Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Policymakers are made aware and are equipped with the knowledge and tools to integrate inclusive and intersectional perspectives into their policymaking, which strengthens their capacity to promote and protect democracy, fundamental rights, and EU values.
• Researchers gain insights on how to translate their findings on intersectional inequalities and democracy into actionable, evidence-based recommendations, enabling them to effectively inform policy and practice at local, regional, national, and EU levels.
• Innovative solutions developed under Horizon Europe and other EU-funding programmes empower equally all citizens, to participate in democratic processes and decision-making.

Scope:

This call topic aims to establish a Research and Innovation Network for a Union of Equality. The proposed network should bring together academic institutions, public bodies and civil society organisations to collaborate and promote the advancement of inclusive, equal, and resilient democratic societies.

The proposed network should contribute to the development of a comprehensive approach to democracy, fostering a culture of participation and inclusivity, and promoting the EU values of equality, justice, and human rights. It should also address how equality and intersectionality are defined across the EU’s diverse socio-political landscapes to ensure inclusive policies that account for varying cultural and social contexts. It could also reflect on how to foster the implementation of EU strategies under the Union of Equality.^[1]

The network should support the implementation of gender-inclusive and intersectional strategies to counter disinformation, reduce societal polarisation, and re-engage citizens in democratic practices. These efforts could also aim at promoting critical thinking, media literacy, and active civic participation across diverse groups including youth and underrepresented groups. The network could also leverage foresight to anticipate emerging challenges to democracy and inform effective policy responses. Its work should be informed by close contact with elected representatives at local, regional, national and EU levels.

As soon as possible in the network’s lifecycle, a dedicated online platform should be established to share evidence-based recommendations and innovative solutions to strengthen democratic practices based on Horizon Europe projects’ results and other relevant sources. This platform should be backed by a comprehensive repository that gathers information on existing tools, trainings, data, including disaggregated data, and methodologies for gender mainstreaming and addressing intersectional inequalities. It could also include a collaborative webpage for stakeholders to share information on events, calls for papers, and funding opportunities related to inclusive democracy, gender equality, and intersectionality.

The network should ensure and support the translation of research findings (including from SSH disciplines) into actionable, evidence-based proposals, and to enable the development of practical and effective recommendations that drive positive change at different level of actions (local, national, supranational). Living labs and innovation hubs could be used to provide a collaborative environment for stakeholders to co-create and test solutions.

To foster collaboration and drive progress, the network should host an annual thematic forum, providing a platform for stakeholders and policymakers to meet in person and share innovative ideas, receive feedback, and learn from one another.

As a research and innovation area where freedom of science is enshrined and protected, the European Union offers an ideal environment to advance a career. Therefore, the network should also explore how to ensure a safe and enabling research environment, protecting researchers from backlash, hate speech and harassment, and promoting academic freedom and integrity when researching on democracy, inclusive societies, and intersectionality.

The network’s actions should contribute to ensuring that the results and innovations generated by Horizon Europe projects related to inclusiveness in the public space, democracy, and governance are taken up and made available to relevant stakeholders. It could particularly build on past and on-going EU-funded projects, such as those under the topics HORIZON-CL2-2021-DEMOCRACY-01-03, HORIZON-CL2-2022-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-05; HORIZON-CL2-2022-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-08 and HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-05. Proposals are encouraged to identify other relevant EU-funded projects, and to explore potential collaboration opportunities with them.

The action to be funded should have a minimum duration of 4 years.

[1] In 2020 and 2021, the Commission adopted five strategies to create the conditions for everyone to live, thrive and lead regardless of differences based on gender, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation: the LGBTIQ equality strategy 2020-2025, the gender equality strategy 2020-2025, the strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030, the EU anti-racism action plan 2020-2025, the EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion, and participation 2020-2030. Under the 2024-2029 political cycle, the Commission has committed to renew the strategies on Gender Equality, LGBTIQ and anti-racism.