and demonstrate collaboration with existing community initiatives.

Overall, this grant opportunity seeks innovative solutions that empower young people to take active roles in building disaster resilience across Europe.

This EU funding opportunity, HORIZON-CL3-2027-01-DRS-02, is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically the Civil Security for Society call in 2027. It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is May 5, 2027, and the deadline for submission is November 4, 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget for this topic is 6,000,000 EUR, with an indicative number of 2 grants to be awarded, averaging around 3,000,000 EUR per grant. The type of Model Grant Agreement is HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS].

The project aims to enhance societal resilience by actively engaging younger generations in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery through digital innovation, education, and community involvement. Projects should develop tailored innovative solutions that integrate digital tools, gamification, and interactive learning methods to improve disaster awareness, risk perception, and response capabilities among younger generations. These initiatives should empower younger generations (defined in the EU context as individuals between 13 and 30), to become active contributors to resilience-building efforts, equipping them with the knowledge and leadership skills.

The scope includes:

1.  Tailored education programs for younger generations, incorporating digital tools and gamification.
2.  Strengthening societal resilience by actively involving younger generations, citizens, and local authorities in disaster preparedness and response initiatives.
3.  Promoting collaborative research that integrates youth perspectives and community involvement.
4.  Enhancing resilience and behavior of children, young people, and other groups in a vulnerable situation before, during, and after climate-related disasters and health emergencies.
5.  Training and education tools to engage young people and other populations a vulnerable situation in preparedness and crisis management.
6.  Leveraging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, social media analytics, and serious games.
7.  Innovative communication strategies to enhance youth participation, particularly through digital technologies and social media.
8.  Interconnecting young people’s data with crisis management teams, practitioners, and authorities.
9.  Stakeholder or market analysis and a roadmap for uptake of developed methodologies, findings, and technologies.

Expected outcomes include:

1.  Developed tailored education programs for younger generations, incorporating digital tools and gamification to enhance disaster awareness and engagement.
2.  Strengthened societal resilience by actively involving younger generations, citizens, and local authorities in disaster preparedness and response initiatives.
3.  Promoted collaborative research that integrates youth perspectives and community involvement, fostering a more resilient society in the face of disasters and crises.
4.  Enhanced resilience and behaviour of children, young people, and other groups in a vulnerable situation before, during, and after climate-related disasters and health emergencies.
5.  Training and education tools to engage young people and other populations a vulnerable situation in preparedness and crisis management.

Eligibility conditions include:

1.  Admissibility: 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.
2.  Eligible Countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific provisions may apply to non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3.  Other conditions: Restrictions may apply for the protection of European communication networks. Active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and 2 NGOs representing young people or youth organisations from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries is required. Applicants must provide information about security practitioners in the application form. If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.
4.  Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5.  Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6.  Legal and financial set-up: The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results 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.

The application form templates are available in the Submission System, including standard application forms for HE RIA, IA, CSA, RI, PCP, PPI, COFUND, FPA, MSCA PF/DN/SE/COFUND, ERC STG/COG/ADG/POC/SYG, and EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES/OPEN/TRANSITION/STEP/Accelerator. Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations.

Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (HE MGA, HE Unit MGA, Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, Framework Partnership Agreement FPA), and call-specific instructions. Additional documents include detailed budget tables, information on financial support to third parties, information on clinical studies, and guidance on lump sums.

This funding opportunity aims to enhance societal resilience by actively involving younger generations in disaster preparedness and response. It seeks innovative solutions that leverage digital tools and emerging technologies to improve disaster awareness, risk perception, and response capabilities among youth. The projects should empower young people to become active contributors to resilience-building efforts, aligning with EU policies on disaster risk reduction, education, digital transformation, and civil protection. The call encourages synergies with existing initiatives and frameworks, such as the Preparedness Union Strategy, Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps, and the Sendai Disaster Risk Reduction Framework. Successful projects will develop tailored education programs, strengthen societal resilience, promote collaborative research, enhance the resilience of vulnerable groups, and provide training and education tools for preparedness and crisis management.

Eligible Applicant Types: Civil Society Organisations (CSO), NGOs, youth organisations, research and innovation community, local authorities, citizens. The call specifically requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and 2 NGOs representing young people or youth organisations from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Funding Type: Grant. The funding is provided through HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA), HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA), HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP) with eligible costs taking the form of a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: Consortium. The call requires the active involvement of multiple entities, specifically at least 2 Civil Society Organisations (CSO) and 2 NGOs representing young people or youth organisations from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): EU Member States, Associated Countries, and potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific provisions as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: Civil Security for Society, disaster risk reduction, education, digital transformation, civil protection, digital innovation, education, community involvement, emerging technologies (artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, social media analytics, and serious games), training and education tools, societal resilience.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Associated Countries, and non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The project stage targets research, development, and innovation, with a focus on developing tailored innovative solutions, integrating digital tools, gamification, and interactive learning methods. The projects should also include practical examples, including pilots and real-world case studies, to test and refine these approaches.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 14,000,000. The indicative number of grants per topic also varies.

Application Type: Open call. The call is a single-stage application process.

Nature of Support: Money. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum contribution.

Application Stages: 1.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, allowing for an estimation of the potential success rate based on the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly mentioned, but applicants should refer to the Horizon Europe Programme Guide and the specific call conditions for detailed information on financial aspects.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, under the Civil Security for Society program, aims to enhance societal resilience by actively engaging younger generations in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. It seeks projects that develop tailored, innovative solutions using digital tools, gamification, and interactive learning methods to improve disaster awareness, risk perception, and response capabilities among young people. The call encourages the use of emerging technologies like AI, VR/AR, and social media analytics, and emphasizes the importance of youth-led initiatives, citizen science, and community involvement. Eligible applicants include Civil Society Organisations, NGOs, and other entities from EU Member States, Associated Countries, and potentially non-EU countries. Funding is provided as lump-sum grants, with project budgets ranging from EUR 2 million to EUR 14 million. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline of November 4, 2027. Projects should align with EU policies on disaster risk reduction, education, digital transformation, and civil protection, and should demonstrate synergies with existing initiatives like the Preparedness Union Strategy and the Sendai Disaster Risk Reduction Framework. The call requires the active involvement of at least 2 CSOs and 2 NGOs representing young people from at least 3 different eligible countries.