Governing global commons sustainably
Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society 2026 · HORIZON-RIA · Needs partners
What this call funds
This call funds research projects that develop practical ideas and tools for managing shared global resources—like the ocean, polar regions, outer space, climate and biodiversity—more fairly and sustainably despite growing geopolitical tensions. It wants projects that improve how science informs policy-making, strengthen international cooperation, and give civil society and marginalized groups (including Indigenous communities) a stronger voice in these decisions. Around three projects will be funded, one for each thematic area: climate governance, biodiversity governance, and governance of spaces beyond national jurisdiction.
climate adaptation · biodiversity · civil society democracy · research excellence · environmental monitoring · ocean marine
Who wins this
A multidisciplinary research consortium combining natural sciences, social sciences, law and humanities expertise, with strong links to policymakers, diplomats, and civil society, that wants to tackle one of the three specified global commons governance themes.
Could you win this call?
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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
- Proposals must clearly indicate which thematic area (A: Climate governance, B: Biodiversity governance, or C: Governance of spaces beyond national jurisdiction) they address, as funding will be balanced across the three areas; costs are reimbursed as a lump sum with a 50-page limit for Part B of the application.
- 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. The page limit for the Part B of the Research and Innovation (RIA) application using lump sum is 50 pages. In addition, it is mandatory to submit a detailed budget table, using the template 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 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 To ensure a balanced portfolio covering the topic’s different thematic areas, grants will be awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but at least also to those that are the highest ranked within each area provided in the scope (areas A, B, and C), provided that the corresponding applications attain all thresholds. Proposals should clearly indicate the thematic area(s) they have selected to work on. 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 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 ]]. 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. 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