HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-10: Fostering Cooperation and Integration Between SSH and STEM Research and Innovation in the EU

This Horizon Europe topic, officially titled “Fostering cooperation and integration between SSH and STEM research and innovation in the EU,” funds a single action to take a leading European role on the integration of social sciences and humanities with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one grant, and the central deliverable is infrastructure: a new monitoring and impact evaluation framework for SSH integration, with annual reporting behind it.

Call at a Glance

Expected Outcomes

Projects should contribute to all of the following:

• Greater integration of SSH and STEM research and innovation in initiatives funded at EU, national, and regional level, and in R&I policies, by promoting dialogue, mutual learning, and strategic cooperation among research funders and policymakers in the EU.
• A new, common, comprehensive Monitoring and Impact Evaluation Framework for SSH integration in current and future EU R&I initiatives.
• Enhanced facilitation of knowledge exploitation and support for cooperation between projects, stakeholders, R&I policies, and cross-border networks dealing with SSH and STEM research and innovation.

Scope: An SSH-STEM Action With Three Pillars

The rationale draws on the report Align, Act, Accelerate: Research, Technology and Innovation to boost European Competitiveness. The argument is that SSH and STEM together improve the activities, outcomes, and impacts of Horizon Europe, because excellence means delivering on societal needs as well as technical quality, and that this cooperation needs leadership at European level.

Proposals are expected to create an SSH-STEM Action covering all three of the following:

1. Monitoring

The action should create a new monitoring strategy in the first project year to develop and monitor SSH-STEM research cooperation, with AI search tools named as an example approach. Requirements:

• Applicants should justify what significant methodological step forward they propose compared with previous reporting on SSH-STEM collaboration, covering methodology, data management, analytical methods, and data collection. Robust open data driven approaches are strongly encouraged.
• Applicants should describe how they will deliver reporting on a yearly basis, including collection, analysis, and interpretation of SSH-STEM cooperation data across EU-funded Horizon Europe projects.

2. Facilitation and Promotion

Develop guidelines for SSH-STEM cooperation and support stakeholders in applying it where most relevant, with a focus on the quality and depth of cooperation rather than its mere presence. Training for researchers on integrating STEM or SSH into their work is encouraged. Applicants should account for collaboration within SSH disciplines themselves, and give attention to qualitative SSH rather than only quantitative disciplines.

The action should organise an annual event showcasing SSH and STEM cooperation, with exchanges for policymakers, best practice examples, and funded projects and programmes at EU, national, and other levels. It should also provide a quantitative and qualitative evidence base on whether R&I policies and funding are appropriate for the sectors with the greatest potential to contribute to European competitiveness, and propose evaluation metrics for SSH-STEM cooperation within research projects.

3. SSH/STEM Science for Policy

The action should act as a science-for-policy exchange, giving the European Commission feedback and advice on SSH-STEM cooperation and keeping it informed of the latest developments. Including SSH experts in the consortium is described as of the utmost importance. The action is expected to be a forum promoting dialogue and cooperation among research funders and policymakers linked to the European Research Area and beyond, and to provide monitoring guidance for R&I programmes at national, regional, and European level.

Eligibility and Consortium Requirements

Standard Horizon Europe eligibility applies (General Annex B): at least one independent legal entity established in an EU Member State, plus at least two further independent entities from different Member States or Associated Countries. Costs take the form of a lump sum. The consortium should contribute to the priorities of the European Research Area.

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 Social and Economic Transformations:

• HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-07 — Fostering competences for the green 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. The monitoring pillar here is largely a pipeline problem: yearly reporting across the Horizon portfolio, clearer methodology than previous SSH integration reports, AI-assisted search over project text, and open interfaces that still work after the grant. That fits software, AI and tech development and open source consulting, alongside our work on science communication.

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