Women’s, LGBTIQ and minority rights in a context of autocracy, conflict and geopolitical shifts
Horizon Europe · Cluster 2 – Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society · HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-DEMOCRACY-02
Funding for research on protecting the rights of women, LGBTIQ people and minorities under autocracy, conflict and geopolitical change.
This call is announced but not open yet. Dates and conditions can still change.
What is this call about?
The topic funds interdisciplinary research on how autocracy, conflict and geopolitical change affect the rights of women, LGBTIQ people and minorities. Engaging with policymakers, human rights organisations and affected communities is described as essential.
What does this call fund?
Scope
Research should examine how autocracy, armed conflict and geopolitical shifts affect the rights of groups in a vulnerable situation, such as women, LGBTIQ people, ethnic or religious minorities, persons with disabilities, children and the elderly. It should look at the intersection of age, gender, sex, sexual orientation, minority status and migratory background.
Topics to address
- How legal and institutional frameworks are used by authoritarian actors to restrict rights, and the role of civil society in resisting repression.
- The impact of digital surveillance, algorithmic discrimination and online disinformation on targeted groups.
- Restricted access to sexual and reproductive health rights and the prevalence of gender-based violence during crises, with prevention and response strategies for public administration, law enforcement and military bodies.
- Possible data-driven work: mapping the combined effects of conflict, displacement and democratic backsliding; new indicators on shrinking civic space; monitoring tools or policy dashboards.
Approach
Proposals should be interdisciplinary, combining social sciences and humanities with computer science and data analytics, and link grassroots experience with geopolitical, legal and policy frameworks. Engagement with policymakers, human rights organisations and affected communities is essential, and data should follow FAIR principles.
Expected outcomes
Stronger protection mechanisms for groups in a vulnerable situation, robust methodologies to document the impact of democratic backsliding and conflict on their rights, and more resilient civil society and grassroots movements.
Further expectations
- International cooperation is encouraged.
- Proposals are encouraged to explore collaboration with relevant EU-funded projects, notably in clusters 2 and 3.
What are the key facts?
- Topic budget
- €12,000,000
- Minimum amount per project
- €3,500,000
- Maximum amount per project
- €4,000,000
- Call code
- HORIZON-CL2-2027-01-DEMOCRACY-02
- Programme
- Horizon Europe
- Expected number of projects
- 3
Who can apply for this call?
- The call text sets no conditions of its own on who can apply; the general eligibility conditions of the programme apply.
Check your eligibility and how your project fits
In your free account, we check the eligibility conditions against the call documents for your organisation and assess how well your project fits this call.
When is the deadline?
23 September 2027 (322 days)
23 September 2027 (single-stage). The planned opening date is 13 May 2027.
Interested in this call? Summary written with AI from the official call documents. Details can differ, so check the official call page before you apply. Read the official call documents before you decide. The official text is always binding.
Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal and the official call documents. Official call page Last updated 8 October 2026.