Ten HORIZON-CL2-2026-01 topics under Cluster 2 (Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society), worth EUR 103 million in total, all opening 12 May 2026 and closing 23 September 2026. Budgets, action types, and a detailed overview page for each.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society Calls — Overview, Budgets and Deadline
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01 is the 2026 call under Horizon Europe Cluster 2, Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society. It opens on 12 May 2026 and closes on 23 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time, single-stage, with all topics funded as lump sum grants.
Topics are organised under three destinations: Innovative Research on Democracy and Governance (DEMOCRACY), Innovative Research on European Cultural Heritage and the Cultural and Creative Industries (HERITAGE), and Innovative Research on Social and Economic Transformations (TRANSFO).
Below are the ten topics we follow most closely, covering EUR 103 million in total. Each has a detailed page with the official expected outcomes, scope, and eligibility conditions. The full call contains further topics beyond these.
Topics at a Glance
| Topic | Action | Budget | Per project | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEMOCRACY-02 — Local democracy in low-income countries | RIA | EUR 12.00m | 3.50–4.00m | 3 |
| DEMOCRACY-03 — Government in transition | RIA | EUR 8.00m | 3.50–4.00m | 2 |
| DEMOCRACY-05 — Union of Equality network | CSA | EUR 4.50m | 4.00–4.50m | 1 |
| DEMOCRACY-06 — Governing global commons sustainably | RIA | EUR 12.00m | 3.50–4.00m | 3 |
| DEMOCRACY-08 — Electoral integrity in the digital context | RIA | EUR 12.00m | 3.50–4.00m | 3 |
| DEMOCRACY-10 — Digital and media literacy | RIA | EUR 12.00m | 3.50–4.00m | 3 |
| HERITAGE-01 — “Artistic intelligence” | RIA | EUR 15.00m | 4.50–5.00m | 3 |
| HERITAGE-02 — Boosting creative startups | IA | EUR 12.00m | 5.00–6.00m | 2 |
| TRANSFO-07 — Competences for the green transition | RIA | EUR 12.00m | 3.00–4.00m | 3 |
| TRANSFO-10 — SSH-STEM cooperation | CSA | EUR 3.50m | ~3.50m | 1 |
RIA is a Research and Innovation Action, IA an Innovation Action, CSA a Coordination and Support Action.
Innovative Research on Democracy and Governance
Six of the ten topics sit here. Two are about information integrity: DEMOCRACY-08 on electoral integrity, covering FIMI, AI-powered campaigning and platform accountability, and DEMOCRACY-10 on digital and media literacy as a route to civic resilience. DEMOCRACY-06 is the destination’s climate and environment topic, funding work on the sustainable governance of global commons across three thematic areas, with climate governance as Area A.
The remaining three concern how democratic institutions themselves work: DEMOCRACY-03 on internal government innovation and civil service reform, DEMOCRACY-02 on local democratic practice in low- and low-middle income countries, and DEMOCRACY-05, a single four-year network on inclusive democracy and intersectionality.
Innovative Research on European Cultural Heritage and the Cultural and Creative Industries
HERITAGE-01 is the largest single topic here at EUR 15 million, funding evidence, toolkits and evaluation methods for art-science-technology collaboration, with a choice between soft-skills frameworks and low-TRL pilots on emerging technologies. HERITAGE-02 is an Innovation Action rather than a research topic, judged on whether creative startups supported by the project actually scale or bring disruptive innovation to market.
Innovative Research on Social and Economic Transformations
TRANSFO-07 funds sector-specific research on green transition competences, where proposals pick one of five sectors including nature and climate adaptation. TRANSFO-10 funds a single action to monitor and improve the integration of social sciences and humanities with STEM across EU research.
Where to Find the Official Documents
Topic pages, submission, and the full Cluster 2 work programme are on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Our pages summarise the official conditions but the work programme is authoritative; check it before submitting.
Building a Proposal?
Several of these topics list platforms, repositories, MOOCs, monitoring frameworks or pilots among expected outcomes — engineering and product work inside a research proposal. Roles we take are on the Horizon Europe Consortium Partnership page; for consortia still forming, see Fundraising & Consortia Building. Related services include software, AI and tech development, open source consulting, and studio and accelerator.
Related research: disinformation, science communication, climate risk data quality, decision making under deep uncertainty, and art, science and technology.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-01: Artistic Intelligence — Harnessing the Power of the Arts to Address Complex Challenges
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-01 funds research on art-science-technology collaboration: evidence, toolkits, and evaluation methods, plus either soft-skills frameworks or at least three low-TRL pilots on emerging technologies. EUR 15 million, deadline 23 September 2026.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-02: Boosting Creative Startups for Disruptive Innovation
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-02 is an Innovation Action funding new methods to grow creative startups into scaleups or to bring disruptive innovation to market, validated through at least three real-world pilot trials. EUR 12 million, deadline 23 September 2026.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-10: Digital and Media Literacy as Drivers for Democratic and Civic Resilience
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-10 funds research into how digital and media literacy build democratic and civic resilience against disinformation, FIMI, and algorithmic polarisation. EUR 12 million, three projects, deadline 23 September 2026.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-08: Electoral Integrity in the Digital Context
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-08 funds research on safeguarding elections in the digital age: disinformation and FIMI, AI-powered campaigns, transparent political advertising, and platform accountability. EUR 12 million, three projects, deadline 23 September 2026.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-06: Governing Global Commons Sustainably
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-06 funds research on governing global commons sustainably across three thematic areas: climate governance, biodiversity governance, and spaces beyond national jurisdiction. EUR 12 million, three projects, deadline 23 September 2026.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-03: Government in Transition — Preparing the Civil Service for the Future
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-03 funds research into government innovation, anticipatory governance, and civil service reform across Member States and Associated Countries, with a MOOC and knowledge exchange platform among the expected outcomes. EUR 8 million, deadline 23 September 2026.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-07: Fostering Competences for the Green Transition
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-07 funds research into the competences workers and young people need for the green transition, in one of five sectors: agriculture and food, automotive, energy, construction, or nature and climate adaptation. EUR 12 million, deadline 23 September 2026.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-02: Understanding the Forms of Local Democracy in Low-Income and Low-Middle Income Countries
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-02 funds research into how local democratic practice works in low- and low-middle income countries, including fragile contexts, decentralisation, and the link between public service delivery and pro-democratic sentiment. EUR 12 million, deadline 23 September 2026.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-10: Fostering Cooperation and Integration Between SSH and STEM Research and Innovation in the EU
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-10 funds a single SSH-STEM Action at European level: a new monitoring and impact evaluation framework, annual reporting on SSH-STEM cooperation, guidelines and training, and a science-for-policy forum. EUR 3.5 million, deadline 23 September 2026.
HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-05: Research and Innovation Network for a Union of Equality
Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-05 funds a single four-year network bringing together academia, public bodies, and civil society around inclusive democracy and intersectionality, with a dedicated online platform and repository at its core. EUR 4.5 million, deadline 23 September 2026.
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