Horizon Europe · Europäische Union

Open topic on reinvigorating and shielding European democracy

Öffnet am 2. März 2027

Das EU-Programm Horizon Europe plant 6 Förderungen mit 2 Mio. € – 3,7 Mio. € pro Projekt bei einem Gesamtbudget von 22 Mio. €. Die Einreichungsfrist endet am 4. Mai 2027 (EU-Ausschreibungen enden meist um 17:00 Uhr Brüsseler Zeit). Organisationen aus EU-Mitgliedstaaten und assoziierten Ländern wie der Türkei können in der Regel teilnehmen; maßgeblich sind die Bedingungen des Topics.

Frist: 4. Mai 2027 (in 170 Tagen)
Öffnet: 2. März 2027
Fördersumme: 2 Mio. € – 3,7 Mio. € pro Projekt
Gesamtbudget: 22 Mio. €
Förderquote: 100 % der förderfähigen Kosten Standardregel des Programms; die Ausschreibung kann abweichen.
Gesamtbudget: 22 Mio. €
Erwartete Förderungen: 6
Maßnahmentyp: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions · HORIZON Lump Sum Grant
Wahrscheinliche Antragstellende: Unternehmen, KMU / Start-ups, Gemeinnützige, Hochschulen & Forschung, Öffentliche Stellen Aus Quellkategorien oder Programmregeln; maßgeblich ist die Ausschreibung.
Fördergeber: Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
Referenz: HORIZON-CL2-2027-02-DEMOCRACY-09-two-stage
Ausschreibung: HORIZON-CL2-2027-02-TWO-STAGE
Zuletzt geprüft: 14. November 2026

Offizielle Ausschreibung öffnen ↗ Frist zum Kalender hinzufügen

Die offiziellen Beschreibungen sind in der Sprache des Fördergebers (meist Englisch); Zusammenfassung und Eckdaten auf dieser Seite sind auf Deutsch.

Erwartete Ergebnisse

Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• EU institutions and national decision-makers, civil society organisations and other societal actors and citizens at large are better equipped, with new data, knowledge and methods, to confront threats and challenges of democracies as well as to enhance their inclusiveness and participatory elan.

• Strengthened citizens’ long-lasting engagement in the democratic life, including but going beyond electoral processes, and increased trust in democratic institutions.

Umfang

The Political Guidelines for 2024-2029 of the European Commission [1] announced a new European Democracy Shield, and the communication [2] was adopted in November 2025. Building on the European Democracy Action Plan [3] and the Defence of Democracy Package [4] , this initiative aims to safeguard, strengthen and promote democracy in the EU and to reinforce public trust. The Democracy Shield will aim to reinforce citizens’ participation and engagement in the democratic life, promote free and fair elections and support free and independent media. It will also address the increasing threats to democratic systems, institutions and processes within the EU, often driven by various hostile actors aiming to undermine citizens’ trust in democracy and its institutions. In addition, the Commission has also adopted a Civil Society Strategy [5] , the LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026-2030 [6] , the Anti-Racism Strategy 2026-2030 [7] , the Gender Equality Strategy 2026-2030 [8] , and the Roadmap for Women’s Rights [9] . The Commission has also launched a Communication to enhance [10] the Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 [11] , in line with the United Nations Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, which the EU and its Member States are parties to [12] .

Vollständigen Text lesen

Ensuring full, equal and meaningful political participation for everyone, regardless of sex, gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, socioeconomic status, employment or age, fosters more stable and resilient democracies. Decision-making processes that incorporate a wider range of perspectives and experiences leads to policies that are more comprehensive and attuned to the needs of all citizens.

Under this open topic, proposals should address existing, upcoming or unforeseen challenges and/or creative or disruptive solutions for protecting European democracy, enhancing citizens’ trust and political participation, expanding inclusiveness and fairness of democratic institutions and practices and supporting and protecting civil society. Proposals are encouraged to investigate the opportunities offered by digital and other new technological solutions, notably from the civic tech sector. Proposals should address unmet research needs, complementing previous Horizon Europe calls.

In that sense, proposals should consider, build on – if appropriate – while not duplicating, previous research, including but not limited to, SSH disciplines and/or research by other Horizon Europe projects, in particular in the context of this destination. Coordination among the successful proposals from this topic should be envisaged to avoid duplication and to exploit complementarities as well as opportunities for increased impact.

Given the multifaceted character of the challenges confronted by democracies, applicants should ensure effective interdisciplinary collaborations by building consortia with the participation of all relevant disciplines, depending of course on the…

Wer kann sich bewerben?

Consortium of at least 3 independent legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or associated countries, at least one in a Member State (Horizon Europe standard rule).

Antragstellerkategorien sind nur ein Ausgangspunkt. Über die Antragsberechtigung entscheidet die offizielle Ausschreibung.

Themen

Demography Human sciences, including research and studies Policy and Support Political science Political systems and institutions, governance Political theory Social issues Social sciences, interdisciplinary Transformation of societies, democratization, social movements European Democracy Shield anti-racism strategies civic tech innovation civil society engagement democratic resilience digital solutions for democracy disability rights gender equality inclusive democratic participation participatory governance

Zeitplan

Two-stage call. Next deadline 2027-05-04; later stage/cut-off 2027-09-30. The portal states the exact cut-off time (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time).

So bewerben Sie sich

Lesen Sie das vollständige Topic im Portal: erwartete Ergebnisse, Umfang, Maßnahmentyp und die Teilnahmebedingungen einschließlich Länder- oder Konsortialvorgaben.
Registrieren Sie jede Partnerorganisation im EU Funding & Tenders Portal, um einen PIC zu erhalten.
Verbundprojekte in Forschung und Innovation benötigen in der Regel mindestens drei unabhängige Partner aus drei verschiedenen EU-Mitgliedstaaten oder assoziierten Ländern. Prüfen Sie die Regel für dieses Topic.
Bereiten Sie Teil A (Verwaltungsformulare und Budget im Portal) und Teil B (technische Beschreibung auf der offiziellen Vorlage für diesen Maßnahmentyp) vor.
Reichen Sie vor dem Fristende am Stichtag im Portal ein. Verspätete Anträge werden nicht angenommen.

From the call text

Who can apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Company stage: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Single applicant or consortium: Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.
Where applicants must be based: Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.
Where to apply: Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.

EU-Leitfaden zur Antragstellung lesen

Offizielle Quellen

Offizielle Ausschreibungsseite

Die Angaben auf dieser Seite stammen aus der offiziellen Quelle und wurden zuletzt am 14. November 2026 geprüft. Maßgeblich sind immer die Unterlagen des Fördergebers einschließlich späterer Änderungen.