HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-06: Governing Global Commons Sustainably

This Horizon Europe topic, officially titled “Governing global commons sustainably,” funds research into how resources shared by all humanity can be governed sustainably in a multipolar world, where competing powers do not necessarily share a common view on cooperation, multilateralism, or international law. It is one of the few Cluster 2 topics where climate governance, biodiversity, and science diplomacy sit at the centre rather than the margins.

Call at a Glance

A note on the evaluation procedure: to ensure a balanced portfolio across the three thematic areas, grants are awarded not only in ranking order but also to the highest-ranked proposal within each area, provided all thresholds are met. Choosing the right area matters.

Expected Outcomes

Projects should contribute to all of the following:

• A better shared understanding among EU institutions, Member States, decision-makers worldwide, international organisations, and civil society of the systemic challenges and underlying drivers that undermine sustainable management of global commons.
• Better tools for the science-policy interface in foreign and security policy generally, and for multilateral and national science advisory bodies in foreign policy specifically, with recognition of the need to engage citizens through a more participatory and inclusive approach.
• Strengthened rules-based multilateralism, through concepts, methods, processes, and decision-relevant information that foster sustainable governance of global commons in the evolving geopolitical context, informing EU science diplomacy.

Scope: What Proposals Should Address

The framing in the call text is direct: global commons are increasingly threatened by overuse and degradation by state and non-state actors. Failing to manage them collectively deepens the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, with the possibility of cascading effects and crossing irreversible tipping points and planetary boundaries. Declining trust in science makes agreement on fair and sustainable governance harder.

Across all areas, proposals should:

• Review the effectiveness of existing legal instruments and accompany the implementation of new ones with research.
• Enhance the impact of science-policy fora such as the IPCC, IPBES, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste and Pollution, the International Resource Panel, and the International Platform for Ocean Sustainability, and their links to relevant conventions.
• Map actors’ motivations and values at societal, corporate, and state level across different regions and coalitions of countries, such as the G7, G20, G77, BRICS, and Small Island Developing States.
• Research intergenerational justice and human rights implications, including gender equality, and how civil society can access information, contribute knowledge (including Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities knowledge), and participate in governance.
• Study rights of appeal and redress, including but not limited to the “rights of nature”.
• Explore how governance imbalances feed geopolitical tension, including direct conflicts or proxy wars, and the wider implications for international stability.

The Three Thematic Areas

Area A: Climate governance. Assess past and current global climate governance including the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement, analyse the drivers behind diverging stakeholder positions on climate change, and develop options for reinforcing science-policy interfaces such as the IPCC, including through enhanced citizen engagement to increase trust. Recommendations should inform EU and global science diplomacy.

Area B: Biodiversity governance. Assess the Convention on Biological Diversity, its Conferences of the Parties, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Particular interest in rights of appeal and redress in environmental decision-making, legal mechanisms for grievances and accountability, “rights of nature”, and environmental justice. Also: reinforcing IPBES and mechanisms including the Global Knowledge Support Service for Biodiversity, improving access to environmental information for citizens and civil society, and mainstreaming gender equality and human rights into biodiversity policy.

Area C: Governance of spaces beyond national jurisdiction. A cross-cutting assessment of how the ocean, polar regions, outer space including the Moon, Low Earth Orbit, the radio spectrum, and dark and quiet skies have been governed, with comparative review of frameworks such as the Antarctic Treaty, UNCLOS, the High Seas Treaty, and the Outer Space Treaty. Emphasis on the role of non-state actors. Example applications include deep-sea ecosystem protection, space debris management, and preserving dark and quiet skies.

Eligibility and Consortium Requirements

Standard Horizon Europe eligibility applies (General Annex B). Research should be multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary, bringing together natural sciences and engineering with social sciences and humanities including history, law, and ethics. Activities should meaningfully involve people with practical experience in the relevant processes and bodies: policymakers, diplomats, the business sector, academia, and civil society including indigenous rights holders. Engagement with international partners is strongly encouraged, and involvement of the EU’s outermost regions is particularly welcome for Area C.

Selected projects are expected to cooperate with each other across the three governance frameworks.

Where to Apply

Proposals are submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Check the official topic page and the Cluster 2 work programme for authoritative conditions.

Related Calls in This Destination

Also closing 23 September 2026 under Innovative Research on Democracy and Governance:

• HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-02 — Local democracy in low-income countries
• HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-DEMOCRACY-03 — Government in transition
• See all HORIZON-CL2-2026-01 calls

Building a Proposal for This Topic?

We partner in Horizon Europe consortia on the software, data, and adoption layer. Area A’s emphasis on access to environmental information and trust in science connects to our positions on climate risk data quality, science communication, and decision making under deep uncertainty, with delivery through data analytics for climate action and open source consulting.

Read more about how we work in Horizon consortia, or browse our wider projects and research.