Open topic: Strengthen Europe's social model and sustainable competitiveness through productivity

Closed

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Expected Outcome:
Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• The concept of sustainable competitiveness is analysed taking into account the shifts in geopolitics, global trade patterns, as well as changes in climate, the environment (including biodiversity loss[1]), technology and demography.
• Policymakers are provided with recommendations and innovative solutions, including a toolbox to boost Member States and Associated Countries (labour) productivity while ensuring high social and environmental standards and increasing competitiveness within planetary boundaries. Scope:
The Future of European competitiveness report (also known as the Draghi report)[2] analysed and discussed the reason for European declining competitiveness, productivity and growth vis-a-vis its main competitors. A competitive economy is defined as an economy whose sustained rate of productivity is able to drive growth and, consequently, income and welfare. Both the economy and the European social model have to adapt to the great drivers of change, including demography, technology, global trade patterns, climate, and geopolitical shifts.
From its side, the European social model is the basis of the still high level of productivity and competitiveness in the EU, and without continuously upgrading it and sustaining it, there is a risk of a series of negative consequences, ranging from an increase in poverty, to a deterioration of human capital and a decline in well-being.
Research (including by SSH disciplines) carried out should lead to recommendations to help Europe remain a world power through a high level of welfare, competitiveness and productivity, while analysing the tensions and opportunities created by the strengthening of the European social model and sustainable competitiveness through productivity. Proposals should look into possible opportunities and tensions between driving competitiveness, maintaining Europe’s social model and high environmental and biodiversity standards.
Clustering and cooperation among selected projects under this call topic and collaboration with the Social Transformations and Resilience partnership are strongly encouraged.
[1] Nature is an essential part of competitiveness. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has demonstrated that around 55% of the global GDP is generated by sectors moderately to highly dependent on nature. Around 72% of euro area companies are critically dependent on ecosystem services.
[2] https://commission.europa.eu/topics/eu-competitiveness/draghi-report_en

Status

Closed

Deadline

24 September 2026 (time not stated)

Opens

12 May 2026

Published

12 December 2025

Total budget

€12,000,000

Grant range

€3,000,000 – €4,000,000

Country

European Union (EU-wide)

Programme

Horizon Europe (HORIZON)

Funder

European Commission

Official page

Open at the source portal

What applying involved

12 steps, all of them taken from this call's own documents.

This call is closed. The steps below show what applying involved, and are kept for reference only.

Understand the call

• Read the call on the source portal and download its documents
• Write the proposal against the award criteria and thresholds

  As described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes — conditions §5a

• Check the grant's legal and financial set-up standard for this programme

  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) . The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive … — conditions §6

• Check the amount you plan to request against the call's range

Check you are eligible

• Check your country of establishment is eligible

  The source scopes this to associated countries. — ai_results.eligibility

• Check every partner is established in an eligible country

  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 — conditions §2

• Meet the call's other eligibility conditions

  As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes — conditions §3

• Be able to show financial and operational capacity

  As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes — conditions §4

Prepare the documents

• Prepare Part B of the Application Form standard for this programme

  Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. — conditions

• Complete the detailed budget table standard for this programme

  In addition, it is mandatory to submit a detailed budget table, using the template available in the Submission System. — conditions

Submit

• Check the submission and evaluation process

  As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual — conditions §5b

• Submit before the closing date shown above

  The source states the closing day but no closing time — check the portal before the last day. — calls.deadline

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