Pillar Iii: Fostering Citizen Engagement For More Responsible And Democratic R&i
HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-05
- Programme
- Enhancing the European R&I system
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Open (31094502)
- Opening Date
- December 10, 2025
- Deadline
- March 12, 2026
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €4,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €2,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €2,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 2
- Keywords
- HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06-ERA-05HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-06
Description
Scope:
This topic aims to connect R&I with citizens and other stakeholders by fostering greater citizen engagement, participation, and science communication. Proposals will contribute to the impact of “Increasing trust in science and alignment of R&I with society’s needs, expectations and values”, thereby enhancing the democratic character and impact of science in the ERA.
Applicants should select and clearly identify one area being addressed, choosing from the two areas outlined below, both supporting the implementation of the ERA Structural Policy “Enhancing Trust in Science through Citizen Participation, Engagement and Science Communication”. Proposals should develop the activities outlined for the selected area and propose additional activities that contribute to achieving the expected outcomes.
Project activities should reach large communities of stakeholders ensuring a wide geographical coverage, inclusivity, broad participation, and accessibility over the course of the project. Proposals should describe their target group in terms of its scope and size. In project activities, particular attention should be paid to promoting gender equality and addressing gender-specific challenges, where relevant.
Expected project duration is up to 3 years without prejudice to a longer duration if justified.
Area 1: Citizen science for enhancing democratic governance
Expected outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:
- Improved framework conditions for integrating citizen science in democratic governance, considering issues of institutional feasibility and preparedness, including protocols and working modalities that foster the use of citizen science data in policies;
- Improved data practices employed by researchers and experts in citizen science initiatives;
- Increased awareness about the valuable scientific knowledge generated by citizen science and its contributions to tackling societal challenges.
Scope: Area 1 aims to improve framework conditions and provide adequate standards and working modalities with a view to improving the links between citizen science and democratic governance.
Proposals should build on the findings of the Mutual Learning Exercise on Citizen Science and on any past or ongoing relevant initiatives and projects at European or national level. Project activities should include actors such as research performing and funding organisations, universities, researchers and innovators, research infrastructures, civil society organisations, and policymakers. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:
- Provide evidence-based recommendations on how to set up protocols supporting data quality (including validation mechanisms), comparability, and inter-operability in citizen science for policies;
- Demonstrate how citizen science can be introduced in institutions through greater preparedness and coherence across different levels of governance, while also addressing issues of equity in public participation;
- Provide evidence of the impact of citizen science on policy change;
- Raise awareness among relevant stakeholders on incentives for the research community to engage in citizen science.
Area 2: Guiding principles for inclusive engagement in R&I
Expected outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:
- Enhanced institutional and organisational capacities in relation to public engagement and science-society links;
- Common ERA approaches for researchers, policymakers, public engagement professionals, and communication experts to boost public engagement in R&I and science communication;
- Actionable pathways for strengthening the co-creation of R&I by society, and evidence of the impacts of public engagement.
Scope: Area 2 aims to develop common ERA approaches for public engagement in R&I and science communication to make the R&I ecosystem more participatory, trustworthy, democratic, open and responsible and improving its capacity to tackle societal challenges.
Proposals should build on the findings of the Mutual Learning Exercise on Public Engagement in R&I, the code of practice on citizen engagement for knowledge valorisation, and any past or ongoing relevant initiatives, experiments and projects at European or national level[1]. The target groups for this action are research performing organisations and funding organisations, universities, researchers and innovators, policymakers, science communicators, public engagement professionals, and members of the media. To achieve the expected outcomes, proposals should address the activities outlined below and propose any additional, complementary activities:
- Provide actionable recommendations for mechanisms (e.g., guidelines, funding schemes, co-creation methodologies) for sustainable citizen participation and engagement in R&I of diverse groups of citizens, including those not habitually involved in science;
- Provide recommendations to support institutional capacity building, organisational structures and careers (in research performing organisations) in relation to facilitating interaction with society through innovative science communication, engagement, and participation of diverse groups of citizens;
- Establish an evidence base on the effectiveness and impact of public engagement in R&I and science communication; identify evaluation indicators for different policy settings;
- Offer guidance for developing ethical guidelines for citizen engagement, participation, and science communication, ensuring their inclusion in institutional ethics and integrity committees and frameworks;
- Propose pathways to tackle issues of equity and inclusion in public engagement in R&I also considering beliefs, awareness and misperceptions by citizens.
[1] Including projects funded under HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ERA-01-40 and HORIZON-WIDERA-2022-ERA-01-60.
Destination & Scope
The guiding policy framework of this destination is the Communication "A New ERA for Research and Innovation"[1], the Council Recommendation on the Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe (Pact for R&I)[2], and the European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda (2025-2027)[3]. The funded actions will strengthen the ERA by promoting the freedom of movement of researchers, scientific knowledge, and technology and by providing new evidence for better-informed policymaking. More details on the ERA policy framework are in the introduction to the WIDERA work programme 2026-2027.
The EU Member States, Associated Countries, R&I stakeholders, and the Commission work together to implement the ERA. This process is steered by the ERA Policy Agenda, which identifies specific ERA Actions (time-limited initiatives) and Structural Policies (long-term policies) designed to tackle concrete challenges faced by R&I communities in Europe. This work programme is designed to support this process. The funded actions will build knowledge and capacities at the level of institutions and ecosystems to adopt reforms and practices in line with the ERA Policy Agenda, thereby contributing to the implementation of the ERA.
The destination will be implemented in synergy with the European Higher Education Area and the European Education Area, especially in relation to R&I careers and institutional changes in universities and research organisations. Several call topics and other actions will also contribute to the implementation of the European framework for research careers[4].
The destination includes two calls with 13 topics in total as well as other actions, targeting a wide range of R&I stakeholders, e.g., universities, research performing and funding organisations, research evaluation agencies, networks of researchers, publishers, industry and start-ups, policymakers, local authorities, and public bodies.
The effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines is encouraged under this destination, including the involvement of SSH experts, institutions, and the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, to enhance the societal impact of project activities.
The ERA Platform showcases results from Horizon Europe-funded projects, making them available to a wide range of stakeholders to facilitate progress in ERA policy areas. Applicants are encouraged to consider these results as well as propose new tools, resources, and visual material that can be featured on the platform.
All topics in the 2026 and 2027 ERA calls are organised around four pillars, designed to enable the funded projects to strengthen R&I capacities across four complementary dimensions while addressing selected ERA Actions and Structural Policies. The table below summarises this approach, making it easier for applicants to choose their preferred policy area and type of activity. Each call topic title refers to its corresponding pillar.
2026 and 2027 ERA calls: pillar structure
| Pillar I: Institutional changes for ERA | Pillar II: Ecosystems for ERA |
| Type: coordination and support actions Focus: capacity building and support to foster adoption of ERA policies/practices within institutions. Activity types: providing tools, resources, training, services, and policy advice. Policy areas:
| Type: coordination and support actions Focus: building and reinforcing networks and partnerships to foster broad uptake of ERA policies/practices. Activity types: exchanging knowledge and practice, networking and cooperative actions. Policy areas:
|
| Pillar III: Citizens and science in ERA | Pillar IV: New knowledge for ERA |
| Type: coordination and support actions Focus: connecting R&I with citizens and other stakeholders. Activity types: implementing and promoting participatory approaches, such as citizen engagement and citizen science. Policy areas:
| Type: research and innovation actions Focus: creating new knowledge that supports design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and practices. Activity types: conducting analyses, developing and testing new methods and practices. Policy areas:
|
Proposals under this destination should set out a credible pathway to one or several of the following expected impacts:
- Effective and sustainable structural institutional changes aligned with the ERA priorities;
- Sustainable ecosystems established around the ERA priorities through enhanced cooperation, coordination and alignment;
- Increased trust in science and alignment of R&I with society’s needs;
- Strengthened evidence base for advancing the implementation of the ERA;
- Increased reproducibility, trustworthiness and transparency of scientific research;
- A more open, equitable and inclusive research and innovation ecosystem;
- A research ethics and integrity ecosystem continually enhanced with robust methodologies that encourage benefit sharing and prevent ethics dumping;
- Systemic reform of research assessment through the recognition of the diverse outputs, practices, and activities which maximise the quality and impact of research;
- Improved research careers and mobility, based on the European framework for research careers, fostering knowledge flows and career interoperability across sectors and countries;
- Stronger translation of R&I results into society and economy;
- Enhanced gender equality and inclusiveness, leading to research excellence and more innovative, socially relevant, and economically impactful outcomes;
- Increased uptake, effectiveness and impact of environmentally sustainable research;
- More resilient and future-proof R&I policies and long-term strategies with effectively integrated strategic intelligence and strengthened foresight communities;
- A more strategic, coherent, and evidence-based approach towards cooperation with China in the area of science, technology, and innovation.
[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:52020DC0628&from=EN.
[2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021H2122.
[3] https://european-research-area.ec.europa.eu/era-policy-agenda-2025-2027.
[4] Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2023/1640/oj.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
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 Eligible Conditions
Applications must be submitted by a consortium including participation, as beneficiaries, of at least three independent legal entities: Each established in a different Member State or Associated Country; and two of which are established in a Member State.
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.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
To ensure a balanced portfolio covering different ERA policy areas, as outlined in the expected outcomes and scope, grants will be awarded to proposals not only in order of ranking, but at least also to proposals that are the highest ranked within each area, provided that proposals pass all thresholds.
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: 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
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) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE CSA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)
Guidance
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
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
Frequently Asked Questions About Pillar Iii: Fostering Citizen Engagement For More Responsible And Democratic R&i
Support & Resources
Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.
Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.
National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’).
Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding.
IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.
European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.
CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal.
The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.
Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.
Latest Updates
If your lump sum budget contains any cost items in cost category C and/or D, please make sure to justify these items in the ‘Any comments’ sheet of the Excel detailed lump sum budget table.
The reason is that we simplified the proposal template, removing this information from Part B and bringing it closer to the relevant budget items.
Specifically, you must include justification in the ‘Any comments’ sheet if you are in any of the following situations:
- If the sum of the costs for ’travel and subsistence’, ‘equipment’, and ‘other goods, works and services’ (i.e. the purchase costs) exceeds 15% of the personnel costs for a participant. If this is the case, justify the most expensive cost item(s) up to the level that the remaining costs are below 15% of personnel costs.
- If other cost categories (e.g. internally invoiced goods and services) are used.
- If in-kind contributions are used (non-financial resources made available free of charge by third parties, which must be included as direct costs in the corresponding cost category, e.g. personnel costs or purchase costs for equipment).