Pillar I: Building institutional capacities for ethical, equitable, open, and inclusive ERA

Within the framework of Horizon Europe, the EU supports institutional capacities to shape an ethical, equitable, open, and inclusive European Research Area (ERA). With a funding rate of up to 100% for Coordinating and Support Actions (CSA), the call "Pillar I: Building institutional capacities for ethical, equitable, open, and inclusive ERA" promotes sustainable structural changes in R&I organizations. Funded are instruments, resources, recommendations, training formats, and the exchange of best practices to systematically embed ethics, integrity, open science, gender equality, and inclusion. The funding range amounts to €1.5 million to €2 million per project with a duration of 24 to 36 months. A prerequisite for funding is a consortium of at least three independent legal entities from three different EU Member States or associated countries. Research projects focusing on cloning, genetic heritability issues, or embryo research are excluded.

In particular, universities, research institutions, ethics and integrity officers, R&I management and ethics committees, as well as policymakers, benefit from this call. Applications must include the application form (Part A + Part B), a detailed budget plan, CVs of key personnel, an ethics self-assessment, as well as financial and legal documents for Legal Entity Validation. Eligible costs include personnel and travel expenses, consumables, events/workshops, subcontracting services, and third-party support. Projects will be evaluated based on their level of innovation, expected impact, and the quality and efficiency of implementation. Interested consortia can submit their applications electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 12 March 2026, thereby making an important contribution to a responsible, inclusive, and open research and innovation culture in Europe.