Women’s, LGBTIQ and minority rights in a context of autocracy, conflict and geopolitical shifts

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity identified as HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-DEMOCRACY-02 focuses on the rights of women, LGBTIQ individuals, and minorities amid autocratic governance, conflict, and geopolitical changes. The program, part of the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society cluster, has a total budget of €12 million, with each grant ranging from €3.5 million to €4 million. The opening date for applications is set for May 13, 2027, with a deadline of September 23, 2027, and it follows a single-stage submission process.

Eligible applicants include research institutions, universities, NGOs, civil society organizations, and human rights entities from EU member states and associated countries. The grant is distributed as a direct financial support mechanism with a lump sum basis, streamlining the administrative process. A consortium of multiple partners is required, combining various areas of expertise, particularly in social sciences, humanities, and data analytics.

The thematic aim is to explore how democratic erosion and geopolitical instability affect vulnerable populations, focusing on issues like gender equality, digital governance challenges, and civil society resilience. The opportunity emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to develop methodologies for documenting impacts, creating policy tools, and providing actionable recommendations to stakeholders.

The call encourages projects that foster international cooperation and leverage resources from the European Open Science Cloud, ensuring data compliance with fairness standards. It highlights the need for applicants to map the compounded effects of crises on rights, assess how laws are weaponized in authoritarian contexts, and propose preventive strategies against gender-based violence. Co-funding from partners is not explicitly required, but competitive proposals often include it to demonstrate commitment.

This grant represents a significant investment in research aimed at understanding and addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by marginalized groups in tumultuous political environments, ultimately seeking to contribute to more inclusive governance and support for human rights.

This EU grant opportunity, under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically targets the Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society call for 2027. The focus is on "Women’s, LGBTIQ and minority rights in a context of autocracy, conflict and geopolitical shifts." It aims to address the threats to fundamental rights posed by autocratic regimes, armed conflicts, and global geopolitical shifts, which manifest as rollbacks of legal protections, increased political violence, shrinking civic space, and targeted discrimination.

The primary goal is to strengthen mechanisms that protect vulnerable groups, including women, LGBTIQ individuals, persons with disabilities, and minorities, within contexts marked by autocracy, conflict, and geopolitical instability. The projects should also enable researchers and data collection bodies to benefit from robust methodologies to systematically document and analyze the impact of democratic backsliding, conflict, and geopolitical shifts on the rights of these specific groups. Furthermore, the grant seeks to enhance the resilience and advocacy strategies of civil society organizations and grassroots movements by identifying best practices and innovative approaches to counter repression, expand civic space, and promote inclusive governance, even in authoritarian or conflict settings.

The scope of the research should include examining the intersection of various factors such as age, gender, sex, sexual orientation, minority status, and migratory background within contexts of democratic erosion, authoritarian governance, and geopolitical crises. The research can focus on one or multiple vulnerable groups, including women, LGBTIQ people, ethnic and/or religious minorities, people with disabilities, children, or the elderly. Case studies should be selected to reflect a wide range of geopolitical contexts, including regions undergoing democratic erosion, post-conflict reconstruction, or consolidation of authoritarian rule.

The research should analyze how legal and institutional frameworks are weaponized and leveraged by authoritarian actors to restrict rights, the role of civil society in resisting repression, and the impact of digital surveillance, algorithmic discrimination, and online disinformation in targeting specific vulnerable groups. Particular attention should be given to restricted access to sexual and reproductive health rights during crises, armed conflicts, and geopolitical shifts, as well as the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV). The research should develop prevention and response strategies for public administration, law enforcement, and military bodies to combat GBV effectively in crisis situations.

Proposals must adopt an interdisciplinary approach, combining Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines with insights from computer science and data analytics, integrating a strong data-driven approach. Proposals should consider mapping and measuring the compounded effects of conflict, forced displacement, and democratic backsliding on access to rights, services, and political participation. They should also develop new methodologies and indicators to assess the impact of shrinking civic space and legal rollbacks on gender and minority rights and create data-driven tools or policy dashboards to monitor the evolving risks faced by vulnerable groups in authoritarian and post-conflict settings.

A multi-scalar approach is required, connecting grassroots-level experiences of discrimination and exclusion with macro-level geopolitical, legal, and policy frameworks. Proposals should assess how international and European actors can effectively counter these trends through diplomatic efforts, development cooperation, and targeted support for civil society, engaging with policymakers, human rights organizations, and affected communities.

Applicants are encouraged to identify relevant EU-funded projects and explore potential collaboration opportunities. International cooperation is strongly encouraged to achieve the topic’s expected outcomes. Where applicable, proposals should leverage data and services available through the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) and relevant Data Spaces, ensuring that the data produced is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Re-usable).

The admissibility conditions include adhering to the 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 are detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. The evaluation and award processes, criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D and Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

The legal and financial setup of the grants allows the granting authority to object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results for up to four years after the action's end. Eligible costs will be in the form of a lump sum, as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Application form templates and evaluation form templates are available in the Submission System. Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table, and guidance on lump sums. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

The budget overview for the year 2027 includes several topics under the call, with varying budgets, contributions, and indicative numbers of grants. Some examples are:

HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-DEMOCRACY-01: Coordination and Support Actions with a budget of EUR 3,500,000, contributions ranging from EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 3,500,000, and an indicative number of 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-DEMOCRACY-02: Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 12,000,000, contributions ranging from EUR 3,500,000 to EUR 4,000,000, and an indicative number of 3 grants.

HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-HERITAGE-07: Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 15,000,000, contributions ranging from EUR 2,500,000 to EUR 3,000,000 and an indicative number of 5 grants.

HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-TRANSFO-08: Innovation Actions with a budget of EUR 15,000,000, contributions ranging from EUR 3,000,000 to EUR 3,750,000 and an indicative number of 4 grants.

The opening date for submissions is planned for 13 May 2027, with a deadline of 23 September 2027, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

This funding opportunity is designed to bolster research and innovation aimed at protecting and promoting the rights of vulnerable groups in the face of increasing global challenges to democracy and human rights. It seeks to foster a deeper understanding of the issues, develop practical tools and strategies, and strengthen the capacity of civil society and public institutions to address these challenges effectively. By encouraging interdisciplinary approaches, international cooperation, and the use of advanced data analytics, the grant aims to contribute to more inclusive and resilient societies.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include a range of entities involved in research and innovation, such as universities, research institutes, NGOs, public administrations, human rights organizations, and civil society actors. The call is open to both EU and non-EU entities, with specific provisions for funding participants from non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

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), utilizing a lump sum grant mechanism. There is also HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to support both single applicants and consortia, as it encourages international cooperation and collaboration with other EU-funded projects. The specific requirements for consortium composition are not detailed in the provided text.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU member states, associated countries, and potentially non-EU/non-associated countries, as specific provisions are mentioned for funding participants from these countries. The Horizon Europe Programme Guide provides further details on eligible countries.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society, Democracy, Human Rights, Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), Computer Science, Data Analytics, and related fields. It focuses on research and innovation related to women's rights, LGBTIQ rights, minority rights, and the impact of autocracy, conflict, and geopolitical shifts on these groups.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions EU member states and non-EU/non-Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is research and innovation actions, as well as coordination and support actions. This suggests projects should be in the research, development, validation, or demonstration stages.

Funding Amount: The funding range varies depending on the specific topic within the call. For HORIZON-CSA actions, the contributions range from €3,000,000 to €5,000,000, with indicative grants of €3,000,000 to €3,500,000. For HORIZON-RIA actions, the contributions range from €8,000,000 to €20,000,000, with indicative grants of €2,500,000 to €4,000,000. For HORIZON-IA actions, the contributions are €15,000,000, with indicative grants of €3,000,000 to €3,750,000.

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 to support their research and innovation activities.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society pillar, focuses on "Women’s, LGBTIQ and minority rights in a context of autocracy, conflict and geopolitical shifts." It aims to fund research and innovation actions (RIA) and coordination and support actions (CSA) that strengthen mechanisms to protect vulnerable groups, improve methodologies for documenting the impact of crises on these groups, and enhance the resilience of civil society organizations. The call encourages interdisciplinary approaches, international cooperation, and the use of European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) resources. Proposals should address the weaponization of legal frameworks, the role of civil society, and the impact of digital surveillance on vulnerable groups. Funding is provided as lump sum grants, with a single-stage application process. The call is structured around several specific topics related to democracy, heritage, and transformations, each with its own budget and indicative number of grants. The overall goal is to foster inclusive governance and protect fundamental rights in the face of increasing global challenges.