Working time reduction: barriers, challenges, benefits and policy implications

The grant opportunity titled "HORIZON-CL2" is part of Horizon Europe's Culture, Creativity, and Inclusive Society pillar. It focuses on researching the implications of reducing working hours in the EU. The primary aim is to analyze barriers, challenges, benefits, and policy implications related to this adjustment in work time. Eligible applicants include universities, research institutes, SMEs, NGOs, and public-private partnerships. The grant is structured as a lump sum grant under the Horizon Europe framework, with a total budget of €10.20 million, and individual project funding expected to be around €3.4 million, allowing for three grants in total. The project's geographic eligibility encompasses EU member states, EEA countries, and associated countries. It falls under the Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) category, which generally requires consortia of multiple independent entities from different countries. As part of the application process, a single-stage open call procedure is required, with submissions due by September 16, 2025. The opportunity specifically targets research to enhance understanding of working time reduction's effects on economic productivity, social well-being, and environmental factors. It addresses themes such as labor market inclusion, employee well-being, productivity, and sustainability. Applicants are encouraged to employ diverse research methods, including quantitative and experimental approaches. There is no requirement for co-funding, as the grants cover 100% of eligible costs. Success rates for Horizon Europe calls typically range between 10% and 39%, reflecting the competitive nature of the funding process. Overall, the grant seeks to provide comprehensive insights and policy recommendations on implementing working time reductions, promoting positive macroeconomic outcomes, and improving labor market conditions for underrepresented groups. The application necessitates a detailed proposal and budget plan, utilizing guidelines available through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL2, titled "Working time reduction: barriers, challenges, benefits and policy implications". It falls under the "Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society" call (HORIZON-CL2-2025-01) of the Horizon Europe Programme. The action type is HORIZON-RIA (Research and Innovation Actions), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model grant agreement.

The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline. The opening date was May 15, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is September 16, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The project aims to deepen the understanding of the impacts and implementation of working time reduction for policymakers, employers, trade unions, and other stakeholders. It also seeks to provide policymakers with recommendations on the feasibility of implementing working time reduction across various economic activities and occupations while promoting positive macroeconomic outcomes. Furthermore, it aims to equip relevant stakeholders with recommendations and data on the enablers and barriers to successful implementation of working time reduction at both employer and employee levels. Finally, it aims to improve the understanding of the potential of working time reduction to increase employment and inclusion in the labor market by activating underrepresented groups.

The scope of the project involves research into the coordinated reduction of weekly working hours, concentrated into an extra free day per week without a corresponding decrease in pay. The research should explore the economic, social, and environmental aspects of this reduction.

The research should assess the impacts of working time reduction along at least two out of the three axes: economic, social, and environmental.

Applicants are encouraged to employ a variety of SSH (Social Sciences and Humanities) research methods, including quantitative micro-economic analysis or behavioural and other experimental research methods. Proposers may consider the data offered by European Research Infrastructures in the social sciences domain. Where applicable, proposals should leverage the data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud, as well as data from relevant Data Spaces. Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of this topic is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

The proposal 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 using the template available in the Submission System.

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025).

The budget for the topic is €10,200,000 for the year 2025. The opening date is May 15, 2025, and the deadline is September 16, 2025. The estimated contribution is around €3,400,000, and the indicative number of grants is 3.

The general conditions for admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation, award, and legal/financial setup are as described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

Application form templates and evaluation form templates are available in the Submission System. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide. The Model Grant Agreement is the Lump Sum MGA. Call-specific instructions and a detailed budget table template are also available. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025, the HE Framework Programme 2021/695, the HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, the EU Grants AGA, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement.

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This Horizon Europe call focuses on researching the impacts of working time reduction, specifically a coordinated reduction in weekly hours to include an extra free day without a pay decrease. The goal is to understand the economic, social, and environmental effects of this model, providing data and recommendations for policymakers, employers, and trade unions. The call encourages the use of social sciences research methods and leveraging data from European research infrastructures. Successful projects should contribute to a deeper understanding of the implications of working time reduction, offer policy recommendations, provide data on enablers and barriers to implementation, and improve understanding of its potential to enhance employment and inclusion. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the application process involves submitting a detailed proposal and budget table through the Funding & Tenders Portal.