The role of civic and citizenship education for strengthening civic and democratic participation and support for common European values

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity under the Call Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society focuses on strengthening civic education and democratic participation across Europe. This grant, categorized as a lump-sum funding model, invites applications from various eligible applicants, primarily universities, research institutes, NGOs, educational organizations, public bodies, schools, and youth organizations involved in civic engagement.

The funding amount is estimated between €2 million to €3 million per project, based on comparable grants in this area. The submission procedure is a single-stage open call, with a specific deadline of September 16, 2025, for applications. This call emphasizes research and development, particularly seeking scalable solutions that enhance educational frameworks.

Eligible projects aim to enhance civic knowledge, democratic attitudes, and engagement among young individuals, primarily those aged 15-29, with particular attention to addressing gender-specific barriers and promoting inclusivity. The target sectors include education and democracy, fostering citizens' competencies for active engagement in democratic practices.

While there is no specific requirement for forming a consortium, it is suggested that collaborations with public authorities and civil society organizations would be beneficial for project success. The geographic eligibility primarily encompasses EU member states and associated countries.

The application process is straightforward, allowing for a single-stage submission. The success rate for grants in this program typically ranges from 10% to 39%. Notably, there is no co-funding requirement for applicants.

In summary, this grant opportunity seeks to fund innovative projects that enhance civic engagement, fostering a culture of democratic participation and shared European values among youth.

The EU Funding Opportunity is a Horizon Europe initiative under the Call Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society - 2025 (HORIZON-CL2-2025-01). It aims to strengthen civic and democratic participation and support for common European values through education. The call includes various topics related to democracy, heritage, and transformations, each with its specific budget, action type, and indicative number of grants. The general objective is to equip young people with the competences needed for active and engaged citizenship, fostering critical thinking, understanding of European values, and constructive participation in democratic processes.

The call is structured around several key areas:

1.  Democracy: This area focuses on the role of civic and citizenship education in strengthening civic and democratic participation and support for common European values. Projects should contribute to a better understanding of impactful learning, teaching, and assessment of citizenship education, the impact of formal and non-formal learning on civic engagement, effective collaborative mechanisms between actors in education, and competence-based pedagogical approaches. The target group is young people aged 15-29, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with consideration for gender-specific barriers and opportunities.

2.  Heritage: This area aims to promote the safeguarding, sustainable management, and valorization of cultural heritage. It includes topics such as the social and economic impact of cultural heritage, sustainable tourism, and the use of digital technologies for heritage preservation and access.

3.  Transformations: This area addresses societal transformations and aims to foster inclusive and sustainable development. It includes topics such as social innovation, migration, integration, and the role of culture and creativity in driving societal change.

Key aspects of the funding opportunity include:

*  Expected Outcomes: Projects should lead to a better understanding of impactful citizenship education, increased civic and democratic engagement among young people, effective collaboration between actors in education, and the rollout of competence-based pedagogical approaches.

*  Scope: Proposals should consider learning in formal and non-formal educational settings, address young people from diverse backgrounds, and consider gendered aspects of engagement. They should also examine educational tools and approaches for constructive participation, understanding of diversity, and peaceful conflict resolution.

*  Consortium Requirements: Applicants must include public authorities with the capacity to roll out curricula or institutions in charge of teacher education and training, and/or education and training institutions. Active engagement of civil society organizations is also required.

*  Synergies: Proposals should detail how they will develop close involvement of education bodies and practitioners in the field of democracy promotion, and in particular those involved in relevant projects that received support from other EU programmes, e.g. Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, CERV, or Global Europe. Proposals should explain how they will establish connections, find synergies, and build on the work of projects funded under previous Horizon Europe Calls.

*  Budget and Timeline: The call has a single-stage submission process with an opening date of 15 May 2025 and a deadline of 16 September 2025. The budget varies by topic, with contributions ranging from 2 000 000 to 26 000 000 EUR and indicative grant numbers from 1 to 8 per topic.

*  Admissibility Conditions: Proposals must adhere to the page limits and layout described in the Application Form. The page limit for Part B of the Research and Innovation (RIA) application using lump sum is 50 pages. A detailed budget table must also be submitted.

*  Eligible Countries: As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

*  Legal and Financial Set-up: Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

This funding opportunity seeks to enhance civic engagement and democratic participation among young people by supporting research and innovation in citizenship education. It encourages the development and testing of innovative methodologies, the creation of practical resources for educators, and the establishment of effective collaborations between educational institutions and civil society organizations. The ultimate goal is to equip young people with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to become active, engaged, and responsible citizens who contribute to the strengthening of European democracies and the promotion of shared values.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the requirement for consortia to include public authorities, education and training institutions, and civil society organizations, it can be inferred that eligible applicants include public authorities, institutions in charge of teacher education and training, education and training institutions, youth clubs, sports clubs, community projects, and arts and culture organizations. Therefore, eligible applicant types include government, research institute, nonprofit, NGO, and other.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. The grants are provided as a lump sum.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. The text explicitly states that "applicants must include in their consortia public authorities...and/or education and training institutions... There must also be active engagement of civil society in projects as partners." Therefore, the consortium requirement is consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but since it is a Horizon Europe program, it is likely that the primary geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries. The text mentions that "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," suggesting that some third countries may also be eligible. Therefore, the beneficiary scope includes EU, EU associated countries, and potentially some EU third countries.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is education, specifically civic and citizenship education. It also touches upon democracy, culture, and social inclusion. Therefore, the target sector includes education, culture, innovation, and other.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned. The opportunity is at the European level, so the EU and associated countries are implied.

Project Stage: The project stage is development, validation, and demonstration. The call aims to "design, pilot and test methodologies" and "roll out innovative methodologies," indicating that projects should be at the stage of developing and testing new approaches.

Funding Amount: The funding amount varies depending on the specific topic within the call. For Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), the contributions range from around €3,000,000 to €4,000,000 and some up to €5,000,000. For Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), the contributions are around €2,000,000 to €3,500,000. For Innovation Actions (IA) the contributions range from €2,500,000 to €4,000,000. Therefore, the funding range is variable.

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 a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement cannot be determined from the provided text.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call focuses on "The role of civic and citizenship education for strengthening civic and democratic participation and support for common European values." It seeks to fund projects that develop, pilot, and test innovative methodologies to enhance civic knowledge, democratic attitudes, and engagement among young people aged 15-29. The call encourages projects to consider both formal and non-formal learning settings, address gender-specific barriers, and involve public authorities, education institutions, and civil society organizations in their consortia. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process is a single-stage open call. The overall goal is to equip young people with the competences needed for active and engaged citizenship, fostering a culture of dialogue, tolerance, and understanding of democratic institutions. The call also aims to improve the quality of democratic citizenship education by developing guidelines, pedagogical materials, and assessment tools for educators and policymakers.