This year’s Horizon Europe calls for democracy, heritage and societal transformation research launch amid rising competition
Photo credits: paul prescott / BigStock
Competition in Horizon Europe’s Cluster 2, covering culture and democracy research, is steadily rising, with fewer than one in 10 proposals securing funding in last year’s round of funding. For the first four years of Horizon Europe, applicants had a 12% chance of winning a grant, but in 2025 the chances dropped to 6.8% for single-stage calls.
This rise in proposal submissions reflects a wider trend in the rest of Horizon Europe and other funding programmes, which have all seen a similar increase in interest. Some say the rise is driven by AI tools making proposal writing easier. Others believe chronic research underfunding is to blame.
For Europe’s social science researchers, this matters because Cluster 2 is Horizon Europe’s only funding pot reserved for large collaborative projects in their discipline. Each year it injects upwards of €250 million into research and innovation projects in…
Discover the latest in research funding every Tuesday with Funding Newswire. Dive into detailed articles with our monthly or yearly subscriptions or start with a free trial
NOTE: if you're a part of one of our Network member organisations, you get free access by signing up with your institutional email. Verify your eligibility here.
Receive the Funding Newswire [full access requires a subscription] each Tuesday, our Policy Bulletin each Thursday, and the fortnightly R&D Express, tracking reforms and investments in central and eastern Europe. 
A unique international forum for public research organisations and companies to connect their external engagement with strategic interests around their R&D system.