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Call key data
Fostering the consolidation of European science diplomacy
Funding Program
Horizon Europe: Cluster 2 - Culture, Creativity and Inclusive society
Call number
HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-02
deadlines
Opening
15.05.2025
Deadline
16.09.2025 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 3,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
between € 2,500,000.00 and € 3,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The Action will contribute to consolidating the European science diplomacy landscape both in research and in practice.
Call objectives
Not least thanks to the Horizon 2020 cluster on science diplomacy, which funded three projects in 2016-2022, a vibrant community of European science diplomacy scholars and practitioners has emerged, leading to the development of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance. Further input was delivered by the former Strategic Forum for International S&T Cooperation (SFIC), which suggested the development of an EU Science Diplomacy Platform and Roadmap. In addition, a growing number of Member States have adopted national science diplomacy strategies or agendas, or are currently exploring their development, and have strengthened scientific-technological capacities in their Ministries of Foreign Affairs (e.g., establishment of an informal Network of Science Advisors and Science Diplomacy Coordinators in EU Ministries of Foreign Affairs). An increasing number of recent EU policy documents have made explicit or implicit reference to science diplomacy and the need for foreign policy to be based on the best possible evidence. Against the background of a rapidly changing geopolitical and scientific-technological environment, with global competitors using science diplomacy in a much more strategic manner, there is a need to consolidate European science diplomacy efforts and explore synergies to tackle existing vulnerabilities.
Science diplomacy forms an integral part of the Global Approach to Research and Innovation, the EU’s strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, which prominently advocates that a stronger focus on science and technology in the EU’s foreign and security policies in terms of science diplomacy would help the EU to project soft power and pursue our economic interests and fundamental values more effectively. In its Conclusions on the Global Approach, the Council called on the Commission and the European External Action Service to develop a European Science Diplomacy Agenda. At the informal Competitiveness Council meeting in July 2023, EU Research Ministers underlined the importance of European science diplomacy action. Consequently, the European Commission organised together with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU the first European Science Diplomacy Conference in Madrid in December 2023 and the launch of EU Science Diplomacy Working Groups to develop recommendations for a potential future European framework for science diplomacy.
Against this background, the Coordination and Support Action will contribute to consolidating the European science diplomacy landscape both in research and in practice. In particular, it should provide, once operational, a mapping of all relevant players, which is still lacking at this point, and establish a European Science Diplomacy Platform. The added value of such a platform is that it can serve as a “do tank”, bringing together scientists (including from SSH disciplines) and diplomats alike and delivering concrete support for policy needs, such as:
- advising on the use of science diplomacy to help achieving the EU’s foreign and security policy goals (e.g., in the context of Global Gateway),
- identifying research needs and providing expert knowledge to policymakers and diplomatic services through science advice and science communication, thereby strengthening multilateralism and democratic governance,
- designing methods for assessing the impact of relevant actions,
- exploring synergies with other fields of diplomacy, most notably tech / innovation / digital diplomacy, as well as public diplomacy and culture diplomacy, including the use of arts to communicate science related to global challenges,
- assisting policy dialogues with audiences and stakeholders in third countries as well as international organizations and other multilateral settings, and
- supporting the EU’s science diplomacy outreach to partners world-wide, including to relevant international organizations, such as UNESCO.
In addition, this Coordination and Support Action should explore and develop mechanisms for training, capacity-building, and mutual learning in science diplomacy in a consistent manner, including by exploring the feasibility of science diplomacy fellowship schemes in European and Member State/Associated Countries’ institutions at home and in diplomatic representations abroad.
Engagement with partners outside the EU is particularly encouraged for this project.
Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of this topic is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).
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Expected results
Building on the recommendations of the EU Science Diplomacy Working Groups, the project should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- EU and national policymakers as well as researchers obtain a taxonomy of European science diplomacy which maps the relevant players, including from academia, policymaking, diplomacy, civil society, and business, and have an overview of the science diplomacy ecosystems in the EU and the existing capacities, infrastructures, networks (including diaspora and alumni networks), training activities, strategies, and publications at EU and national level. This should also include a mapping of science diplomacy strategies of third countries to inform EU responses.
- Design and launch a European Science Diplomacy Platform as a community of research and practice providing an impartial space for interaction and resources for institutional capacity building, knowledge sharing and scaling up of best practices, involving the key players in European science diplomacy, from both the EU and national levels, liaising also with European scientists in the diaspora and alumni of European mobility schemes, and creating links with existing platforms.
- Building on the activities of existing mechanisms such as the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), ERC, COST, EURAXESS, the European Universities initiative, the European Diplomatic Academy, and relevant programmes at national level, schemes, competence frameworks and curricula for training, capacity-building, and mutual learning in European science diplomacy, are developed, paying particular attention to the needs of science counsellors and other diplomats dealing with matters that rely heavily on scientific expertise.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Canada, Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), New Zealand (Aotearoa), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, Natural Person, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
other eligibility criteria
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- Legal entities created under EU law (EU bodies) including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
- EU restrictive measures — Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) as well as Article 75 TFEU, are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
- Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine — Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, there is currently no appropriate context allowing the implementation of the actions foreseen in this programme with legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine. Therefore, even where such entities are not subject to EU restrictive measures, such legal entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity. This includes participation as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any). Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons.
With specific regard to measures addressed to Russia, following the adoption of the Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1745 of 24 June 2024 (amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014) concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia are also not eligible to participate in any capacity. - Measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary — Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022, no legal commitments can be entered into with Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals and can participate without receiving EU funding, as associated partners, if allowed by the call conditions. However, as long as the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties, etc.).In case of multi-beneficiary grant calls, applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity in any funded role and/or to change its status into associated partner. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Applications must be submitted using the forms provided inside the electronic submission system (not the templates available on the topic page, which are only for information). The structure and presentation must correspond to the instructions given in the forms.
Applications must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 33 pages.
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). It is mandatory to submit a detailed budget table using the template available in the Submission system.
Call documents
Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 2 - Culture, Creativity and Inclusive SocietyHorizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 2 - Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society(1200kB)
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