Feminisms for a new age of democracy
HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01-03
- Programme
- Protecting and nurturing democracies
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- June 22, 2021
- Deadline
- October 7, 2021
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €9,900,000
- Keywords
- Public administration innovationPolitical sciencePolitical systems and institutions, governanceGender in political sciencesFamily studies, Social workSocial sciences and humanitiesSocial issuesSociologyDigital AgendaSocial structure, inequalities, social mobility, iSocial policies, work and welfareArtificial IntelligenceWomen and gender studiesHORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01european valuesfeminismgender equalitydemocracyfundamental rights
Description
Projects are expected to contribute to both of the following expected outcomes:
- Promote gender equality theoretically and practically through policy recommendations, tools, and solutions for civil society organisations and other stakeholders. As a result, support the quality of democratic governance in more inclusive European societies.
- Understand how feminism and gender are used in extreme populist discourses, and counter gender-equality repressive strategies and policies.
Gender equality is a fundamental value of the European Union and lies at the core of European democracy. This is reinforced by the Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025, adopted by the European Commission, which recognises that much remains to be done to ensure true gender equality in our democratic processes. Recent developments, such as the #MeToo movement, have given new impetus to feminist discourses and politics. At the same time, however, there has been a societal and political backlash against feminism centred around traditionalist, masculinist and authoritarian discourses. Research is needed on the theory and practice of feminism(s), in the face of a changed and changing reality in the EU and beyond, including in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Projects are expected to address some of the following points: To examine the contribution of modern theoretical frameworks of feminist thought and gender analysis – including, e.g., care ethics, ecofeminism, intersectional theory and inclusive feminism, queer theory, masculinity studies –, as well as activism and political practices, to the renewal of fundamental political concepts like equality, identity, solidarity, order, security, individual and collective rights, participation, dialogue, etc. in modern democratic contexts across the EU and beyond. Research should investigate the strategies and effects of anti-gender and anti-feminist mobilisations in the EU and beyond – including, e.g., the use of traditional and social media, online hate speech and harassment, demonstrations, as well as restrictions to academic freedom – and their connections with the positioning of extreme populist discourses, political actors and traditionalist religious movements.
Based on the evidence collected and analysed, proposals should develop approaches and methods to effectively ‘engender’ democracy and spaces of democratic participation and governance, taking into account intersections between gender and other social categories such social class, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion etc. in European societies (intersectionality), and practically counteract anti-gender equality and anti-feminist discursive strategies and backlash tactics.
Cross-cutting Priorities:Destination & Scope
Democracies are more fragile and more vulnerable than in the past. The Freedom in the World Report (2020) shows that democracies across the globe are in crisis[[https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2020/leaderless-struggle-democracy]]. At the same time, various European surveys show declining levels of trust in the political institutions of democracy.[[W. Merkel, Past, Present and Future of Democracy - Policy Review, 2019: https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/4bebf83d-60ba-11e9-b6eb-01aa75ed71a1/language-en/format-PDF/source-94807842]] In terms of legitimacy, there are signs of a potential shift from governance based on expertise, multilateralism and consensual policymaking towards majoritarianism, unilateralism, nationalism, populism and polarization. Research on the past and present challenges and tensions in democracy can help to better understand and strengthen democracy, its resilience and stability. It will foster democracy’s further development with a view to enhancing representation, participation, openness, pluralism, tolerance, the effectiveness of public policy, non-discrimination, civic engagement, the protection of fundamental rights and the rule of law. These reflect the European Union’s values as defined in Article 2 of the EU Treaty[[Consolidated version of the Treaty on European Union, Title 1 “Common Provisions”, Article 2: “The Union is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities. These values are common to the Member States in a society in which pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality between women and men prevail”.]].
Expected impact:
Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impacts of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan:
- Democratic governance is reinvigorated by improving the accountability, transparency, effectiveness and trustworthiness of rule-of-law based institutions and policies and through the expansion of active and inclusive citizenship empowered by the safeguarding of fundamental rights.
The implementation of the research activities of the destination will assist in the re-invigoration and modernisation of democratic governance. The aim is to develop evidence-based innovations, policies and policy recommendations, as well as institutional frameworks that expand political participation, social dialogue, civic engagement, gender equality and inclusiveness. Activities will also contribute to enhancing the transparency, effectiveness, accountability and legitimacy of public policy-making. They will help improving trust in democratic institutions, safeguarding liberties and the rule of law and protecting democracy from multidimensional threats. Rich historical, cultural and philosophical perspectives, including a comparative dimension, will set the frame for soundly understanding present developments and help to map future pathways. In the medium to long term, the knowledge, data, scientifically robust recommendations and innovations generated will enhance decision making on all aspects relevant to democratic governance. As the Destination aims directly at citizen engagement and at producing lasting change, it is of particular importance that the research and innovation actions promote the highest standards of transparency and openness. When applicable, it is encouraged to open up the process, criteria, methodologies and data to civil society in the course of the research.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System
2. Eligible countries: 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.
3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes
5. Evaluation and award:
- 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
- Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes
Specific conditions
7. Specific conditions: described in the specific topic of the Work Programme
Documents
Call documents:
Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
MGA
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 5. Culture, creativity and inclusive society
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 12. Missions
HE Main Work Programme 2021–2022 – 13. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Support & Resources
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Latest Updates
EVALUATION results
Call: HORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01 (Protecting and nurturing democracies)
Published: 18.06.2021
Deadline: 07.10.2021
Available budget: EUR 49.500.000
The results of the evaluation are as follows:
Number of proposals submitted (including proposals transferred from or to other calls): 68
Number of inadmissible proposals: 1
Number of ineligible proposals: 2
Number of above-threshold proposals: 48
Total budget requested for above-threshold proposals: EUR 143.318.624
We recently informed the applicants about the evaluation results for their proposals.
For questions, please contact the Research Enquiry Service.