Understanding the forms of local democracy in low-income and low-middle income countries

This opportunity pertains to a Horizon Europe grant under the program titled "HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-02," which focuses on understanding the forms of local democracy in low-income and low-middle-income countries. This initiative aims to address the pressing global challenge of democratic backsliding and the fragility of democratic institutions in developing regions. The funding is characterized as a lump sum grant, simplifying financial management for the beneficiaries. The call opens on May 12, 2026, and closes on September 23, 2026.

Eligible applicants include research institutions, universities, civil society organizations, and other entities capable of conducting research and innovation actions, particularly those based in low-income regions to leverage local expertise. The primary themes of the research focus on governance, democracy, and human rights, incorporating sectors such as social sciences, political science, public administration, and development studies.

A consortium with at least three legal entities from different countries is typically required, fostering collaboration and the sharing of multidisciplinary perspectives. The targeted geographic scope emphasizes low-income and low-middle-income countries, particularly regions such as Africa, Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

The applicable funding range lies between €3.5 million to €4 million per project from a total budget of €12 million, with an expectation of financing approximately three projects. The nature of the funding involves a single-stage submission process, requiring fully developed proposals that undergo a competitive evaluation without preliminary screening phases.

The successful projects should aim to produce actionable tools and frameworks that inform policymakers, support citizen engagement, and promote the development of resilient governance structures. Each project should explore themes like democratic participation, governance challenges, decentralization effects, and the role of public service delivery in fostering pro-democratic sentiment.

Additional documents and details regarding application requirements, evaluation processes, and funding specifics are provided in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. The initiative encourages multidisciplinary collaboration and emphasizes the inclusion of diverse stakeholders in the research process to enhance the legitimacy and applicability of the findings.

In summary, this funding opportunity aims to equip EU institutions and national decision-makers with robust, science-based tools and recommendations to promote democracy and human rights in contexts facing governance challenges, advancing the overall goal of fostering inclusive democratic societies.

This EU funding opportunity focuses on understanding and promoting local democracy in low- and middle-income countries. It falls under the Horizon Europe program, specifically the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society call for 2026. The action type is HORIZON-RIA, which stands for Horizon Research and Innovation Actions, utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant agreement.

The planned opening date for submissions is May 12, 2026, with a deadline of September 23, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time.

The primary goal of this funding is to equip EU institutions and national decision-makers with the necessary tools, knowledge, and frameworks to proactively reduce inequality, promote human rights, and strengthen democracy in low- and middle-income countries. This aims to foster more resilient and inclusive democratic societies.

Expected outcomes of funded projects include:

1.  Providing EU institutions and national decision-makers with science-based tools, toolkits, training models, monitoring frameworks, and recommendations to proactively promote inequality reduction, human rights, and democracy, leading to more resilient and inclusive democratic societies in low-income and low-middle income countries.

2.  Enhancing the ability of EU institutions and national decision-makers to promote democratic values, principles, and practices in low- and low-middle income countries, based on a better understanding of local actors, their capacity, and their needs.

3.  Enabling EU institutions, national decision-makers, and civil society organizations to access and use evidence-based good practices for working in fragile contexts.

4.  Improving the understanding of EU institutions and national decision-makers regarding the role of decentralization processes in low-income and low-middle income countries and their impact on public service quality and citizen acceptance of democratic processes.

5.  Providing policymakers, public authorities, and service delivery providers with a better understanding of the link between efficient public service delivery and pro-democratic sentiment in low-income and low-middle income countries.

6.  Equipping civil society organizations and other relevant actors in development cooperation and human rights promotion with better tools to promote democratic practices at the local level in low-income and low-middle income countries.

The scope of the projects should address the increasing democratic backsliding and human rights rollbacks in low- and middle-income countries, which are often driven by internal instability and external interference. These trends pose risks to European citizens and businesses and destabilize regions with which the EU has diplomatic and economic ties.

Projects should focus on:

*  Gathering evidence on how actors in economic, political, and social ecosystems at the local level can foster democratic practices, increase citizens' trust in governance, improve transparency, and promote respect for human rights.

*  Investigating different forms of democratic participation and governance at the local level, with attention to the inclusion of women and marginalized groups.

*  Analyzing how EU and national public authorities can operate in fragile contexts where central governments lack effective control.

*  Investigating the link between efficient public service delivery and pro-democratic sentiment, and identifying good practices for transferability to other contexts.

*  Meaningfully involving a wide range of stakeholders and societal actors at the local level, including non-scientific and non-academic actors.

*  Involving entities in low- and middle-income countries, leveraging their first-hand competences.

*  Using participatory research approaches and experimental methods.

*  Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, integrating fields such as political science, public administration, economics, cultural studies, sociology, gender studies, and geography.

*  Identifying potential collaboration opportunities with other relevant EU-funded projects.

*  Fostering collaboration with entities aligned with the New EU Agenda for EU-Latin America and the Caribbean, the EU–Central Asia Strategy, and the AU–EU Innovation Agenda.

*  Leveraging data and services available through the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and relevant Data Spaces, ensuring data is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).

The admissibility conditions include adhering to the proposal page limit and layout guidelines described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and in Part B of the Application Form. The page limit for Part B of the Research and Innovation Action (RIA) application using a lump sum is 50 pages. A detailed budget table, using the template in the Submission System, is also mandatory.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Certain non-EU/non-Associated Countries have specific provisions for funding their participants in Horizon Europe projects, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and 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.

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021. The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results for up to 4 years after the end of the action, as set out in Annex 5.

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

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreements are available in the Submission System.

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 indicates that for the topic HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-02, which is a HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Action), the budget is 12,000,000 EUR. The indicative contribution per project is between 3,500,000 and 4,000,000 EUR, and it is expected that approximately 3 grants will be awarded.

This funding opportunity is designed to support research and innovation projects that aim to strengthen democracy and human rights in low- and middle-income countries. It seeks to provide EU institutions and national decision-makers with the tools and knowledge needed to promote more resilient and inclusive democratic societies. The focus is on understanding local dynamics, fostering collaboration, and leveraging data to achieve sustainable and positive change in these regions. The call encourages a multidisciplinary approach and international cooperation to address the complex challenges facing democracy and human rights globally.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include entities capable of conducting research and innovation actions, coordination and support actions, and innovation actions. This likely encompasses universities, research institutes, NGOs, civil society organizations, public authorities, economic and institutional actors, trade unions, traditional and faith leaders, and other relevant stakeholders, including those from low- and middle-income countries. The call encourages the involvement of non-scientific and non-academic actors as well.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the Horizon Europe Programme. The funding is allocated through HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the encouragement of international cooperation and collaboration with entities in low- and middle-income countries suggests that consortia are preferred, if not required. Partner search announcements are available, implying that applicants may need to form consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic focus is on low-income and low-middle income countries, as defined by the Horizon Europe rules for participation. While the research focuses on these countries, the call is open to applicants from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially other countries with specific provisions for funding participation in Horizon Europe projects. International cooperation is strongly encouraged.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: democracy, human rights, governance, political science, public administration, economics, cultural studies, sociology, gender studies, geography, development cooperation, and social sciences and humanities (SSH). It also touches upon public service delivery and institutional capacity building.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity focuses on low-income and low-middle income countries, as defined by Horizon Europe rules. The New EU Agenda for EU-Latin America and the Caribbean, EU–Central Asia Strategy, and AU–EU Innovation Agenda are mentioned, indicating a focus on these regions.

Project Stage: The project stage varies depending on the type of action:
HORIZON-RIA: Research and Innovation Actions, suggesting projects in the research, development, and validation stages.
HORIZON-IA: Innovation Actions, suggesting projects in the demonstration, and potentially commercialization or scale-up stages.
HORIZON-CSA: Coordination and Support Actions, suggesting projects focused on networking, coordination, and dissemination of existing knowledge.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic and type of action, as detailed in the budget overview. The contributions range from approximately EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 6,000,000.

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.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly stated, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight. For most topics, the indicative number of grants ranges from 2 to 4.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, under the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society pillar, aims to fund research and innovation projects that promote democracy and human rights in low- and middle-income countries. The call seeks to address democratic backsliding and human rights rollbacks by gathering evidence on how local actors can foster democratic practices, improve governance, and promote respect for human rights. Projects should develop science-based tools, training models, and recommendations for EU institutions and national decision-makers. International cooperation is strongly encouraged, particularly with entities in Latin America and the Caribbean, Central Asia, and Africa. The funding is provided as lump sum grants, and the application process involves a single-stage submission. The call targets a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, civil society organizations, public authorities, and policymakers, encouraging a multidisciplinary approach integrating social sciences and humanities. The overall goal is to equip EU institutions and national decision-makers with the knowledge and tools necessary to support resilient and inclusive democratic societies in developing countries.