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Horizon Europe
1 phase
Strategic Analysis
To secure a winning proposal, the consortium must bridge the gap between social sciences and humanities (SSH) and practical media economics. The core strategy lies in co-designing citizen-centric, small-scale business models that directly address market failures in local and investigative journalism. By establishing robust, interoperable audience measurement standards, the project will empower independent media to negotiate effectively against dominant tech platforms.
bring together academia (including from SSH disciplines), civil society organisations and multiple news sectors representatives (including influencers and other content creators)
where applicable, leverage the data and services available through European Research Infrastructures federated under the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), as well as data from relevant Data Spaces
ensure that the data produced in the context of this topic is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable)
seek collaboration whenever possible with relevant projects selected under previous EU-funded calls, such as the Horizon 2020 call topic TRANSFORMATIONS-10-2020 – “Evolving European media landscapes and Europeanisation” or the Horizon Europe one HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01-06 – “Media for democracy – democratic media”
providing comparable European consumer data, market data and models to analyse audience behaviour (including audience measurement tools) across societal groups and across Europe, so as to help news media improve their relevance, editorial quality, distribution channels and business models (including emerging formats, mediums, and technologies such as AI and XR)
identification of market failures in news sectors of specific relevance to democracy, such as local media and investigative journalism, mapping of priority regions and/or themes, identification and analysis of business models that can address them
development, prototyping and testing of small-scale innovative user-centric business models that foster the involvement of citizens in high quality information production, monetisation, distribution and consumption (including community-based, local and accessible solutions, either physical or online)
mapping and development of audience measurement systems, concrete suggestions to increase interoperability of tools and systems around common standards, and proposals for metadata taxonomies, to federate the news sectors and improve their negotiation power vis-à-vis tech and advertising companies
sharing of conclusions and concrete, hands-on action plans and practices for the industry and policy makers, through regular consultation, interactive sessions, active communication, etc.
Key data gaps affecting the news media sectors at European level are addressed and all relevant stakeholders dispose of an updated and comprehensive knowledge base.
Users’ consumption patterns of news are identified (online and offline).
News media organisations and journalists are equipped with better knowledge and tools to adapt to digital transformation, to reach new audiences and to ensure a more resilient public sphere, especially for news sectors that are of particular relevance for democracy.
Reinvigorating democratic governance by improving the independence, accountability, transparency, effectiveness and trustworthiness of institutions and policies based on rule of law, and through the expansion of active and inclusive citizens’ participation and engagement empowered by the safeguarding of fundamental rights.
Treaty on European Union (Article 2)
highArticle 2 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) establishes the foundational values of the EU, including respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights. It emphasizes that these values are common to all Member States, fostering a society characterized by pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, and solidarity.
Evaluators expect proposals to demonstrate a profound commitment to these foundational values, particularly pluralism, freedom of expression, and democratic resilience. Proposals should explicitly outline how their proposed solutions for news media freedom will safeguard these principles against threats like censorship, disinformation, and political interference.
European Media Industry Outlook (2023)
highThe European Media Industry Outlook is a comprehensive market analysis published by the European Commission to assess the competitiveness, structural challenges, and digital transformation of the EU audiovisual and news media sectors. It provides critical data on media consumption, business models, and technological trends to guide policy and funding initiatives.
Evaluators look for proposals that directly address the market realities, audience trends, and financial vulnerabilities highlighted in the 2023 Outlook. Applicants should show how their user-focused solutions will improve media viability, digital adaptation, and trust in independent journalism based on the report's findings.
Horizon Europe Strategic Plan
mediumThe Horizon Europe Strategic Plan sets out the key strategic orientations for EU research and innovation funding, ensuring alignment with major political priorities such as the green and digital transitions. It defines the expected impacts and key strategic orientations (KSOs) that guide the work programmes and individual call topics.
Evaluators expect proposals to explicitly link their project's pathways to impact with the Key Strategic Orientations (KSOs) of the Strategic Plan, particularly those focused on creating a more resilient, inclusive, and democratic European society. Proposals must clearly articulate how their research outcomes will scale up to meet these high-level EU objectives.
No specific eligibility rules extracted from this call.
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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.
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.
Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
As described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
As described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
As described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
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.
As described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Guidance
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 5. Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
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
Evaluators will prioritize proposals that demonstrate concrete, actionable solutions over purely theoretical analyses. They will look for:
The AI has drafted potential core elements based on the call analysis. To start building your project proposal structure, select the elements that resonate with your consortium's concept. You can refine and rewrite them fully once your project workspace is created.
Local and investigative news sectors are suffering from severe market failures and ad-revenue drain by dominant tech platforms, threatening democratic accountability at the regional level.
Media organizations lack access to high-quality, comparable consumer data and audience measurement tools across different societal groups, hindering their ability to adapt to digital transformation.
Fragmented metadata standards and proprietary audience measurement systems leave independent news sectors powerless when negotiating content distribution and ad-revenue sharing with tech giants.
Develop comparable European consumer and market data models to analyze audience behavior across diverse societal groups, leveraging the @TG04 to ensure data is FAIR and integrated with the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC).
Identify market failures in local and investigative journalism and prototype small-scale, user-centric business models that foster citizen involvement in content production, monetisation, and distribution to support @TG01 and @TG02.
Map and develop audience measurement systems with common standards and metadata taxonomies to federate the news sector and improve negotiation power vis-à-vis tech and advertising companies.
Share conclusions and concrete, hands-on action plans for industry stakeholders and policy makers through regular consultations, building on previous EU-funded projects.
By equipping journalists and media organizations with resilient business models and tools, the project safeguards media pluralism and the public sphere as vital pillars of democratic governance.
Fostering citizen-centric news production and local community-based solutions increases public trust in media and enhances functional information literacy across diverse societal groups.
The development of interoperable audience measurement standards and innovative monetisation prototypes directly improves the market position and financial sustainability of independent media SMEs.