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    HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-DEMOCRACY-06

    Identifying user-focused solutions to support news media freedom

    Opens 13 May 2027Live official EU data

    Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society - 2027 · HORIZON-RIA · Needs partners

    23 Sep 2027
    Deadline
    13 May 2027
    Opens for applications
    €3.5M–€4M
    Indicative, per project
    ~3
    Grants expected
    132
    Past winners in this family

    What this call funds

    This call funds research and innovation projects that help news media organisations and journalists survive and thrive in the digital age. It aims to fill data gaps about how Europeans consume news, test new business models that support quality journalism (especially local and investigative reporting), and build tools that give news outlets more power in negotiating with tech and advertising platforms.

    media journalism · data analytics · civil society democracy · social innovation

    Who wins this

    A consortium bringing together academic researchers, civil society groups, and diverse news media organisations to research and pilot new data-driven and business-model solutions that strengthen media independence and pluralism.

    Could you win this call?

    We read your site to see what you build.

    The call in detail

    Indicative grant size
    €3.5M–€4M
    Funding model
    Lump sum — paid per completed work package, no financial reporting of actual costs
    Submission
    Single-stage submission (full proposal at once)
    Type of action
    HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions
    Partners
    Required. The call asks for a consortium — a group applying together, typically 3+ organisations from 3+ countries.
    Also required
    Consortia should bring together academia (including SSH disciplines), civil society organisations and multiple news sector representatives; subject to restrictions for protection of European communication networks; costs funded as lump sums.
    Eligible countries (45)
    Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, IL, TR, UA, RS, MK, ME, AL, BA, XK, GE, AM, MD, TN, NZ
    Read the full conditions from the official call ›

    General conditions 1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout As 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 As 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 Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks. As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. 5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds As described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. 5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes As 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 As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5. 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 ]]. In addition, as described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions As described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

    Who has won calls like this

    Organisations that most often win this call family · 132 past winners

    UNIVERSITEIT VAN AMSTERDAM · NL
    15 wins
    led 2
    UNIVERZITA KARLOVA · CZ
    12 wins
    EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE · IT
    11 wins
    led 2
    UNIWERSYTET WARSZAWSKI · PL
    10 wins
    HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO · FI
    10 wins
    led 1
    UNIVERSITEIT MAASTRICHT · NL
    10 wins
    led 2

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