Programme: British Embassy Baghdad

Objective: Objective

The UK Integrated Security Fund (UKISF) for Iraq invites bids by 3 May 2024 for a programme to strengthen civil society organisations working on women, peace and security issues in the Federal and Kurdistan regions of Iraq.

Eligible Activities: Bids should contribute to these objectives:

• empower women’s organisations across Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), to advance a localised WPS agenda and sustain progress towards women’s rights and equality

• strengthen women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in society and decision-making at a local and national level

This could be achieved by:

• working under multiple WPS-related themes by issuing and managing a grant scheme to Iraqi civil society organisations

• where opportunities are identified or present themselves, provide direct support to the Government of Iraq (GoI) and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to progress the Iraqi National Action Plans on WPS. This can be delivered directly by the successful applicant and/or through the CSOs grant activities

• supporting Iraqi CSOs through training, capability and capacity building, as well as strengthening networks. The grant scheme should be open to women-led CSOs based in Iraq, as well as CSOs that demonstrate a connection to WPS issues in Iraq.

Disbursement and oversight of grants will be managed by the successful applicant. Grants will range in size and scope

Actions must take place in Iraq.

Eligible Applicants: The successful applicant will have previous experience working in Iraq or the Middle East, with deep, relevant thematic experience on women, peace and security objectives. They should understand the importance of supporting local civil society to implement self-defined and locally-driven priorities.

Total Budget: £5,000,000

Deadline: 03/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.gov.uk/international-development-funding/uk-integrated-security-fund-supporting-women-peace-and-security-in-iraq

Programme: HIVOS

Objective: Objective

The “Voices for Just Climate Action” program, spanning from 2021 to 2025, seeks to address the pressing issue of climate change in Zambia. It recognizes climate change not just as an environmental challenge but as a societal crisis with ethical and human rights dimensions. By amplifying the voices of vulnerable communities, including women, youth, and indigenous groups, the program aims to empower local civil society to advocate for and co-create climate solutions. Through a rights-based approach, it aims to mitigate the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalized populations and foster inclusive, sustainable development.

Eligible Activities: By strengthening the capacity of grassroots organizations and promoting multi-stakeholder collaboration, the program endeavors to drive locally-driven climate action that delivers tangible benefits to both people and nature, contributing to a resilient, just, and inclusive future for Zambia.

The program is focused on Zambia, particularly targeting vulnerable communities in the Lower Kafue Basin and Lusaka Province regions across ten districts: Luangwa, Rufunsa, Chongwe, Lusaka, Kafue, Chirundu, Siavonga, Chikankata, Mazabuka, and Itezhi Tezhi.

Eligible Applicants: Hivos welcomes proposals from organizations, collectives, and coalitions registered and based in Zambia to partner in delivering the Voice for Just Climate Action program.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 10/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://hivos.org/call/call-for-proposals-voices-for-just-climate-action-program/

Programme: Embassy of Canada Nigeria

Objective: Objective

The CFLI is a program designed to support small-scale, high-impact projects in developing countries, which align with Global Affairs Canada’s thematic priority areas for engagement. The program is directed at projects conceived and designed predominantly by local partners. Projects are selected and approved by the relevant Canadian Embassy or High Commission. The CFLI also serves to support positive bilateral relations between Canada and recipient countries and their civil societies, by deepening contacts and supporting local endeavours.

Eligible Activities: All projects must align with at least 1 of the following CFLI thematic priorities:

• Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

• Inclusive governance, including diversity, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

• Peace and security, with a focus on conflict prevention, peacebuilding and Children and Armed Conflict.

• Environment and Climate Action, with a focus on adaptation and mitigation, reducing plastic waste and pollution, and increasing the participation of women and youth in these areas.

Actions must take place in Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and Sao Tome and Principe.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible recipients include: (1) Local, national or community-based organization (non-governmental and not-for-profit); (2) Local municipal, regional or national government institution or agency of the recipient country; (3) Local academic institution; (4) Canadian organization (non-governmental or not-for-profit) that is working on local development activities; (5) International or regional organization (non-governmental or not-for-profit) that is working on local development activities; (6) Intergovernmental or multilateral institution, organization or agency working on local development activities.

Total Budget: $100,000

Deadline: 10/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.international.gc.ca/world-monde/funding-financement/cfli-fcil/2024/nigeria-equatorial-guinea-sao-tome.aspx?lang=eng

Programme: British Embassy in Beijing

Objective: Objective

The British Embassy in Beijing is pleased to open a call for bids to the China Network’s International Programme (Open Societies) for projects running between Summer 2024 (July onwards) and 28 February 2025. All projects should aim to support improvements to and/or increase understanding and awareness of contemporary human rights in China.

Eligible Activities: They welcome bids on the below topics:

Freedom of expression

Religious and cultural rights, including for minority groups

Technology and human rights

Criminal justice reform

They also welcome bids that are Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) eligible on the topics of equalities issues (including Women’s Rights, rights of LGBT+ people, rights of persons with disabilities, etc), civil society resilience and media freedom.

Actions must take place in China.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is not defined.

Total Budget: £80,000

Deadline: 21/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/call-for-bids-china-networks-international-programme-open-societies-fund-202425

Programme: Blue Action Fund

Objective: Objective

Blue Action Fund (hereafter ‘Blue Action’) is pleased to announce a new open Call for Proposals focussing on the ‘Asia-Pacific’ region. This Call for Proposals is part of a continuing series of such Calls by Blue Action providing individual grants to NGOs for conservation projects in developing countries that have the following dual focus:

a) Newly established, expanded or better managed marine protected areas (MPAs) or networks of MPAs that result in biodiversity conservation, and

b) Enhanced livelihood conditions and food security.

Eligible Activities: The thematic focus of projects should cover both:

• Supporting ecologically representative and well-connected systems of MPAs through enhancing management of existing MPAs, enlarging existing MPAs or establishing new MPAs; and

• Supporting sustainable livelihoods in coastal communities dependent on MPAs and their buffer zones.

Actions must take place in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are NGOs with proven experience in coastal and marine conservation and sustainable livelihood development in the area. NGOs must provide match funding of at least 25% of the total project costs. NGOs must have experience in

implementing projects of similar size, environmental and social management system capacity, and their reporting and financial management systems must be compliant with internationally recognised standards.

Total Budget: €20,000,000

Deadline: 15/08/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.blueactionfund.org/funding-opportunities/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) under the LIFE Programme are long-term cooperation instruments that serve as umbrella for regular or recurrent operating grants to non-profit making entities which are involved in the development, implementation and enforcement of EU legislation and policy and which are primarily active in the field of environment or climate action, including clean energy transition, in line with the objectives of the LIFE Programme. They are a prerequisite for being able to sign annual Specific Operating Grant Agreements (SGAs), but do not create any legitimate expectations or entitlement to get them.

Eligible Activities: Framework Partnership Agreements that will be concluded following the 2024 Call for Proposals for LIFE Operating Grant Framework Partnership Agreements will cover the following two financial years of beneficiary organisations (i.e. FY 2025 and FY 2026).

Expected Impact: Framework Partnership Agreements for non-profit making entities under the LIFE programme aim to strengthen the participation of civil society in the EU policy dialogue, as well as to support implementation and enforcement of Union environmental and climate objectives, including clean energy transition, by the beneficiaries.

Proposals must relate to activities taking place in EU countries, Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €28,740,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-ngo-og-fpa

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) under the LIFE Programme are long-term cooperation instruments that serve as umbrella for regular or recurrent grants to non-profit making entities which are involved in the development, implementation and enforcement of EU legislation and policy and which are primarily active in the field of environment or climate action, including energy transition, in line with the objectives of the LIFE Programme. They are a prerequisite for being able to sign annual Specific Operating Grant Agreements (SGAs), but do not create any legitimate expectations or entitlement to get them.

Eligible Activities: Operating grants provide general financial support to the successful organisations. They do not support a specific project (like action grants), but the annual operating budget (or part of it) of the organisation. Operating grants follow the same rules for the grant agreements as action grants, but do not differentiate between direct and indirect costs. Operating grants are always mono-beneficiary grants supporting the annual activities of an organisation. Further details can be found in the call document.

Proposals must relate to activities taking place in EU countries, Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €14,370,000

Deadline: 17/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-ngo-og-sga

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

This call provides financial support for the preparation of a proposal for a Strategic Integrated Project under the sub-programme Circular Economy and Quality of Life in the areas of Circular Economy, Waste, Water and Air

Eligible Activities: ………in order to implement

• National or regional Circular Economy Action Plans, National and regional Waste Management Plans, River Basin Management Plans or Air Quality Plans

• at large territorial scale

• with the involvement of all concerned stakeholders and

• including a coordination mechanism for funding supporting complementary measures necessary for the full implementation of the targeted plan or strategy.

Proposals must relate to activities taking place in EU countries, Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €70,000

Deadline: 18/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-ta-pp-env-sip

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

This call provides financial support for the preparation of a proposal for a Strategic Integrated Project under the sub-programme for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Eligible Activities: …….in order to implement

National Energy and Climate Plans (NECP), National Energy Efficiency Actions Plans (NEEAP), National or regional adaptation strategies or action plans, Urban or community-based action plans pioneering the transition to a climate neutral and/or climate resilient society or National, regional or industry-/sector-specific greenhouse gas mitigation strategies or economy roadmaps contributing to climate neutrality

at large territorial scale

with the involvement of all concerned stakeholders and

including a coordination mechanism for funding supporting complementary measures necessary for the full implementation of the targeted plan or strategy.

Proposals must relate to activities taking place in EU countries, Ukraine and Moldova and North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €70,000

Deadline: 18/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-ta-pp-clima-sip

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

The objective is the preparation of Strategic Nature Projects (SNAPs).

Eligible Activities: SNAPS projects

1) aim at the implementation of:

a. Prioritised Action Frameworks (PAF) and/or

b. Other plans or strategies adopted at international, national, regional or multiregional level by nature and biodiversity authorities, that implement EU nature and/or biodiversity policy or legislation,

2) at large territorial scale

3) with the involvement of all concerned stakeholders

4) and include a coordination mechanism for funding supporting complementary measures necessary for the full implementation of the targeted PAF (or other eligible strategy).

Therefore the main objective of the TA-PP project is the submission of a full proposal for a SNAP.

Proposals must relate to activities taking place in EU countries, Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €70,000

Deadline: 18/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-ta-pp-nat-snap

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

Proposals under this topic must support the implementation of the governance aspects (i.e. compliance assurance, public participation, access to justice) of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030….

Eligible Activities: …. with a focus on EU Nature and Biodiversity legislation by:

• promoting effective public participation and access to justice in nature and biodiversity policy and legislation-related matters amongst the public, NGOs, lawyers, the judiciary, public administrations; and/or

• establishing new or, where in place, enhancing existing cross-border, national or regional networks of compliance assurance practitioners or experts; and/or

• establishing or, where in place, improving professional qualifications and training to improve public participation, access to justice and compliance with binding EU legal instruments on nature and biodiversity, through promoting, checking and enforcing compliance; and/or

• developing and implementing strategies and policies and/or developing and using innovative tools and actions to promote, monitor and enforce compliance with binding EU instruments on nature and biodiversity, including use of administrative law, criminal law and environmental liability; and/or

• improving relevant information systems operated by public authorities; and/or

• engaging with citizens and others to promote and monitor compliance, and ensure application of environmental liability in relation to EU nature and biodiversity legislation.

LIFE projects shall take place in the territory of the European Union Member States plus Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia. Projects with activities outside the EU must be necessary to achieve EU environmental and climate objectives and ensure the effectiveness of interventions carried within the EU (e.g. actions aimed at the conservation of migratory birds in wintering areas, actions implemented on a trans boundary river, or projects aimed to address environmental problems that cannot be solved successfully or efficiently unless actions are carried out also in non-EU countries).

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €3,500,000

Deadline: 19/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-sap-nat-gov

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

The aim is to facilitate the transition toward a sustainable, circular, toxic-free, energy-efficient/climate-resilient economy and toward a toxic-free environment as well as to protect, restore and improve the quality of the environment.

Eligible Activities: The specific objective is to cover one or more of the following topics as fully defined in section 2 of the Call document:

• Activities in support of public administrations’ decision-making and voluntary approaches

• Environmental compliance assurance and access to justice

• Behavioural change and awareness-raising initiatives

LIFE projects shall take place in the territory of the European Union Member States plus Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia. Projects with activities outside the EU must be necessary to achieve EU environmental and climate objectives and ensure the effectiveness of interventions carried within the EU (e.g. actions aimed at the conservation of migratory birds in wintering areas, actions implemented on a trans boundary river, or projects aimed to address environmental problems that cannot be solved successfully or efficiently unless actions are carried out also in non-EU countries).

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €6,500,000

Deadline: 19/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-sap-env-gov

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

Climate change adaptation SIPs should help achieve the objectives of Article 5 of the European Climate Law24 or the EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change. In order to do so, SIPs should support the implementation of national climate change adaptation strategies or plans, as required under the European Climate Law, or comparable regional, multi-regional or transnational strategies and plans. More specifically, they are expected to select and implement a clearly defined set of actions in the corresponding adaptation strategy or plan, which are to be financed by LIFE.

Eligible Activities: Applicants should explain how and to what extent this set of actions will help to implement the overall strategy or plan.

Also, in order to substantially contribute to the implementation of this strategy or plan, SIPs should specify

– additional, complementary adaptation actions, which are to be funded by other EU, national or private funding sources;

– how the project will mobilise complementary funds that can finance activities beyond the scope and timeframe of what is funded by LIFE, like measures to integrate climate adaptation objectives in private investment decisions;

– auxiliary actions that facilitate the implementation of the overall strategy or plan, such as capacity-building;

– how the project ensures the involvement of, and coordination between, all relevant levels of government.

Proposals must relate to activities taking place in EU countries, Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €30,000,000

Deadline: 06/03/2025

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-strat-clima-sip-two-stage

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

SIPs should aim at the full implementation of the strategies and plans listed in “Objective”. This might not mean that the SIP will cover all actions foreseen in the strategy/plan or that the strategy/plan will be fully implemented during the lifetime of the SIP. However, the SIP shall include strategic actions to catalyse a process and mobilise supplementary commitments and funding that will lead, in due time, to the full implementation of the plan or strategy. SIPs shall promote the coordination with and mobilisation of other relevant Union, national or private funding sources for the implementation of the complementary measures or actions outside of the SIP in the framework of the targeted plan or strategy, giving preference to EU funding. Within the SIP itself, however, co-funding may not come from other EU funding sources.

Eligible Activities: SIPs shall actively involve the main stakeholders necessary for the implementation of the targeted plan or strategy. They should be involved in both the design and implementation of the given project. This involvement is expected to be achieved by including them – where possible and reasonable – as associated beneficiaries of the SIP, or through their active participation in the implementation of the SIP itself and/or of the complementary actions. SIPs should facilitate and result in the building up of strategic capacities among the competent authorities and stakeholders to ensure a long-term sustainability of project results and actions, and to ensure that they will be able to function as co-deliverers of the targeted plan or strategy during or after the end of the SIP.

Proposals must relate to activities taking place in EU countries, Ukraine, Moldova, North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €52,000,000

Deadline: 06/03/2025

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-strat-env-sip-two-stage

Programme: European Commission (EC) - LIFE

Objective: Objective

A SNAP will not have to cover all actions foreseen in the strategy/plan or ensure that the strategy/plan will be fully implemented during the lifetime of the SNAP. However, the SNAP shall include strategic actions to catalyse a process and mobilise supplementary commitments and funding that will lead, in due time, to the full implementation of the plan or strategy. SNAPs shall promote the coordination with and mobilisation of other relevant Union, national or private funding sources for the implementation of the complementary measures or actions outside of the SNAP in the framework of the targeted plan or strategy, giving preference to Union funding. Within the SNAP itself, however, co-funding may not come from other Union funding sources.

Eligible Activities: SNAPs shall actively involve the main stakeholders necessary for the implementation of the targeted plan or strategy. They should be involved in both the design and implementation of the given project. This involvement is expected to be achieved by including them – where possible and reasonable – as associated beneficiaries of the SNAP, or through their active participation in the implementation of the SNAP itself and/or of the complementary actions. SNAPs should facilitate and result in the building up of strategic capacities among the competent authorities and stakeholders to ensure a long-term sustainability of project results and actions, and to ensure that they will be able to function as co-deliverers of the targeted plan or strategy after the end of the SNAP.

Proposals must relate to activities taking place in EU countries, Moldova, North Macedonia, Ukraine.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must: be legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €70,000,000

Deadline: 06/03/2025

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/life-2024-strat-nat-snap-two-stage

Programme: WORLD FOOD PRIZE

Objective: Objective

The World Food Prize is the foremost international honour recognizing – without regard to race, religion, nationality, or political beliefs – the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. The World Food Prize is awarded for a specific, exceptionally significant, individual achievement at any point along the full range of the food production and distribution chain.

Eligible Activities: Fields of achievement include, but are not limited to:

1) soil and land;

2) plant and animal science;

3) food science and technology;

4) nutrition;

5) rural development;

6) marketing;

7) food processing and packaging;

8) water and the environment;

9) natural resource conservation;

10) physical infrastructure;

11) transportation and distribution;

12) special or extraordinary feeding programs;

13) social organization and poverty elimination;

14) economics and finance;

15) policy analysis; and

16) public advocacy.

The World Food Prize emphasizes the importance of a nutritious and sustainable food supply for all people. By honouring those who have worked successfully toward this goal, The Prize calls attention to what has been done to improve global food security and to what can be accomplished in the future.

Actions can take place worldwide.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible is: (1) someone who is making exceptional progress in the quality quantity and availability of food; (2) someone who is creating waves within the world of agriculture and food production to enhance the quality, quantity and availability of food.

Total Budget: €250,000

Deadline: 01/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/

Programme: Ukraine USAID-Kiev

Objective: Objective

The Countering Trafficking in Persons and Support to Vulnerable Populations (CTIP/V) Activity, implemented by the Agency for International Development in Ukraine (USAID-Kiev), aims to address the issue of trafficking in persons (TIP) and provide support to vulnerable populations. The primary objectives of the activity are to prevent TIP through a strengthened comprehensive, government-led counter-trafficking response and to ensure nationwide access to trauma-informed and survivor-centered recovery and reintegration services for victims of trafficking, exploitation, gender-based violence (GBV), and detention/torture.

Eligible Activities: The activity focuses on enhancing understanding of TIP risks and prevention strategies, increasing the sustainability and availability of protection services, strengthening the prosecution of perpetrators, and developing partnerships across government, civil society, and socially responsible businesses.

Actions must take place in Ukraine.

Eligible Applicants: The funding opportunity is unrestricted, meaning it is open to any type of entity. However, applicants must refer to the additional information on eligibility provided in the text field of the announcement for any specific clarifications.

Total Budget: $24,000,000

Deadline: 17/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353443

Programme: Kenya USAID-Nairobi

Objective: Objective

Kenya Digital Health Ecosystem’s (KDHE) overall purpose is “Increased country’s ownership and management of one national integrated and comprehensive sector-wide health information ecosystem, to achieve health systems outcomes of equity, quality, and resources optimization”.

Eligible Activities: Actions must take place in Kenya.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility for this award is restricted to local organizations in Kenya. However, USAID strongly encourages these organizations to collaborate with at least one international entity as a sub-recipient and apply as a consortium.

Total Budget: $14,344,675

Deadline: 20/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353450

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The general objective of this call for proposals is to: “contribute to the improvement of democratic governance and peace in the DRC by supporting and strengthening an inclusive, participatory, autonomous and independent civil society and democratic space; and inclusive and open dialogue with and between civil society organizations.” The specific objective of this call for proposals is: “the promotion and support of the growing interest of local civil society organizations in the DRC on issues related to innovative entrepreneurship, economic governance, access to health and improvement of the urban environment, primarily for young people and women.”

Eligible Activities: The priority(s) of this call for proposals is:

Priority 1: Promotion of innovative entrepreneurship

Priority 2: Improvement of economic governance

Priority 3: Contribution to universal access to health care for populations

Priority 4: Protection and improvement of the urban environment in the city – province of Kinshasa

Actions must take place in Republic of the Congo.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible organisations are: (1) non-profit-making; (2) be a civil society organisation; (3) and be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action.

Total Budget: €8,582,500

Deadline: 20/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: The overall object of this convocation of proprietors is to support the OSC as a “change agent” for the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for the Sustainable Development. The specific object of this convocation of proposals is to support the work of the OSC to participate and influence the way it is structured in the definition and monitoring of the implementation of public policies and actions that contribute to the promotion of the economic and social integration of the Vulnerable youth have access to decent work.

Eligible Activities: The priorities of this call are:

• Support the participation of CSOs in the definition of legislation, public policies and the monitoring of its implementation, in matters of formalization of employment

• Support the most vulnerable young people and jobs (women, ethnic and sexual minorities) in the formalization process and, specifically, in registration before the National Superintendency of Administración and Administración Tributaria (SUNAT) and in ESSalud (employees) or the Sistema Integral de Salud (SIS) (auto empleados) to be able to exercise those entitled to social protection.

• Support the design and the implementation of professional training programs – including dual professional training (alternation between the educational center and the company) – with organizations and associations representing the business sector and the competent authorities in the field of education and training.

Actions must take place in Peru.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible organisations are: (1) non-profit-making; (2) be a civil society organisation; (3) and be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action.

Total Budget: €2,939,500

Deadline: 21/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The overall objective of this call for proposals is: Promote the strengthening and active participation of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in sustainable development, inclusion, promotion and protection of human rights, as well as in the fight against violence, discrimination and all types of inequalities, with special emphasis on groups in vulnerable situations.

Eligible Activities: To achieve the general objective of the call, applicants can submit proposals in one of the following two thematic lots:

• Lot 1 – Sustainable economic development and inclusive public policies (Budget of the Thematic Program for Strengthening Civil Society)

• Lot 2 – Protection and conservation of natural resources (including forest resources) and response to environmental conflicts (Budget of the Thematic Program on Human Rights and Democracy)

Actions must take place in Honduras.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible organisations are: (1) non-profit-making; (2) be a civil society organisation; (3) and be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action.

Total Budget: €4,567,500

Deadline: 24/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: Global Development Network

Objective: Under the Global Development Awards Competition 2024, the Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Project (MIDP) is an award program that invites non-profit NGOs and CSOs to submit project proposals supporting (in particular) improved service delivery, and innovative approaches that may be scaled-up through a grant.

The Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Project is a competitive grant program under the umbrella of the Global Development Awards Competition, administered by GDN, funded under the Policy and Human Resources Development Fund (PHRD) trust fund managed by the World Bank, and generously supported by the Ministry of Finance, Government of Japan. The Award targets projects currently at the stage of implementation, and which have a high potential for impact targeting exceptionally marginalized and disadvantaged groups located in developing countries - per the World Bank’s recognition as low and middle income countries.

Theme

Sustainable Climate Action for Human-Centred Development

In the complex and interconnected tapestry of global challenges, climate change stands as a pivotal force, affecting ecosystems, societies, and individuals worldwide. Amidst these challenges, the imperative for sustainable climate action has never been more urgent, especially in regions grappling with unique vulnerabilities. In navigating the intricate challenges of climate change within the Global South, the theme "Sustainable Climate Action for Human-Centred Development" underscores the critical need to align environmental preservation with the well-being of communities in these regions. Within this nexus, initiatives that not only protect the planet but also prioritize human-centric development take centre stage, acknowledging the unique contexts and vulnerabilities of the Global South.

The 2024 edition of the Global Development Awards Competition aims to highlight innovative ideas and ongoing projects to celebrate and amplify the voices of those who actively contribute to building a resilient future—one where the human experience is not merely considered but is at the forefront of climate action strategies. The theme underscores the profound need to align the commitment to safeguarding the planet with an unwavering dedication to human-centric development, recognizing the unique contexts, cultures, and vulnerabilities present in the Global South, to realize a society where no one is left behind.

Under the Japanese Awards for Most Innovative Development Awards (MIDP) category, GDN wants to highlight the transformative power of on-the-ground initiatives by NGOs that have moved beyond conceptualization, actively engaging with communities to implement projects that enhance climate resilience. By showcasing participatory project design, adaptation and mitigation strategies, and sustainable livelihood initiatives, they aim to award their impactful work. This category stands as a platform to recognize and amplify the voices of those directly supporting the most marginalized communities, embodying the spirit of community-led climate resilience exemplifying the spirit of human-centred development in the face of climate change challenges.

Sub-Theme: "Community-centred Climate Action and Sustainable Development"

Eligible Activities: Type of projects

Community-Driven Assessment Initiatives

Projects that actively involve communities in the assessment of climate change impacts, ensuring that local knowledge and experiences are integral to the evaluation process.

Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies

Projects that highlight and focus on the direct benefits of these strategies to the most marginalized members of the community based on mitigation approaches to the impact of climate change.

Sustainable Livelihood Initiatives

Projects that integrate climate resilience with sustainable livelihood opportunities for marginalized communities while emphasizing the economic empowerment and improved well-being of community members.

Temporal Adaptation in Practice

Projects that have adaptive strategies that acknowledge the temporal dynamics of climate change impact, demonstrating how community-led initiatives have aligned with different time frames identified through assessments.

Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) Award

The JSDF award focuses on piloting socially innovative development projects that have been identified as having the potential for development impact and replicability through the MIDP Award. The objective of JSDF Award is to support community driven development and poverty reduction programs that serve to enhance productivity, increase access to social and community services and infrastructure, and improve the living conditions of poor and vulnerable groups in eligible countries.

The two first prize winners will compete for the JSDF award after a minimum of 12 months implementation of their MIDP grant. GDN will review the suitability of the proposals for a much larger grant of up to US$ 200,000 within the framework of the World Bank-administered Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF).

Connector Grant

The 2022 edition introduced the Connector Grant which aims to stimulate international cooperation through the development of collaborative projects to support scale-up efforts with research-based evidence. The Connector grant will be awarded to ORD grantees, based on a project developed in collaboration with the MIDP grantees who received the JSDF grant. This grant will support the award recipients’ collaborative efforts towards measuring and analysing scale-up impact, as well as to enhance the robustness of their M&E activities.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Geographical scope

Eligible countries for the MIDP competition are those classified by the World Bank as low-income or middle-income countries.

World Bank Environmental and Social Framework’s (ESF)

Comply with the WB Environmental and Social Framework’s (ESF) and the Environmental and Social Standards (ESSs). Please check the Annex at the end of this call to see the exclusion list of ineligible activities.

NGO registration

The project must be managed by a registered non-profit, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) or Civil Society Organization (CSO) with its headquarters in one of the eligible countries.

Project implementation

Project must have started its implementation on 1st June 2023 or before to be considered eligible. The applicant will need to prove during the review stage that there is a track record of activities since this Competition does not fund ideas or pilot initiatives.

Submissions concerning a recently started project or only a project idea or a feasibility or baseline study will not be considered.

Submissions for funding conferences (either in part or in full) will not be considered.

Total Budget: €120,000

Deadline: 24/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.gdn.int/gdac/2024/midp

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to empower civil society organisations and to support their efforts to advance and defend human rights, particularly for the most vulnerable categories in society as well as consolidate their role as actors for positive change. In reference to the EU Gender Action Plan (III), specific interventions aimed at promoting and defending the rights of women and girls that fall within the targeted population should be highlighted.

Eligible Activities: The specific objective of this call for proposals is Promotion of Socio-Economic Rights of Persons with Albinism in Malawi.

Actions must take place in Malawi. Actions must take place in five or more of the following districts: Balaka, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Dedza, Ntcheu, Nsanje, Thyolo, Mulanje, Machinga, Mangochi, Phalombe, Salima and Zomba.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible organisations are: (1) non-profit-making; (2) be a civil society organisation; (3) and be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action.

Total Budget: €600,000

Deadline: 28/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to empower civil society organisations (CSOs) to act as key contributors to the democratic and economic transformation of the country. This action aims to strengthen inclusive, resilient and democratic society by capacitating CSOs to participate meaningfully in socio-economic development of the country, implementation of reforms, accountability of institutions, ensuring fair and equal opportunities for all.

Eligible Activities: The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are:

• Lot 1: To strengthen the engagement of Civil Society Organisations in improving access to labour market for unemployed vulnerable men and women with care responsibilities (parents/legal guardians) through provision of inclusive active employment programmes and enhanced access to childcare services in local communities;

• Lot 2: To strengthen the engagement of Civil Society Organisations in providing inclusive and equal development opportunities through afterschool activities and social care for children in local communities.

The priorities of this call for proposals are to increase the role of civil society organisations including grassroots organisations; to provide support to the National Employment Agency to improve the offer of vocational and educational training and employment opportunities for vulnerable families in local communities; creation and development of (public or social) nurseries and educational centres for children in local communities in order to support employment of men and women with care responsibilities; support the implementation of the social protection and labour market reforms launched by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection with a focus on genuine social and economic integration of marginalised persons including people with disabilities, Roma etc.

Actions must take place in the Republic of Moldova, including in the Transnistrian region.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible organisations are: (1) non-profit-making; (2) be a civil society organisation; (3) and be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action.

Total Budget: €4,000,000

Deadline: 28/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: Democratic Republic of the Congo USAID-Kinshasa

Objective: Objective

The USAID Kitumaini funding opportunity, administered by the Agency for International Development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (USAID-Kinshasa), aims to continue and expand upon existing health service delivery activities in the country.

Eligible Activities: The five-year activity focuses on improving health outcomes in five designated health zones in Haut-Katanga, with potential expansion to other provinces as directed by the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC)/PEPFAR. Key objectives include enhancing local sub-recipients’ capacity to receive assistance awards from USAID, prioritizing HIV epidemic control efforts, and targeting priority populations, orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and key populations (KP).

Actions must take place in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility for this award is not restricted.

Total Budget: $28,100,000

Deadline: 06/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353436

Programme: U.S. Mission to India

Objective: Objective

The U.S. Mission to India, through the Empowering LGBTQI+ Community Leadership program, aims to promote equal access and strengthen leadership capacity within LGBTQI+ communities. This initiative prioritizes inclusivity, equality, and accessibility of government services for transgender and intersex individuals, addressing their unique challenges in areas such as education, healthcare, employment, and legal protection against discrimination. By employing a ‘train the trainer’ approach, the program seeks to empower community leaders to disseminate essential information and skills, fostering increased engagement and awareness.

Eligible Activities: The overarching goal is to advance democratic values by ensuring equal access for all, particularly marginalized groups, thereby enhancing health, education, economic prosperity, justice, and equality in both India and the United States. Through sustainable peer education models, the project endeavors to build resilience, raise awareness, and promote inclusivity within the transgender and intersex communities, creating a positive ripple effect of empowerment and advocacy.

Actions must take place in India.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, civil society/non-governmental organizations, think tanks, public and private educational institutions, individuals, public international organizations, and governmental institutions.

Total Budget: $150,000

Deadline: 07/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353437

Programme: Novo Nordisk Fonden

Objective: Purpose

The purpose of the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Challenge Programme is to make a substantial contribution to the development of Danish research ecosystems within strategically relevant research areas. The aim is to give leading researchers the opportunity to assemble a strong team that can collaborate in a centre-like structure with a unifying vision and mission to develop solutions to major challenges. The Programme provides long-term funding to enable scientific depth and focus and facilitate synergy between the research partners.

Eligible Activities: Research Theme 2025

The programme is a strategic effort targeting specific challenges within annually selected research themes. For the 2025 application call, the Challenge Programme is seeking to support the following research theme:

The NNF grand AI Challenge

The Challenge is to develop and deploy AI which can be transformative in addressing some of the most critical global challenges impacting society in healthcare, sustainability, and the life sciences.

The Grand AI Challenge focuses on developing and deploying large-scale AI models, targeting key challenges within health or sustainability. Within health, this includes (but is not limited to) health care, drug discovery, protein design, or seeking a deeper understanding of cardiometabolic and infectious diseases. Within sustainability, this includes (but is not limited to) driving the green transition through AI, development of climate models, mapping out sustainable futures, optimizing resource use and discovering novel materials for energy solutions. Research may also be aimed at developing or using AI to accelerate advancements in cybersecurity, quantum technology, and AI research itself.

This highly interdisciplinary Challenge bridges synergistic collaboration between innovative AI experts and domain experts in fields such as medicine, physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, life sciences, or climate research. The successful research plan should offer a solid basis for the planned model’s relevance and computational resource requirements while also ensuring the availability of necessary data to support the project. Applicants are encouraged to focus on the limitations related to the representation models used, hereunder considering the risk of bias related, e.g., to gender, ethnicity, and associated conditions. It will be a requirement that the research and associated outputs are transparent, human-centric, and compliant with relevant ethical considerations. This programme is distinct from other NNF activities focused on AI as it allows for ambitious, large-scale AI research endeavours, potentially benefitting from the AI dedicated processing power provided by Denmark’s new supercomputer “Gefion”, a large-scale NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD powered by NVIDIA H100 Tensor Core GPUs which is anticipated to be fully operational from beginning of 2025.

Supported research may include but is not limited to: 

AI for Earth’s Future: To predict climate patterns and propose optimal resource distribution, minimise waste, and mitigate environmental threats before they escalate.

AI for the green transition: To aid efficient discovery of new catalytic- and energy materials (storage and conversion) guided by AI-based models.

AI for improved healthcare: To develop new AI methods for robust, bias-free and explainable improved healthcare.

Multimodal data integration and GenAI: To accelerate drug discovery and personalised healthcare.

AI for improved vaccines and antibiotics: To formulate predictive models of the human immune system and pathogen evolution.

Development of explainable and trustworthy AI: To progress new AI technology, as well as AI-based methods for improving uncertainty metrics, privacy preservation, and robustness against adversarial perturbations.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility

The Challenge Programme supports excellent research leaders from 2-4 research groups (main applicant plus 1-3 co-applicants).

The programme leader must be at least 75% employed at a Danish university, hospital or other non-profit research organization, that will be considered the host institution of the project. Affiliation must be declared in the hosting letter and justified if less than 75%.

The research institutions of the co-applicants can be located in Denmark or abroad. The co-applicants should contribute significantly to the advancement of the project and should receive part of the funding.

Industry collaboration is possible; however, funding cannot be awarded to industrial partner(s).

Total Budget: €1,600,000

Deadline: 09/10/2024

More information and official documents: https://novonordiskfonden.dk/grant/challenge-programme-2025-the-nnf-grand-ai-challenge/

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

• Improved hardware and software security engineering; resilient systems design;

• Improved access to testing of hardware and software in virtual, closed and secure environments;

• Systematic and, where possible, automated study of vulnerabilities, software analysis, vulnerability discovery, and dynamic security assessment;

• Trustworthy certifiable hardware and software;

• AI-based security services e.g. predictive security, advanced anomaly and intrusion detection, system health checks.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Software is at the foundation of all digital technologies and, as such, at the core of IT infrastructures, services, and products. Current software development prioritises fast deployment over security, which results in vulnerabilities and unsecure applications. Security engineering, both at the software and hardware levels, must be integrated in their development. Whilst a great portion of the software and hardware used in the EU is developed outside the European Union, it should comply with the security requirements within the EU. The EU should be able to rely on software and hardware that can be verified and audited as to their security. In particular, the potential security implications of using open-source software and hardware, and security auditability in that context, should be further explored. Software is subject to continuous update, so the security posture cannot be assessed once and for all, hence methods and tooling to perform continuous assessments of security are needed. In addition, security and privacy regulations also evolve, having to be factored in compliance approaches.

The identification and analysis of potential regulatory aspects and barriers for the developed technologies/solutions is encouraged, where relevant.

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €37,000,000

Deadline: 20/11/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl3-2024-cs-01-01

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

• Development of a holistic vision of crisis management after telluric (e.g. volcanic, seismic, tsunami, landslide) or extreme climate events (e.g. floods, storms, storm surges, fires, droughts) producing impacts on critical assets (e.g. infrastructures, industries) and creation of new management framework for handling NaTech crises;

• Enhanced existing crisis management tools to develop a common platform (shared among public and private operators) allowing cross-border exchanges and decision-making, while respecting legal frameworks and responsibilities;

• Demonstrated operational protocols and development of standard operating procedures able to respond to NaTech crises in cross-border configurations, including comprehensive risk modelling of worst-case scenarios taking into account cascading effects and future impacts of climate change, and taking into consideration spatial information and data;

• Improvement of our understanding and capabilities to identify and mitigate risks associated with interdependencies across infrastructures and other human (social and economic) systems.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

The confluence of incidents in recent years has brought renewed concerns over our systemic resilience to external shocks arising from natural-technological (NaTech) disasters. This is particularly acute in the event of disruption in the transport, power, water supply and communication sectors in highly populated and industrialised areas, or when such events raise the likelihood of cascading effects with severe impacts on communities and the economy that are hard or impossible to predict. The main focus on NaTech risks lies on a thorough understanding of the vulnerability of industrial sites and critical infrastructure, and the potential impact natural hazards can have on such technological resources. This entails the identification of both physical (safety of building facilities and structures) and operational vulnerabilities, often addressing multi-hazard conditions. Innovative methods are required for analysing worst-case scenarios, and informing decision-makers about the crosscutting and shared responses to different crises given available resources.

Research involving multiple fields of expertise, including spatial information (to be specified), is also required to improve hi-tech capacities for operational response systems to better cope with natural and/or technological disasters occurring in Europe (and in overseas territories) in an integrated manner. This will rely on a knowledge sharing among natural and technological risks communities to develop a holistic vision for an integrated operational crisis management of NaTech disasters.

This topic is part of a coordination initiative between ESA and the EC on Earth System Science. Under the EC-ESA Earth System Science Initiative both institutions aim at coordinating efforts to support complementary collaborative projects, funded on the EC side through Horizon Europe and on the ESA side through the ESA FutureEO programme. Proposals should include a work package, means and resources for coordination with complementary projects funded under the ESA FutureEO initiative.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research/innovation activities.

In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged. The action should take due consideration to EU policies, in particular the SevesoIII and CER Directives, and ensure close synergies with international conventions such as the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (TEIA) / Implementation of natural hazard-triggered technological accident principles, and the Sendai Framework for Action.

Specific Topic Conditions: Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5-7 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €4,000,000

Deadline: 20/11/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl3-2024-drs-01-04

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects’ results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• Improved vulnerability assessments by law enforcement and local managers of public spaces by detection of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRN-E) threats in the public spaces and flow of public transport, in order to provide broader situational awareness to practitioners in the field;

• Enhanced planning capabilities of security practitioners and policy-makers due to the access of new data and identification of potential vulnerabilities connected to the design/refurbishment and improvement of different public spaces;

• Recommendations are provided for further improving safety and security-by-design approach to public spaces and mass transportation systems;

• Improved training of Police Authorities in collaboration with different public and private actors (e. g., crisis management and civil protection authorities, fire brigades, regulatory agencies, emergency health services, security managers, private security organisations, civil society groups etc.) to enhance their preparedness to attacks on public spaces; and

• Enhanced modelling capabilities for security practitioners and policy-makers due to the identification of potential new vulnerabilities and data available, and improved support to planning of respective resources and activities.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Public spaces such as squares, sport venues, shopping districts, places of worship, and mass transport systems have been the target of terrorist attacks causing significant loss of lives and causing societal insecurity. Means to carry out such attacks range from sophisticated, and well-planned scenarios including several coordinated attackers using explosives and firearms, to low-cost, low-tech attacks making use of common products. Today specific urban furniture like benches, bus shelters, flower boxes, etc. already have double functions controlling access to protected areas, which answers to some of the low-cost attacks. The next logical step seems to expand their functions further and adopt new functionalities to better respond to the terrorist threats, such as for CBRN-E ones. The successful proposal should build on the publicly available achievements and findings of related previous national or EU-funded projects, as well as seek to exploit potential synergies with the successful proposal(s) funded under HORIZON-CL3-2024-BM-01-05: Detection and tracking of illegal and trafficked goods.

In recent years, in some pilot actions some street furniture, including bins and bus shelters have become smart as they have been equipped with environmental sensors, wireless modules, or microcontrollers becoming part of the IoT infrastructure, and one of the components of the future smart cities. Proposals should focus on exploitation and integration of existing sensors within the public space small architectures. Traditional sensors and surveillance platforms like the Automatic Number-Plates Recognition (ANPR), cameras or image analysis systems are not in the scope of this topic unless their integration with new sensors is considered, and the added value of networked systems demonstrated. Proposals should present relevant challenges and opportunities for future applications of CBRN-E detection capacities in small architecture, including prospects of scalability, real-time processing, and cooperation of networked systems.

Proposals funded under this topic are expected to engage with the Europol Innovation Lab during the lifetime of the project, including validating the outcomes, with the aim of facilitating future uptake of innovations for the law enforcement community.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if relevant in relation to the objectives of the research effort.

Specific Topic Conditions: Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €6,000,000

Deadline: 20/11/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl3-2024-fct-01-07

Programme: Kenya USAID-Nairobi

Objective: Objective

The USAID/KEA SBC Activity (“Activity”) will support individuals (including service providers), households, and communities to adopt and maintain the practice of priority health behaviours.

Actions must take place in Kenya.

Eligible Activities: The USAID/KEA SBC Activity (“Activity”) will support individuals (including service providers), households, and communities to adopt and maintain the practice of priority health behaviours by (IR 1) identifying and addressing individual, social, and structural factors that influence priority health behaviors; (IR 2) increasing the availability and use of evidence for design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning; (IR 3) strengthening Government of Kenya (GOK) systems, structures and policies to improve coordination, collaboration, and learning for SBC interventions; and (IR 4) strengthening the individual, organizational, and systems level technical capacity to design, implement, and monitor SBC interventions.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility for this NOFO is restricted to Kenyan organizations. These eligibility requirements apply to only the principal applicant. Only local Kenyan organizations are eligible to be the Recipient for award.

Total Budget: $14,950,000

Deadline: 03/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353366

Programme: European Commission (EC)

Objective: The European Commission has launched the calls for proposals to prevent and eliminate child labour and forced labour in India, including through responsible business practices in European supply chains.

It also takes into account the analyses and priorities set by the EU Human Rights and Democracy Country Strategy (HRDCS) for India 2021-2024 and the EU Gender Action Plan (GAPIII) country implementation plan (CLIP) for India (2021-2025). The recent EU legislation on Human Rights & Environment Due Diligence (HREDD) in business supply chains also makes it mandatory to ensure that the lowest tier of the supply chains in producer countries, in this case India, complies with necessary labour and human rights standards.

Objectives

The global objective of this call for proposals is to combat forced labour, child labour and unacceptable forms of work in all segments of the supply chain, in particular in the lower tiers, and to promote government and corporate accountability on business and human rights.

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

• To promote responsible business practices and human rights due diligence in India, with particular emphasis on European supply chains.

• To build capacities of relevant stakeholders, including CSOs, public and private sector actors in the effective implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on Business & Human Rights (BHR), related EU legislations on human rights and environmental due diligence, and related ILO Conventions and local legislations.

• To support multi-stakeholder engagement and collaboration at local, national and global levels to promote human rights due diligence in European supply chains.

• To strengthen capacities of civil society actors, workers and their organisations in the protection of human rights including labour rights, in the enforcement of the necessary mitigation measures to fight it, and in the promotion of decent work and meaningful and efficient participation in social dialogue.

• To facilitate access to remedies, including in cases of corporate human rights violations and abuses and engage in collective redress.

Eligible Activities: Priorities

The priorities of this call for proposals are:

• Giving a voice to, help provide access to remedies, and empower victims of corporate human rights violations, especially those living in the most vulnerable situations (women, youth, children at work, people living with disabilities and indigenous peoples).

• Using a bottom-up approach and that are policy-driven. On the one hand, this requires activities that are conducted by CSOs with long-standing presence and involvement in impacted local settings to ensure effective stakeholder participation in broad human rights due diligence (HRDD) processes. On the other hand, this requires outreach activities to promote dialogue with and access to governmental actors and concerned corporate actors to inform the effective implementation of HRDD measures.

• Tackling the informal economy and seeking to address and prevent abusive and fraudulent labour practices against vulnerable groups (migrant workers or workers from ethnic minorities, workers suffering disabilities, women workers, young workers and home-based workers).

• Enabling workers, trade unions and workers’ associations to take part in an efficient and meaningful way in social dialogue with the government and the employers on issues linked to human and labour rights.

• Strengthening legal frameworks and policies to better protect workers and prevent forced/child labour but also that encourage partnerships between workers' organisations, civil society groups, and companies to promote responsible business practices and reduce the risk of forced/child labour in supply chains.

• Collecting and analysing data (disaggregated by sex, age, and disability) on the prevalence of forced/child labour and the effectiveness of interventions to combat it.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant

In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:

be a legal person and

be non-profit-making; and

be a non-governmental civil society organisation (CSO) and/or their associations and/or international platforms and

be established in any country and

be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary and

A lead applicant established outside India must act with minimum of two Indian co-applicants or affiliated entities.

Such Indian co-applicants or affiliated entities must be registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), and must have a valid FCRA registration at the time of full application and at the time of the signature of the contract.

A lead applicant established in India may act individually or with co-applicants or affiliated entities, subject to the following condition:

The Indian lead applicant must be registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), and must have a valid FCRA registration at the time of full application and at the time of the signature of the contract. This does not necessarily apply to co-applicants or affiliated entities.

Co-applicant(s)

Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.

Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.

If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator).

Total Budget: €2,670,000

Deadline: 10/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/prospect-details/181062PROSPECTSEN

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to strengthen the role and capacity of civil society to promote and defend a more participatory, just and democratic society.

Eligible Activities: This call for proposals is divided in three lots, each with its own specific objective and priorities. Within the specific objective in each lot, the proposed actions may address one or more of the priorities of the lot:

• Lot 1: Support to CSOs in the fields of environment, climate change, and nature protection

• Lot 2: Support to CSOs in the fields of culture and art

• Lot 3: Support to CSOs in the fields of food safety and consumer protection

Actions must take place in Albania.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as: non-governmental organisation and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €3,300,000

Deadline: 15/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: U.S. Mission to Azerbaijan

Objective: Objective

The Community-Building Initiatives Program, facilitated by the U.S. Mission to Azerbaijan, aims to bolster local communities in Azerbaijan by supporting initiatives that enhance civic participation, problem-solving capabilities, and overall well-being. The program seeks to fund innovative projects that address key thematic areas, including raising environmental awareness, fostering volunteerism and community cooperation, advocating for disadvantaged communities, and promoting sustainable practices in northern regions.

Eligible Activities: By empowering economically and socially disadvantaged groups such as IDPs, women and girls, persons with disabilities, and young people, the program endeavors to create vibrant communities capable of addressing local needs and collaborating on solutions. Successful projects will be evaluated based on their ability to engage local participants, tackle community issues, establish effective community groups, advocate for marginalized populations, and promote environmentally responsible decision-making.

Actions must take place in Azerbaijan.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include individuals and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, except for institutions of higher education. Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to fostering community development and collaboration within Azerbaijan.

Total Budget: €235,000

Deadline: 15/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353360

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships (IP)

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to improve human development and the quality of life in the Southern Neighbourhood region through culture. The specific objective of this call for proposals is to strengthen cultural ecosystems and enable cultural actors to address global issues such as the green and digital transition with gender-based approach via cross-sectoral cooperation with civil society and other partners.

Eligible Activities: The expected outputs to be delivered by this call for proposals are:

1. Local cultural ecosystems and their community-building role are strengthened including with gender-based approach

2. Public awareness is raised on global issues such as digital and green transition via cross-sectoral cooperation with civil society with gender-based approach.

The priorities of this call for proposals are:

• The description of action should highlight the regional dimension of cultural relations, how the cooperation and transnational coordination among actors will take place and how diaspora communities from Neighbourhood South countries residing in another Neighbourhood South country will be involved in the project

• The methodology should outline how gender equality, and environmental and climate considerations will be ensured throughout the design of the project.

Actions must take place in at least 5 partner countries of the Southern Neighbourhood region: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €4,000,000

Deadline: 21/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF)

Objective: The International organization of Francophonie has launched the 5th edition of its “La Francophonie avec Elles” Fund to promote the economic and social autonomy of women through concrete initiatives on the ground, thus contributing to sustainable development.

The “La Francophonie avec Elles” Fund is a solidarity system aimed at strengthening the economic and social empowerment of women in vulnerable situations from a development perspective.

The first four editions of the “La Francophonie avec Elles” Fund have confirmed, through their concrete results, the relevance and usefulness of this system. By providing support to 254 projects, the Fund has had a significant impact on the lives of nearly 57,000 girls and women, spread across more than 34 countries within the French-speaking world. Initially created to provide support to women during the Covid-19 health crisis, the 124th session of the Permanent Council of La Francophonie refocused the Fund's mandate on the economic and social empowerment of women in vulnerable situations.

The International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) thus continues its commitment to the socio-economic emancipation of girls and women, with the aim of achieving gender equality, the eradication of poverty and the promotion of inclusive growth.

Eligible Activities: Objectives

The “La Francophonie avec Elles” Fund aims to strengthen the economic and social empowerment of women in vulnerable situations from a sustainable development perspective.

The specific objectives of the Fund are:

Improve the participation and inclusion of women in economic and social life;

Improve women’s access to professional training;

To support women with a view to developing income-generating activities and facilitating their access to economic opportunities.

For this 5th edition of the “La Francophonie avec Elles” Fund, particular attention will be paid to projects targeting the employability and entrepreneurship of women.

In addition, project proposals from small island countries are strongly encouraged.

The “La Francophonie avec Elles” Fund supports field actions carried out by locally anchored French-speaking civil society organizations (associations, cooperatives, NGOs, etc.).

Priority Themes

Priority themes are defined by region in order to take into account the issues facing women and the contexts in which they operate. These themes constitute preferred guidelines for the attention of civil society organizations and not eligibility criteria.

West Africa: formalization of income-generating activities;

Central Africa: access to economic opportunities in the fields of agriculture, forestry, livestock breeding, fishing, valorization and processing of non-timber forest products (NTFP), particularly for displaced women;

North Africa and the Middle East: strengthening the participation of women, including migrants and refugees, in the job market through professional training;

Asia Pacific: access to professional training oriented towards professional integration and entrepreneurship;

Caribbean: strengthening the entrepreneurial capacity of women and girls in the areas of sustainable agriculture, forestry, livestock breeding and fruit and vegetable processing;

Central and Eastern Europe: access to professional training towards the creation of income-generating activities (AGR) or sustainable integration into employment;

Indian Ocean and Djibouti: access to economic opportunities in the areas of sustainable agriculture, the blue economy, crafts and local services.

Target Audience

The projects supported by the Fund mainly benefit women, particularly those in situations of poverty and vulnerability, who are at the intersection of several forms of discrimination (young women – 15-35 years old), elderly women, migrant and refugee women, unmarried mothers, single mothers, women living with HIV, women with disabilities, women from sexual minorities, etc.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible, the applicant organization must meet the following conditions:

• Be a civil society organization (CSO): Are considered CSOs: non-governmental organizations, foundations, humanitarian associations, economic interest groups, cooperatives, private research institutes and partners. Natural persons, public universities, businesses and local authorities are not considered CSOs;

• Be registered and officially recognized by the authorities of one of the 54 states and governments that are full members of the OIF for more than two years;

• Demonstrate functional, transparent and democratic governance (regular holding of meetings, general assemblies and events or activities linked to its corporate purpose; existence of a Board of Directors, possibility of acquiring new members; and production of regular reports on its activities and finances);

• Have annual financial capacities greater than or equal to the amount of the grant requested (For example, a civil society organization whose annual budget is 50,000 euros will not be able to request a grant greater than 50,000 euros).

Selection Criteria

Eligible applications will be decided according to the following criteria:

• The supporting organization is established locally and is of modest size and resources;

• The lead organization has expertise, experience and added value with regard to the objectives of the Fund;

• The lead organization relies on partner civil society organizations and the involvement of local public authorities to implement its project;

• The project provides a response to one or more needs identified jointly with the beneficiaries. It is relevant and adapted to the local context;

• The project primarily targets women, young women and girls (15-35 years old) in situations of poverty and vulnerability;

• The project is implemented while respecting multilingualism. The use of French is encouraged as well as that of local languages for proper implementation of the project;

• Project activities take into account negative externalities that could hinder the participation of female beneficiaries (childcare, transport costs, etc.);

• The project takes into account the fight against climate change in a transversal manner;

• The project proposes clear short and medium term objectives as well as results and impact indicators that are both quantitative and measurable;

• The project describes a sustainability strategy ensuring the sustainability of the actions and its results following financial support from the OIF;

• The project has an innovative character (for example, targets a sector of activity where women are less present such as sports professions, sciences);

• The project clearly describes the communication actions that will be deployed to beneficiaries, partners and the general public to promote the support of the OIF.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 31/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.francophonie.org/5e-edition-du-fonds-la-francophonie-avec-elles-3119

Programme: U.S. Mission to India

Objective: Objective

The Space Experiential Learning Center (SELC) initiative, led by the U.S. Department of State’s Public Diplomacy Section in New Delhi, seeks to establish a cutting-edge educational facility aimed at fostering expertise and interest in space science and technology among aspiring enthusiasts in India. Through theoretical education and hands-on practical training, the SELC aims to provide immersive experiences to approximately 60 participants across four cohorts.

Eligible Activities: The program, spanning one year, will consist of classroom sessions focusing on space exploration, astronomy, and related topics, supplemented by field visits to deepen participants’ understanding. By leveraging state-of-the-art space equipment and immersive experiences, the SELC endeavors to cultivate a new generation of space enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds, contributing to the advancement of space science education and exploration in India.

Actions must take place in India.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants for this cooperative agreement include not-for-profit organizations, for-profit organizations (with non-PD money only), civil society/non-governmental organizations, think tanks, public and private educational institutions, as well as public international organizations and governmental institutions.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 03/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353326

Programme: European Commission (EC) - INV

Objective: Objective

Through its cohesion policy, the European Union works to reduce disparities both in the levels of development and in quality of life in European regions. It promotes actions aiming at making the European territory more innovative, more sustainable, and more inclusive, thus improving quality of life of the inhabitants. The large majority of the funds designated to reduce these disparities are managed at the regional or national levels. The European Union believes that regional development can also be improved through cooperation across borders.

Eligible Activities: In this context, the Interreg Europe programme supports the exchange and transfer of experience, innovative approaches and capacity building among public authorities and other policy relevant organisations across Europe with a view to improving their regional development policy instruments including programmes under the Investment for jobs and growth goal.

The programme eligible area covers the whole European Union territory with its 27 Member States, including insular and outermost regions. In addition, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine are full members of the programme and organisations from these countries are eligible1 to participate in projects. Partners from other countries can participate at their own costs.

Eligible Applicants: The following organisations are eligible to receive Interreg or Norwegian funds: public authorities, public law bodies (bodies governed by public law), private non-profit bodies.

Total Budget: €130,000,000

Deadline: 07/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.interregeurope.eu/apply-for-the-call

Programme: ALDA (European Association for Local Democracy)

Objective: Objective

Through the re-granting scheme, the cluster 1 of the WYDE project is aiming at funding and implementing national and transnational projects in support of youth civic engagement and participation in the decision-making processes across the Sub- Saharan Countries.

Eligible Activities: Specific objectives are:

• Empower organisations working in the field of youth to play a relevant role in supporting the democratic participation of youth

• Support peer to peer learning among youth organisations

• Reinforce an international network of youth organisations and youth leaders

• Improve the cooperation between the youth civil society and public policy makers, at local, national, and international level

• Advocate for the establishment or improvement of representative youth structures (such as youth councils or youth parliaments)

Please note that an important criterion for funding of proposals is the relevance to policy in low-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Proposals focused on middle- and/or high-income countries need to make a clear case for the relevance of the research to policy in specific low-income countries.

Eligible Applicants: Each organization must be: Legally registered; Civil society organization working for and with youth. Please note that Local Authorities are not eligible to apply, although it is highly recommended to the applicants to cooperate with them.

Total Budget: €200,000

Deadline: 15/08/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.alda-europe.eu/news/women-and-youth-in-democracy-initiative-wyde-call-for-proposals/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - CERV

Objective: Objective

A Union of values and rights is also based on effective law enforcement systems and the effective detection, investigation and prosecution of breaches of Union law. Support will be given to creating an enabling environment for reporting and informing on breaches of the Union law, in particular by building capacity on the effective application of the Directive on whistleblower protection (Directive (EU) 2019/1937).

Eligible Activities: This Directive provides for an obligation to establish internal and external reporting channels, a strict obligation to maintain the confidentiality of the reporting person as well as for high standards of protection from retaliation and legal remedies for whistleblowers who report on breaches of EU law in a wide range of key policy areas, thus promoting the fundamental values of the rule of law and democracy as well as the right to freedom of expression, enshrined in Article 11 of the Charter.

Civil society organisations play a crucial role in help ensuring an effective implementation of these legal standards. Projects under this priority should support and protect whistleblowers and build capacity of national authorities and legal practitioners to ensure adequate legal remedies to protect whistleblowers.

Actions must take place in EU member states plus associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €2,000,000

Deadline: 18/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/cerv-2024-char-liti-whistle

Programme: European Commission (EC) - CERV

Objective: Objective

The projects funded under this priority could address the capacity building and awareness raising needs on the Charter in general, or they could focus on one or several of the topics

Eligible Activities: The projects funded under this priority could address the capacity building and awareness raising needs on the Charter in general, or they could focus on one or several of the topics below:

• Rights enshrined in the Charter and awareness of the Charter’s scope of application. In accordance with its Article 51, the Charter is applicable to Member States only when they are implementing EU law. Given the specific scope of application of this instrument, unlike that of international human rights agreements, and considering the increasing number of references to the Charter in the case law of the Court of Justice of the EU, there is a specific need to promote an understanding of when the Charter applies, i.e. when EU law is being implemented, and of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter. Relevant projects could therefore focus on the scope of application of the Charter and/or on the contents of an individual Charter right and/or several rights.

• Protecting fundamental rights in the digital age. To follow up on the Annual Charter Report 2021 on fundamental rights in the digital age, the aim of the priority is to protect fundamental rights by strengthening accountability for the use of automation where rights are at stake. This includes approaches for addressing and combatting bias and multiple/intersectional discrimination based on gender and on other grounds including ethnic and racial origin, caused or intensified by the use of artificial intelligence systems. Projects could aim to develop guidelines (including measures that ensure gender sensitive implementation), technical benchmarks and tools, including for algorithm-audits. Projects are expected to develop a concrete tool or a benchmark process in an area of the applicant’s choice with demonstrated relevance for fundamental rights, without prescribing the area or the type of the tool (e.g. it could be software, a benchmark data set, a simulation environment, a procedure).

Actions must take place in EU member states plus associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €3,100,000

Deadline: 18/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/cerv-2024-char-liti-charter

Programme: European Commission (EC) - CERV

Objective: Objective

All forms and manifestations of hatred are incompatible with the EU values and the fundamental rights enshrined in Article 2 of the Treaty and the Charter. Hatred affects the individual victims and the groups they belong to, generates societal polarisation and silences wide sectors of the population, weakening pluralism and undermining respectful public democratic debates. The online world has amplified the negative effects of hate speech. Hate crimes are a direct violation of the victims’ fundamental right to dignity, to equality and non-discrimination. Combating hate speech and hate crime is therefore a key part of the Commission’s action to promote EU values and to ensure that the Charter is upheld.

Eligible Activities: At EU level, the 2008 Council Framework Decision requires the criminalisation of certain forms of hate speech and hate crimes. Also, the Commission adopted a Communication in December 2021 inviting the Council of the European Union to extend the legal basis for EU-level criminalisation to other forms of hate speech and hate crime beyond the racist and xenophobic grounds already covered by the Framework Decision.

Recently, the EU is experiencing an alarming increase in hate speech and hate crime, including physical and online attacks targeting in particular the Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe. The Joint Communication on “No Place for Hate” confirms a strong commitment to step up EU efforts to fight hatred in all its forms, by reinforcing action across a variety of policies.

Actions must take place in EU member states plus associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €5,500,000

Deadline: 18/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/cerv-2024-char-liti-speech

Programme: European Commission (EC) - CERV

Objective: Objective

In line with the Charter Strategy and following up to the Charter Report 2022 on a thriving civic space for upholding fundamental rights in the EU, as well as the findings of the 2023 seminars and concluding conference, projects under this priority should promote rights and values by empowering civil society actors to work together at the local, regional and national levels on the fields covered by the programme. Projects should also help creating a channel of communication with the EU level to report on the state of the civic space in their countries and voice their concerns.

Eligible Activities: More specifically, projects could create a systematic and comprehensive monitoring system to regularly and consistently monitor the environment in which civil society organisations work in the national contexts, building on the Fundamental Rights Agency indicators about the shrinking civic space and of internal organisations’ data, and in particular of breaches of civil society organisations and human rights defenders’ fundamental rights.

Projects could also support and enhance the protection of civil society organisations, their members and human rights defenders working to protect and promote EU values under attack, including by facilitating access to dedicated support services. As such, they could also contribute to strengthening the resilience of civil society actors against attacks, including cyber threats, and their capacity to fully exploit the possibilities of the converged media to carry out effective, visible and impactful advocacy activities in the digital environment.

Transnational partnerships with mutual learning possibilities for partners in several EU Member States are particularly encouraged to apply, as well as networks of relevant actors at national level such as National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), equality bodies, Ombuds-institutions, and the national Charter Focal Points.

Actions must take place in EU member states plus associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €3,000,000

Deadline: 18/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/cerv-2024-char-liti-civic?order

Programme: Embassy of Japan to Georgia

Objective: Objective

The GGP is one of the grant schemes of the Embassy of Japan in Georgia, oriented towards providing support to the grassroots actors, for the promotion of Basic Human Needs and Human Security in Georgia. This involves, but is not limited to the actions, which aim to mitigate threats to human survival, human life, human dignity, as well as the actions aimed to build up the capacities of individuals and communities.

Eligible Activities: Within 22 years of its work in Georgia – from 1998 to 2022, the Grassroots Human Security Program (GGP) of the Government of Japan funded more than 200 projects, in total amounting to more than 20 million USD. Through this funding, agriculture infrastructure was developed, alleviating poverty in some of the poorest villages; thousands of hectares of land were cleared from hazardous landmines, saving lives of local population; dozens of schools, kindergartens, hospitals were rehabilitated and re-equipped, providing essential services to the most vulnerable population. Those are only a few of the examples and the range of sectors funded has been very broad.

Representing the goodwill of the ordinary Japanese people, the Embassy of Japan strives to provide support in the sectors, considered most essential by the population of Georgia itself. Vast majority of the reputable local and international research reflects that the population of Georgia considers socio-economic problems as the most acute national issues, along with the occupation of its territories. Thus, in its GGP program, the Embassy strives to emphasize the projects, which aim to resolve those problems most effectively and efficiently.

Actions must take place in Georgia.

Eligible Applicants: The following lists are examples of potential recipients: NGOs and INGOs; Local public authorities (mayor’s office).

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.ge.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/development_assistance_eng20180727.html

Programme: Japanese Embassy Rwanda

Objective: Objective

In 1989, the Government of Japan introduced Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP/kusanone) in order to respond to the diverse development needs in developing countries. The aim of GGP is to provide financial assistance to non- profit development organizations for implementation of projects at community level. In Rwanda, 2 projects are selected per year.

Eligible Activities: The following areas are considered as deserving priority:

1) Public Welfare: Facilities and equipment for disabled people, orphans, the field of women in development (WID), etc.

2) Primary Education: Classroom preparation; desks, chairs, and bookshelves, etc.

3) Vocational Training: Vocational training facilities and equipment, etc.

4) Primary Health Care: Basic medical equipment, etc.

Actions must be implemented in Rwanda.

Eligible Applicants: Support is provided to Community-Based Organizations; Local or International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs); Local authority (Ex. City Council, District); Educational Institutions (Ex. School Management Committee, schools); Medical or Health Institutions (Ex. Hospital Management Committee); Research Institutions.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: ongoing

More information and official documents: http://www.eg.emb-japan.go.jp/e/assistance/grass_roots/grass_roots.htm

Programme: Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration

Objective: The Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration is inviting submissions for FY 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity for NGO Programs Supporting Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, and India.

Program Area

Proposals must align with one or more of the following program areas:

• Humanitarian Protection and Assistance

• Interim and Durable Solutions

Eligible Activities: Program Sectors

Thailand Country-Specific

PRM welcomes proposals that specifically seek to meet the needs of camp-based Burmese refugees and emergency-affected displaced persons along the Thailand-Burma border, focusing on protection assistance to persons with disabilities. Proposals must include the following sectors:

Protection

Improve inclusion and preparation for the voluntary return of people with disabilities in three refugee camps in Thailand.

Educate at people-at-risk on mine safety and protocol to further adopt safe Explosive Ordnance (EO) related practices in nine refugee camps Thailand.

Increase the level of knowledge of the refugee population in nine refugee camps in Thailand about EO risk in Burma.

Health

Mental Health and Psychosocial Support

Offer services that reduce risks of long-term physical and psychological impairments of highly vulnerable conflict affected refugees, returnees.

Livelihoods

Increase preparation for local integration or voluntary return of youth in three refugee camps in Thailand, via vocational training recognized by Burma and the Government of Thailand.

Malaysia Country-Specific

PRM welcomes submissions from both international and Malaysia-based NGOs serving the urban refugee and asylum seeker population in and around Kuala Lumpur, the Klang Valley, Penang, Kedah, and Perak. Specifically, PRM prioritizes submissions that include the following sectors and activities:

Protection (including Child Protection, Case Management, Emergency and Legal Assistance)

Respond to immediate, life-saving needs through provision of emergency short-term shelter and auxiliary services, including transportation, medical care, psychosocial support, and counselling to GBV survivors and their children.

Provide specialized counselling services to refugees (adults and children) to prevent repeated abuse and/or improve overall well-being.

GBV Prevention and Response

Improve knowledge of GBV and promote positive change in attitudes and behavior within refugee and host communities through targeted and sustained engagement.

Increase the capacity of target communities to identify and effectively respond to GBV through skills-building, training, and coaching.

Improve the capacity of service providers to provide timely, high-quality health care, including reproductive health and psychosocial services; as well as safety, justice, and multi-sectoral referral services.

Increase knowledge and awareness of GBV among adult refugees and asylum seekers.

Build capacity of teachers in refugee learning centers to train their own students on GBV risks, prevention, and response.

Healthcare (Health, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support)

Improve access to primary health care, including reproductive health, medical services, mental health, and/or psychosocial support, including the implementation of mobile health clinics.

Provide nursing facilities for refugee patients requiring recuperation and post-hospitalization nursing care.

Provide health-based training and education focusing on general health care, communicable disease prevention, treatment adherence, reproductive health, and/or nutrition.

Provide medical support and rehabilitative services for refugees and asylum seekers who have experienced torture, forced labor, human trafficking, long-term detention, or economic exploitation or who may be unable to work because of mental or physical illness.

India/Nepal Country-Specific

PRM welcomes submissions from both international and national NGOs serving Tibetan refugees in India and/or Nepal. PRM strongly encourages partnerships with women- and/or refugee-led organizations when possible. NGO projects should seek to fill gaps in humanitarian assistance, not duplicate activities undertaken by large international organizations or government entities. PRM looks favorably on programs with the ability to operate in multiple locations and across multiple sectors, as articulated below, provided such work supports an integrated program approach. Applicants are strongly encouraged to engage with existing structures to provide services to refugees, including those operated by national or local actors (both governmental and NGO), rather than establishing new, parallel structures.

Sectors:

Protection (including GBV prevention and response and child protection):

Provide protection services and/or referrals, such as legal assistance, to incoming refugees and asylum seekers in India and Nepal.

Design and implement mechanisms to prevent and respond to GBV in communities and institutions.

Improve knowledge of GBV risk-mitigation and promote positive changes in attitudes and behaviours within refugee communities through targeted and sustained engagement.

Increase the capacity of target communities to identify and effectively respond to GBV through skills building, training, and coaching.

Improve the capacity of service providers to provide timely, high-quality support, including for safety, justice and/or other services, as well as multi-sectoral referral services.

Improve the capacity of service providers to institute Protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) strategies and response activities, including training and mentoring on PSEA principles, risk identification and mitigation, instituting safe reporting mechanisms, providing assistance and/or referrals for SEA survivors, investigating and responding to SEA incidents, and mobilization of community and leadership.

Health:

Provide and/or improve access to primary healthcare, including reproductive health, mental health and psychosocial support, for the most vulnerable within Tibetan communities, particularly for the elderly, persons with disabilities and chronic conditions, survivors of GBV, and those in remote settlements.

Address priority public health issues, including reproductive health, including maternal health interventions, and substance abuse.

Assist Tibetan refugees to access and utilize the national health care systems such as through support for interpreters, facilitators, or cash or vouchers. Assist the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) and health care providers to coordinate with the national or local Indian and Nepali health systems to avoid duplicating services provided to Tibetans by national or local systems.

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH):

Provide and/or improve access to WASH facilities in Tibetan refugee settlements, to include potable water, drainage; adequate, safe and sustainable toilet facilities, fecal sludge management including treatment, and bathing facilities. Priority will be given to activities in rural communities that engage with existing government schemes, rather than establishing new, parallel structures.

PRM will prioritize WASH projects that bring Tibetan settlements into compliance with SPHERE standards.

Education:

Provide and/or improve access to quality primary, secondary, and non-formal education, including early childhood development, with priority given to projects focused on local options for vulnerable children within Tibetan communities. Post-secondary education assistance and teaching and non-teaching staffs’ salary will not be considered.

Provide and promote an innovative and inclusive education to Tibetan students.

Prioritization:

In addition to PRM’s general prioritization considerations listed in this NOFO, priority will be given to organizations that can demonstrate:

Evidence of participatory needs assessments involving beneficiaries.

Evidence of coordination with international organizations (IOs) and other NGOs working in the same area or sector as well as local authorities and Tibetan leadership, including Tibetan settlement officers and host government authorities, and in India, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

Complementarity activities with existing U.S. Government-funded development, protection, and assistance activities, including ongoing and planned USAID programs benefitting Tibetan refugees. Proposals should clearly demonstrate that project objectives prioritize urgent humanitarian needs and do not duplicate already funded activities.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants

Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education (U.S.-based NGOs must be able to demonstrate proof of non-profit tax status).

Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education (overseas-based NGOs must be able to demonstrate proof of registration in country of domicile); and

Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing, matching, or cost participation is not a requirement of an application in response to this funding announcement.

Proposals for consideration should describe the sources and amounts of additional funding that may be utilized to complement PRM funding, and meet the following criteria:

Are not paid by the Federal Government under another Federal award.

Are verifiable from the non-Federal entity's records.

Are not included as contributions for any other Federal award; and

Are necessary and reasonable for accomplishment of project or program objectives.

Total Budget: $2,000,000

Deadline: 25/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353083

Programme: Italian Agency for Development Cooperation - Beirut

Objective: Objective

The Initiative will be implemented by AICS Beirut by awarding the activities implementation to four (4) CSOs selected through a CfP and coherently with the procedures for Affidati.

Eligible Activities: The proposed intervention aims at promoting an inclusive and sustainable local development as follows:

– by supporting local business/cooperatives oriented to public value and social impact through technical and financial assistance to scale up the market, create new decent job opportunities and stimulate an increase in job demand.

– by fostering employment opportunities through the improvement of the job placement services and through pilot interventions to support technical and professional training, as well as job placement pathways for vulnerable beneficiaries, unemployed persons, and first-time job seekers at the community level and in collaboration with local authorities.

The Initiative intends to promote the economic local development of the target areas and the active role of the Lebanese local authorities in the development processes and strategic planning; it will adopt market-oriented approaches to boost local economies, as well as a systematic and participatory approach focused on the promotion of synergies among public, private and non-profit stakeholders.

Actions must take place in Lebanon.

Eligible Applicants: Applicants may enter into partnership agreements for the implementation of specific activities of the project with:

a) CSOs from an OECD member country or included in the OECD-DAC list of ODA Recipient Countries

b) Government agencies from an OECD member country or included in the OECD-DAC list of ODA Recipient Countries

c) International Organisations

Total Budget: €4,800,000

Deadline: 29/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://trasparenzabeirut.aics.gov.it/archivio97_concessione-contributi_0_91_952_1.html?fbclid=IwAR2sCsvCMIH3QYFOgGNBuubsXTWgWPhwrw68bz-GhX54lFilE4-4KZ1Tzho

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is: to improve the management of natural resources in the Prespa region. The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals is/are: to improve the environmental research, education and conservation efforts in the Prespa region.

Eligible Activities: The priorities of this call for proposals are:

• Priority 1: Environment-focused scholarships, education and training;

• Priority 2: Research and monitoring of the natural resources by young scientists;

• Priority 3: Conservation, restoration & management of habitats in at least 3 areas in Prespa; and

• Priority 4: Communication and awareness activities.

Actions must take place in North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible organisations are: non-governmental organisation; public sector operator; local authority; central, regional and local government units (ministries, municipalities, departments, agencies); management authorities of protected areas or other organisations/institutions for nature protection; international (inter-governmental) organisation as defined by Article 156 of the EU Financial Regulation

Total Budget: €2,000,000

Deadline: 30/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to strengthen Civil Society Organisations as independent actors of good governance and development in their own right. The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals is to strengthen local Civil Society Organisations’ ability to engage as actors of good governance and development at country level. This is expected to be done through promoting inclusive and sustainable growth, in partnership with public authorities and the private sector, with a focus on livelihood and economic empowerment.

Eligible Activities: The priorities of this Call for Proposals are:

• Promoting Indian-made craft products, e.g. handicrafts and textiles, through technological innovation and modernisation, competiveness, enhanced quality, efficiency and market linkages, with a lens on improved livelihoods and economic empowerment.

• Improving circular economy as well as responsible consumption and production for Indian-made craft products, particularly textiles, considering value chains not just from a financial angle but also from a social and environmental perspective, and linking interventions with livelihood support initiatives.

• Supporting access to gainful employment/self-employment of women, youth and vulnerable communities, for positively affecting livelihoods and economic empowerment on a sustainable basis, including through skilling, capacity building, supporting access to credit, improved marketing techniques, and access to other livelihoods services.

• Raising awareness of key actors i.e. social enterprises, CSOs and private sector actors on inclusive economy, social-responsive business, corporate social responsibility, decent work (including occupational health and safety conditions), and promoting entrepreneurship (including financial training, management, etc.) with a strong focus on women, youth and vulnerable communities. In addition, increasing linkages with European companies and/or platforms of European companies in India with a view to positively impacting people’s livelihoods.

• Supporting MSMEs capacities in shifting towards digitisation for improved market access, livelihood and income generation.

• Facilitating knowledge, technology and experience transfer from other countries, especially from Europe and the South Asia region.

Actions must take place in India.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as: civil society organisations or a civil society organisation association and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €9,539,000

Deadline: 30/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Objective: Applications are now open for Access to Education project to improve access for children and youth, especially the most marginalized and vulnerable, to quality education that is safe, relevant, and can promote social well-being."

The purpose of the Access to Education (A2E) Activity is to support out of school children and youth in Kolda, Sedhiou and Kédougou to gain access to quality and inclusive learning and training opportunities while simultaneously strengthening community engagement and prevention of gender based violence, specifically, bullying, corporal punishment, and sexual violence and utilize an inclusive development approach. The Activity addresses the USAID Education Policy priority of “children and youth, particularly the most marginalized and vulnerable, have increased access to quality education that is safe, relevant, and promotes social well-being.” It also addresses the USAID Youth in Development Policy objectives on better access to services and livelihood opportunities, youth participation in decision-making and systems for positive youth development.

USAID/Senegal is considering assisting a bidder with a defined plan to achieve these results. This plan will be further developed through a co-creation process and in consultation with USAID/Senegal. USAID/Senegal's goal is to support one or more implementing partners whose work plan reflects the Positive Youth Development (PYD) approach and with the capacity to independently identify and address novel interventions that promote positive outcomes for young people.

Eligible Activities: Objective

The project aims to strengthen non-formal education opportunities for out-of-school children and youth in Kolda, Sédhiou and Kédougou in order to foster the inclusive engagement of all children and youth in their communities.

The goal of the USAID/Senegal A2E project is to foster access to quality and inclusive learning and livelihood generation opportunities for out-of-school children and youth in Kolda, Sédhiou, and Kédougou, while strengthening community engagement and prevention of gender-based violence in learning environments.

Result 1: Out-of-school children and youth from vulnerable communities have access to safe learning environments that enable them to develop literacy and numeracy skills

The proposed approaches are expected to result in measurable improvements in literacy, numeracy and other basic skills to prepare an individual to become an active and productive member of society and the labour force. The project will address the barriers faced by out-of-school children and youth in accessing education and develop innovative ways for vulnerable children and youth. Proposed approaches need to be tailored to the regional and local context and demonstrate their effectiveness in reaching and retaining vulnerable youth, especially girls and children with disabilities. The project needs to find entry points to address school-related gender-based violence to create a safe learning environment for girls.

Result 2: Improved access to life skills and livelihood training for out-of-school children and youth from vulnerable communities

A2E will expand access to life skills training and locally appropriate livelihood development. Interventions should engage young people and their families and be tailored to meet the needs of young people based on gender, age or disability. This includes proposing innovative approaches to 1.) teachage appropriate social and emotional skills to all beneficiaries and 2.) Teach appropriate workforce development techniques.

Result 3: Strengthened engagement and support of local communities, governments, parents, the private sector and other potential partners for youth education and livelihoods.

A2E should engage young people, communities, local governments, parents, the local private sector and any other potential local partners with the aim of boosting their commitment and support for the education of out-of-school children and youth at their level. A2E will work in partnership with local actors and communities to ensure that the educational opportunities offered incorporate vulnerable groups, including but not limited to girls and children and young people with disabilities.

Implementation Priorities

Priorities for implementation the following are the priorities that the bidder should include in its concept note and integrate into its proposed approaches.

Positive Youth Development (DYP): The project must adopt a positive youth development approach10 to ensure the effectiveness of youth development principles and practices. The DYP11 is a resolute, holistic, age- and developmentally-appropriate, gender-transformative and pro-social approach for youth development. It advocates for the development of positive youth and community strengths and strengthens protective factors to increase resilience and achieve desired short- and long-term outcomes for youth. Interventions need to be led by young people for young people. L

Gender mainstreaming: Bidders should demonstrate their capacity to address gender disparities and empower women, and illustrate how the organization or project is structured to ensure that gender disparities are deliberately and adequately addressed in their programs. While gender-based discrimination persists across Senegal in the cultural, social, and political spheres, USAID's A2E project will encourage opportunities to reverse this trend and highlight the societal benefits of doing so.

Gender-based violence prevention: Unsafe learning environments and travel to and from school are among the main barriers affecting student retention and learning outcomes. Safety in education programs refers to physical and emotional safety and psychosocial support in the learning environment. Bidders must propose interventions to address gender-based violence in learning environments and incorporate community and parent involvement.

Inclusive education for children and youth with disabilities: Inclusive education for persons with disabilities helps foster a culture of respect and belonging in learning environments. In an environment where everyone is fair to others and builds trusting relationships, the impact is far-reaching, particularly in terms of acceptance of individual differences, resulting in a decline in gender-based violence, crime, bullying and discrimination.

Geographic Areas

The A2E activity will target out-of-school children and youth in the regions of Kolda, Sédhiou and Kédougou.

The continuity of interventions in these regions is the result of a strong desire to build on the progress made within the framework of the Passerelles project.

A maximum of two separate grants will be awarded per geographic area.

Interested bidders must submit a specific concept to one or more of the following three administrative regions: Kolda, Sédhiou, Kédougou.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Interested organizations, of any kind, may submit only one concept note as the lead bidder. In the event that more than one concept note is received from the same lead bidder, USAID will seek written clarification from the relevant entity as to which concept note should be considered. If no clarification is provided within five (5) business days, all concept notes from that bidder will be deemed ineligible.

It should be noted that bidders may act as sub-recipients or partners under several concept notes under this Addendum. Only local organizations and institutions that meet the definition below are eligible for the program set out in this A2E Addendum.

Non-local organizations can participate as part of a consortium led by a local partner.

Local Organization Definition

USAID welcomes concepts from a wide variety of local actors who bring an understanding of the development challenges facing their communities, country, or regions or who demonstrate a way to determine local priorities in their approach. Eligible applicants:

Must be local entities in Senegal. When determining if an entity is a “local entity” for the purposes of this APS, USAID will consider:

Whether the entity is legally organized under the laws of Senegal;

Whether the entity has its principal place of business or operations in Senegal;

Whether the entity is majority owned and controlled by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Senegal; and

Whether the entity is managed by a governing body, the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Senegal.

Cannot be a U.S.-based organization. U.S.-based organizations are not eligible as prime awardees under this APS.

Total Budget: $9,500,000

Deadline: 30/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/353000

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to contribute to the reforms in the area of media and to the public resilience to disinformation in line with the EU acquis and ILO standards.

Eligible Activities: The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

• Lot 1 – To support independent and free media in Moldova

The priorities for Lot 1 are:

– Provide grant funding for media civil society organisations to mobilise technical expertise for coaching and mentoring of journalists, conduct trainings, procurement of technical equipment and software, including sub granting to local and national media, individual online activists such as bloggers, vloggers, but not limited to;

– Produce quality content (campaigns, materials) on the EU integration and EU assistance;

– Improve gender sensitivity of reporting, notably making sure that media reporting is free from gender stereotypes;

• Lot 2 – To support the public resilience to disinformation

The priorities for Lot 2 are:

– Conduct media literacy campaigns and initiatives to build public resilience to disinformation

– Cooperate with relevant state institutions, such as Audiovisual Council, Center for Strategic Communication and Combatting Disinformation and the National Regulatory Agency for Electronic Communications and Information Technology (ANRCETI) to support communication activities such as campaigns and public outreach events, capacity building, digital education and cyber hygiene of the general public.

Actions must take place in the Republic of Moldova.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as non-governmental organisation, international (inter-governmental) organisation as defined by Article 156 of the EU Financial Regulation.

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: 03/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships (IP)

Objective: Objective

The general objective of this call for proposals is to support the initiatives of civil society organizations in Morocco aimed at (i) contributing to the promotion and protection of human rights, democracy and good governance and ( ii) strengthen CSOs as independent actors of good governance and development in their own right.

Eligible Activities: The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals is/are:

• LOT 1-DDH: Provide direct support to civil society organizations in order to consolidate and strengthen their advocacy role and boost multi-actor partnership in the promotion and defense of human rights and good governance.

• LOT 2- CSO: Strengthen the commitment of local civil society organizations as development actors in the promotion of gender equality, the fight against violence against women and the participation of women.

• LOT 3- CSO: Strengthen the commitment of local civil society organizations as development actors in promoting the engagement of young people (15-29 years old) through volunteering.

Actions must take place in Morocco.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as: non-governmental organization, public sector operator, professional association, research center, foundation; and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €7,620,000

Deadline: 06/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: World Forum for Democracy

Objective: Objective

The World Forum for Democracy calls for expressions of interest from innovative initiatives, from all over the world, aiming at enhancing democracy and contributing to sustainable peace.

Eligible Activities: These may be for example, but not limited to:

• Initiatives working towards depolarising elections, promoting non-divisive campaigning and different forms of collaborative democracy;

• Actions promoting unifying leadership and reconciliation in polarised societies;

• Alternative methods of making policy decisions, including, but not limited to, sortition, deliberative democracy, citizen panels, etc.

• Organised efforts to effectively keep social media companies and online platforms accountable for the content or polarising impact of their algorithms;

• Mechanisms for improving resilience to disinformation campaigns and manipulation, including tools to remove fake accounts from online platforms;

• Initiatives fighting corruption and “revolving door” policy, limiting the number of terms in office, or advocating the deprofessionalisation of politics;

• Platforms for candidate vetting;

• Innovative methods for fostering and sustaining meaningful civic engagement in politics (including that of young people, women or minorities);

Actions can take place in various countries worldwide.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible is any public or private organisation.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 17/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.coe.int/en/web/world-forum-democracy/news/-/asset_publisher/RGMcauyO2tF1/content/world-forum-for-democracy-2024-democracy-and-diversity-can-we-transcend-the-divides-call-for-initiatives

Programme: European Commission (EC) - ESF+

Objective: Objective

The overall objective of this call for proposals is to ensure around 4 000 placements for mobile candidates, in particular of young people. The action targets the filling of hard-to-fill vacancies and labour shortages as identified in national/EU labour market studies or other data sources.

Eligible Activities: The action, being strongly result-oriented, may contribute to:

• addressing labour market needs, in particular tackling labour markets’ imbalances, as well as labour and skills shortages;

• improving the conditions for jobseekers and workers to exercise their right of freedom of movement across the EU;

• filling of hard-to-fill vacancies (in the form of either jobs, traineeships or apprenticeships), notably where specific labour shortcomings have been identified;

• enhancing the service catalogue of the EURES organisations;

• fostering public-private partnerships within EURES.

Actions must take place in EU member states and associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible are legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries.

Total Budget: €16,000,000 (£2m - £6m per project

Deadline: 04/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/esf-2024-eures-tms?order=DESC&pageNumber=1&pageSize=50&sortBy=startDate&status=31094502

Programme: European Commission (EC) - CERV

Objective: Objective

European integration has substantially transformed the life of Europeans. While it has provided new opportunities for cross border travel, study and work, it has also affected the identities of people who more and more feel European as part of their identity. European integration has progressively advanced and protected the rights of people in all EU countries, rights that are often taken for granted now. However, apart from being an institutional process, European integration has been built and advanced by different people and movements at different moments. From the Ventotene manifesto to the Congress of Europe, the foundation for European integration has a long history.

Eligible Activities: The projects under this priority should explore and promote to all generations the defining moments and reference points of European integration, its history, and how these changes have in practice affected the daily lives of Europeans. Projects can focus on specific rights granted in the European Union such as freedom of movement, on specific achievements such as a common currency, or on defining moments such as accession of countries. Testimonies of witnesses could be a particular valuable resource for making the experience tangible and provide an intergenerational perspective.

Actions must take place in EU member states plus associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €1,550,000

Deadline: 06/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/cerv-2024-citizens-rem-euintegration

Programme: European Commission (EC) - CERV

Objective: Objective

The EU is a community of values and all its Member States are based on these values. While democratic transition and consolidation prepared the ground for democratic society, providing historical justice after the end of totalitarian and authoritarian regimes for victims and affected communities can contribute to a healing of society.

Eligible Activities: Projects under this priority should focus on the transition from authoritarian and totalitarian rule to democracy in different European countries, their similarities and differences and the lessons retained for the future about how to defend and sustain EU values such as democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights. At the same time, projects can also explore the means of historical justice, be it through trials, restitution or amnesty.

Actions must take place in EU member states plus associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €1,510,000

Deadline: 06/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/cerv-2024-citizens-rem-transition

Programme: European Commission (EC) - CERV

Objective: Objective

As a way to contribute to the objectives of the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020-2025, projects under this priority should explore the legacy of colonialism, inside and outside Europe, and its impact on contemporary multicultural European societies. Topics such as discrimination and racism are still linked with these experiences and play a major role in European memory throughout most of EU’s societies.

Eligible Activities: In line with the EU Roma Strategic Framework for equality, inclusion and participation, projects can also raise awareness of Roma history and culture as a way to contribute to strengthening multicultural European societies. Projects under this priority can also deal with common European experiences of migration that can be linked to a multitude of events such as wars, transition moments, colonisation and de-colonisation, economic impacts, persecution, or others.

Actions must take place in EU member states plus associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €2,060,000

Deadline: 06/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/cerv-2024-citizens-rem-histmigration

Programme: European Commission (EC) - CERV

Objective: Objective

Projects under this priority should focus on specific crimes such as the Holocaust, totalitarian crimes or other 20th century crimes like genocides, war crimes and crimes against humanity and should analyse how these crimes were organised, which actors were involved and how they were committed. Projects under this priority are encouraged to find new ways of remembering and educating about these crimes to protect society against resurging threats of hatred, antisemitism, racism, xenophobia, antigypsyism and LGBTIQ-phobia.

Eligible Activities: Projects are encouraged to look for new teaching methods and modern forms of educating on historical events including the Holocaust. New and modern approaches should ensure inclusiveness and create an enabling learning environment for participants of all gender. In line with the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, as well as the other key policy initiatives this priority supports, projects can focus in this regard on developing networks of Young European Ambassadors to promote Holocaust remembrance. Young Europeans should learn how to access and share accurate information about the Holocaust, genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and should be empowered to act both online and in the physical world.

Projects can focus on countering Holocaust distortion, trivialization, and denial as well as digitalising historical material and testimonies of witnesses for education and training purposes. These projects are encouraged to work as well with young people, together with other generations, in order to transmit the memory of events.

Actions must take place in EU member states plus associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €8,800,000

Deadline: 06/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/cerv-2024-citizens-rem-holocaust

Programme: European Commission (EC) - EU4Health

Objective: Objective

The objective is to launch a Framework Partnership Agreement with eligible NGOs in view of potentially providing funding for their functioning during 2025 and 2026. Through their core operational activities, the health NGOs will deliver on increased health literacy and health promotion, capacity building and networking; and contribute to the optimisation of healthcare activities and practices by providing feedback from patients and facilitating communication with patients.

Eligible Activities: The beneficiaries are expected to further demonstrate in their proposals the Union added value of their activities and commit to deliver concrete results such as: online materials, webpages, manuals and tools on case studies promoting health in schools, factsheets and relevant literature, materials for teachers on health literacy, and assistance and promotion of twinning with other schools in the Union capacity- building and training activities to reduce the impact of risk factors for non- communicable diseases; new approaches to promote healthy and sustainable diets; expert guidance and peer-to-peer connections; and collaborate in shared areas of activity.

Actions must take place in EU member states plus associated countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to legal entities (public or private bodies).

Total Budget: €1,000,000+

Deadline: 13/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/eu4h-2024-og-fpa

Programme: European Commission (EC) - Horizon Europe

Objective: Objective

The ERC Proof of Concept Grants aim to maximise the value of the excellent research that the ERC funds, by funding further work (i.e. activities which were not scheduled to be funded by the original ERC frontier research grant) to verify the innovation potential of ideas arising from ERC funded projects. The objective is to provide funds to enable ERC-funded ideas to be brought to a pre-demonstration stage where potential commercialisation or societal opportunities have been identified.

Eligible Activities: The ERC Proof of Concept call aims at supporting ERC grant-holders to establish the innovation potential of their idea during the pre-demonstration phase. This would help among others: (1) establishing viability, technical issues and overall direction; (2) clarifying IPR position and strategy; (3) providing feedback for budgeting and other forms of commercial discussion; (4) providing connections to later stage funding; and (5) covering initial expenses for establishing a company.

Actions must take place in EU member states or Horizon Associated Country.

Eligible Applicants: The ERC actions are open to researchers of any nationality who intend to conduct their research activity in any EU Member State or H2020 Associated Country. Principal Investigators may be of any age and nationality and may reside in any country in the world at the time of the application. ERC Principal Investigators do not have to be based full-time in Europe. The host institution must either be established in an EU Member State or Horizon Associated Country as a legal entity created under national law, or it may be an International European Interest Organisation (such as CERN, EMBL, etc.), the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) or any other entity created under EU law.

Total Budget: €30,000,000 - £150,000 lump sum grant

Deadline: 17/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/erc-2024-poc

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to support media organisations and media associations in their contribution to the implementation and monitoring of the Media Strategy of Serbia, aiming at strengthening freedom of expression and ensuring media quality and plurality.

Eligible Activities: The specific objective of this call for proposals is: to support innovative activities of media organisations and associations in Serbia to ensure the implementation of the National Media Strategy and address the needs of the media sector, as well as to improve access to evidence based and quality content and hence

Actions must take place in Serbia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as print/electronic/on-line media, radio or television channel, media organisation, news agency, media production house or media association.

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: 26/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships (IP)

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is: Empowering Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities for enhanced governance and more effective development outcomes.

Eligible Activities: The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

1. Strengthening Civil Society Organisations, and notably youth organizations and organisations focusing on youth economic empowerment and political participation.

2. Increasing Youth participation in governance, accountability and public policy processes.

3. Promoting young people’s economic empowerment and contribution towards a more inclusive and sustainable growth.

4. Empowering Local Authorities for enhanced governance and more effective development outcomes

Actions must take place in Sierra Leone.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as: be a Civil Society Organisation and/or their associations and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €6,939,500

Deadline: 30/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF)

Objective: The Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) is inviting local entities in the countries where USAID operates to submit applications for grants to scale existing solutions that have made measurable progress toward closing the gender digital divide in their contexts and contribute to transformative approaches to digital inclusion.

WiDEF will support entities that are rooted in the communities in which they seek to affect change and have demonstrated successful approaches to advancing gender equality and/or digital inclusion for women, girls, and marginalized populations, such as persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples.

WiDEF is committed to closing the gender digital divide by scaling evidence-based, proven solutions that improve women’s livelihoods, economic security and resilience.

They aspire to shifting the trajectory of digital ecosystems so that women and marginalized populations, including youth and young women; disabled, indigenous, LGBTQI+, and rural women, have equitable access to safe, affordable, and meaningful online participation.

Eligible Activities: This funding aims to scale proven solutions that have demonstrated, through credible evidence, that the solution:

• Drives digital inclusion for women through meaningful access to and use of accessible digital technology, particularly smartphones and the internet.

• Significantly closes the gender digital divide in their context.

• Is economically sustainable and scalable.

• The gender digital divide – and the digital exclusion of marginalized populations – is a function of complex, inter-related factors, such as restrictive social norms that often limit women’s use of digital technology and exacerbate symptoms of this divide.

Priority Areas

Eligible applications need to articulate the most prominent barriers facing the communities they aim to support and how they will address at least two core WiDEF priority areas:

• Improved access to affordable devices and online experiences: Increase women’s access to the internet and internet-enabled devices, and ensure that devices, digitally enabled services, including digital finance, and data are affordable, reliable, secure, and accessible, including for users with disabilities.

• Increased availability of relevant products and tools: Design, develop, and provide access to relevant products and tools (interfaces, voice technologies, applications, digitally enabled services) that meet women’s needs and facilitate women’s demand for and use of mobile devices and applications, particularly smartphones, internet, and other technologies, especially for income-generation purposes.

• Elevating digital literacy and skills: Strengthen women’s digital skills and literacy, including media literacy, so that they can fully and safely access digital services, and participate and lead in digital spaces, including the digital economy.

• Enhancing safety and security: Address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, including gender-based online harassment and abuse, and strengthen safeguards for digital user protection, including on consumer financial protection, data protection, cyber security, fraud, and risk mitigation.

Additionally, all applications need to commit to generating data and insights: Expand collection and responsible use of required sex-disaggregated data, research, and gender analysis (a) to better understand and address social norms and systems that influence gender disparities in technology adoption; (b) as a precursor to inform gender-equitable design of and activities related to digital policies, protocols, platforms, products, and services; and (c) to track and benchmark change.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Both local nonprofit and for-profit local entities are eligible for grant funding. Successful applications will propose:

• A solution that advances digital inclusion broadly and aims to integrate and scale a proven solution to effectively address gender constraints and close the gender digital divide.

• Specific integration of at least two of the core priority areas above, in addition to generating data and insights.

• Clearly articulate which components of their existing or proposed programs are scalable across different contexts, and which are specific to the location/context of their pilot/current program.

Entities must have, or be able to adopt, gender-based violence mitigation policies for all digital inclusion activities

Entities need to meet USAID Eligibility Requirements

Preference will be given to women-led organizations proposing feminist, gender transformational solutions and entities with a demonstrated track record of supporting gender equality and the inclusion of marginalized populations. At least 50% of award funding will support entities in subSaharan Africa.

USAID Eligibility Criteria

All countries are eligible, excluding Afghanistan, Burma, China, Cuba, Haiti, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Venezuela; entries from India are ineligible for Round 1 funding as WiDEF will be launching India-specific funding opportunities in late 2024/early 2025.

Organizations need to fit the following USAID Local Entity criteria:

Is legally organized under the laws of a country that is receiving assistance from USAID;

Has its principal place of business or operations in a country receiving assistance from USAID;

Is majority-owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of a country receiving assistance from USAID; and

Is managed by a governing body, the majority of whom are citizens or lawful permanent residents of a country receiving assistance from USAID.

Entities have, or are in the process of obtaining, a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

Entities are familiar with applicable sections in the Mandatory and Required-asApplicable Standard Provisions for Non- U.S. Non-Governmental Organizations and sign and upload the necessary Recipient and Solicitation Standard Provisions certifications as part of the application.

Total Budget: $1,500,000

Deadline: 06/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://widef.global/funding/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships (IP)

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to contribute to the upholding of democratic principles, to the promotion and protection of human rights, and to the strengthening of Israel’s Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as independent actors of good governance and development.

Eligible Activities: LOT 1 – Thematic Programme for Civil Society Organisations: The specific objective for LOT 1 is to support civil society initiatives to increase the role of under-represented groups in decision-making and public discourse.

LOT 2 –Thematic Programme on Human Rights and Democracy: The specific objective for LOT 2 is to contribute to the upholding of democratic principles and the promotion and protection of human rights of the citizens of Israel and those for whom Israel is a duty bearer, in compliance with international standards and obligations.

Actions must take place in Israel.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as: a non-governmental civil society organisation, including non-governmental non-profit organisations, community based organisations, faith-based organisations, universities and research institutions, private sector non-profit agencies and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €4,323,202

Deadline: 07/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: U.S. Mission to Benin

Objective: Objective

U.S. Embassy Cotonou is pleased to announce an open competition for non-governmental organizations to apply for a Local Governance and Accountability Project in Borgou Department under the Prevention and Stabilization Fund (PSF). This project seeks to improve civic participation and government engagement in marginalized communities in northern Benin, fostering transparency, accountability, and collaboration by providing tools, knowledge, and resources for marginalized communities and their associated civil society groups to actively engage in local governance and the political sphere to achieve representation and receive improved service delivery.

Eligible Activities: In support of the stated goal, project objectives may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Objective 1: Build capacity of women, minority ethnic groups, LGBTQI+ persons, religious minorities, and in particular internally displaced persons (IDPs) to actively participate in policy dialogue, political processes, and upcoming local and national elections.

Objective 2: Promote greater civic awareness, citizen engagement and ultimately a more inclusive and responsive political system that better serves the need and aspirations of targeted groups.

Objective 3: Protect and promote human rights and equal protection under the law of targeted groups and other community at risk.

Actions must take place in Benin.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are Benin-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with a Registration Certificate, a bank account in the organization’s name, electronic funds transfer information, and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). They must not be receiving funding for the same activities from other donors or the Government of Benin.

Total Budget: $250,000

Deadline: 17/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/352885

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is: To enhance CSO participation, free and independent engagement in the definition and implementation of the country’s development agenda with a special focus on sustainable, equitable and inclusive natural resources management within a transparent and accountable governance.

Eligible Activities: The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

• To strengthen CSO capacities in promoting evidence-based policy advocacy and participate in policy dialogue towards a well-governed, equitable and inclusive green growth, energy and the extractive industry with a special attention to equitable and sustainable management of natural resource (land, forests, marine resources, water, minerals etc) as well as to issues of transparency and accountability, governance, and the upholding of the highest environmental, social, human rights and labour standards.

• To enhance the engagement of communities and the citizenry, particularly the youth, women and vulnerable and indigenous groups in the extractive sector and energy, particularly around the sustainable management of natural resources, enabling them to fully participate in decisions affecting their lives and their rights to sustainable livelihoods, taking advantage of opportunities and mitigating any environmental, social and governance risk.

Actions must take place in Namibia.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a civil society organisation and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €2,300,000

Deadline: 17/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is: Enjoyment of human rights and other fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Eligible Activities: The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals is/are:

1. Contribute towards ratification, domestication and implementation of the African Disability Protocol (ADP)/instruments in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe;

2. Capacitating grassroots and local Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to execute their mandates;

3. Promote implementation of rights of all Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and enhance effective voice/participation in advancing disability inclusion in national/regional development processes.

Actions must take place in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as: be a a civil society organisation (CSO) or a legally registered Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), institutions and organisations and networks thereof at local, national, regional and international levels and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €1,500,000

Deadline: 23/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: European Commission (EC)

Objective: The European Commission (EC) has announced the call for proposals for enjoyment of human rights and other fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities (PwDs) in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Objectives

The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals is/are:

Contribute towards ratification, domestication and implementation of the African Disability Protocol (ADP)/instruments in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe;

Capacitating grassroots and local Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) to execute their mandates;

Promote implementation of rights of all Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) and enhance effective voice/participation in advancing disability inclusion in national/regional development processes.

Priorities

The priority (ies) of this call for proposals are as follows:

• Working with local civil society organisations,

• Strengthening capacities of CSOs/OPDs to actively engage in policy dialogue for the ratification of the ADP,

• Collaborative engagements such as with CSOs/OPDs, think tanks/academia, national/regional human rights commissions, human rights defenders, the private sector, etc.

Eligible Activities: Types of Activity

The below list of activities is indicative and non-exhaustive. Applicants are encouraged to use innovative approaches and intervention methodologies. Coordination of activities and creation of synergies with on-going/past EU programmes and projects and with other non-EU funded programmes and projects need to be ensured.

Examples of activities that may be financed under this Call include:

Movement building for local OPDs to effectively engage at regional levels;

Demonstration of concrete involvement of partner governments during the design and in the implementation phases of the action;

Supporting OPDs’ internal management systems including effectiveness and advocacy;

Support the design of laws and public policies & services that protect human rights of persons with disabilities – including advancing the implementation of specific articles of the ADP (e.g. right to access to justice, to education, to healthcare, and to independent living, etc.);

Support actors to strengthen accountability systems and increase civil society participation in processes that mainstream and domesticate UNCRPD recommendations and in ratification processes of the ADP.

Location

Actions must take place in the following countries:

Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe,

In duly justified cases, certain activities may take place outside the target countries.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant(s)

In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:

be a legal person and;

be non-profit-making and;

be a specific type of organisation such as: a civil society organisation (CSO) or a legally registered Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), institutions and organisations and networks thereof at local, national, regional and international levels, and;

be established in either; i) a Member State of the European Union or; ii) in either Malawi, Zambia or Zimbabwe; or iii) in another country which is a eligible under the NDICI - Global Europe, and;

be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity (ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Co-applicant(s)

Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.

Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.

Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.

Affiliated entities

The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).

Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(s):

Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.

This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:

Control on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:

Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:

Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;

Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant;

Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).

Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association) as the proposed affiliated entities

Total Budget: €1,500,000

Deadline: 23/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/prospect-details/180511PROSPECTSEN

Programme: U.S. Mission to China

Objective: Objective

The U.S. Mission to China invites proposals for projects that strengthen people-to-people ties between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC),and increase local PRC audiences’ understanding of the United States’ foreign policy, values, and culture through direct or virtual engagement. Competitive proposals should support a priority program area (see below). All programs must include content or connections with American expert(s), organization(s), or institution(s) that will promote increased cooperation between the people of the United States, the U.S. Mission in China, and the people of China.

Eligible Activities: Examples of Public Diplomacy Grants Program projects include, but are not limited to:

– Academic and professional lectures, seminars, and speaker programs;

– Artistic and cultural workshops, joint performances, and exhibitions;

– Cultural heritage protection programs; and

– Programs that encourage and expand connections between students and scholars in both countries.

Actions must take place in China.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility is limited to U.S. and PRC entities, including not-for-profit organizations, think tanks, educational institutions, civil society organizations, museums, national parks, nature reserves, and individuals with expertise in relevant subject areas. For-profit entities and projects in Hong Kong, Macau, or Taiwan are not eligible.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 30/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/352912

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Project outputs and results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

• Increased safety and resilience of waterborne digital systems, including system of systems and their functions and considering both malicious intervention and system failure with particular regard to the application of artificial intelligence methodologies, networks of sensors and the onshore on-board communications.

• Improved system design addressing human factors issues in the changing levels of human/automated system interactions

• Assurance of the resilience, safety and security of waterborne digital and connected systems is undertaken on the basis of robust methodologies to a similar standard to that applied within other sectors which apply safety critical digital technology and their application in safety critical conditions including the safety of navigation and its systems.

• Robust by design waterborne digital and connected systems for safety and resilience (incl. reliability regimes such as fail safe, fail secure, fail to operation etc., HAZOP, system of systems, security, hardware and equipment data, etc.)

• Methodologies to enable effective HAZOP analysis and validation of waterborne digital systems are developed and disseminated, increasing the use of common approaches, also when using artificial intelligence applications.

• Increased software safety (incl. functional analysis and reliability assessment).

• Increased cyber security for operation and maintenance (incl. software maintenance).

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Increasingly, modern waterborne transport relies upon smart digital and connected systems to ensure safe and efficient operation. Within large complex vessels, system of systems approaches are used together with Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence approaches to integrate diverse systems ranging from sensors, business and cargo management systems, power and engine management, electronic navigation and situational awareness. System integration of systems with proprietary digital control systems has become more and more critical in terms of ensuring safety and efficiency. The complexity and foundation upon software, makes assurance of the resilience of such systems challenging and requires a different to that applied to hardware- based systems. Waterborne digital system can be vulnerable to both malicious intervention and the consequences of system failure. Examples have included the spoofing of navigational GPS signals, ransom wear attacks on integrated container management systems, complete power shutdown and the helicopter evacuation of a large passenger ship when engine protection systems identified a common fault across all engine waterborne systems. The challenge to assure the safety and resilience of digital systems is particularly important within large complex vessels where the level of integration and connectivity is high and where the consequences of failure can be particularly severe.

In the domain of power generation and management the vastness of new technological solutions, often driven by environmental regulations, poses new challenges in ships’ design and management, where the need for integration of diverse energy converters (ICEs, batteries, fuel cells, wind, capacitors, etc.) confront designers and operators with systems based on profoundly different operating principles coming together with different requirements and control and digital systems. Integration for harnessing the full potential in a safe and secure frame is key to their implementation.

Furthermore, the capability of integrating different systems (and their dynamics) involve an always increased number of sensors, whose data, fused, should become available for optimisation and increased awareness during normal and safe critical operations.

Comprehensive HAZOP (Hazard Operability) studies are essential for such vessels, yet the methodologies are poorly established within the waterborne sector whilst other sectors operating safety critical digital systems (aerospace, nuclear, medical automotive etc.) have well established practices. Furthermore, applying “hardware in the loop” to simulation and validation of digital systems in dependent on the quality of the digital simulation model. This can be difficult for waterborne transport due to the variability of ship designs, complexity and lack of relevant data concerning the integrated components. Pre-delivery testing and sea trials could include fault simulation and digital testing founded upon the identification of critical digital systems identified by the HAZOP, yet such trials focus on hard-ware or subsystems such as rudder control rather than addressing the entire integration. For safety critical systems, reliability regimes need to be established to identify the safe default state in case of system failure or the identification of malicious intervention. In this respect the best system state could be: “fail operational”, “fail soft”, “fail safe”, “fail secure”, “fail passive”, “be fault tolerant”.

Activities will address the development of a HAZOP methodology for whole system assessment of highly digitised, connected complex vessels. The methodology should include system, system of systems designed for specific function or sets of functions and/or a methodology for the entire vessel, including when application of artificial intelligence algorithms is foreseen. The methodology will be developed with relevant stakeholders including shipbuilders, system designers and equipment providers, IT professionals, operators, class societies, regulators. The acceptability of the methodology to all stakeholders will be assessed and an implementation roadmap will be developed to account for any identified barriers. Work will draw upon the expertise of other sectors with more developed procedures for the assessment and assurance of digital safety.

On-board systems and functions integration by design, for safe and secure operation should be used to test and demonstrate the safety and security of the applications.

The developed methodology will be applied to a representative complex highly digitised vessel, safety critical systems and functions will be identified, and appropriate reliability regimes and mitigation measures will be established with consideration of both malicious intervention and system failure.

Cost effective methodologies for validating the safety, resilience and correct functioning of digital and connected safety critical ship systems, including system of systems, will be developed and demonstrated.

In case of validation on the basis of a theoretical digital models and/or digital twinning (e.g. hardware in the loop) then the validity of the model should be proven as well as its flexibility to be applied towards a range of vessel designs.

In case of validation on the basis of physical testing of the responses of the final system to a range of fault conditions and malicious interventions during the final trials, there should be assurance that test conditions are representative of the identified risks.

Guidance should be produced and disseminated concerning the recommended methodology for assuring the safety and resilience of complex digitalised and connected shipping.

The safety assessment should be developed by using methodologies suitable for being assessed in international fora such as the International Maritime Organisation.

Specific Topic Conditions: Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5-6 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €8,500,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d6-01-10

Programme: HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects results are expected to contribute to four (4) or more of the following expected outcomes:

• Improved integration of research institutions, Higher Education Institutions, vocational schools, and similar organisations into Europe’s innovation ecosystems by establishing better links with start-ups and start-up networks, accelerators and incubators, business angels and investor communities;

• Improved flows of knowledge, skills, and talents between educational institutions and other innovation ecosystem actors at various levels of development, including in the deep tech[1] field in line with the New European Innovation Agenda[2];

• Improved skills of all involved ecosystem actors to increase innovation potential, inter-sectoral mobility, and market uptake of new technologies; Targeted are skills necessary and responsive to innovation and labour market needs on digital, green, and entrepreneurial skills, networking skills, risk taking, and in particular in the deep tech field;

• Improved connections of educational institutions to high-quality remote testing, validation, and up-scaling of innovations delivered by research and technology infrastructures across the EU;

• Improved competence of students, graduates, researchers, and workforce to launch, run, and lead successful and profitable start-ups, including in the deep tech field;

• Enhanced availability of local talents equipped with skills to support business acceleration and digitalisation[3];

• Enhanced entrepreneurial activity in developing innovation ecosystems and their upscaling and interconnectedness across the EU supported by citizens and local initiatives in order to build innovative solutions to current and future challenges;

• Increased engagement and connectedness with other ecosystem actors (e.g. other educational institutions, Technology Transfer Offices, Research and Technology Organisations, local and regional enterprises, private companies, start-ups, early-stage companies, accelerators, incubators, etc.) within and between regions;

• Increased youth (self) employability and gender balance in collaborations.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Target group(s): Research and innovation ( related actors such as vocational schools, higher education institutions, public authorities in the field of education and employment, innovation agencies, SMEs, deep tech companies, the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) start-ups and industry, research performing organisations, knowledge and technology transfer offices and associations, students and researchers.

Educational and research institutions are considered key places for knowledge production and innovation, and should be well connected within and beyond their respective regional innovation ecosystems. By increasing the connectedness of educational and research institutions, host regions will be able to increase their competitive advantage by fostering and possibly attracting talent, high-tech companies, and boosting innovation output in the area;

However, due to the diverse innovation landscape in Europe, educational and research institutions from better-connected innovation ecosystems benefit from more local accelerators with greater funding opportunities and more qualified business support services compared to their counterparts in other areas, including rural or peripheral areas.

The action should foster the creation of innovation ecosystems with educational and research institutions, or strengthen their existing links. Proposals should outline activities for supporting educational and research institutions to take a greater entrepreneurial role, e.g. through boosting innovation and entrepreneurship within their activities. The action should also ensure that educational and research institutions’ assets and vision are articulated clearly and in line with respective regional specialisations (such as smart specialisation strategies), so they can easily be integrated into innovation ecosystems and economic value chains.

The proposals should leverage best practices of the private and public sector in the EU's well performing innovation hubs and enhance collaborations between businesses with R&I actors in educational and research institutions. The proposals should build on the educational and research institutions' focus areas and relationship to innovation, matching regional and business interests (and where relevant complement smart specialisation strategies), in order to maximize each stakeholders’ strengths and accelerate progress. The proposals should outline activities that will foster connectedness of the innovation ecosystems while preventing brain drain and encourage talent to stay in emerging regions, including rural areas. Only by providing local talents, including female talents, with knowledge and opportunities to contribute to the local private sector or develop their own businesses, local innovation ecosystems can expand based on sustainable and inclusive growth. The proposals should valorise high levels of technical skills, including in deep tech, in developing innovation ecosystems with hands-on knowledge and experiences in business management and international scale-up processes.

The action supports co-designed programmes of activities of at least two (2) years, proposed jointly by educational institutions, research institutions, and other R&I actors from ‘emerging’ and ‘moderate’ innovation ecosystems and the private sector from innovation hubs (‘strong innovators’ and ‘innovation leaders’), to ensure better connectedness between higher education institutions and research organisation with other actors of innovation ecosystems, for example:

Engagement of business experts into the implementation of networking activities and building innovation ecosystem around the university/research institution;

Engagement of students, graduates, researchers and workforce from various disciplines and departments into the innovation ecosystem, with a focus on networking and building networks around educational and research institutions as centres of gravity, and engaging in companies’ structures and business processes;

Engagement of students and researchers in start-ups from both their immediate local environment and beyond (regional, national, transnational) working with various actors from the innovation ecosystem to experience what starting and running a venture entails, such as raising funds, pitching events, creating, editing, and adapting business models in the creation process from idea to market, etc.;

Creation of synergies between students, graduates, researchers, innovators, education institutes, research performing organisations, and business partners, locally, at EU level, and globally targeting the creation of networks and communities of practices in the field of deep tech to stimulate the market uptake of results and new technologies, as well as their co-creation.

The proposed programmes of activities should ensure gender-balanced participation opportunities.

To ensure that the impact of the action goes beyond consortium members and their respective countries, it is encouraged that the selected consortia work closely with innovation agencies from their respective territories and beyond, and seek synergies with relevant EU initiatives in the field of university-business cooperation, such as knowledge and innovation alliances under the Erasmus+ programme or the EIT Knowledge Innovation Communities (KICs) to allow for complementarities and possible use of already existing EIT KICs' knowledge, expertise, networks, communities or platforms such as those developed under the EIT Initiative on Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education[4]that focuses on strengthening partnerships between higher education and businesses including developing innovation and business support services.

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €2,500,000

Deadline: 19/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-eie-2024-connect-02-01

Programme: US Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor

Objective: Objective

The primary objective of this grant is to support projects that engage citizens in Uzbekistan on the new Gender-Based Violence (GBV) law. The initiative aims to promote democracy, human rights, and labor by combating GBV in Uzbekistan. This engagement is crucial for ensuring that the new GBV law is effectively implemented and that citizens are aware of and can advocate for their rights under this legislation. The program seeks to empower local communities, enhance legal literacy, and support civil society organizations in their efforts to monitor and promote the enforcement of the GBV law.

Eligible Activities: By funding projects under this grant, DRL intends to contribute to the broader goal of supporting democracy, human rights, and labor in Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia, with a specific focus on assisting Uzbekistan in its efforts to combat gender-based violence.

Actions must take place in Uzbekistan.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGOs), public international organizations, private, public, or state institutions of higher education, and for-profit organizations or businesses. Preference is given to non-profit entities, although for-profit entities may be considered if they are best suited for the project.

Total Budget: $900,000

Deadline: 06/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/352869

Programme: The World Bank

Objective: The Pandemic Fund has opened its second call for proposals and is inviting interested Eligible Countries, Regional Entities, and Implementing Entities to develop full proposals for potential projects to be supported by this initial funding.

In recognition of the high demand for funding under the first Call—considered a pilot Call, the second Call for Proposals will have a larger funding envelope and will again prioritize high-impact investments at national and regional level in early warning and disease surveillance systems, laboratory systems, and strengthening human resources and public health and community workforce capacity. Particular attention will be paid to community and civil society engagement, gender equity, and other broader equity considerations as cross-cutting areas of focus in proposal development and implementation.

The Pandemic Fund a multi-stakeholder partnership provides a dedicated stream of additional, long-term grant financing to strengthen critical pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response (PPR) capacities and capabilities in low- and middle-income countries. It has mobilized $2 billion to date from 24 sovereign contributors and three philanthropies. The Fund is a collaborative effort between governments, the World Bank, the World Health Organization (WHO), other UN agencies, multilateral development banks (MDBs), global health initiatives, philanthropies, and civil society organizations. The Fund’s governance is inclusive, with balanced representation from the Global North and the Global South, and with governments, philanthropies, and civil society organizations as voting members.

Eligible Activities: Priority Areas

In recognition of the high demand for funding demonstrated in the first CfP, the second CfP continues to prioritize high-impact investments in the following three priority areas:

early warning and disease surveillance systems,

laboratory systems (human and animal), and

strengthening human resources/public health and community workforce capacity for human and animal health, to help countries prevent, prepare for and respond to health emergencies.

Proposals submitted to the Pandemic Fund must cover one or more of these three priority areas.

Within each of these three priority areas, countries and regions may have different investment needs.

Types of activities that can be financed under the Second CfP

Within each of the three priority areas for the second CfP, countries and regions may have different investment needs. A brief description of the types of activities that could be financed under the CfP in each of these areas is presented here, noting that proposals may cover one or more of these priority areas and may include activities at the intersection of the three areas:

Early Warning and Disease Surveillance Systems: IHR (2005) and WOAH Standards require rapid detection of public health threats, as well as risk assessment (including understanding of drivers of emergence), notification, and response. A sensitive, collaborative surveillance system is needed to ensure early warning and to provide information for an informed decision-making process during public health events and emergencies. This involves a multisectoral and integrated health system approach, including monitoring outbreaks and emerging diseases in domestic and wild animals, antimicrobial resistance, community-based surveillance, clinical surveillance, sentinel surveillance systems and contact tracing during health emergencies, among others.

Laboratory Systems: Laboratories are critical to surveillance, detection, and response. Strengthening laboratory systems requires investments across several areas and sectors, for example, in: a) specimen referral and transport systems to ensure that specimens can be shipped in a timely manner to appropriate reference laboratories, as necessary; b) developing and implementing national biosafety and biosecurity systems that allow for pathogens to be identified, characterized and monitored according to best practices, including activities such as a biological risk management training, country specific biosafety and biosecurity legislation, associated data management, laboratory licensing and pathogen control measures, and ensuring veterinary expertise is represented; c) strengthening lab quality management systems; d) building capacity to ensure reliable and timely testing including relay of results

Human Resources/Public Health and Community Workforce Capacity: A multisectoral workforce is key to enabling prevention, early detection, and rapid response to potential events of concern at all levels of health and community systems, as required by the IHR and WOAH Standards, at a minimum. The availability and accessibility of a quality health workforce for surge capacity in emergencies, including a workforce for surveillance (e.g., field investigation and contact tracing teams, logisticians, laboratory personnel, animal and environmental health experts, clinicians, communications and event managers, and experts in finance, human resources, supplies, etc.) and for early warning and awareness raising, is critical to prevention efforts, building the resilience of communities and for the continuity of health services during an emergency.

Further, regardless of priority areas for the second CfP and future rounds, the Pandemic Fund requires applicants to pay particular attention to community engagement, and in addition, to civil society engagement, gender equity, and other broader equity considerations, as cross-cutting areas of focus in proposal development and implementation, and that these considerations be reflected clearly in the proposals submitted.

Results Framework

The Results Framework covers results, and associated metrics and indicators, along four key dimensions:

Building capacity/demonstrating capability

Proposals will be required to demonstrate how the project will help improve applicable JEE, PVS, and SPAR scores and lead to improved capabilities in comprehensive disease surveillance and preparedness to respond to health emergencies. Specifically, the proposal should articulate which, among the applicable JEE third edition indicators and PVS pathway critical competencies from those listed below, would be targeted for improvement through the project, using the grant requested from the Pandemic Fund and other associated sources, and how the project will contribute to progress towards a demonstrated level of capacity (goal of level 4 or 5) on one or more of the indicators

Fostering coordination nationally (across sectors within countries), and among countries regionally and globally

One of the goals of the Pandemic Fund is to foster a coordinated, coherent, and community-led approach to pandemic PPR. Accordingly, proposals will be required to clearly demonstrate how the project brings together key institutions, networks and regional platforms (as applicable) engaged in pandemic PPR to ensure a cocreated, coordinated, and coherent approach between and among the applicant(s) and partners (e.g., by aligning support of different partners around a government strategy or national or regional plan, leveraging innovation and/or triggering new policy commitments and actions).

In this context, while the involvement of at least one IE is a requirement, proposals will be required to:

highlight the engagement of other IEs that are involved in the space being covered by the proposed project and how collaboration will be achieved, as applicable;

articulate how various relevant sectors, including health and others, have and will contribute to the project;

demonstrate, with supporting evidence, the co-ownership and co-creation of the project by all relevant parties, and their joint commitment to implementation.

Incentivizing additional investments in pandemic PPR

The Pandemic Fund seeks to incentivize financial and policy commitments from countries, Regional Entities and IEs as well as attract additional, new funds from other sources. To measure the Pandemic Fund’s effectiveness in these areas, the Results Framework includes metrics to capture the extent to which Pandemic Fund resources complement and/or strengthen existing pandemic PPR/global health security efforts, the extent to which new funding sources are secured as a result of the Pandemic Fund grant, and the extent to which the capacities built by Pandemic Fund - supported projects can be sustained, following project completion.

Ensuring administrative/operational efficiency of Pandemic Fund resources

The Pandemic Fund will operate with high standards of transparency and accountability to ensure that resources are disbursed in a timely manner and used efficiently to address pandemic PPR needs. To this end, each project should include schedules for the commitment and disbursement of resources to projects and present project costs, including the cost of monitoring and evaluation of the outputs and impact of the work, and IE costs related to preparation, administration and supervision. The Results Framework includes metrics to capture these elements.

Types of Proposals that will be accepted

There are three types of proposals that will be accepted, which include:

Single-country proposal: This is a proposal submitted by one eligible country along with one or more approved IEs, where the activities of the proposal will occur in and benefit those at the national or sub-national level of the applying country.

Multi-country proposal: This is a proposal submitted by two or more eligible countries along with one or more approved IEs, where the activities of the proposal will occur in and benefit those at the national or sub-national level of each of the applying countries. A proposal from multiple countries in the same region would also be considered as a “multi-country proposal” and not a Regional Entity proposal.

Regional Entity proposal: This is a proposal submitted by a Regional Entity (or body or platform) along with one or more approved IEs, where the activities of the proposal will occur in and benefit those at the regional or sub-regional level. A Regional Entity proposal is different than a multi-country proposal because the primary grant beneficiary is a Regional Entity, and not countries. Some examples of Regional Entities include the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and West African Health Organization (WAHO). Other regional bodies such as regional development communities or economic organizations may also be considered (e.g., Southern African Development Community (SADC), Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)). Regional arms of a global organization, generally consisting of Member States grouped within a geographical region of that global organization, would typically not be eligible.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Any country that is eligible to receive funding from IBRD and/or IDA is eligible, in principle, to receive funding from the Pandemic Fund. It may be noted, however, that the 16 countries that were awarded single-country grants under the first CfP are not eligible to receive single-country grants under the second CfP. However, these countries may be included in “Multi-country” or “Regional Entity” proposals, as defined.

Countries that were part of successful multi-country grants and/or covered under successful Regional Entity proposals in the first CfP are eligible to apply for both single-country and multi-country grants in the second CfP.

Funding proposals (referred to hereafter as “proposals”) may be submitted by:

An Eligible Country, groups of Eligible Countries, or a Regional Entity or Entities, working with one or more IEs; or

IEs, working with a group of Eligible Countries or with a Regional Entity or Entities, for multi-country or Regional Entity proposals.

Unsuccessful Applicants from the first CfP are encouraged to re-apply during this CfP. It is recommended that applicants review the feedback provided to them on their previous submission before re-applying, and ensure their proposal reflects the considerations in this Guidance Note, as well as subsequent advice to be issued when the application portal is opened in late February 2024.

Total Budget: $500,000,000

Deadline: 17/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.thepandemicfund.org/news/press-release/pandemic-fund-announces-second-round-funding-half-billion-dollar-envelope

Programme: The European Commission (EC)

Objective: The European Commission (EC) has announced a call for proposals to enhance the quantity, quality and impact of independent audiovisual reporting on EU affairs by pan-European media outlets in as many languages and EU member states as possible.

Applicants are expected to produce and disseminate audiovisual content using both traditional and new media formats and distribution channels. They must adhere to European editorial standards, implement a shared pan-European branding and outreach strategy, and encourage exchanges of opinions and debates on key topics affecting European citizens.

Eligible Activities: Topics

Topic 1. Production and broadcasting of programmes and reports on EU affairs, including activities and policies of the EU institutions.

Objectives

This topic provides support for the production and broadcasting of programmes focusing on the policies and activities of the EU and its institutions, as well as European themes from a European perspective.

Applicants should concentrate on daily and weekly tv programming, digital formats and news items. Proposals must outline the main formats proposed, including production methods, duration, frequency, editorial and technical aspects, number of languages and dissemination strategies.

The topic aims to result in a common content offer available in multiple languages and Member states under shared-EU branding and editorial arrangements. It topic may also include support for coverage provided by correspondents across the Union, i.e. reporting on main topics affecting the European Union public sphere with a common European perspective.

Themes and priorities

Content formats

Proposals are invited to focus on TV and, to some extent, digital production. This means that, on top of TV linear and non-linear broadcasting, some of the formats are expected to be offered through digital means and accompanied with a multiplaform strategy, such as using social media and engaging with audiences.

The proposed programmes need to focus on the European Union and European affairs, as defined. Applicants are expected to propose multiple formats, particularly including:

Daily/weekly programmes and tv magazines covering topics of panEuropean resonance and interest (e.g. in-depth reporting, debates, factchecking).

Live broadcasts - Interviews of European Union personalities

Talk shows and debates on EU topics.

News about the EU institutions’ works, decisions, and steps involved in building the EU, along with comparisons of different member-state realities.

Governance and workflows

Applicants must explain the governance, editorial and technical arrangements underpinning the proposal.

All items must be produced, curated and/or disseminated under journalistic standards. Applicants are expected to outline the applicable editorial guidelines and standards, as well as their understanding of what constitutes EU affairs and EU remit. They should indicate how these standards are respected and implemented internally and externally (e.g. through independent analyses of editorial quality) ensuring transparency and/or measures to increase accountability towards the audiences.

Applicants must demonstrate the extent to which their editorial arrangements underpin a European perspectice (i.e. are appropriate to provide European perspectives6 to audiences across the EU).

Distribution and outreach

Dissemination is a fundamental part of this topic. Applicants are invited to describe the existing or planned distribution mechanisms through tv, digital and other innovative formats (e.g. apps, etc).

The content offer should target the widest possible audience in multiple EU countries. The proposal should include a cross-platform outreach plan and a social media strategy. This plan must identify target audiences and relevant multipliers, with adapted outreach objectives. Audiences should be able to access the content for free.

Media organisations applying to this topic should be well-positioned to bring a European perspective to their viewers and audiences in multiple EU countries. Thus, applicants are expected to produce and distribute a common content offer through a common visual identity, branding and visibility strategy underpinning the European Union nature of the action.

Activities that can be funded

The following types of activities are eligible under this topic:

Editorial projects, content production, curation and dissemination and related activities.

Coordination and editorial supervision, governance, management, technical and editorial workflows, staff, control systems.

Setup, maintenance and/or development of technical delivery, distribution and transmission systems (either audiovisual and/or via digital platforms, websites and tools, etc.).

Expected impact

This topic aims to increase the coverage and availability of audiovisual and digital news content on EU affairs from European perspectives. Audiences will gain access to more content on EU affairs through a pool of common European programming in multiple Member States, thereby strengthening a shared democratic engagement and public debate.

The territorial focus of this action is: EU Member states

Topic 2. News services in languages with limited coverage of EU affairs and/or where the diversity of EU news content can improve.

Objectives

This topic focuses on building or developing international news media offers in EU countries where media pluralism, market plurality and content diversity can improve, including in language markets where the availability of content on EU affairs is limited.

According to the 2023 Media Pluralism Monitor, nearly all countries in the European Union experience medium to high risks in terms of market plurality, with Hungary achieving the lowest score. Therefore, establishing and/or maintaining an EU international audiovisual news service in Hungarian is a primary focus under this topic. The service should serve as a platform to produce and disseminate EU and international audiovisual and digital content among Hungarian-speaking populations in the European Union.

Applicants might accompany the provision of a service in Hungarian with other languages in EU countries where further provision of independent content on EU affairs has the potential to increasing media pluralism. In all cases, applicants should leverage digital means and technologies to expand audience reach.

Themes and priorities (scope)

Under this topic, applicants are invited to setup and/or develop international, audiovisual media services specialised on EU affairs and delivering 24/7 content specifically in Hungarian, and, potentially, in other languages in as much as the offer could increase media pluralism in the targeted EU markets.

The provision of EU audiovisual services in Hungarian (and other proposed languages, if relevant) should offer audiences continuous access to an independent source of EU and international news content, as an alternative to the usual, national content offers. This offer must focus particularly on EU affairs.

Linguistic services

Applicants must explain the different components comprising the proposed EU international service, starting by its strategic positioning, nature and purpose. They are encouraged to also utilize local structures in the countries of action (for example in terms of premises, editing staff, technical provisions) if feasible.

Applicants are expected to detail

The chosen editorial formats and distribution models.

The composition and organisation of the editorial and technical staff.

The types of content (notably EU affairs, etc) populating the service

The linguistic services must focus on EU affairs but can be enhanced by the production of content from areas of interest, potentially involving staff such as Brussels correspondents, digital offices, etc. Similarly, applicants should be capable of producing content that fosters enhanced public and plural debate in the chosen linguistic markets).

Distribution and outreach

Applicants must describe the proposed delivery systems for the service. They are encouraged to explore mediums such as traditional TV, digital TV, and digital formats (including web, digital apps, etc.).

The content offer should target the widest possible audience in the targeted countries (including Hungarian speaking populations). The proposal should include a cross-platform outreach plan and a social media strategy. Audiences should be able to access the content for free.

Media organisations applying to this topic should be in a good position to bring a European perspective to their viewers and audiences. Thus, applicants are expected to produce and distribute a common content offer through a common visual identity, branding and visibility strategy underpinning the European Union nature of the action.

For TV programming, applicants are also strongly encouraged to search synergies of the services with other existing linguistic offers (e.g. through common programming grids across borders). On digital formats, proposals are expected to consider different sorts of technical and engagement solutions to ensure discoverability and sorting, user-friendliness and dissemination of content, as well as the tools to monitor impact.

Activities that can be funded

The following types of activities are eligible under this topic:

Editorial projects, content production, curation and dissemination and related activities.

Coordination and editorial supervision, governance, management, technical and editorial workflows, staff, control systems.

Rental or maintenance of studios and premises locally to carry out the action

Expected impact

This action aims to increase the coverage and availability of audiovisual and digital content on EU affairs in Hungarian and other languages where availability of content on EU affairs can improve. These audiences will gain access to more content on EU affairs through new international/EU programming, thereby reinforcing democratic engagement and public debate in the targeted countries.

The territorial focus of this action is: EU Member states with limited coverage of EU affairs and/or where the diversity of EU affairs content can improve.

Consistent with other projects dealing with developing a European public sphere, applicants will have to propose indicators to measure the accomplishment of their actions and plans. Indicators will address, at least, the following categories: (a) Proportion of EU citizens addressed through the multilingual offer, (b) Potential audience, (c) Actual audience, (d) Digital reach, (e) Engagement through social media, (f) Editorial quality and European perspective.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

be legal entities (public or private bodies)

be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:

EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)

Proposals may be submitted by any of the following applicants or combinations of:

News media organisations specialising in EU matters.

Natural persons are not eligible

International organisations are not eligible.

Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.

EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can not be part of the consortium.

Affiliated entities

Legal entities having a legal or capital link with applicants, which is neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose of its implementation, may take part in the action as affiliated entities, and may declare eligible costs as specified in section 10.

Total Budget: €11,000,000

Deadline: 24/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/funding/pan-european-audiovisual-reporting

Programme: East Ventures

Objective: Submissions are now open for the Climate Impact Innovations Challenge (CIIC), Indonesia’s largest climate innovations tech competition.

CIIC provides a platform for tech innovators to showcase their sustainable innovations in addressing ecological challenges and mitigating the impacts of climate change. The Climate Impact Innovations Challenge is presented by East Ventures and Singapore’s Temasek Foundation.

Eligible Activities: The three tracks of CIIC 2024:

Energy Transition

They are seeking innovative ideas and solutions that drive the adoption of renewable energy and contribute to the reduction and removal of carbon emissions, to help communities and industries shift towards energy transition in a low-cost and inclusive manner.

Sustainable Agriculture

They are seeking innovative ideas and solutions that enhance food production (plant, cultivate, harvest, process), and improve agricultural practices due to climate change.

Circular Economy

They are seeking innovative ideas and solutions aimed at enhancing waste management processes and transforming waste into valuable materials, resources, and energy, thereby reducing waste sent to landfills and for incineration as well as plastic pollution.

Eligible Applicants: Applicant Criteria

The Climate Impact Innovations Challenge is open for participants globally.

Pilot to create minimum viable product with the intention for commercialization.

Possesses an original and innovative proposal.

Proposes an impactful solution that addresses key challenges in at least one of the three tracks: Energy Transition, Sustainable Agriculture, and Circular Economy.

Presents a feasible solution that can be adopted quickly and perform well in a large scale setting.

Potential for commercially viable solution, with a large market size.

Total Budget: $1,000,000

Deadline: 04/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://climateimpactinnovations.com/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships (IP)

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to strengthen CSOs as independent actors of governance representing different groups. The action aims to contribute to an inclusive and equal participation of CSOs in Eswatini, in particular CSOs active in promoting an enabling environment for women and youth and vulnerable groups, and to an inclusive and open dialogue among civil society, local authorities and the private sector.

Eligible Activities: The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

• To support the role of CSOs in the promotion of fundamental values, good governance, policy development and the protection of human rights through tailor-made capacity building initiatives and establishing of collaboration platforms/networking.

• To strengthen capacities of civil society and grass-root organisations across all its dimensions in EU priority areas: to engage in gender equality, youth and people with disabilities social inclusion, empowerment and human rights.

• To establish a funding mechanism (e.g. through financial support to third parties) that provides different types of support tailor-made to the size and capacity of civil society actors.

Actions must take place in Eswatini.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as: civil society organization and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €3,000,000

Deadline: 05/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships (IP)

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is: to contribute to inclusive economic growth and job creation. The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals is/are: to boost the sustainable and inclusive development of the Eswatini key value chains via renewable energy and energy efficiency investments. The key value chains under this action are the ones more important for rural development and trade under SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement, as well as their potential for sustainable and inclusive growth and job creation. This value chains are not limited to the Agricultural sector, but also include the Commercial and Industrial (C&I) sectors.

Eligible Activities: The priority(ies) of this call for proposals is/are: To provide tailor-made support to smallholding farmers, farmer companies, women, youth and people/groups living in vulnerable situations with business ideas in:

a) identify the renewable energy and energy efficiency investment potential in their operations;

b) create awareness on the legal and financing requirements of such investments;

c) bundle investment projects so that they meet Finance Institutions’ criteria;

d) develop bankable investment concepts and applications;

e) provide coaching and monitoring during their investment project implementation when desired or necessary.

Actions must take place in Eswatini.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must: (1) be a legal person and (2) be non-profit-making and (3) be a specific type of organisation such as: private or public sector operator, or international (inter-governmental) organisation and (4) be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary.

Total Budget: €820,000

Deadline: 06/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: Interreg Europe

Objective: This is a call for proposals for interregional cooperation projects. These projects gather policy-relevant organisations from different countries in Europe working together on a common regional development issue. The first three years of the projects (‘core phase’) are dedicated to exchange and transfer of experience among the participating partners in order to improve the policy instruments addressed by the project. In the fourth and last year (‘follow-up phase’), the regions mainly focus on monitoring the results and impact of the cooperation

Eligible Activities: 1. Smarter Europe All specific objectives:

(i) Research and Innovation capacities, uptake of advanced technologies

(ii) Digitisation for citizens, companies, research organisations and public authorities

(iii) Sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, including by productive investments

(iv) Skills for smart specialisation, industrial transition & entrepreneurship

(v) Digital connectivity

2. Greener Europe All specific objectives:

(i) Energy efficiency and reduction of greenhouse emissions

(ii) Renewable energy

(iii) Smart energy systems, grids and storage

(iv) Climate change adaptation, disaster risk prevention, resilience

(v) Access to water and sustainable water management

(vi) Circular and resource efficient economy

(vii) Protection and preservation of nature and biodiversity, green infrastructures, pollution reduction

(viii) Sustainable urban mobility for zero carbon economy

3. More connected Europe All specific objectives:

(i) Climate resilient, intelligent, secure, sustainable and intermodal TEN-T

(ii) Sustainable, climate resilient, intelligent and intermodal national, regional and local mobility

4. More social Europe The following selected specific objectives:

(i) Effectiveness and inclusiveness of labour market, access to quality employment, social economy

(vi) Culture and tourism for economic development, social inclusion and social innovation

20%

(v) Equal access to health care, health systems resilience, family-based and community-based care

(ii) Accesses to education, training and lifelong learning, distance

and on-line education and training

(iii) Inclusion of marginalised communities, low-income households

and disadvantaged groups

(iv) Socio-economic integration of third country nationals, including

migrants

5. Europe closer to Citizens All specific objectives

(i) Sustainable integrated territorial development, culture, natural

heritage, sustainable tourism and security (urban areas)

(ii) Sustainable integrated territorial development, culture, natural

heritage, sustainable tourism and security (other than urban)

Eligible Applicants: Geographical areas Countries covered

North - Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden

East - Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia

South - Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain

West - Belgium, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Switzerland

Candidate countries area - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine

Total Budget: €130,000,000

Deadline: 07/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.interregeurope.eu/apply-for-the-call

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

This topic aims at developing:

• Generation 5[1] technologies for mobility applications;

• the relevant manufacturing techniques which are affecting performance, safety and costs;

• Cell designs which will allow for full and easy recyclability at the end of their life.

• This topic also aims at evaluating the possible manufacturing compatibility with existing lithium-ion production infrastructure.

Projects are expected to contribute to at least one of the following outcomes:

• Conversion systems based on metallic anodes with enhanced safety, delivering on cost, performance, sustainability and recyclability, with clear prospects for the feasibility of the scale-up of the manufacturing processes.

• Metallic anode protection and/or activation for conversion systems (polymer, ceramic and hybrid electrolytes) with increased safety, cycle life and low cost.

• Post lithium-ion cells based on cations other than lithium with long cycle-life (Sodium-ion is excluded and covered by topic HORIZON-CL5-2024-D2-01-02 ).

• In addition, projects are expected to contribute to creating rechargeable batteries that will work in realistic environments, are recyclable and with low environmental impact, and have safe manufacturing processes. To the extent possible the safety and sustainability of developed materials should be assessed in alignment with the Commission Recommendation on safe and sustainable by design chemicals and materials[2].

Translating these outcomes into indicative KPIs to guide the R&I efforts, projects are expected to show a credible technical pathway to achieve all the following targets by 2030 and beyond:

• A safe behaviour at cell level: expected EUCAR Hazard level below 4 for automotive; level 2 for aviation and waterborne applications;

• Specific energy at cell level targeting 500 Wh/kg, and volumetric energy density at cell level targeting 600 Wh/l;

• Charge and discharge with a C-rate between 2 and 10;

• 800+ cycles at 50%DoD or 400 cycles at >80%DoD;

• Cost at cell level < 75 euro/kWh.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Proposals should address improvements in sustainable materials designs[3] to reach the manufacturability and high safety of the selected technology.

Successful projects are expected to cover at least three of the following bullet points:

• Improvement of materials:

• Scalable and manufacturable surface coating materials for metallic anode protection and/or activation (e.g. CVD, PLD, ALD…) to increase safety and cycle life.

• Binders with high chemical and thermal stability to reduce toxicity and enable the use of water-based manufacturing processes.

• Design and development of new cell technologies with higher capacities compared to Li-ion cells.

• Improve and increase the electrodes-electrolyte compatibility with additives to increase over cell time.

• Improve the understanding of the chemical and/or electrochemical reaction mechanisms using advanced techniques in the cells for Gen5 technologies developed.

• Improve the insertion cathode with high charge-storage capacity.

• Use of safe and non-toxic materials.

• New efficient and sustainable catalysts that can promote polysulfide conversion in Metal-S batteries or the oxygen evolution/reduction reactions in rechargeable Metal-air batteries.

• Design and manufacturing:

• Innovative cell design ensuring high performances, low cost and ready for recycling.

• Develop relevant manufacturing processes and assess the possible manufacturing compatibility with the existing lithium-ion production infrastructure and production lines.

• Proof of concept possibly at small pilot line scale.

• Design production with low environmental impact, safe and healthy environment for workers, low energy consumption.

• Projects are encouraged to demonstrate also techno-economic suitability of the solution for other emerging markets, such as motive power for off-road applications, or energy storage applications.

Plans for the exploitation and dissemination of results for proposals submitted under this topic should include a strong business case and sound exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. The exploitation plans should include preliminary plans for scalability, commercialisation and deployment (feasibility study, business plan).

Projects are expected to collaborate and contribute to the activities of the Coordination and Support Action defined under the topic HORIZON-CL5-2022-D2-01-08, including the definition of a long-term research roadmap for this topic.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on the results to the European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Specific Topic Conditions: Activities are expected to achieve TRL 4 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €15,000,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d2-02-02

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Research is expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:

• Transport systems that are resilient, i.e. prepared for disruptive changes of different kinds, and thereby supporting continuously improved traffic safety.

• Resilience to unexpected events (pandemics, natural disasters, political decisions, conflicts, energy and fuel disruptions, raw materials and component supply vulnerabilities etc.) as an integrated principle in the design and development of future transport systems.

• Increased understanding how sudden changes in the availability of transport means e.g. through dramatic weather events or emission induced ban of certain vehicles in a city, affect the safety of transport system users, and the underlying psychological effects for users’ reactions.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

The importance of a robust transport systems becomes highly evident in times of rapid, changes that are neither planned, scheduled nor predicted. The COVID-19 pandemic has pointed at several issues (e.g. delivery of essential goods, ensuring uninterrupted and safe public transport operations for essential workers etc.) that need to be addressed to secure future resilience of the transport system and to ensure that the level of transport safety is not only maintained, but also meeting more demanding targets. For instance, the decreased use of public transport during the pandemic has to some extent led to increases in both biking and walking, but also an increased use of cars in some parts of the world. At the same time, decreased traveling has meant fewer vehicles on the roads in certain areas, whereas others have seen an increase of delivery vehicles, as home deliveries have surged. Likewise, the current energy market realities have made even more pressing the need of an energy efficient mobility system that could absorb disruptions in the fuel supply chain.

Digital tools/services and new transport means (e.g. urban air mobility and micro mobility), new ways how to use the infrastructure (e.g. even more shared spaces with different types of vehicles, both highly automated and manually controlled) in a more energy efficient manner and new behaviour should be included in the research.

In order to provide safe and resilient transport for all, many aspects are expected to be considered in a clearly multidisciplinary approach. Proposed actions are expected to address at least three out of the following aspects:

Scenarios of disruptive changes that can make a transport system unstable should be identified, the consequences on transport safety be analysed, and solutions to tackle them developed. This includes safety implications of rapid changes / new incentives (sometimes contradictory to previous ones, e.g. regarding the use of public transport in a pandemic situation).

Analysis of how socio-economic differences may affect the safety of individuals in case of disruptive changes (e.g. individual mobility options are determined by the socio-economic status).

Study of how the concept of resilience at the system level can be applied and used for the improvement of transport safety.

Evaluation of the potential and development of recommendations on how to improve transport safety and resilience through suburban planning and future housing developments with their effects on the demand for transport and through the design of transport infrastructure networks.

A definition of resilience in the context of transport systems should be provided, and factors of transport safety and energy efficiency that are essential to take into account should be determined. Moreover, scenarios for disruptive changes should be identified that can make a transport system instable, the consequences on transport safety be analysed, and solutions to tackle them be developed. Hence, a structured method to secure safety as an integrated part in resilient transport systems should be provided.

A solid foundation for this research is the Safe System Approach. It requires the inclusion of relevant expertise in social sciences and humanities (SSH) and will benefit from international cooperation.

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €7,000,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d6-01-11

Programme: HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

For supported postdoctoral fellows

• Increased set of research and transferable skills and competences, leading to improved employability and career prospects of MSCA postdoctoral fellows within academia and beyond;

• New mind-sets and approaches to R&I work forged through international, inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary experience;

• Enhanced networking and communication capacities with scientific peers, as well as with the general public that will increase and broaden the research and innovation impact.

For participating organisations

• Increased alignment of working conditions for researchers in accordance with the principles set out in the European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers;

• Enhanced quality and sustainability of research training and supervision;

• Increased global attractiveness, visibility and reputation of the participating organisation(s);

• Stronger R&I capacity and output among participating organisations; better transfer of knowledge;

• Regular feedback of research results into teaching and education at participating organisations.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Fellowships will be provided to excellent researchers undertaking international mobility. Applications will be made jointly by the researcher and a beneficiary in the academic or non-academic sector.

Postdoctoral Fellowships either can take place in Europe (i.e. in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country) or in a Third Country not associated to Horizon Europe:

European Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to researchers of any nationality who wish to engage in R&I projects by either coming to Europe from any country in the world or moving within Europe. The standard duration of these fellowships must be between 12 and 24 months.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships are open to European nationals or long-term residents[1] who wish to engage in R&I projects with organisations outside EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. These fellowships require an outgoing phase of minimum 12 and maximum 24 months in a non-associated Third Country, and a mandatory 12-month return phase to a host organisation based in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Specific eligibility conditions apply to MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in the research areas covered by the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025[1].

Secondments

Researchers receiving a Postdoctoral Fellowship may opt to include a secondment phase, within the overall duration of their fellowship in any country worldwide. The secondment phase can be a single period or be divided into shorter mobility periods.

For European Postdoctoral Fellowships, secondments cannot exceed one third of the requested duration of the action (excluding from the duration of the action any additional period for a non-academic placement) and should be in line with the project objectives, adding significant value and impact to the fellowship.

For Global Postdoctoral Fellowships, optional secondments are permitted for up to one third of the outgoing phase. A maximum of three months of such secondments can be spent at the start of the project at the beneficiary (or associated partners linked to the beneficiary), allowing the researcher to spend time there before going to the associated partner in the Third Country. This period of maximum three months will be considered as part of the outgoing phase.

Secondments cannot take place during the mandatory twelve-month return period to the host organisation in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Placements in the non-academic sector

Postdoctoral Fellowships can provide an additional period of up to six months to support researchers opting for a placement at the end of the project to work on R&I projects in an organisation from the non-academic sector established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country[3]. While this possibility is also available to fellows recruited in the non-academic sector, such a placement must be implemented at a different non-academic host organisation established in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country[4]. The request for such a non-academic placement must be an integral part of the proposal, explaining the added-value for the project and for the career development of the researcher, and will be subject to evaluation. This incentive aims at promoting career moves between sectors and organisations and thereby stimulate innovation and knowledge transfer while expanding career opportunities for researchers.

If the placement does not meet the requirements (taking place in an academic organisation or in a Third Country), the proposal will be evaluated without taking into account the placement. This might affect the final score.

Training activities

The training activities implemented under the Postdoctoral Fellowships should include training for key transferable skills[5], foster innovation and entrepreneurship, (e.g. commercialisation of results, Intellectual Property Rights, communication, public engagement and citizen science), foster good scientific conduct such as research integrity and promote Open Science practices (open access to publications and to other research outputs including data, FAIR data management, societal engagement and citizen science etc.).

Career Development Plan

In order to equip MSCA postdoctoral fellows with skills that enhance and expand their career opportunities inside and outside academia, a Career Development Plan should be established jointly by the supervisor(s) and the researcher. In addition to research objectives, this plan should comprise the researcher's training and career needs, including training on transferable skills, teaching, planning for publications and participation in conferences and events aiming at opening science and research to citizens. The Plan will have to be submitted as a project deliverable at the beginning of the action and can be updated when needed.

Euratom

Aiming to enhance nuclear expertise and excellence as well as synergies between Programmes, organisations active in nuclear research established in one of EU Member States or countries associated to the Euratom Research and Training programme 2021-2025, are eligible to participate[6]. MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships in this area of research will be supported by the Euratom Research and Training Programme 2021-2025 through an indicative annual financial contribution of EUR 1 million to the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships call[7].

ERA Fellowships

The ERA Fellowships implemented through Work Programme Annex 11, Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area, provide specific support to researchers to undertake their fellowship in a widening country[8]. This will help spread excellence and contribute to fostering balanced brain circulation in widening countries.

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €230,139,000

Deadline: 11/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-msca-2024-pf-01-01

Programme: European Commission

Objective: Objectives

Within the specific objective of promoting competitiveness, scalability, cooperation, innovation and sustainability, including through mobility, in the innovation, competitiveness and scalability of the European audiovisual sector, one of the priorities of the MEDIA strand is:

• to enhance the circulation, promotion, online and theatrical distribution of European audiovisual works, within the Union and internationally in the new digital environment; including through innovative business model.

Eligible Activities: Themes and Priorities

The MEDIA strand shall provide support for the following measures:

• Support to international sales and circulation of non-national European works on all platforms (e.g. cinema theatres, online) targeting both small and large-sized productions, including through coordinated distribution strategies covering several countries and encouraging the use of subtitling, dubbing and where applicable, audio description tools.

• The European Film Distribution support shall encourage and support the wider transnational distribution of recent European films by providing funds to European distributors, based upon their performance on the market, for further reinvestment in the acquisition, promotion and distribution (including online) of recent non-national European films.

Eligible Activities

There are two phases for the eligible activities:

PHASE 1 - Generation of a potential fund

A potential fund will be:

• attributed on the basis of the eligible admissions achieved by the European non-national films distributed by eligible distributors;

• based upon a coefficient per eligible admission according to the nationality of the film and the territory of distribution;

Eligible admissions are generated by eligible non-national European films:

up to a maximum threshold per film and per distributor and

with minimum availability thresholds per applicant, depending on its nationality.

PHASE 2 – Eligible reinvestment activities

The reinvestment can be made on a maximum of 12 different eligible non-national films.

The films declared must comply with the criteria set out above relating to the eligibility of films and must be non-national for the distributor.

Reinvestment on the same film in the different eligible activities detailed below is allowed.

Eligible activity 1: Investment in co-production

The co-production of eligible non-national European films.

Only the investments of the distributor in the co-production which are set out in the co-production contract signed within the eligibility period of the Grant Agreement between the distributor and the producer and / or the co-producer of the film will be eligible.

Eligible activity 2: Investment in acquisition of distribution rights

The acquisition of distribution rights, for example by means of minimum guarantees, of eligible non-national European films.

Only the amount set out in the distribution contract signed within the eligibility period of the Grant Agreement with the distribution rights holder (e.g. producer or sales agent of the film) will be eligible.

Eligible Activity 3: Promotion, marketing and advertising for theatrical releases

promotion, marketing and advertising for theatrical releases

optical and digital prints (digitisation and transcoding)

Eligible Activity 4: Promotion, marketing and advertising for online releases

promotion, marketing, advertising and other related costs for online releases

Expected Impact

Improvement in the trans-national distribution of recent non-national European films.

Increase in the investment in the production, acquisition, promotion, theatrical and online distribution of non-national European films.

Develop links between the production and distribution sector thus improving the competitive position of non-national European films.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

be legal entities (public or private bodies)

• be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:

• Creative Europe Participating Countries:

• EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))

• non-EU countries:

• listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature (list of participating countries)

• be established in one of the countries participating in the MEDIA strand of the Creative Europe Programme and owned directly or indirectly, wholly or by majority participation, by nationals from such countries. When a company is publicly listed, the location of the stock exchange will in principle determine its nationality

• be European companies active in the audiovisual sector as cinema / theatrical distributor involved in commercial activity designed to bring to the attention of a wide audience a film for the purpose of exploitation in cinema theatres. This shall be the principal activity of the company or division of the company.

The cinema / theatrical distributor shall fulfil the following criteria:

be the holder of the theatrical distribution rights for the film in the country concerned;

carry out the theatrical distribution of the film in the country concerned (determine the release date, plan, control and execute the distribution and promotion campaign);

pay directly the associated distribution costs; and

be registered and have theatrical distribution operations in the country concerned.

In the event that distribution activities are shared between several companies, the contracts/agreements between these companies must be provided. The company that will be considered as eligible is the one which meets all the criteria and actually executes the distribution of the film in the country in line with the above conditions. If tasks and/or responsibilities are so shared between different companies that it is impossible to assess a unique distributor for the film in a territory, the admissions of that film will not be eligible.

Applicants acting in different countries linked for distribution purposes (e.g. Belgium and Luxembourg; Greece and Cyprus) should only send one proposal and declare admissions and reinvestment in these different countries.

Total Budget: €33,000,000

Deadline: 25/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/crea-media-2024-filmdist?closed=true&programmePeriod=2021%20-%202027&frameworkProgramme=43251814&pageSize=50

Programme: U.S. Department of State

Objective: Objective

The Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) has announced the “DRL Furthering Accountability for Human Rights Violations in Libya” grant opportunity. This initiative aims to empower civil society organizations in Libya to take a leading role in promoting, protecting, and responding to serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, as well as other abuses in the country. The program seeks to address the urgent need for accountability and the enforcement of human rights standards within Libya.

Eligible Activities: By supporting projects that enable local and international stakeholders to document abuses, advocate for justice, and support victims, the DRL intends to foster a more just and accountable society. This initiative is critical in the context of Libya’s complex political and security environment, where human rights violations have been widespread, and accountability mechanisms remain weak. The grant aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations, thereby ensuring that human rights are central to Libya’s ongoing political and social processes.

Actions must take place in Libya.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGO), public international organizations, private, public, or state institutions of higher education, and for-profit organizations or businesses. While DRL prefers to work with non-profit entities, for-profit entities may be considered if they are best suited for the initiative.

Total Budget: $2,000,000

Deadline: 29/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/352668

Programme: Froebel Trust

Objective: The Froebel Trust provides funding for research and practice development as well as specialist training, and information and support for continuing professional learning.

The work is focused on Early Childhood Education and Care for children from birth to eight years of age - a broad and often multi-disciplinary field of study to inform, support, critique and advance Froebelian approaches to education pedagogy and practice as well as further research.

Eligible Activities: The Grants for Research

Research is a core element of the strategy at the Froebel Trust. By funding projects, they aim to advance knowledge and understanding of Froebelian education and learning, and to develop practice in Early Childhood Education by helping researchers to share their evidence and key messages.

They know that many people engage in research through their work in Early Years settings, schools, colleges, universities and community-based organisations.

The researchers that they fund explore many different issues and questions connected to Froebelian education and scholarship. They involve a variety of participants or sources; they use a multitude of research designs and methodologies; and they present their findings in numerous ways.

The Froebel Trust welcomes this diversity and the Open Call Research Grants scheme is designed with this variety in mind.

They offer two types of Open Call Research Grants:

Seed corn grants are intended for early career researchers and/or small-scale and pilot studies.

Larger grants are intended for bigger studies and/or more experienced researchers.

Applications are welcome from individual researchers or teams in any country, and from partnerships that involve more than one organisation or country. They can only pay grants to organisations, not to individuals.

Eligible Applicants: Who can apply?

Researchers can work in any discipline, organisation or country, but applications must show how the proposed research will promote and advance Froebelian education and learning related to children from birth to eight years.

It is not necessary for applicants to have a masters or doctoral level qualification, but understanding of research, experience of project management, and the strength of the project design will be considered when applications are reviewed.

Although applicants do not need to be based in the UK, applications must be written in English and budgets must be presented in GBP.

Partnership projects are welcome. In such cases, a lead organisation must be identified for contractual reasons.

Applications must be for original research projects. The Open Call Research Grants Scheme does not fund building, resourcing or development projects or research that is unconnected to Early Years education or early learning.

Total Budget: £100,000

Deadline: 02/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.froebel.org.uk/grants-and-funding/open-call-research-grants

Programme: Creative Europe

Objective: Submissions are now open for the TV & Online Content Funding Programme to increase the capacity of audiovisual producers to develop and produce strong projects with significant potential to circulate throughout Europe and beyond.

This funding aims to strengthen the independence of producers in relation to broadcasters and digital platforms. It enhances collaboration between operators, including independent producers, broadcasters, digital platforms and sales agents. Particular attention will be given to projects presenting innovative aspects in the content and in the financing that show a clear link with the envisaged distribution strategies.

Eligible Activities: Objectives

Within the specific objective of promoting competitiveness, scalability, cooperation, innovation and sustainability, including through mobility in the European audiovisual sector, one of the priorities of the MEDIA Strand is:

to nurture talents, competence and skills and to stimulate cross-border cooperation, mobility and innovation in the creation and production of European audiovisual works, encouraging collaboration across Member States with different audiovisual capacities.

Themes and Priorities

The MEDIA Strand shall provide support for the following measures:

Production of innovative and quality TV content and serial storytelling, addressing diverse audiences, by European independent production companies.

The objective of the support to TV and online content is to increase the capacity of audiovisual producers to develop and produce strong projects with significant potential to circulate throughout Europe and beyond, and to facilitate European and international co-productions within the television and online sector.

The action aims to strengthen the independence of producers in relation to broadcasters and digital platforms, to enhance collaboration between operators, including independent producers, broadcasters, digital platforms and sales agents, from different countries participating in the MEDIA Strand, including from low capacity countries, in order to produce high quality programming aimed at wide international distribution and promoted to a wide audience including commercial exploitation in the multi-platform environment. Particular attention will be given to projects presenting innovative aspects in the content and in the financing that show a clear link with the envisaged distribution strategies.

Funding Information

The grant will be a lump sum grant. This means that it will reimburse a fixed amount, based on a lump sum or financing not linked to costs. The amount will be fixed by the granting authority on the basis of the estimated project budget and a funding rate of maximum 20%.

Expected Impact

Increased production of high quality European works for linear and non-linear broadcasting including on digital platforms, as well as an increase in the number of co-productions.

Enhanced cooperation between operators from different countries participating in the MEDIA Strand, including between broadcasters and from low capacity countries.

Increased audience for European works through linear and non-linear broadcasting including on digital platforms.

Activities that can be funded

The TV and online content action supports works (drama films, animation and documentary) intended for linear and non-linear broadcasting, presenting:

strong cooperation between operators from different countries participating in the MEDIA Strand, including between broadcasters;

high creative/artistic value and wide cross-border exploitation potential able to reach audiences at European and international level;

innovative aspects in terms of the content and the financing that show a clear link with the envisaged distribution strategies.

Applications should present adequate strategies to ensure a more sustainable and more environmentally-respectful industry (in particular through the use of greening consultants allowing to reduce the environmental impact of productions and shootings) and to ensure gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

be legal entities (public or private bodies)

be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:

Creative Europe Participating Countries:

EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))

non-EU countries:

listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Creative Europe Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature

be established in one of the countries participating fully in the MEDIA Strand of the Creative Europe Programme and owned directly or indirectly, wholly or by majority participation, by nationals from such countries. When a company is publicly listed, the location of the stock exchange will in principle determine its nationality

be independent European audiovisual production companies

Total Budget: €20,000,000

Deadline: 14/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.creativeeuropeireland.eu/funding-opportunities/call/tv-online-content

Programme: Raskob Foundation

Objective: Objective

The Raskob Foundation is an independent, private family foundation. The mission of the Raskob Foundation is to support domestic and international projects from institutions and organisation identified with Catholic church. Their international program is funding various topics such as education, governance and human rights, health, economic empowerment and business trainings, water and sanitation, income generation and disability.

Eligible Activities: Sample projects that they have funded in the past include: youth leadership and peacebuilding in Ecuador, income generation activities in Ethiopia, feeding programs in Haiti, women empowerment in India, medical aid to the poor in Gaza, childhood education program in Jordan, ending child labour in Malawi, program for disabled mothers in Palestine, improve water and sanitation in South Sudan

They are funding projects in any country in Asia, Africa, America and Europe.

Eligible Applicants: If the requesting organisation is located in the US, it must be tax- exempt 501 (3) with public charity status and be catholic (listed in the P.J. Kenedy Official Catholic Directory). If the requesting organization is located outside the US, it must have a non-profit, non-governmental status equivalent to a public charity as found in the United States and be catholic as verified by Ordinary of the Diocese.

Total Budget: €3,000,000

Deadline: 15/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.rfca.org/giving

Programme: European Commission (EC) - International Partnerships

Objective: Objective

The global objective of this call for proposals is to strengthen the role of civil society in promoting transparent and participatory governance, democratic reforms and human rights. This call for proposals is divided into four lots, each with its own specific objectives and priorities, as indicated below. Within the general objective in each lot, the proposed actions may address one or more of the specific objectives of the lot.

Eligible Activities: The lots are:

• Lot 1: Support to CSOs and CSO networks towards increased abilities to monitor and actively participate in Montenegro’s reform processes.

• Lot 2: Support to small Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and civil society movements in different sectors, developing grassroots movements’ and local informal groups’ capacities through flexible financial support to third parties mechanisms.

• Lot 3: Support to different key stakeholders to contribute to local development in the North and central region of Montenegro

• Lot 4: Support to different key stakeholders to contribute to local development in the South and central region of Montenegro

Actions must take place in Montenegro.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible organisations are: Civil Society Organisation or a Consortium of CSOs or other organisations

Total Budget: €2,500,000

Deadline: 27/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/online-services/#/

Programme: ERASMUS-LS ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants

Objective: Scope:

ERASMUS+ TEACHER ACADEMIES

The 2019 Council Resolution on further developing the European Education Area1 invites the Commission to “Develop new means to train and support competent, motivated and highly qualified teachers, trainers, early childhood education and care (ECEC) staff, school leaders and other staff, and promote their continuous professional development and high-quality, research-based teacher education”.

The Council Conclusions on European Teacher and Trainers for the Future of May 20202 reiterate the role of teachers as cornerstones of the European Education Area and call for further support to teachers’ career and competence development as well as well-being at all stages of their careers. The Conclusions stress the benefits of mobility of teachers and the need of embedding mobility as part of teachers’ initial and continuous education. Moreover, the Conclusions invite the Commission to support closer cooperation between teacher education providers within the continuum of teachers’ professional development.

The 2020 Commission’s Communication on Achieving the European Education Area by 20253 recognises the key role of teachers and trainers and sets the vision of having highly competent and motivated educators who can benefit from a range of support and professional development opportunities throughout their varied careers. It proposes a number of actions to address the challenges the teaching professions face today, including the plan to launch Erasmus+ Teacher Academies.

The Commission’s Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027)4 stresses the need to ensure that all teachers and trainers have the confidence and competences to use technology effectively and creatively to engage and motivate their learners as well as to ensure that all learners develop their digital competences for learning, living and working in an ever more digitalised world.

The Council Resolution on a strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training towards the European Education Area and beyond (2021-2030) refers to the potential of Erasmus+ Teachers Academies in facilitating networking, knowledge sharing, mobility and providing teachers and trainers with learning opportunities at all phases of teachers’ and trainers’ careers.

There is a need to improve the attractiveness of the profession: in the EU countries participating in OECD’s TALIS survey, on average, less than 20% of lower secondary school teachers felt that their profession is valued by the society.

The ageing of the teaching professionals is a concern as upcoming waves of retirement could result in potential shortages in the teaching workforce in a country.

The Education and Training Monitor indicates also that a number of European countries face serious shortages of teachers, either across the board or in some subjects such as science, or in specific profiles such as teaching pupils with special needs.

Despite wide offer of continuous professional development, teachers still self-report a lack of professional development opportunities according to the OECD’s TALIS survey.

Despite the benefits of mobility, it is still not embedded in teacher education effectively, due to many practical obstacles that should be removed by more consistent policies.

The Erasmus+ Teacher Academies will address these issues by promoting close cooperation between organisations active in initial and continuing teacher education and training, complement other work done in achieving the Education Area, and help transfer the results to national and regional policy making and eventually to teacher education and support for schools.

They will build on the innovations and effective practice that exists within national teacher education and European cooperation and develop them further. Specific attention will be paid to dissemination and exploitation of effective practice across countries and teacher education providers, and to ensuring feedback and impact also at policy level.

Eligible Activities: OBJECTIVES OF THE ACTION

The overall objective of this action is to create European partnerships of teacher education and training providers to set up Teacher Academies that will develop a European and international outlook in teacher education.

These Academies will embrace multilingualism, language awareness and cultural diversity, develop teacher education in line with the EU’s priorities in education policy and contribute to the achievement of the objectives of the European Education Area.

The Erasmus+ Teacher Academies will meet the following objectives:

• Contribute to the improvement of teacher education policies and practices in Europe by creating networks and communities of practice on teacher education that bring together providers of initial teacher education (preservice education for future teachers) and providers of continuing professional development (in-service), other relevant actors such as teacher associations, ministries and stakeholders to develop and test strategies and programmes for professional learning that is effective, accessible and transferable to other contexts.

• Develop and test jointly different models of mobility (virtual, physical and blended) in initial teacher education and as part of teachers’ continuous professional development in order to enhance the quality and number of mobility as well as to make mobility an integral part of teacher education provision in Europe.

• Develop sustainable collaboration between teacher education providers with an impact to the quality of teacher education in Europe and with a view to inform teacher education policies at European and national levels.

• Enhance the European dimension and internationalisation of teacher education through innovative and practical collaboration with teacher educators and teachers in other European countries and by sharing experiences for the further development of teacher education in Europe.

• This collaboration will address one or more of the horizontal priorities of the Erasmus+ Programme, as theme(s) for the Teacher Academy activities.

Teacher Academies should identify and work on one priority or more priorities that are particularly relevant for their partnership with a view to enhancing a high-quality education/professional development, and addressing (future) teachers’ pressing needs, notably by offering teachers courses, modules and other learning opportunities on:

1. Inclusion and diversity, notably:

• To help teachers acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and competences for the educational inclusion of children/students with fewer opportunities, including children/students with disabilities or special needs, with a migrant background, as well as children/students living in rural and remote areas such as outermost regions, children/students facing gender inequalities, socio-economic difficulties or any other potential source of discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation. This also means understanding underachievement, disengagement, and addressing well-being, mental health and bullying. Examples include: Developing competences to teach in multilingual and multicultural settings, on gender-sensitive practices, inclusive education for children with special needs, on creating supportive learning environments and strategies addressing learners’ and teachers’ well-being at school, on how to use a variety of learning approaches and blended learning, as well as formative assessment methods and tools.

• To equip teachers to addressing the barriers faced by these groups in accessing education, as well as contributing to creating a positive learning climate and inclusive environments that foster equity and equality, and that are responsive to the needs of the wider community; building relationships of trust with learners, parents, families and carers; using collaborative practices and work in multi-disciplinary teams in schools.

Further references:

Council Recommendation on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching

Council Recommendation on Pathways to School Success (replacing the Council Recommendation of 28 June 2011 on policies to reduce early school leaving).

2. Environment and fight against climate change, notably:

• To implement and further develop comprehensive and collaborative approaches to teaching and learning for the green transition and sustainable development, recognising that all teachers, whatever their discipline or sector of education, are sustainability educators who need to support their learners in preparing for the green transition.

• To offer (future) teachers professional training/education about climate change and how to best teach it; develop sustainability competences of (future)teachers/educators and education leaders; and exchange and develop the approaches of the participating organisations regarding environmental sustainability.

• To exchange on how to raise awareness about the green transition, environmental and climate-change challenges, to develop competences, green sectorial skills strategies and methodologies, as well as future-oriented curricula that better meet the needs of teachers.

• To support teachers in adopting pedagogies, including testing innovative practices, that enhance teaching and learning for the green transition and sustainable development in interdisciplinary ways, including the socio-emotional aspects of learning, so that all learners can become agents of change and learn to reflect and act, both individually and collectively, locally and globally, for a more sustainable world.

Further reference: Council Recommendation on learning for environmental sustainability.

3. Addressing digital transformation through development of digital readiness, resilience and capacity, notably:

• To support the need to engage (future) teachers in the path to digital transformation, with a view to harness the potential of digital technologies for teaching and learning and to develop digital skills for all, also increasing the capacity and readiness of institutions to manage an effective shift towards digital education.

• To contribute to the first strategic priority of the Digital Education Action Plan, the development of a high-performing digital education ecosystem, by building capacity and critical understanding on how to exploit the opportunities offered by digital technologies for teaching and learning at all levels and for all sectors and to develop and implement digital transformation plans of educational institutions.

• To support the purposeful use of digital technologies for teaching, learning, assessment and engagement. This includes the development of digital pedagogy and expertise in the use of digital tools for teachers, including accessible and assistive technologies and the creation and innovative use of digital education content. Particular attention will be given to promoting gender equality and addressing differences in relation to the access and use by under-represented groups.

Use of the European frameworks on digital competences of educators, citizens and organisations is encouraged.

Further reference: Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027).

4. Common values, civic engagement and participation, notably:

• To train and equip (future) teachers.

• To promote active citizenship and ethics in their teaching, and foster the development of social and intercultural competences, critical thinking and media literacy.

• To offer opportunities for children/students’ participation in democratic life, social and civic engagement notably through formal or non-formal learning activities.

• To raise awareness on and understanding the European Union context, notably as regards the common EU values, the principles of unity and diversity, as well as their cultural identity, cultural awareness and their social and historical heritage.

Further reference: Council Recommendation on promoting common values, inclusive education, and the European dimension of teaching

Eligible Applicants: Usual Erasmus+ eligibility

Total Budget: €22,500,000

Deadline: 06/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/erasmus-edu-2024-pex-teach-aca

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

As Li metal anodes will be needed for the Gen 4b, Gen 4c and Gen 5 batteries, it is important to create a European production chain for their manufacturing, in order to guarantee secure supply chains for the next generation battery producers with a focus on high performance and recyclability for Gen 4b, Gen4c or Gen5 cells.

The proposed project is expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:

• Reduction of strategic dependencies for critical raw materials by promoting resource efficiency.

• Energy consumption/carbon footprint of processing 10% lower than SoA.

• Throughput of Li foil and/or electrode production to support cell manufacturing, including a technical pathway towards production at MWh/(sub-)GWh scale.

• Ensure stability of Li during handling, processing and operation using coatings or other protective technologies (e.g. barriers/protective layers).

• Processing of Li (Metal) and Li electrodes within cell assembly at industrial scale, including, but not limited to, high-quality cutting of the Li foil and/or electrode.

• Homogeneous Li films with thickness below 20µm, contributing towards energy density levels of 400-500 Wh/kg.

• The developed process should be compatible with recycling targets (with respect to purification of scrap with protective coating) and assure recyclability to more than 70% of Li metal in battery waste, (90% Li metal for production scrap).

• The proposed project is encouraged to contribute to a competitive price of 75€/kWh at pack level.

• A demonstration of the performance of Li at cell level in SoA benchmark cell (at least TRL5 with at least 1 Ah capacity). Validation in Generation 4b, 4c and/or Generation 5 cells is highly encouraged.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Proposals under this topic are expected to cover all of the following bullet points:

• Sustainable, cost-efficient and large-scale production of Li-metal foils and/ or electrodes, demonstrated up to pilot level during the project. Activities can include, but are not limited to, extrusion, comparison extrusion / electrostatic spray, rolling and co-rolling. However, extensive cell design and development are out of the scope as this topic focuses on the Li anode production.

• Control of the passivation of Li metal films, and to understand how the passivation is linked with the dry room conditions and requirements. The goal is to find the optimal way: high passivation and lower quality dry room, or low passivation and higher quality dry room, and how these selections are linked with cost, energy consumption and performance of the cells.

• The project is expected to also guarantee safety of the Li film production and handling, which has to be demonstrated in a process that is compatible for large scale production.

Plans for the exploitation and dissemination of results for proposals submitted under this topic should include a strong business case and sound exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. The exploitation plans should include preliminary plans for scalability, commercialisation, and deployment (feasibility study, business plan).

Collaboration with other projects from calls HORIZON-CL5-2023-02-01 Advanced materials and cells development enabling large-scale production of Gen4 solid-state batteries for mobility applications and/or HORIZON-CL5-2024-02-02 Post-Li-ion technologies and relevant manufacturing techniques for mobility applications (Generation 5) is expected.

The project is encouraged to cooperate with projects stemming from call topic HORIZON-CL5-2023-01-01 Technologies for sustainable, low carbon and cost-efficient downstream processing and production of battery-grade materials.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on the results to the European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €8,000,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d2-02-01

Programme: HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• Extended and up to date CCAM Knowledge Base[1], including CCAM projects, demonstration and deployment initiatives, standards, facilitating the exchange of best practices and the deployment of CCAM services.

• Well established network of experts and forum for stakeholders in the different thematic R&I fields of CCAM.

• Strong collaboration and cooperation between all CCAM stakeholders through effective collaboration mechanisms fostering exchanges of practices, experiences, tools and methodologies supporting the transition to large-scale deployment.

• Increased and high-quality exchanges and cooperation between the EU Member States/Associated countries,

• EU CCAM common evaluation methodology (EU-CEM) widely used in Europe.

• Good level of understanding and awareness of CCAM among citizens, decision and policy makers in Europe.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

A common basis for CCAM Knowledge in Europe is available today with the online CCAM Knowledge Base which constitutes a one stop shop for all relevant R&I initiatives, tools, methodologies, regulations and standards in the field. Targeted content will be available for some stakeholder categories[2]. The Knowledge Base should be expanded and further adapted to the needs of all relevant stakeholders. Results and lessons learned from the EU, national and international projects should be made available and accessible to targeted user groups. Proposed actions should in particular provide support for stakeholders to move into operations by identifying key building blocks and standards for deploying pilot services and enable capacity building for key actors of different use cases /applications domains as well as for citizens and non-experts on how to use CCAM systems and services and to become aware of new developments and related risks.

The EU Common Evaluation Methodology (EU-CEM) developed in project “FAME” funded under CL5-2021-D6-01-06[3] aims at becoming the basic methodology for all CCAM related evaluations to support collaboration, exchange and harmonisation. The methodology will need to be implemented for existing and innovative use cases by CCAM projects and aligned with national mobility strategies and approaches. Training programmes for CCAM projects will be necessary to integrate the methodology and to collect feedback on lessons learned during its implementation.

A States Representatives Group (SRG)[4] has been created within the CCAM Partnership to ensure a continuous dialogue at European and national level for the sharing of information on CCAM R&I to increase coordination between European and national R&I funding schemes, and among national programmes. To carry out its mission efficiently, the SRG will need support to collect and analyse information on national R&I initiatives and to implement cooperation activities.

To successfully contribute to the expected outcomes, proposed actions are expected to address all of the following aspects:

• Ensure the maintenance and expansion of the Knowledge Base to support the CCAM stakeholder community and CCAM Partnership for the identification of future needs for R&I, testing and demonstration initiatives and for moving into operations (minimum block requirements, standards and common definitions to run pilot services across Europe). The content of the Knowledge Base should support the monitoring of the progress made on the targets and impacts set by the CCAM Partnership[5].

• Identify further needs for targeted content for specific stakeholder categories and in particular, develop content that is accessible to non-experts, thereby supporting capacity building of the general public. The proposed action should define the above-mentioned stakeholder categories, and develop a subsequent communication strategy (content, material, media, etc.) using realistic and accessible terms to address different target groups (including non-experts).

• Provide effective dissemination and concertation mechanisms and means for the stakeholder community (e.g. conferences, workshops, international cooperation, capacity building content for non-experts) to enable the exchange of experiences and practices, stimulate collaboration and cooperation between all CCAM stakeholders and reach consensus on challenges and future R&I needs within the thematic clusters of the European Partnership.

• Facilitate the work of the CCAM SRG and stimulate the cooperation between EU Member States/Associated Countries for improved coordination of activities in the areas identified as priorities by the SRG. Provide an analysis of initiatives in EU Member States/Associated countries and support the SRG in identifying areas for R&I cooperation.

• Ensure representation of European stakeholders in international cooperation, information exchange and harmonisation initiatives on CCAM. Provide a global output on CCAM activities to support the development of European agendas by exploring potential opportunities and R&I domains for international cooperation.

• Continue to evaluate and update the EU-CEM through targeted discussions with EU Member States/Associated countries in order to align the CEM with national mobility strategies and regulations, also looking at both national and regional transport and mobility data to ensure compatibility.

• Support the practical implementation of the EU-CEM (for existing and innovative use-cases) and provide training programmes for CCAM projects to integrate the methodology.

• Assess the level of awareness and attitudes of European citizens, decision- and policy makers about CCAM as well as their intention to use through regular surveys and workshops. Results should be published in the Knowledge Base and mechanisms should be provided to integrate findings into the EU-CEM. A link should be established with existing survey initiatives in place at EU and Member States’/Associated countries’ levels. This action should be grounded in a co-creative process.

In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with Japan and the United States but also with other relevant strategic partners in third countries.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €4,000,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d6-01-05

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• A better understanding of the effects of governance[1], policies[2], and incentives, but also land use and spatial planning, on the choice of individuals, families, or social groups of different kinds to use a specific transport and/or mobility mode.

• Reinforced public engagement in shaping co-created transport and mobility policies.

• Effective policy interventions, co-created with target constituencies and building on high-quality policy; strengthening of research-policy cooperation models to reinforce impact and trust in science.

• More effective and sustainable national, regional and transnational transport and mobility policies toward accepted approaches, based on a system-thinking perspective.

• Better harnessing the potential of digitised mobility data while protecting citizen’s privacy.

• Providing concepts and policy recommendations sustainably integrating passenger and freight transportation in order to create a future proof holistic mobility system.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Governance, policies and incentives play an important role in shaping transport and mobility systems and influence the development and implementation of different technologies and modes of transport (e.g. walking, cycling, public transport and rail). It is therefore important to study how policies and regulations could be best used to govern transport and mobility systems in desired directions, so that they become more sustainable and just, for instance with regard to gender, place, or low-income households, as well as their fiscal impacts.

In addition, the COVID-19 crisis has significantly altered commuting habits; remote and telework have become widespread together with other flexible work arrangements. The true impact of these changes on gas emissions and on the well-being of people as well as on the real-estate market (offices) are not known. This is now an opportunity to leverage on an ongoing change in habits that could result in significant GHG reduction.

Proposals should address all of the following aspects:

• Analyse the influence of politicians on the making of sustainable and non-sustainable transport policies, as well as the impact of their design on accessibility in peripheral areas, identifying synergies with the reform of governance instruments of the European Union (e.g. Trans-European Transport Network, Urban Mobility Framework) to enhance the gradual phase-out policy effect for private car ownership.

• Propose approaches that better integrate mobility policies with policies from other sectors (e.g. energy efficiency, renewables, gender mainstreaming, healthcare, retail and poverty and low income population reduction).

• Consider the benefits of public/private partnerships towards future transport and mobility system, as to secure local adjustment and solutions that are effective and economic for private stakeholders, with a long-term sustainable horizon for the society.

• Identify and assess the potential of (shared) mobility hubs at neighbourhood-level and define the role of organisational innovations in supporting them.

• Explore how small, medium cities and metropolitan areas manage the emergence of micro-mobility and how driverless vehicles are likely to affect urban areas and land use (e.g. mixed use of urban space, dynamic parking).

• Identify the major flaws on national transport and mobility regulations in EU countries and provide recommendations on how to better harmonize them trans-nationally (e.g. incentives for putting bicycles on trains etc.).

• Identify regulations and accountability measures to ensure that mobility data are best utilised for the common good, for example, harnessing the potential of data to stimulate innovation for more sustainable mobility behaviour patterns and guide urban planning, while also protecting citizen privacy.

• Analyse the drivers for public acceptability of stringent and mandatory transport policies (e.g. carbon taxes, urban traffic bans).

• Examine the most effective strategies in promoting the transition to more sustainable freight transport in Europe following the recent and ongoing changes in consumer culture, such as the increase in e-commerce and online.

• A ’social optimum’ balance should be included to developing research knowledge within new governance models from several perspectives (e.g. socio-economic, environmental, health, accessibility, gender and inclusion, safety and security aspects). This concept complements the work launched within the Cities Mission regarding MaaR (Mobility as a Right). Synergies with the projects GECKO[3], ACCTING[4] and SHARED GREEN DEAL[5] should be explored, given that mobility behaviours and the role of cities as agent of change will influence policy makers in enabling adaptive and anticipatory regulatory schemes and governance with novel policies contributing to sustainable mobility goals.

In addition to the research activities, actions are expected to involve citizens from different backgrounds and origins in the policy analysis to gather and study their understanding, perceptions, opinions and positions, thus contributing to co-designing and co-assessing the most appropriate policies’ recommendations. The collection of children’s views can also be included in the study. Citizen platforms if existing, can be used for this purpose.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research.

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €3,000,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d6-01-09

Programme: CREA-LS CREA Lump Sum Grants

Objective: Scope:

The objective of the European mini-slate development support is to foster the competitiveness of European independent production companies and to increase their economic weight on the market. The aim is also to increase the capacity of audiovisual producers to develop projects with the potential to circulate throughout Europe and beyond, and to facilitate European and international coproduction.

The support will also provide an entry point for emerging talent, giving them the opportunity to direct a short film supported by the strong foundation provided by experienced companies.

Eligible Activities: Expected results

A stronger position on European and international markets for companies selected under European mini-slate development.

Increased quality, feasibility, cross-border potential and market value of European works supported.

Description of the activities to be funded

Support will be given to independent European production companies able to develop a slate of 2 to 3 audiovisual works (fiction, animation, creative documentary). This should allow production companies to reduce risks and increase their capacity to attract and retain talents.

The European mini-slate development shall provide support to the development of minimum 2 and maximum 3 works for commercial exploitation intended for cinema release, television broadcasting or commercial exploitation on digital platforms or a multi-platform environment in the following categories: animation, creative documentary or fiction. Applicants may add a short film by emerging talent to their slate (optional).

The aim is to provide funds to audiovisual production companies to develop work with high creative value and cultural diversity and wide cross-border exploitation potential. Companies are encouraged to develop strategies for marketing and distribution from the outset of the development phase thus improving the potential to reach audiences at a European and international level.

Greater cooperation, including co-development, between operators from different countries participating in the MEDIA Strand is also pursued as well as strengthening the competitiveness of European audiovisual production companies by consolidating their capacity for investment in the development phase and expanding companies’ activities and their innovation capacity to explore new fields and markets.

Special attention will be given to applications presenting adequate strategies to ensure a more sustainable and more environmentally-respectful industry and to ensure gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness.

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation can apply for Horizon Europe funding as long as they have the operational and financial capacity to carry out the tasks that they propose.

For most calls for proposals, you must apply as a team of at least 3 partner organisations from 3 different EU or associated countries. At least one of the 3 partners must be from an EU country. In addition to these 3 partners, organisations from other countries might be able to join your consortium. Please consult the Horizon Europe programme guide. Further details or exceptions are listed on the pages of the call topics in the Funding & tenders portal.

Some calls for proposals require a so-called multi-actor approach: this means your proposed project must involve a diverse set of stakeholders, in particular end-users and users of the project’s results.

Total Budget: €5,500,000

Deadline: 10/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/crea-media-2024-devminislate

Programme: VAN TIENHOVEN FOUNDATION

Objective: Objective

Van Tienhoven Foundation is a small foundation that makes grants on the basis of the estate of Pieter Gerbrand van Tienhoven. They are concerned about life on earth and the delicate balance between human life, nature and biodiversity. The Foundation believes local people are instrumental and key to conserve and restore nature and species populations. They believe that small grants can have a great impact, but only if small grants lead to change in policy and practice.

Eligible Activities: Previously funded projects include: ecosystem restorations in national parks, piloting a community-based approach to ecosystems conservation, establishing biosecurity programs to protect the Critically Endangered Species, fostering human-Asian elephant coexistence with community involvement, supporting the operations of community rangers, creation of Wildlife Reserves, snow leopard conservation, community-based wildlife monitoring, climate-smart agriculture and environmental education in the tropical rainforests, etc.

Actions must be implemented in developing countries, predominantly following the most recent DAC list of ODA Recipients.

Eligible Applicants: Non-profit organisations, that are registered as legal bodies (NGOs and scientific institutions) are eligible to apply.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 31/01/2025

More information and official documents: https://www.vantienhovenfoundation.com/application-process/

Programme: Waterloo Foundation

Objective: Objective

The Waterloo Foundation (TWF) is an independent grant-making foundation created in 2007, and based in Cardiff, Wales. The Foundation gives grants to organisations both in the UK and worldwide. They are most interested in projects that help globally particularly in the areas of the disparity of opportunities and wealth and the unsustainable use of the world’s natural resources.

Eligible Activities: The Small Grants focus on:

1) Nutrition: promoting good nutritional practices, with a particular focus on mothers and children during the ‘1000-day window’; providing micronutrients for young children and their mothers and de-worming drugs for young children; and providing micronutrients through food fortification for all;

2) Sexual and Reproductive Health: improving access to a range of modern contraceptive methods and wider sexual health and reproductive services, and increasing understanding and awareness of, and driving demand for, family planning services;

3) Education: improving the quality of secondary, primary and early childhood education and increasing the enrolment and retention of pupils at both primary and secondary level, especially girls and young women; and

4) Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: access to safe drinking water and improved hygiene.

Actions can take place worldwide in developing countries with a focus on Sub-Saharan Africa and occasionally South Asia.

Eligible Applicants: They will consider applications from organisations with an annual income of less than £20,000 or that are newly established within the last 2 years; but in these cases we can only consider applications below £5,000. Applicants’ requests should always be in keeping with their organisation’s annual income; we do not usually provide grants which total more than 25% of an organisation’s annual income. Small grants are usually provided as a one-off donation. In exceptional circumstances some organisations may be invited to reapply. Grants will be prioritised for small UK charities led by committed individuals, especially those based in Wales, which are working to deliver projects in developing countries.

Total Budget: £100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.waterloofoundation.org.uk/WorldDevelopment.html

Programme: U.S. Mission to Uzbekistan

Objective: Objective

The U.S. Embassy Tashkent Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to conduct innovative and creative short-term, youth-focused exchange programs to promote youth empowerment, leadership, and skills building. Applications outlining initiatives or exchange programs that focus on leadership skills and global citizenship will be supported.

Eligible Activities: This funding opportunity seeks to support secondary and university students through the development of leadership skills, global citizenship, and addressing shared challenges through partnership with the United States. Grant activities should be short-term, youth-focused exchange programs, with participants spending 10 to 30 days in the United States. Grantees are expected to publicize project activities, including through social media and/or traditional press outlets; and highlight U.S. Embassy support, with our logo included on project related materials. The Embassy encourages applications from institutions and organizations from the United States and all regions of Uzbekistan. Implementers will be fully responsible for all elements of the program, from recruitment and preparatory logistics inside Uzbekistan, travel, and program elements in the United States.

Actions must take place in Uzbekistan.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include accredited schools, institutes, teacher training centers, universities, or non-profit organizations based in the United States or Uzbekistan. Sub-contracting is allowed, but only one non-profit, non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient.

Total Budget: $370,000

Deadline: 30/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/352457

Programme: Spencer Foundation

Objective: The Spencer Foundation is accepting applications for the Small Research Grants on Education Program.

The Small Research Grants on Education Program supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education. They accept applications three times per year.

Eligible Activities: This program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or location. Their goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Proposals to the Small Research Grants on Education program must be for research projects that aim to study education. Proposals for activities other than research are not eligible (e.g., program evaluations, professional development, curriculum development, scholarships, capital projects, software development). Additionally, proposals for research studies focused on areas other than education are not eligible.

Principal Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs applying for a Small Research Grant on Education must have an earned doctorate in an academic discipline or professional field, or appropriate experience in an education research-related profession. While graduate students may be part of the research team, they may not be named the PI or Co-PI on the proposal.

The PI must be affiliated with a non-profit organization or public/governmental institution that is willing to serve as the administering organization if the grant is awarded. The Spencer Foundation does not award grants directly to individuals. Examples include non-profit or public colleges, universities, school districts, and research facilities, as well as other non-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) determination from the IRS (or equivalent non-profit status if the organization is outside of the United States).

Proposals are accepted from the U.S. and internationally, however, all proposals must be submitted in English and budgets must be proposed in U.S. Dollars.

Total Budget: $100,000

Deadline: 30/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.spencer.org/grant_types/small-research-grant

Programme: International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Objective: Objective

Focused on investments to transform service design and delivery and to strengthen the development and implementation of equitable and sustainable movements, ANSRHRA is a new initiative to support gender-transformative implementation research in sub-Saharan Africa. It will contribute to improved sexual and reproductive health and realization of rights while also building systems and structures that enable and support under-served populations, including women and girls, to demand and benefit from the full spectrum of SRHR.

Eligible Activities: The initiative’s overall aim is to support greater realization of neglected SRHR by under-served populations, including women and girls, in sub-Saharan Africa.

Proposals must target, and be grounded in, GPE partner countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Eligible Applicants: This initiative will build on the capacity of researchers and research organizations, civil society organizations, as well as policymakers, decision-makers and communities, to integrate gender-transformative approaches within implementation research.

Total Budget: $29,900,000

Deadline: 13/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://idrc-crdi.ca/en/funding/pre-announcement-upcoming-funding-opportunity-addressing-neglected-areas-sexual-and

Programme: Erasmus+

Objective: Expected Outcome:

The objective of Topic 5 is to support reforms and policy impact in Member States and/or third countries associated to the Programme in the implementation of the Council Recommendation of 16 June 2022 on a European approach to micro-credentials for lifelong learning and employability.

Eligible Activities: Proposals submitted under this topic must address one of the following priorities:

Priority 11: Micro-credentials eco-systems

Priority 12: Micro-credentials for the digital and green transitions

Eligible Applicants: Eligible EU countries and associated countries

Total Budget: €4,000,000

Deadline: 04/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/erasmus-edu-2024-pol-exp-micro-cred

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• New, centralised, reliable, cyber-secure and upgradable in-vehicle electronic control architectures for CCAM based on the application of co-designed hardware, software and big or smart data flows in combination with over-the-air updates.

• Widespread deployment of level 4 automation in road vehicles by expanding the Operational Design Domains (ODDs) of the control system towards higher complexity (city traffic, adverse weather conditions etc.) or greater scale.

• Safe operation of Connected and Automated Driving (CAD) functions e.g. regarding Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) and ODD transitions through system agility, experience-based decision making and access to cloud intelligence.

• Paradigm shift from human-based and component-supported vehicle control to a more integrated, resource efficient and reliable system for the control of CCAM systems.

• Strengthened cooperation of European OEMs and suppliers to co-design a standard cyber secure electronic architecture layout with harmonised interfaces.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Since current on-board electronic systems are assembled from various controllers in a piecemeal fashion, they are not suitable for the complex, combined performance requirements of advanced levels of CCAM applications in terms of bandwidths, latency, flexibility, fail safety and cyber security. Therefore, a complete redesign of the in-vehicle control architecture is needed, combining innovations at hardware, software and data levels in the vehicle and in connection with distributed intelligence in the edge-cloud continuity. It should build on a centralised e.g. zonal or domain-based layout using distributed high-performance computing for connecting sensing and actuation systems with software updates over the air, big data flows and AI at the edge, resulting in a novel and upgradable electronic in-vehicle control scheme for safe and efficient automated driving functions and tele-operations.

Important building blocks for the in-vehicle control architecture include sensors and sensor data fusion for environment perception with AI “at the edge”, using on-board high-performance computers and generic hard- and software including cyber secure components.

At the same time, the new control architecture and its context aware building blocks are expected to enable the following:

reliable, low-latency and high-bandwidth data communication for automated driving systems control to safeguard against cyber-attacks, malfunctions and malicious interactions.

systemic functionality gains in upgradability, efficiency, modularity, compatibility, scalability, fail-operation, reliability and redundancy.

definition of safety and security targets, open-source standard layouts and harmonised validation methods.

In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with Japan and the United States but also with other relevant strategic partners in third countries.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Eligible EU countries and associated countries

Total Budget: €12,000,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d6-01-01

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Research results are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:

• Growing a positive traffic safety culture across the EU that supports the Vision Zero goal and the Safe System Approach, and which is in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the 2020 Stockholm Declaration, UN General Assembly Resolution and Global Plan of Action for the second decade on road safety

• Remedial action against detrimental, non-temporary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on certain road safety risk factors such as a shift from collective to individual means of transport. Facilitation of a shift to increase efficiency in road safety related public spending across Europe together with a shift towards more energy efficient mobility choices.

• Development and evaluation of strategies to transform the traffic safety culture of road users and stakeholders based on a valid model that identifies the key components defining traffic safety culture, including, for example, social norms, attitudes, perceived control, values, and system assumptions (including its energy efficiency and consumption)

• Concepts and guidelines to make the concept of traffic safety culture an integral part of road safety work of actors across the socio-economic systems of European societies

• Better understanding of the link between road safety outcomes and safety culture; pilot implementation of road safety education at secondary school level and also for decision makers and practitioners in EU Member States/Associated countries.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

A Safe System entails the understanding and managing of all elements of the transport system, including the behaviour and interplay of its actors. Comparative analysis shows persistent differences in road safety performances between EU Member States/Associated countries. These differences may be attributable to differences in culture, which are hard to explain with classical risk models. Efforts should therefore be made to complement road safety initiatives by a safety culture perspective, i.e., the values, beliefs, priorities and viewpoints shared among groups of road users and stakeholders that influence their decisions to behave or act in ways that affect safety, while also considering energy consumption. This concept is already well established in organisational research.

Assessing road safety cultures in different national, regional or local systems, groups and organisations is believed to help understanding and explaining different patterns of risk perception and risk taking across communities and countries – and can likewise inform tailored interventions for these (sub-)cultures, which all come with their specific norms, values, beliefs and behaviours (including gender-related behavioural patterns). These interventions should address all relevant actors in the system for road transport of people and goods, and consider future developments, such as potential impacts by increasing automation levels or by the introduction of new means of road transport such as e-scooters and hoverboards.

Within this context, actions should contribute to establishing a framework for cultural transformation in road safety across the EU and thereby address all the following aspects:

• Better understanding of the link between road safety outcomes and safety culture, i.e. of sociocultural factors like values, beliefs, attitudes, and norms and their effects on actual behaviour of road users (including subjective perception of safety as well as implications of value of time and institutionalised travel costs) – and the ways how these factors can be sustainably transformed.

• Consideration in particular - but not exclusively - of traffic behaviour with high safety impacts, such as inadequate speed choice, distraction by communication or control devices, driving or riding under the influence of alcohol or drugs, non-use of protective devices, and risks triggered by professional drivers’ requirements to multitask and report while driving.

• Assessment of safety cultures and respective activities from other transport modes such as aviation and rail and their potential for road safety.

• Assessment of the interplay between shifting to more energy efficient mobility solutions and traffic safety.

• Consideration of safety impacts of new technologies (including better understanding and use of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)) and emerging transport means and services.

• Consideration of the safety impact of the increasing penetration of urban micro-mobility systems in mixed traffic scenarios and evaluation of potential safety improvements for the protection of micro-mobility users.

• Stocktaking of good practices from countries and companies worldwide already successfully applying cultural approaches to (road) safety work, including countries outside of the EU such as the US and Australia.

• Targeting all levels of the socio-economic systems of societies in the EU, i.e. from European to national, regional and local communities, including entities such as schools and workplaces. Also, NGOs, victims’ organisations etc. can play an important role in that regard.

• Clear guidance & hands-on advice on the design and evaluation of interventions to define, measure, transform and institutionalise traffic safety culture across all areas affecting road safety – for decision-makers and practitioners, with a good geographic coverage across EU institutions, EU Member States/Associated countries. At the level of individual road users, including VRUs, such interventions may entail targeted educational and communication efforts to challenge wrong beliefs or to clarify misperceived social norms, and the use of incentives and nudging to encourage compliant behaviour. At the level of enterprises and authorities, initiatives may include the take-up of safety culture principles in sustainability reporting and encompass various activities from staff training and supervision to procurement and operations – at best permeating work culture and norms of an organisation. Advice at the level of EU Member States/Associated countries and the EU is sought on how to support such transformation such as with legislation, enforcement, and data.

At least three different pilot tests of selected interventions at various levels in different EU Member States/Associated countries.

Actions should be based on the results of previous research projects in this domain, such as the TraSaCu project, and make advances by completing and updating their theoretical foundations, teaming up with EU stakeholders and bringing their findings to life by establishing a framework for true cultural transformation in road safety both among stakeholders and road users. Making use of data that is already being collected in EU Member States/Associated countries about traffic safety culture such as the ESRA initiative (which already involves 60 countries, including over 20 European ones) and Baseline[1] project is strongly encouraged.

Special attention should be given to EU countries with lower safety performance[2]. Integration of relevant expertise from social sciences and humanities (SSH) and international cooperation with partners from the US and/or Australia is encouraged.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible EU countries and associated countries

Total Budget: €7,000,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d6-01-12

Programme: EU-LAC Digital Alliance

Objective: Applications are now open for the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, an initiative funded by the European Commission and part of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, the first regional digital partnership between the Latin America and the Caribbean countries (LAC) and the European Union (EU).

It is a multi-sided platform that connects business opportunities identified by large corporations with solutions proposed by start-ups and innovative SMEs. The accelerator supports partnerships generated between the parties to address these business opportunities jointly. Its objective is to support the development of these partnerships by providing specific services tailored to the needs of each of them.

EU-LAC Digital Accelerator is led by TECNALIA and major international benchmark institutions such as IESE Business School, WAYRA-Telefónica, the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN), the European Business Angels Network (EBAN), Expertise France, TECNALIAVentures, Inter-American Development Bank IDB-Lab, TECNALIA-Colombia and Caribbean Export.

Eligible Activities: Scope of the Open Call #1

The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator has stablished a mechanism of Open Calls to support the development of partnerships between large corporations and start-ups or innovative SMEs. Partnerships can be diverse and are not limited to any specific scope.

The Open Call is not bound to any specific priority. The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator will provide services which are valued up to 30,000 Euros (up to 40,000 Euros if partners from the Caribbean are involved) to selected partnerships. The services will be provided by the partners of the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator. Therefore, no transaction or transfer of funding will be made to the beneficiaries.

The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator offers a programme to develop partnerships between large corporations and start-ups or innovative SMEs from the European Union, Latin America or the Caribbean.

Delivery of Acceleration Services

This phase will last approximately five months and includes the following activity:

Delivery of acceleration services: The service providers will work together with the partnership in the implementation of the roadmap by providing the agreed services. Follow up meetings will be held both with providers and the mentor.

The services available for selected beneficiaries is structured into four main categories:

Phase: Road mapping

Objective: Define your customised plan and services to achieve your goals.

Phase: Proof-of concept

Objective: Find the problem-solution fit to decide how to address your business opportunity.

Phase: Business Case

Objective: Identify the product-market fit to define how to implement your business opportunity.

Phase: Investment & Scaling

Objective: Define your growth plan and connect with investors.

Development of the Acceleration Roadmap

This phase will last approximately one month and includes the following activities:

Mentor assignment: A mentor from the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator network will be assigned to the beneficiary, supporting the partnership during the programme. The mentor will be assigned based on the needs identified by the applicant.

Assessment: Supported by the mentor, the partnership will assess and define the technical, business or investment goals to be reached during the acceleration pathway. A prioritization of goals will be agreed with the mentor.

Identification of services: Guided by the mentor, the partnership will identify the services required from the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator. These must be aligned with the roadmap submitted and the available services listed in the catalogue.

Signature of the collaboration agreement: Once services have been identified, the partnerships will meet with the providers to adjust the scope of work, signing an agreement which defines the work plan, commitments, and deliverables.

Eligible Applicants: Who can apply to the Open Call #1?

To be considered into evaluation, all partnerships must fulfil the following criteria:

The partnership must be stablished with at least one corporation and one start-up or innovative SME, and all partners must be legally established in any country from the European Union, Latin America, or the Caribbean. The criteria which define a start-up or SME according to the EU definition are:

Be independent (not linked or owned by another enterprise), in accordance with Recommendation 2003/361/EC.

Have a headcount in Annual Work Unit (AWU) less than 250.

Have an annual turnover less or equal to EUR50 million OR annual balance sheet total less or equal to EUR43 million.

Companies that do not have the values of the annual turnover or balance sheets yet are also considered eligible given that they fulfil the criteria (a) and (b).

Partnership members must come from at least two of the following geographical regions: the European Union, Latin America or the Caribbean.

Any kind of existing partnership between the parties involved must be declared. Even though the agreement or other confidential information will not be requested, applicants must indicate its scope and date of signature.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 30/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://eulacdigitalaccelerator.com/open-call/

Programme: U.S. Mission to North Macedonia

Objective: Objective

The Embassy of the United States in North Macedonia announces an open competition for organizations/independent media to submit a statement of interest (SOI) to carry out a program (or programs) that support the development of democratic institutions.

Eligible Activities: The FY 2024 program has five priority areas:

1) Strengthen democratic values, including security, anti-corruption, good governance, and transparency in elections;

2) Bolster civil society, foster volunteerism or activism in local communities;

3) Addressing social division, encourage social cohesion and/or combat intolerance;

4) Cyber security, media literacy, and/or anti-disinformation efforts focused on sustainable results; and

5) Environmental and health-focused initiatives.

Actions must take place in North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: The U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section (PAS) in Skopje encourages applications from not-for-profit, non-governmental organizations and independent media registered in North Macedonia.

Total Budget: $490,000

Deadline: 31/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/352321

Programme: Helmut Horten Foundation

Objective: Objective

Established in the 1970s by Helmut Horten, the Foundation aims at supporting the health care system through financial contributions to medical research facilities, hospitals, and other health care institutions, as well as to individuals who are in need of medical care. Eligible for funding are measures intended to protect and maintain people’s health. Today, the Foundation provides funding to the following two main programs: (1) the Horten Centre for Patient-Oriented Research and Knowledge Transfer: this service enables general practitioners to apply the latest medical knowledge in their practices as well as work on patient-oriented research with a focus on the quality of diagnostics; and (2) the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB): the institute’s work is upon advancing biomedical research with scientists focusing on the mechanisms of host defence against bacteria, viruses, tumours and neuro-degenerative diseases.

Eligible Activities: They offer two grant types:

• Young Investor Grants: accelerate the careers of talented young group leaders to develop their independent research within the medical sciences

• Consortium Projects for Clinical Translation: Create the desired impact of sustainably improving quality of life and life expectancy for patients by investing in multidisciplinary teams who can best generate scientific innovation and translate this into clinical, practice-changing outcomes.

Actions must take place in Switzerland and other countries provided they meet the Foundation’s requirements.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible are: (1) medical research centres; (2) hospitals; (3) health care institutions; and (4) individual researchers.

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.helmut-horten-stiftung.org/en/applications/

Programme: WEEDEN FOUNDATION

Objective: Objective

The Weeden Foundation’s primary mission is to protect biodiversity. The Foundation is working to protect old-growth forests, expand habitats for endangered species on public and private lands, and link key wildlife corridors. Their goal in Global Biodiversity is to support campaigns and/or groups in biodiversity hotspots. Specific objectives are to (1) protect global temperate rainforests, (2) support creation of wildlife corridors, (3) land acquisition and protection of endangered species and, (4) support projects that involve indigenous peoples in the process and stewardship of conservation projects.

Eligible Activities: The Foundation’s Environment Education program area focuses on supporting grantees that will provide future leaders with the tools to effect environmental policies. These policies complement the other grantees of the Foundation including biodiversity and habitat protection. Sustainable environmental policies must include both immediate actions as well as education to anticipate and to prevent future environmental impact.

The Foundation’s International Population program is focused on reducing population growth rates in countries recognized for their rich biodiverse landscapes and that have a total fertility rate exceeding replacement levels. To achieve this goal, the Foundation funds groups that facilitate initiatives related to family planning, women’s education and women’s empowerment in countries with such rich and recognized biodiversity.

They work in Latin America and Africa as well as globally.

Eligible Applicants: Non-governmental organisations are eligible. Applicants need a IRS tax exemption 501(c)(3) certification letter or an equivalency document for non-U.S. based organisations (obtained in-country).

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://weedenfoundation.org/applications/

Programme: ISHIBASHI FOUNDATION

Objective: Objective

The Ishibashi Foundation is dedicated to upholding the tradition of cultural initiatives established by its founder, and is committed to supporting artistic, cultural, and educational initiatives aimed at the development of a more caring and humane world. It keeps a watchful eye on regions that tend to be overlooked by society, putting effort in recent years in particular into grant programs with an international focus.

Eligible Activities: They fund the following activities: (1) art: publication of the official journal of a scientific society, having art exhibition; (2) education: raising the standard of educational system, expanding the educational facilities, having commemorative event and symposium; and (3) culture: publication of the official journal of a scientific society, having commemorative event and symposium.

Actions must take place in Japan and across the globe.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are non-profit organisations (including no profit-making enterprises or private businesses) with a track record in implementing projects that align with the Foundation’s mission: institutes, associations, schools, research institutes etc.

Total Budget: $1,800,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: http://www.ishibashi-foundation.or.jp/english/

Programme: Lyford Cay Foundation

Objective: Objective

The Lyford Cay Foundations are dedicated to enhancing community development in The Bahamas through transformative learning opportunities. As a key grant-making organization in the country, their focus is on investing in initiatives that support education and skill development across various sectors including the arts, sports, environmental awareness, health, and economic and human resource development. Their programs are tailored to empower Bahamian children, young adults, families, and communities, especially those who are most in need.

Eligible Activities: The Foundations provide financial assistance to Bahamian non-profits, promoting both traditional and diverse educational experiences. A significant contribution of the Foundations includes a $4 million donation to the University of The Bahamas’ Harry C. Moore Library. Their approach extends beyond mere financial support, aiming for a lasting and sustainable impact in the community.

Actions must take place in Bahamas.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility for the grants is restricted to non-profit organizations registered in The Bahamas. The projects seeking grants must take place within The Bahamas and align with the mission of the Lyford Cay Foundations. Additionally, organizations receiving grants are required to provide a report detailing the use and impact of the funds.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://lyfordcayfoundations.org/our-programmes-grants/

Programme: Fritz Thyssen Foundation

Objective: Objective

Support of projects by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation focuses on scholars in the humanities, social sciences and biomedicine fields. The planned project should be limited in terms of the subject and time.

Eligible Activities: An application can be filed in the following areas of support:

• History, Language & Culture

• State, Economy and Society

• Medicine and the Natural Sciences

• Interdisciplinary projects are also welcomed by the foundation.

Funding is basically reserved for projects that are related to the promotion areas of the Foundation and have a clear connection to the German research system. This connection can be established either at a personal level through German scientists working on the project, at an institutional level through non-German scientists being affiliated to German research institutes or through studies on topics related thematically to German research interests.

They work in Germany and globally.

Eligible Applicants: Applications can generally only be accepted if they come from universities or non-profit research institutions. In the case of applications from non-governmental institutions within the EU/EEA, the application must be accompanied by a copy of the currently valid tax exemption notice for corporations.

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.fritz-thyssen-stiftung.de/en/funding/types-of-support/support-of-projects/

Programme: French Committee for International Solidarity (CFSI)

Objective: The French Committee for International Solidarity (CFSI) has launched a Promotion of Family Farming in West Africa (Pafao) Program.

The Promotion of Family Farming in West Africa (Pafao) program has been jointly supported, since 2009, by the Fondation de France and the French Committee for International Solidarity (CFSI). It benefits from a contribution from the JM.Bruneau Foundation (housed at the Fondation de France) and the French Development Agency (AFD). The Joint Action for West-Africa (Jafowa) program participates in the capitalization component of the program. The Network of West African Farmers' and Producers' Organizations (Roppa) is a member of the steering and monitoring committee. The program supports or has supported more than 330 initiatives since 2009 (annual “general” call for projects and 6 Coup de Pouce calls.

Eligible Activities: Objectives

The general objective of the Pafao program is to:

• Promote local initiatives strengthening the access to healthy and qualitative food produced by viable and sustainable West African family farms and processed in either the country itself or in adjacent regions, all while ensuring an equitable distribution of the added value, produced throughout the value chains (this is the present call for proposals);

• Capitalize (produce knowledge) by drawing useful lessons beyond the projects, serving both organizations and advocacy actors. The objective is to contribute to the already existing documentation on topics such as agriculture and food system-sustainability. Subsequently, the newly acquired knowledge can then be used by decision-makers when deciding upon public policies;

• Support the construction of strategies for change of scale so that successful initiatives do not remain marginal but occupy more economic space.

Challenges

The program provides financial support for local and farmer-led initiatives in West Africa to respond in a sustainable way to the growing demand of domestic markets, and to ensure a better distribution of added value. These initiatives meet two challenges:

• Strengthen and/or maintain the availability of local quality products from sustainable family farming in rural and urban markets - for mass consumption: How can sustainable family farming continue to supply domestic markets and better satisfy the most vulnerable populations, thereby increasing resilience in the event of a crisis? How can producers, processors, traders and consumers organize themselves to better respond to each other's needs and benefit from a better distribution of the added value? How can the income generated by family farming strengthen the resilience of actors in the sector in the event of a crisis?

• Developing sustainable farming practices/sustainable food systems: How can family farming adapt to climate change and prepare for future crises (e.g. war in Ukraine and rising input prices in 2022)? How can it contribute to the preservation of natural resources and biodiversity, whether in the production, processing or marketing phases? How can they guarantee the diversification of production and the variety and nutritional quality of local products?

Targets

• The 2024 call for proposals targets initiatives that help to:

• improve people's resilience in the event of crises by supporting sustainable local food chains;

• compete with imported products.

• Initiatives must target one or both of these challenges:

• marketing local products consumed by as many people as possible, including vulnerable groups;

• marketing local products from the most isolated areas and/or those suffering from insecurity.

• In addition, priority will be given to proposals based on one of the following two approaches:

• accessing major, formalized markets such as contracts with public institutions and businesses (school canteens, prisons, hospitals, hotels, supermarkets, etc.).

• targeting the role of West African consumers and their representative organizations in promoting local consumption.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible Projects

Only projects demonstrating an effective contribution to the creation of remunerative, fair and sustainable economic circuits will be selected in 2024. The presented project must respond to the prioritized question of the Pafao 2024 call for proposals.

The program's committee will prioritize projects that respond to the prioritized question of the call for proposals and:

build on past initiatives while taking into consideration lessons learned by your or other organizations, working on similar topics or in the same territory;

encourage cooperation between several of the concerned territorial actors;

which are articulated with similar and/or complementary initiatives, and whose positioning in relation to these other initiatives and other actors (e.g. farmers' organizations, national platforms, national or foreign support organizations, local authorities, government services, private-sector actors, consumer associations, media, international organizations, donors, etc.) is explicitly explained.

The program's committee will only select initiatives that demonstrate a real capacity for innovation, change or replication of successful experiences to boost the consumption of quality local products from sustainable family farming. Priority will be given to projects focusing on the downstream part of the value chain (processing, marketing). Projects in which the focus are given to capitalization and/or advocacy may also be selected.

Projects can be annual or multi-year (maximum 3 years).

Projects must take place in one of the following 16 West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.

Eligibility Criteria

This call is only open to projects carried out in partnership by a minimum of two organizations, one West African and the other European (must be an EU member state). If the project leader is a West African organization, then the main partner must be European. Conversely, if the project leader is a European organization, then the main partner must be West African. The partnership between the two organizations must be formalized and pre-existing to the project for which the grant is requested. Other organizations may be involved as "other partners".

The applicant must:

be a non-profit legal entity based in West Africa or Europe (EU), of the following type: farmers' organization, West African NGO, support NGO active in West Africa or Europe (European Union - EU) as long as it operates with local partners. Cooperatives are also eligible. Public institutions and local authorities are not eligible as applicants;

have been registered for more than one year;

have previously carried out actions in the agricultural and food sectors.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 13/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.cfsi.asso.fr/appel-a-projets-promotion-de-lagriculture-familiale-en-afrique-de-louest-pafao-2024/

Programme: European Media and Information Fund (EMIF)

Objective: Objective

The Call Boosting Fact-checking Activities in Europe aims at supporting projects from independent fact-checking organisations, which play a key role in limiting the negative effects of disinformation on the public discourse and democratic processes. In the context of the ongoing Russia – Ukraine war, and in light of its repercussions across Europe, this Call for Proposals is currently accepting applications that contemplate collaborations with Ukrainian fact-checking and media organisation and/or journalists.

Eligible Activities: Though Ukrainian organisations are not eligible as funded partners, costs pertaining to such collaborations, namely subcontracting costs, will be considered as eligible.

a. Urgent actions: projects designed to increase coverage, depth, and speed of fact-checking activities by organisations that commit to producing regular flows of fact-checks.

b. Scale-up projects: free-lance collaborations within newsrooms and/or the integration of state-of-the-art technologies for content verification and media and social media monitoring

Actions must take place in Europe.

Eligible Applicants: Only individual entities or organisations in a consortium located in the EU, EFTA and UK are eligible.

Total Budget: €4,350,000

Deadline: 30/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://gulbenkian.pt/emifund/bolsas-lista/boosting-fact-checking-activities-in-europe/

Programme: British Council

Objective: The British Council is pleased to announce the International Collaboration Grants to support the creation of new cultural collaborations between UK artists, arts professionals and organisations and their peers around the world.

Eligible Activities: The International Collaboration Grants (ICG) is a £1m programme of grants now available to support UK arts and culture organisations connect and collaborate with their international peers and is designed to support artists to make and develop creative artwork, deepening existing partnerships in a creative space and to find innovative ways of working. This grant programme has been designed to support artists to make and develop creative artwork, and to encourage new international partnerships and innovative ways of collaborating.

Eligible Countries

Each project should include at least one UK-based organisation and one organisation based in the countries listed below as part of the partnership.

Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Mainland China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Montenegro, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, Senegal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

The grants are designed to support officially registered organisations, based in the eligible countries and territories, and the UK to work on projects in partnership. Each project should include at least one UK-based organisation and at least one organisation based in eligible countries or territories listed below as part of the partnership.

They will accept applications for multilateral projects and projects with more than one partner in the same country, with the focus on the programme being delivered mutually. However, the funding should be split between the UK and overseas countries and territories, with at least 50% of the funding benefiting non-UK partners.

An additional partner, on top of the minimum two, from a non-eligible country or territory can take part in the project but cannot receive grant funding.

Grants will be awarded to organisations – including consortia, community-based and artist-led – and they will particularly be looking for those that identify specific individual artists for inclusion in the project.

All collaborating organisations must have a registered business bank account that belongs to an organisation and all necessary registrations in place according to local legislation in which your project will be delivered. For example, all Indian applications must comply in advance with the applicable FCRA regulations; UK-based companies must have a company registration number.

An application should be submitted by one organisation working collaboratively with all the partners.

While the funds are designed to benefit the artistic community, due to financial regulations they can only award them to legally registered organisations and collectives (including consortia, community-based and artist-led), and not individual artists, sole traders or freelancers. Grants will be awarded to organisations (including consortia, community-based and artist-led), and they will be looking for those that identify specific individual artists for inclusion in the project. Projects can involve international artists based in any country on top of those in the UK and eligible countries, however they need to be contracted by collaborating organisations and the grant must be spent in eligible countries.

They will prioritise applications and projects that show a clear benefit to the artistic community in the country or countries in which they are working.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 30/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.britishcouncil.org/arts/international-collaboration-grants

Programme: ERASMUS-LS ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Proposals submitted under Topic 6 must address the following priority:

• Priority 13: National/regional support to European Universities alliances

• In line with the Council Recommendation of 5 April 2022 on building bridges for effective European higher education cooperation, “deeper and more effective transnational cooperation in the higher education sector across all Europe is key to supporting Union values, identity and democracy, to building the resilience of European society and economy, and to building a sustainable future”. In this Recommendation, it is also stated that “the European Universities, and similar long-standing institutionalised cooperation models, provide useful lessons learned while testing deeper transnational cooperation models that go beyond existing individual institutional strategies, governance and collaboration ecosystems. They are a source of inspiration for the wider higher education community to drive system-level reforms while facilitating better coordination between European higher education and research policies.”

Eligible Activities: In line with the spirit of the Council conclusions of June 2021 on the European Universities initiative - Bridging higher education, research, innovation and society: Paving the way for a new dimension in European higher education, further efforts are needed at national and regional levels, to create an enabling environment for European Universities and similar long-standing institutionalised cooperation models. On top of cooperation with the European level, this requires cooperation between the national and regional authorities involved, and support of the higher education sector.

Projects under this topic are expected to:

• Improve the supporting environment for European Universities and other similar long-standing institutionalised cooperation models, both in view of related legislation, its application and provided technical support in a particular region/country;

• Improve the funding models and modalities at national/regional level of European Universities and other similar long-standing institutionalised cooperation models.

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: 04/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/Erasmus-edu-2024-pol-exp-higher-edu

Programme: DIGITAL-JU-CSA DIGITAL JU Coordination and Support Actions

Objective: ExpectedOutcome:

A EuroHPC Competence and Qualification Framework (CQF) for HPC based on a modular skills tree of competences and learning objectives, addressing the gap between basic digital skills and domain specific specialist knowledge.

Wide adoption of the CQF by the HPC community in Europe, including higher education institutions and professional training providers.

A certification scheme linked to the CQF with broad acceptance of qualifications as proof of HPC competences by education and training providers, public and private employers.

Increased competitiveness and innovation by contributing to the development of a more skilled and knowledgeable HPC workforce, which will enhance the competitiveness and innovation potential of European companies and research institutions.

Increased mobility and improved career opportunities by facilitating the recognition and validation of HPC skills and qualifications across Europe, making it easier for HPC professionals to move between different countries and for employers to compare and assess the qualifications of potential candidates.

Improved quality assurance by promoting transparency and trust in the HPC training and certification system. It supports HPC training programs to align with the needs of the HPC industry and research community and meet high quality standards.

Cooperation and exchange between education and training providers across Europe, by enabling the sharing of best practices, resources, and expertise, and foster innovation in teaching and learning. Overall, a more dynamic and competitive HPC education and training environment is established, which will benefit learners, educators, and employers alike.

Objective:

Central objective of the action is to establish the EuroHPC Academy covering the multidisciplinary field of HPC, including related areas such as emerging technologies (e. g. quantum computing), and its cross-cutting dimension. The Academy should significantly contribute to the development of coordinated HPC education programmes addressing a wide range of stakeholders, including academic education programmes, professional training, short-term courses, individual and independent learning. The action will ensure the availability of common quality and qualification standards in HPC, the compatibility of training modules and learning objectives as well as the uptake of standardisation of training and education in the European HPC ecosystem. Based on a skill tree identifying HPC key competences in a systematic and structured approach, the action will significantly improve the quality and availability of HPC training for European HPC users. A broadly recognised certification scheme for HPC competences in combination with high quality didactically consistent content, including exercises and assessments, will encourage also individual and independent learning. Overall, the Academy will significantly contribute to a more knowledgeable HPC workforce driving innovation and competitiveness in the European economy.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

The activities of the EuroHPC Academy will be centred around several action pillars. The pillars represent key strategic components and work together to achieve the objectives of the virtual academy.

Competence and qualification framework (CQF)

Reference course material for the modular CQF

Assessment and certification scheme

Technical infrastructure

The EuroHPC Academy will support training providers with the implementation of HPC education, training, qualifications and assessments. It will provide structured material, exercises and assessments linked to a certification scheme which will incentivise also individual and independent learning. Central for the widest possible adoption of services are cooperation activities with the relevant stakeholders and communities including, but not limited to, Hosting Entities of EuroHPC supercomputers and EuroHPC initiatives such as the network of National Competence Centres for HPC (EUROCC 2, CASTIEL 2), the European MSc programme for HPC (EUMaster4HPC) and the European skills platform (HPC SPECTRA). As the EuroHPC Academy will exercise authority over the modular HPC curriculum, learning objectives and qualification standard, the consortium will establish close cooperations and effective feedback loops. Specifically with higher education institutions cooperations are of outstanding importance to ensure alignment and compatibility of the modular CQF with the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). The CQF should allow training providers a maximum of freedom for the implementation according to the requirements of their target groups, while ensuring a common standard for the assessment of competences and the certification of qualifications.

The JU considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 6 million and a duration of 4 years would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting another duration or other amounts. Only one proposal will be selected.

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €6,000,000

Deadline: 04/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/digital-eurohpc-ju-2023-academy-02-01

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Safe scaling up of the deployment of CCAM systems for all levels of automation, including systems that for part of the driving phases rely on human-machine interaction.

• Assurance of vehicle safety despite system changes, e.g., due to software updates and data exchanges between vehicles and the infrastructure.

• Facilitating the introduction of fast developing technological innovations in the CCAM system’s functionality, such as AI.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

To ensure the safety of CCAM, it is essential that vehicles are not only safe during the (first) type approval, but also during their complete lifetime in a fast-changing road transport system. Changes can result from the evolution of the CCAM system itself, for example, as a result of increasing connectivity using V2X communication, the use of AI-based systems, and OTA (over-the-air) software updates. The traffic system, in which CCAM systems are being deployed, is changing at a rapid pace as well, with an increased market share of vehicles with higher levels of automation, new (personal) mobility devices and autonomous mobility robots (e.g., for package delivery).

At the same time, the way CCAM systems interact with humans in traffic is changing. Until full automation in transport is reached, the human driver will keep on playing an essential role. Also, the interaction with other road users will change, supported by technologies that allow a CCAM system to communicate its intentions to other road users.

As a consequence of these innovations and developments, the safe deployment of CCAM systems needs an extension of the safety validation procedures and certification schemes, taking advanced human-machine interaction and a continuous in-service monitoring approach into account. Due to the many different scenarios and variations that can occur realistically and that consequently need to be tested, it should be possible that a large part of the assessment is performed in a virtual simulation environment.

The proposed actions are expected to address all of the following aspects:

• Developing a validation methodology for scenario-based safety assurance of AI-based CCAM functions. Trustworthiness of the AI-algorithms depends on how well the system responds to scenarios in its Operational Design Domain (ODD) – specificity and how it responds in case it ends-up outside its ODD – robustness. Consequently, methods need to be developed on the use of scenarios to describe the ODD of AI-based systems.

• Connectivity. Developing validation procedures for CCAM systems that rely on V2X for safety-critical functions i.e., the inclusion of the connectivity context. Ensuring aspects of reliability, trustworthiness and cyber-security with respect to V2X is essential. The approach to V2X connectivity is technology neutral.

• Continuous Safety Assurance approach. Developing an approach for a continuous safety validation methodology, to monitor the safety state of deployed CCAM systems in operation (real traffic) during its service life, following type approval. Performance metrics for the reliability of the monitored data, including cyber-security aspects, and indicators for the safety state should be proposed. Also needed is the development of requirements for the monitoring system for use in future standardisation, regarding the exchange of data and safety performance indicators with service organisations and authorities.

• Validating the virtual approach. Developing tools that ensure the relevant degree of detail and the appropriate representation of other road users’ behaviour (incl. Vulnerable Road Users such as pedestrians and/or bicyclists) in virtual scenario-based testing. This includes methods to deal with perception, localisation, and world modelling errors in the validation procedures.

• Human Machine Interaction. Developing a safety assurance methodology that incorporates the assessment of Human Machine Interaction (both driver-vehicle and vehicle-road user) concepts for higher levels of automation (conformity checks as well as test set-ups with suitable metrics) ensuring safe communication between driver and vehicle and between vehicle and other road users, making Human Machine Interaction inclusive (i.e. in terms of age, mental and physical ability, cultural aspects, etc.).

• Proposed actions are expected to develop recommendations for harmonisation and standardisation and to feed into on-going discussions regarding EU type vehicle approval rules as well as in the framework of the UNECE.

Actions should be based on the outcomes of previous methodologies developed in HEADSTART[1], as well as research funded under HORIZON-CL5-2021-D6-01-02[2].

Upcoming CCAM projects, in particular in the area of large-scale demonstrations, validation, digital infrastructure and key enabling technologies should be taken into account to ensure compatibility.

Links should be established with the Mobility Data Space initiatives from Digital Europe, federated data infrastructure projects (Gaia-X, International Data Spaces, Big Data Value - BDV).

In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with Japan and the United States but also with other relevant strategic partners in third countries.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €14,000000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d6-01-02

Programme: World Food Prize Foundation

Objective: Nominations for World Food Prize are now open to advance human development with a demonstrable increase in the quantity, quality, availability of, or access to food through creative interventions at any point within the full scope of the food system.

Eligible Activities: Fields of Achievement

Fields of achievement include, but are not limited to:

• soil and land;

• plant and animal science;

• food science and technology;

• nutrition;

• rural development;

• marketing;

• food processing, packaging and storage;

• water and the environment;

• natural resource conservation;

• physical infrastructure;

• transportation and distribution;

• special or extraordinary feeding programs;

• social organization and poverty elimination;

• economics and finance;

• policy analysis and implementation; and

• public advocacy.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Any academic institution, private or public organization, or governmental unit may submit a nomination for the World Food Prize.

Any such entity may submit as many nominations as it sees fit.

All nominations are confidential, and the identities of the nominators and the nominating organization are kept in strict confidence.

Individuals may generate nominations, but the nomination must be endorsed by, and submitted through, an academic institution, private or public organization, or governmental unit.

Self-nominations will not be considered.

Nomination Criteria

This exceptionally significant achievement must be shown to have resulted in a demonstrable increase in the quantity, quality, availability of, or access to food for a large number of people.

The impact of this achievement must be measurable, quantifiable, or otherwise demonstrated either in terms of reduced poverty, hunger, or suffering; or enhanced health, nutrition, quality of life and well-being.

It must be clearly shown that this increase in food security was the direct result of the specific actions and activities of the nominee; i.e., without his or her specific accomplishment, no change would have occurred.

A nominee must be living and in sufficiently good health to attend the World Food Prize Award Ceremony.

Total Budget: $500,000

Deadline: 01/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.worldfoodprize.org/index.cfm?nodeID=87515&audienceID=1

Programme: HORIZON-EIT-2023-25-KIC-EITURBANMOBILITY - EIT Urban Mobility Business Plan 2023-2025

Objective: EIT Urban Mobility aims to play a central role in supporting transformative and responsible research and innovation and, therefore, the alignment of multiple stakeholders to transform goods and services delivery systems orienting them towards a greener, digital, more resilient and fairer urban mobility model.

We believe that one of the main barriers to articulate collective action addressing Urban Mobility challenges is the need to strengthen a shared vision of the future and a systemic understanding of these challenges. Stakeholders involved should share a systemic vision of the urban mobility present situation as regards its problems and opportunities, and should have a shared goal, knowing that their uncoordinated actions are unlikely to effectively address the challenge.

Knowing that one of the most important challenges to achieve a real transformative change is aligning the diverse and relevant stakeholders to address societal challenges, from EIT Urban Mobility we are working to be a change enable. We want to work together with our Partners and all the Urban Mobility ecosystem to create concrete opportunities to open new horizons and possibilities for development or help to replace those with others that generate a more comprehensive value (economic, social and environmental) for society.

Eligible Activities: Before starting a proposal, all applicants must register on the following two platforms:

• The EU Funding & tender opportunities portal in order to obtain the 9-digit Participant Identification Code (PIC number). If the participant already has a PIC number, there is no need to register again.

• The EIT Urban Mobility PLAZA tool.

Please read carefully the registration and submission processes outlined in the Guidelines for Applicants

The application form must be submitted by the Project Leaders through the PLAZA e-submission platform no later than 20 December 2023 at 17:00 CET (1 st cut-off date). Any proposals submitted after the set deadline will be considered for the following cut-off date.

In case no further cut-off dates are envisaged, the application submitted after the deadline will be ineligible. Once the applicants have submitted their proposals, the EIT Urban Mobility team will proceed to:

• Check eligibility and admissibility of those proposals and, if successful:

• Initiate the evaluation of the content by external experts

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €150,000

Deadline: 20/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/competitive-calls-cs/4042

Programme: ERASMUS-LS ERASMUS Lump Sum Grants

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects under Topic 3 address the adult learning sector. These projects support the implementation of the principles and objectives of the European Pillar of Social Rights Action Plan, the European Skills Agenda and in particular the Council Recommendation on individual learning accounts, the initiative on the Pact for Skills and the Council Resolution on a new European agenda for adult learning 2021-2030.

Eligible Activities: Proposals submitted under this topic must address one of the following priorities:

• Priority 6: Joining forces to reskill workers

• Priority 7: Supporting the Pact for Skills

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies) active in the fields of education and

training, research and innovation or in the world of work;

must be:

o relevant public authorities, which higher education institutions are

involved in the European Universities initiative, or other similar long-

standing institutionalised cooperation models,

o And/or bodies with a mandate from their country related to quality

assurance, funding of alliances of higher education institutions, or other

specific fields relevant to the success of the European Universities

initiative

• be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:

− Erasmus+ Programme Countries:

− EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories

(OCTs))

− non-EU countries:

− listed EEA countries and countries associated to the

Erasmus+ Programme (list of participating countries)

Total Budget: €10,000,000

Deadline: 04/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/erasmus-edu-2024-pol-exp-adult

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Widespread electrification of mobile applications is necessary to achieve the goals of the European Green Deal. A competitive European battery value chain will have to deliver highly performant and safe battery systems in order to enable the necessary uptake of electrified mobility applications.

This topic focuses on delivering a safe and sustainable by design approach for batteries reduced in size and weight which will deliver the performance necessary for mobile applications. The objective is to ruggedise energy storage packs by enlarging the environmental and operational conditions in which they can operate, while maintaining a high level of performance and achieving a reduction in the size and weight of the battery pack.

Successful projects are expected to deliver on both following points:

• An increase of the net useful mass and volumetric energy density of the battery system between 10% and 30% compared to the state-of-the-art battery systems.

• The improvement of the safety by design measures throughout the battery lifetime and during operation.

• Projects are furthermore expected to deliver innovative thermal management to Increase performance over the complete operational conditions

• Enable fast charging requirements 10%-80% in 10 minutes maximum.

• The solutions should be demonstrated and validated at application level and should comply with all relevant standards (performance and safety). They are also encouraged to contribute to standardisation of measures for safe thermal management.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Projects should achieve size and weight reduction by integrating different technologies such as:

• Integration of advanced cell technologies/generations, sensing technologies,

• The use of lightweight and multi-functional materials (including, but not limited to, the use of nanomaterials) that are safe and sustainable by design in alignment with Commission Recommendation (EU/2022/2510) and lightweight structures for battery casing.

• Improvement of the cell to system ration by adopting innovative packaging approaches to enable smart battery cell concepts. Approaches to reduce the complexity of HV and BMS architecture and substitution by alternatives.

• To reach those targets, improvements in both components in the cell and in the pack will be considered.

Proposals are expected to also address innovations in the manufacturing processes that result in size and weight reduction of the packs.

In addition, projects are expected to improve battery performance and safety by demonstrating innovative thermal management systems, which enhance fast charging capability or high-power application during operational lifetime (heating and cooling).

Finally, projects should enhance the safety throughout the full battery lifetime and for failure conditions by developing and demonstrating safe by design measures, for example such as:

• Thermal propagation measures.

• Fire retardant properties.

• Mechanical properties ameliorations.

• Reliability, default propagation/thermal runaway modelisation and simulation.

• The effectiveness of safety measures should be demonstrated by simulation at pack level.

The projects are to focus on the battery system level, i.e., on the integration of battery cells into a battery system (e.g., a battery pack), considering mechanical, electrical and thermal aspects.

The integration of battery systems into larger systems of application (e.g., into vehicles structure) can be part of scope (e.g. cell to casing integration) as long as it can be demonstrated as a possibility to reduce overall packaging space, battery weight and battery performance improvement.

All solutions are expected to consider optimal design for manufacturing, end of life management and LCA analysis and disassembly.

The Commission initiative for Safe and Sustainable by Design[1] will set a framework for assessing safety and sustainability of chemicals and materials and which should be considered as a reference in the proposal.

Plans for the exploitation and dissemination of results for proposals submitted under this topic should include a strong business case and sound exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination. The exploitation plans should include preliminary plans for scalability, commercialisation, and deployment (feasibility study, business plan) indicating the possible funding sources to be potentially used (in particular the Innovation Fund).

In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged, in particular with the USA.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on the results to the European Partnership on Batteries (Batt4EU) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €16,000,000

Deadline: 05/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d2-02-03

Programme: European Commission (EC)

Objective: The European Commission (EC) is seeking applications for the Startup Europe Programme under its Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON).

Scope

This action will connect local digital and deep tech start-up ecosystems and support cross-border acceleration activities for start-ups that demonstrate traction (i.e. market-product fit or at least a seed round raised). Among the start-up ecosystems to be connected, specific attention will be given to the inclusion of ecosystems in ‘moderate’ or ‘emerging’ innovator countries and/or regions.

While cross-border acceleration activities are open to all European start-ups demonstrating traction, the action will also target scale-ups identified in Horizon Europe (e.g. though the EIC (including the EIC Scaleup 100 action) and EIT-supported companies) and the Digital Europe Programme (e.g. from European Digital Innovation Hubs), and the use of Innovation Radar intelligence and other relevant data sets. Targeting of start-ups funded by national programmes, particularly those part of “Plug-in” certified programmes should also be considered.

In terms of outreach and amplification, actions should be publicised where relevant in the EIC Community and should actively engage with activities and events of the Europe Startup Nations Alliance. Special attention will be given to support European digital and deep tech start-ups and scale-ups in accessing innovation procurement opportunities (public or corporate procurers).

The action may be implemented through financial support to third parties or directly by the consortium partners to allow start-ups to best benefit from the services described. For consortia opting for the financial support to third parties scheme, the monitoring of the support to third parties provided for each action, as well as the management of the financial support to third parties, will be ensured by the coordinator.

Eligible Activities: Funding Information

The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:

public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and

cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (lowvalue grant).

Expected Outcomes

Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

Increasing the market footprint of European start-ups in strategic digital technologies and deep tech innovation, notably Artificial Intelligence, Advanced Computing, Cybersecurity, Next Generation Internet, Blockchain, Internet of Things, Metaverse, Energy, Greentech, AgriTech, and Fintech;

Better connection of start-ups, including European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and European Innovation Council (EIC)-supported start-ups and Seal of Excellence holders, to relevant local and/or European ecosystems, communities, and potential new markets;

A scaling up of capabilities in matching technology solutions developed by highly innovative European Union (EU)-funded digital and deep tech start-ups with investment and growth opportunities in collaboration with other initiatives such as: the EIC, the EIT and the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), InvestEU, the Digital Europe Programme, Women TechEU, public and private buyers, or investors and corporate innovation ventures, and start-up villages.

In pursuit of the above outcomes the projects are expected to prioritise:

Start-ups that have either already achieved market-product fit or have raised at least a round of financing (seed or later); and

Start-ups established in ‘moderate’ or ‘emerging’ innovator countries and/or regions; or

Women-led start-ups

Expected Impact

Proposals for topics under this destination should set out a credible pathway to strengthening robust interconnected innovation ecosystems and creating a favourable environment to promote the scalability potential of businesses, including in the deep tech sector, and more specifically to one or several of the following impacts:

Interconnected, inclusive, and more efficient innovation ecosystems across the EU that draw on the existing strengths of European, national, regional, and local ecosystems and engage new, less well-represented stakeholders and less advanced innovation territories, including rural areas, to set, undertake, and achieve collective ambitions tackling challenges for the benefit of society, including green, digital, and social transitions, and advancing the European Research Area and the New European Innovation Agenda;

Enhance cross-border network connectivity and inter-regional collaboration of regional innovation valleys by reinforcing their capacity to create, reshore, and renew European value chains towards the sustainable green and digital transition and the EU's open strategic autonomy in EU countries and/or regions;

Strengthen and expand cooperation between innovation ecosystems worldwide;

Foster more inclusive and gender equal innovation ecosystems;

Reducing territorial inequalities in access to innovation support.

Eligible Activities

Eligible activities are the ones described in the call conditions.

Projects must focus exclusively on civil applications and must not:

aim at human cloning for reproductive purposes;

intend to modify the genetic heritage of human beings which could make such changes heritable (except for research relating to cancer treatment of the gonads, which may be financed);

intend to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research, or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer.

Projects must, moreover, comply with EU policy interests and priorities (environment, social, security, industrial policy, etc.).

The following activities are generally eligible for grants under Horizon Europe:

Research and innovation actions (RIA) — Activities that aim primarily to establish new knowledge or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. This may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing, demonstration and validation of a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment.

Innovation actions (IA) — Activities that aim directly to produce plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. These activities may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication

Coordination and support actions (CSA) — Activities that contribute to the objectives of Horizon Europe. This excludes R&I activities, except those carried out under the ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ component of the programme (part of ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’).

Programme co-fund actions (CoFund) — A programme of activities established or implemented by legal entities managing or funding R&I programmes, other than EU funding bodies. Such a programme of activities may support: networking and coordination; research; innovation; pilot actions; innovation and market deployment; training and mobility; awareness raising and communication; and dissemination and exploitation.

Innovation and market deployment actions (IMDA) — Activities that embed an innovation action and other activities necessary to deploy an innovation on the market. This includes the scaling-up of companies and Horizon Europe blended finance.

Target Group(s): Start-up ecosystem builders, business angel organisations, venture capital entities, accelerators, incubators, start-up associations, clusters.

Eligible Applicants: Entities Eligible for Funding

Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:

the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;

the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;

eligible non-EU countries:

countries associated to Horizon Europe

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: 25/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-eie-2024-connect-01-02

Programme: International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology

Objective: The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) is accepting proposals for the Collaborative Research Programme (CRP), a dedicated source of funding aimed at financing projects addressing original scientific problems of particular relevance for the host country and of regional interest.

Eligible Activities: Aims

The programme aims to:

stimulate collaborative research between ICGEB Member States and with the ICGEB Component laboratories

promote the training of young scientists

facilitate the creation of appropriate research facilities

The programme provides support for original research projects in basic life sciences, human healthcare, industrial and agricultural biotechnology, and bioenergy.

Funding Information

An important element of successful applications is the feasibility of the proposed project within the designated time-frame (maximum 36 months)

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

Applicants for CRP – ICGEB Research Grant proposals should hold positions at Universities or Research Institutes in any of the Member States.

International collaboration is an essential feature of all ICGEB grants and must be fully integrated into the project. Active collaboration with ICGEB Research Groups is welcome.

Investigating groups are not eligible to submit applications:

if previously awarded projects have not been evaluated and satisfactorily concluded;

if the University or Research Institute of the Principal Investigator is based in Italy.

A proposal can only be re-submitted once.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 30/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.icgeb.org/activities/grants/

Programme: Journalismfund.eu

Objective: Objective

This grant programme supports cross-border teams of professional journalists and/or news outlets to conduct investigations into environmental affairs related to Europe. While news media and newsrooms still predominantly operate nationally, most power structures and societal and environmental problems transcend national boundaries. This grant programme is therefore aimed at cross-border teams of investigative journalists and newsrooms to investigate and document illegal, unreported and unregulated abuse of nature that involves European affairs in and outside Europe.

Eligible Activities: Next to investigations of environmental issues that transcend borders, this programme can also support and stimulate comparative investigations into local environmental issues and policies between two or more regions or cities. The grants can also offer support to preliminary work in the development of new investigative projects. The grant can cover working time and expenses such as logistics, travel, insurance, access to legal support, translations, access to technology and data sets, etc.

Actions must take place in Europe.

Eligible Applicants: Cross-border teams of at least two professional journalists and/or news outlets can submit a proposal for a journalistic investigation about an issue that concerns the environment and relates to Europe.

Total Budget: €400,000

Deadline: 24/10/2024

More information and official documents: https://grants.journalismfund.eu/en/investigation-grants-environmental-journalism

Programme: Journalismfund.eu

Objective: Objective

This grant, mentoring and scholarships programme aims at addressing the shortage of local independent journalism by administering grants to local investigative journalistic projects in Europe and stimulating cross-border collaboration.

Eligible Activities: This programme will:

• Stimulate local journalists and (small) news outlets to conduct investigative journalism and learn from colleagues in other countries, creating a European network of local (investigative) journalists in the long run.

• Stimulate local journalists and news outlets to compare with other regions and cities in other countries that face similar problems or challenges, which are eminently European issues.

• Increase the dissemination, reach and impact of local investigative journalism.

The grant programme will be open for teams of local investigative journalists and/or local media outlets from at least two different European countries who have good ideas for a local cross-border investigation. For example: journalists and/or news outlets from different comparable cities investigate how their cities cope with e.g. housing, waste, tourism, mobility, etc.

Actions must take place in Europe.

Eligible Applicants: Journalists and independent media outlets are eligible to apply. At least 80% of your requested budget should go to journalists/media based in the European Union.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 07/11/2024

More information and official documents: https://grants.journalismfund.eu/en/crossborderlocal

Programme: HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

Interconnected Innovation Ecosystems (2024.2) (HORIZON-EIE-2024-CONNECT- 02)

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects results are expected to contribute to four (4) or more of the following expected outcomes:

• Improved integration of research institutions, Higher Education Institutions, vocational schools, and similar organisations into Europe’s innovation ecosystems by establishing better links with start-ups and start-up networks, accelerators and incubators, business angels and investor communities;

• Improved flows of knowledge, skills, and talents between educational institutions and other innovation ecosystem actors at various levels of development, including in the deep tech field in line with the New European Innovation Agenda;

• Improved skills of all involved ecosystem actors to increase innovation potential, inter-sectoral mobility, and market uptake of new technologies; Targeted are skills necessary and responsive to innovation and labour market needs on digital, green, and entrepreneurial skills, networking skills, risk taking, and in particular in the deep tech field;

• Improved connections of educational institutions to high-quality remote testing, validation, and up-scaling of innovations delivered by research and technology infrastructures across the EU;

• Improved competence of students, graduates, researchers, and workforce to launch, run, and lead successful and profitable start-ups, including in the deep tech field;

• Enhanced availability of local talents equipped with skills to support business acceleration and digitalisation;

• Enhanced entrepreneurial activity in developing innovation ecosystems and their upscaling and interconnectedness across the EU supported by citizens and local initiatives in order to build innovative solutions to current and future challenges;

• Increased engagement and connectedness with other ecosystem actors (e.g. other educational institutions, Technology Transfer Offices, Research and Technology Organisations, local and regional enterprises, private companies, start-ups, early-stage companies, accelerators, incubators, etc.) within and between regions;

• Increased youth (self) employability and gender balance in collaborations.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Target group(s): Research and innovation ( related actors such as vocational schools, higher education institutions, public authorities in the field of education and employment, innovation agencies, SMEs, deep tech companies, the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) start-ups and industry, research performing organisations, knowledge and technology transfer offices and associations, students and researchers.

Educational and research institutions are considered key places for knowledge production and innovation, and should be well connected within and beyond their respective regional innovation ecosystems. By increasing the connectedness of educational and research institutions, host regions will be able to increase their competitive advantage by fostering and possibly attracting talent, high-tech companies, and boosting innovation output in the area;

However, due to the diverse innovation landscape in Europe, educational and research institutions from better-connected innovation ecosystems benefit from more local accelerators with greater funding opportunities and more qualified business support services compared to their counterparts in other areas, including rural or peripheral areas.

The action should foster the creation of innovation ecosystems with educational and research institutions, or strengthen their existing links. Proposals should outline activities for supporting educational and research institutions to take a greater entrepreneurial role, e.g. through boosting innovation and entrepreneurship within their activities. The action should also ensure that educational and research institutions’ assets and vision are articulated clearly and in line with respective regional specialisations (such as smart specialisation strategies), so they can easily be integrated into innovation ecosystems and economic value chains.

The proposals should leverage best practices of the private and public sector in the EU's well performing innovation hubs and enhance collaborations between businesses with R&I actors in educational and research institutions. The proposals should build on the educational and research institutions' focus areas and relationship to innovation, matching regional and business interests (and where relevant complement smart specialisation strategies), in order to maximize each stakeholders’ strengths and accelerate progress. The proposals should outline activities that will foster connectedness of the innovation ecosystems while preventing brain drain and encourage talent to stay in emerging regions, including rural areas. Only by providing local talents, including female talents, with knowledge and opportunities to contribute to the local private sector or develop their own businesses, local innovation ecosystems can expand based on sustainable and inclusive growth. The proposals should valorise high levels of technical skills, including in deep tech, in developing innovation ecosystems with hands-on knowledge and experiences in business management and international scale-up processes.

The action supports co-designed programmes of activities of at least two (2) years, proposed jointly by educational institutions, research institutions, and other R&I actors from ‘emerging’ and ‘moderate’ innovation ecosystems and the private sector from innovation hubs (‘strong innovators’ and ‘innovation leaders’), to ensure better connectedness between higher education institutions and research organisation with other actors of innovation ecosystems, for example:

• Engagement of business experts into the implementation of networking activities and building innovation ecosystem around the university/research institution;

• Engagement of students, graduates, researchers and workforce from various disciplines and departments into the innovation ecosystem, with a focus on networking and building networks around educational and research institutions as centres of gravity, and engaging in companies’ structures and business processes;

• Engagement of students and researchers in start-ups from both their immediate local environment and beyond (regional, national, transnational) working with various actors from the innovation ecosystem to experience what starting and running a venture entails, such as raising funds, pitching events, creating, editing, and adapting business models in the creation process from idea to market, etc.;

• Creation of synergies between students, graduates, researchers, innovators, education institutes, research performing organisations, and business partners, locally, at EU level, and globally targeting the creation of networks and communities of practices in the field of deep tech to stimulate the market uptake of results and new technologies, as well as their co-creation.

The proposed programmes of activities should ensure gender-balanced participation opportunities.

To ensure that the impact of the action goes beyond consortium members and their respective countries, it is encouraged that the selected consortia work closely with innovation agencies from their respective territories and beyond, and seek synergies with relevant EU initiatives in the field of university-business cooperation, such as knowledge and innovation alliances under the Erasmus+ programme or the EIT Knowledge Innovation Communities (KICs) to allow for complementarities and possible use of already existing EIT KICs' knowledge, expertise, networks, communities or platforms such as those developed under the EIT Initiative on Innovation Capacity Building for Higher Education that focuses on strengthening partnerships between higher education and businesses including developing innovation and business support services.

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €2,500.000

Deadline: 19/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-eie-2024-connect-02-01

Programme: HORIZON-PCP HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement

Support to Security Research and Innovation 2024 (HORIZON-CL3-2024-SSRI-01)

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

• An identifiable community of EU civil security authorities with common user/functional needs for innovative technology solutions;

• Tested and validated capacity of EU technology and industrial base to develop and produce technology prototypes that meet the needs of the EU user community;

• Improved delineation of the EU market (including demand and supply) for innovative civil security systems that can articulate alternative options for uptake in function of different industrialisation needs, commercialisation needs, acquisition needs, deployment needs and additional funding needs (beyond R&I funding).

Eligible Activities: Scope:

End-users and public procurers from several countries are invited to send proposals for launching a Pre-Commercial Procurement action for the acquisition of R&D services for the development of innovative civil security technology solutions.

The proposals should build on the outcomes of CSA projects funded under previous work programmes aimed at creating Stronger grounds for pre-commercial procurement of innovative security technologies [for example, topic HORIZON-CL3-2022-SSRI-01-03: Stronger grounds for pre-commercial procurement of innovative security technologies.]. The successful proposals could therefore give continuity to the works initiated by those CSA projects.

The proposals are expected to provide clear evidence on a number of aspects in order to justify and de-risk the PCP action, including:

• That the challenge is pertinent and that indeed a PCP action is required to complete the maturation cycle of certain technologies and to compare different alternatives;

• That there is a consolidated group of end-users and procurers with common needs and requirements which are committed to carry out a PCP action in order to be able to take an informed decision on a future joint procurement of innovative solutions;

• That there is a quantifiable and identifiable community of potential buyers (including and beyond those proposed as beneficiaries in the proposal) who would share to a wide extent the common needs and requirements defined and who could be interested in exploring further joint-uptake of solutions similar to those developed under the PCP, should these prove to be technologically mature and operationally relevant by the end of the project;

• That the state of the art and the market (including research) has been explored and mapped to the needs, and that there are different technical alternatives to address the proposed challenge;

• That the PCP tendering process is clear, that a draft planning has been proposed and that the supporting documentation and administrative procedures will be ready in due time in order to launch the call for R&D services according to the PCP rules.

• That there is a commitment to pursue the exploitation of results beyond the end of the project through engagement with stakeholders and implementation of exploitation strategies towards future uptake.

• The open market consultations required prior to launching the PCP call for tenders must have taken place in at least three EU Member States. Market consultations conducted during the previous CSA projects can be used if this requirement is fulfilled, and if it is justified that: i) their purpose was enough to guarantee the viability of the procurement and; ii) that the state-of-the-art has not changed since they were conducted.

In relation with the PCP tendering process, the applicants should clarify how they intend to guarantee that:

• The principles of the EU Directive for public procurement[1] and in particular with the provisions related to PCP will be duly respected;

• Conflict of interests will be avoided, including through the ineligibility of bids from technology providers who are also beneficiaries of the project or who have been beneficiaries of the previous CSA projects;

• The confidentiality of the intellectual property of potential bidders will be protected;

• The technology developments to be conducted in the PCP will be done in compliance with European societal values, fundamental rights and applicable legislation, including in the area of free movement of persons, privacy and protection of personal data;

• In developing technology solutions, societal aspects (e.g. perception of security, possible side effects of technological solutions, societal resilience) will be taken into account in a comprehensive and thorough manner;

• All participating public buyers commit to comply with EU data protection legislation in the development of innovative, advanced systems to support security and in particular the principles of data protection by design and by default;

• The guidance for attracting innovators and innovation, as explained in the European Commission Guidance on Innovation Procurement C(2021) 4320, will be duly taken into account, in particular those measures oriented to reduce the barriers to high-tech start-ups and innovative SMEs.

Applicants should propose an implementation of the project that includes:

• A minimal preparation stage dedicated to finalising the tendering documents package for a PCP call for tenders based on the technical input resulting from the previous CSA projects, and to define clear verification and validation procedures, methods and tools for the evaluation of the prototypes to be developed throughout the PCP phases.

• Launching the call for tenders for research and development services. The call for tenders should envisage a competitive development composed of different phases that would lead to at least 2 prototypes from 2 different providers to be validated in real operational environment at the end of the PCP cycle;

• Conducting the competitive development of the prototypes following the PCP principles including a design phase, an integration and technical verification phase and a validation in real operational environment phase. In evaluating the proposals and the results of the PCP phases, the applicants should consider technical merit, feasibility and commercial potential of proposed research efforts.

• Consolidating the results of the evaluation of the developed prototypes, extracting conclusions and recommendations from the validation process, and defining a strategy for a potential uptake of solutions inspired in the PCP outcomes, including a complete technical specification of the envisaged solutions and standardisation needs and/or proposals. This strategy should consider joint-cross border procurement schemes and exploit synergies with other EU and national non-research funds.

• The applicants are expected to maximise the visibility of the project outcomes to the wide community of potential EU public buyers. Liaison with other civil security communities beyond those addressed by the project is encouraged in order to assess the possible reuse and extensibility of the identified solutions to different domains.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if relevant in relation to the objectives of the research effort.

Specific Topic Conditions: Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €10,500,000

Deadline: 20/11/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl3-2024-ssri-01-01

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Fighting Crime and Terrorism 2024 (HORIZON-CL3-2024-FCT-01)

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects’ results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• Increased understanding of Police Authorities regarding the emerging (digital and especially physical) threats of the fast-developing environment of Internet of Things;

• Modern tools to tackle new and emerging forms of crime pertaining to the development of Internet of Things are provided to European Police Authorities and other relevant security practitioners, which take into account legal and ethical rules of operation, EU fundamental rights such as privacy and protection of personal data as well as cost-benefit considerations;

• Lawful access and exploitation of evidence in the environment of the Internet of Things are fortified;

• Best practices (legal, organisational, technical) to access and exploit Internet of Things in the course of investigation are strengthened, including by developing relevant tools and training materials.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Internet of Things (IoT) connects practically everything and makes everything more vulnerable as well. IoT devices increasingly benefit from the convergence and integration of technologies, such as machine learning, real-time analytics as well as 5G that will provide faster and more reliable connections for all devices.

There are a number of implications particular to IoT devices, which have been consistently highlighted by researchers and Police Authorities. For example, the vulnerability of IoT devices may be exploited by criminals who seek to collect personal data, compromise user credentials or spy on organisations or people. Furthermore, IoT devices may represent a threat that goes beyond the digital world, i.e. they may become an increasingly physical threat, since they find applications in, e.g., industry and infrastructure, as well as in building smart cities. Malevolent actions against connected devices with direct physical impact (e.g. car-to-car communication, hacking of vehicles, hospitals, nuclear plants) are also a growing concern.

Therefore, the successful proposal should help Police Authorities understand the implications of the fast-developing IoT environment in order to keep pace with the evolution of its applications, recognise and tackle the emerging (digital and especially physical) threats that this may pose.

At the same time, IoT proliferation will provide opportunities for the Police Authorities and other relevant security practitioners to collect a new range of data in relation with criminal activities. New investigating schemes are needed for Police Authorities to access and exploit IoTs evidence, in compliance with EU values. To this end, the proposal should examine the extent to which, e.g., modern European vehicle models, smart TVs, private surveillance systems, virtual assistants or voice control systems can be considered as sources of evidence for the collection and analysis of data, as well as how such data can be used for deriving indicators of an imminent threat.

The research should assess legal, organisational and technical implications of IoT development in the context of investigations, including e.g. privacy issues, and propose strategies, including training materials, tools and path to standards that would foster “by design” a lawful access to relevant evidence.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if relevant in relation to the objectives of the research effort.

The successful proposal should build on the publicly available achievements and findings of related previous national or EU-funded projects as well as create synergies with similar on-going security research projects from the Calls 2021-2022 on Fighting Crime and Terrorism and on Increased Cybersecurity, in order to avoid duplication and to exploit complementarities as well as opportunities for increased impact. Possibilities of coordination with related activities in the Digital Europe Programme[1] should be analysed too.

Proposals funded under this topic are expected to engage with the Europol Innovation Lab during the lifetime of the project, including validating the outcomes, with the aim of facilitating future uptake of innovations for the law enforcement community.

Specific Topic Conditions: Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5-6 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €5,000,000

Deadline: 20/11/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl3-2024-fct-01-01

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Border Management 2024 (HORIZON-CL3-2024-BM-01)

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

• Improved capabilities to validate breeder and identity documents as well as ICAO Type 1 and Type 2 digitalised travel documents;

• Improved compatibility among tools for verification of travel documents and identity, while guaranteeing not sharing (beyond what’s strictly necessary) or compromising personal data;

• Enhanced integration with EU current or planned architecture(s) for digital identity frameworks;

• Contribute to capabilities that strengthen the Schengen area, by providing security at its external borders that also reassure on maintaining the free movement within its borders.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Authentication of documents is relevant for border management, immigration or visa applications. Furthermore, it could also be relevant to combat other illicit activities, such as financial fraud. Facilitation of travel across external EU borders went and is further going through remarkable developments thanks to subsequent technological generations, and updated procedures and regulatory frameworks. From automated border control gates to “no-gate” solutions, and to “seamless travel”; from secure documents, to digitalised travel documents, and to “dematerialised travel documents” and “digital wallets”. All to ease border crossing for travellers, while maintaining border security against illicit or irregular crossings and protecting fundamental rights. This topic aims at exploring and developing enhanced capabilities for securely managing digitalised travel documents used for travel across external borders.

The proposed solution should be compatible with planned or possible future EU highly digitalised travel documents formats and travel facilitation systems, and with applicable ICAO current and upcoming schemes. The proposed solutions should be compatible or interoperable with relevant existing digitalised travel documents systems. The proposed solutions should also respect fundamental rights such as privacy and protection of personal data, apply privacy by design of the application and use privacy-enhancing technologies.

The operational applicability focus should be on highly digitalised travel documents and “digital identity management” used for travel across external borders. However, the research should include enhancing the security of breeder documents, which risk being “weak links” when they are used to obtain genuine, secure travel documents.

The proposed solution should include techniques (including those to increase the robustness against attempts to falsify biometric data) to allow sharing of results from the tools, and share as few data used by the tool as possible to return those results (in order to increase data protection and minimize data leak risks). Leakage or compromising of personal data should be avoided in the transfer of tools or of their results.

The proposed solution should ensure secure data collection, access, encryption and decision support for those in relevant roles in the border management processes. Full encryption at transit and rest should be ensured, while enabling fuzzy searches on all metrics of the documents’ data.

The proposed solution should include an automated decision support system that helps the work of operators and suggests to end-users (such as border authorities’ staff) which process and which database/tool can be legally used with, or by, a certain technology or database.

The developed solutions need to comply with the Ethics Guidelines on Trustworthy AI (2019)[1].

Should the project deliver on its goal and be compatible with applicable legislation, EU and Member States authorities should plan to take up the results of the research with the support of the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI).

Research projects should consider, build on (if appropriate) and not duplicate previous research, including but not limited to research by other Framework Programmes projects. In particular, proposals should build on achievements and findings of relevant recent EU-funded civil security research projects, including those funded under HORIZON-CL3-2022-BM-01-02: Enhanced security of, and combating the frauds on, identity management and identity and travel documents.

Proposals should delineate concrete and clear plans for further development to subsequent TRLs as well as uptake (industrialisation, commercialisation, acquisition and/or deployment in operational contexts) at national and EU level, should the research deliver on its goals.

Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to address the priorities of the European Border and Coast Guard and of its Agency (Frontex) and of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA). This should start from the definition of requirements and the design phase of their work, including basing on the EBCG Capability Roadmap when available; and on the engagement with the Agencies during the implementation of the project. This perspective should be considered and planned when drafting proposals. Proposals should foresee that Frontex and of eu-LISA will observe projects’ pilots and demonstrations, with the aim of facilitating future uptake of innovations for the border and coast guard community.

Synergies across authorities and across communities (such as border management, customs, law enforcement communities) within the civil security sector will be an asset, for example with Fighting Crime and Terrorism (regarding combating crime involving identity fraud).

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €6,000,000

Deadline: 20/11/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl3-2024-bm-01-03

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Sustainable, secure and competitive energy supply (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D3-02)

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Increased performance of ocean energy technologies with the focus on sustainability, operation and maintenance of ocean energy devices.

• Improved knowledge on how to operate ocean energy devices, their availability, maintainability, reliability, survivability, and sustainability.

• Reduction of LCOE.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Projects are expected to address at least one of the following areas:

• Components and systems used in ocean energy devices need to be resistant to corrosion and the heavy loads they are subject to. Develop new sustainable materials with improved fatigue, damping, stiffness, sustainability and bio-fouling management or other cost-reducing characteristics. Materials such as reinforced concrete, polymers, composites, and concrete-steel/composite-steel hybrids systems have demonstrated some advantages such as reduced costs. Demonstrating the potential benefits of these new sustainable materials in ocean energy converters, moorings and foundations whilst ensuring structural integrity, durability and circularity is required. Advance the design of sustainable tailored mooring and connection of electrical or other power transmission systems for floating or subsea wave and tidal devices. Advance combined mooring and electrical connectors or hydraulic power transmission to reduce component cost and number of connection operations, included in systems for sharing an anchor between devices in arrays. Develop novel systems for safe and quick connection/disconnection that do not require large vessels and/or diving teams.

• Instrumentation for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance of ocean energy devices. Apply recent advances in condition and structural health monitoring from other sectors to ocean energy – particularly those currently developed for offshore wind. Apply latest sensor technology to existing ocean energy deployments. Document and share experience on sensors performance and reliability, and methods for adapting them to the harsh ocean energy environment. Improve transmission or storage of data collected from sensors, such as underwater data transmission.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) in ocean energy technology development. Develop or apply advanced simulation of ocean energy systems. Use of big data with analysis of data streams, application of big data methods and machine learning, including artificial intelligence, or digital twin models for the design, installation, operation and decommissioning of ocean energy devices.

• Improvements in the discrete technology areas should be developed holistically – e.g. work on monitoring instrumentation should be consistent with work on moorings & connections. The innovative technologies should not significantly harm the environment (DNSH principle), and have low impact on ecosystem biodiversity and consider potential mitigation measures. The projects should by using the precautionary principle elaborate proposals for acceptable harm and what low impact on biodiversity mean.

It is expected that key performance indicators are used based on international recognized metrics

Projects should demonstrate how improvements in the different technology topics can be applied to multiple different ocean energy devices – for example to a wide range of floating devices, or a wide range of sub-sea devices.

Specific Topic Conditions: Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5 by the end of the project.

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €8,000,000

Deadline: 21/01/2025

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d3-02-04

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Efficient, sustainable and inclusive energy use (HORIZON-CL5-2024-D4-02)

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Reduced buildings construction and renovation time and costs.

• Increased buildings material reuse and recycling.

• Improvement of buildings performance (energy, sustainability including whole life-cycle carbon and the potential to store carbon in built works, comfort, health and well-being, and accessibility).

• Enhanced, interoperable and accessible buildings information across the lifecycle.

• Improvement of interoperability with existing Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Digital Twin solutions.

• Broader application of BIM and Digital Twin solutions, in particular within SMEs.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

To improve Building Information Modelling and Digital Twinning over the full life cycle of buildings, including construction and renovation of buildings, towards enhanced energy efficiency and sustainability and in compliance with circular economy and resource efficiency principles.

Proposals are expected to address all of the following:

• Develop and integrate solutions based on BIM and Digital Twins to support the whole buildings life cycle from design to deconstruction and reuse, including operation.

• Ensure the solutions developed address all the following aspects:

• Supporting optimal, adaptable and reversible building design for energy efficiency, circularity and sustainability.

• Allowing to track buildings materials and construction products, and supporting cost-effective deconstruction and reuse, recycling and recovery of building materials at end of life.

• Integrating buildings monitoring data (e.g. from sensors and IoT devices) into an interoperable Digital Twin for automated, optimised building performance monitoring and management, and preventive maintenance.

• Enabling buildings data interoperability, quality and integrity across the life cycle, in particular to reliably assess and track building performance over the lifecycle, enabling tailored data access for all life cycle’s stakeholders (architects, engineering companies, contractors, building owners, financing institutions, etc.).

• Relying where possible on open BIM standards and linking, where relevant, to digital logbooks and relevant initiatives (e.g. the Smart Readiness Indicator under the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive).

• Easiness of use and cost effectiveness, in particular for SMEs and companies with limited experience in digital solutions, and high potential for replication and commercialisation.

• Apply the solutions delivered on a set (at least two) of real-life residential and non-residential building construction and renovation projects which, taken together, allow to demonstrate the potential of the solutions across all aspects listed in the topic and across the life cycle.

• Ensure that the demonstrations of the solutions delivered:

• Cover at least two different countries, with diverse climatic conditions.

• Involve local and regional values chains, in particular SMEs, based on participatory approaches to increase innovation acceptability.

• Result in clear and, where relevant, quantified and measurable indicators on the improvements due to the use of the solutions, for all aspects listed in the topic and across the life cycle.

• Contribute to the activities of the Built4People partners and to the Built4People network of innovation clusters.

This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘People-centric sustainable built environment’ (Built4People). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘People-centric sustainable built environment’ (Built4People) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.

Specific Topic Conditions: Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €8,000,000

Deadline: 21/01/2025

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl5-2024-d4-02-03

Programme: Velux Foundations

Objective: Objective

VILLUM FOUNDATION seeks to enable young people in Europe to become frontrunners in digital and green transitions. The European Vocational Education and Training Initiative (EVI) supports inclusive VET, specifically addressing the green and digital transition, as well as young people’s social skills and motivation for education. With this program they focus primarily on projects in Czechia, Slovakia, Italy and France.

Eligible Activities: Focus area 1: Enhancing quality of VET

VET is an important lever of Europe’s digital and green transitions. Highly qualified and motivated employees are crucial if the industries are to become more sustainable and climate-friendly, while at the same time remaining efficient and competitive. They support high-quality vocational education and training, provided by competent teachers in state-of-the-art facilities — especially in areas relating to the digital and green transitions.

Focus area 2: Encouraging motivation for education

Europe’s digital and green transitions will require that citizens develop the necessary skills to use new technologies in everyday life and at work. And they must be able to translate knowledge about technology and the environment into qualified decisions – for the benefit of a greener and more sustainable society. In order to enable young people to acquire the skills and competencies needed in the future, they also fund initiatives building young people’s motivation for education, and interest in computer technology and sustainable environment.

They focus primarily on projects in Czechia, Slovakia, Italy and France. In 2024, applications for initiatives primarily in Italy and France are eligible.

Eligible Applicants: Schools and educational institutions, civil society organisations, local innovators and public authorities can apply. Applicants cannot be individual persons. They encourage collaboration with partners, that deliver supplementary competencies and capabilities.

Total Budget: €500,000 per project

Deadline: 23/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://veluxfoundations.dk/en/social-projects/social-projects-abroad

Programme: Open Technology Fund (OTF)

Objective: Objective

The Technology at Scale Fund is the primary means through which OTF directly supports the technology needs of USAGM broadcast networks, journalists, and their audiences. Many of these networks serve audiences in countries that attempt to block access to USAGM content and impede journalists’ efforts to report objective news. The Technology at Scale Fund solicits mature technology solutions to ensure that USAGM audiences can access content safely through firewalls and other government attempts to censor objective news and allow journalists to safely do their work and communicate with sources.

Eligible Activities: This fund seeks solutions to help USAGM safely create and deliver content to its online audiences in censored environments. Understanding that there may be multiple approaches to helping USAGM audience members circumvent censorship at scale and facilitate secure reporting, content sharing and communications, this fund is not limited to predetermined technologies or methodologies. Solutions must be able to securely deliver unblocked content to millions of members of the USAGM audience in multiple countries with high reliability and/or provide secure communications or content sharing capabilities to USAGM journalists.

Actions can take place worldwide.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible are: (1) individuals; (2) non-profit organisation/non-government organisation, including U.S.-based NGO, PIO, or foreign NGO; (3) non-profit university or research institution in any country; (4) for-profit organisation or business in any country; and (5) have demonstrated experience administering successful projects, preferably targeting the requested program area.

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: https://www.opentech.fund/funds/technology-scale/

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

A successful proposal will contribute to the following Destination impacts: i) enhance European industrial sustainability, competitiveness and resource independence, and ii) improve on consumer and citizen benefits.

Proposal results are expected to contribute to all of the following outcomes:

• Increased deployment and demonstrated benefits of advanced digital solutions (e.g., through AI, robotics, IoT and blockchain) in circular businesses including waste management and recycling;

• Emergence of new value chains using upcycled and/or recycled resources;

• Increased upcycling and recycling rates for the targeted material streams;

• Increased uptake of recycled material and upcycling to new higher-value products;

• Increased resource efficiency along and across value chains, causing a measurable reduction in GHG emissions and other environmental pollution and an increase of carbon removals;

• Increased diffusion of new circular business practices, in particular in the uptake of repair, reuse and remanufacturing, but also practices that form part of the sharing economy.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

The circular economy action plan (CEAP) highlights electronics including information and communications technology (ICT) equipment as one of the four particularly important material and product streams with regard to their circularity potential and their environmental footprint. The circularity deficits for these streams are mainly due to the: lack of trust in secondary raw materials; lack of control over supply chains; lacking focus on material efficiency and design for circularity; unsustainable product lifetimes; lack of repair services; price gap between primary and secondary material; lack of secondary material markets; insufficient collection and sorting systems; insufficient and unpredictable input quality for recycling; insufficient information about quality and quantity of materials, including knowledge about possible microplastics pollution and substances of concern, lack of communication along the lifecycle between manufacturers and recyclers; lack of involvement and empowerment of citizens that would allow environmentally informed purchases.

Proposals should address the priorities set in the CEAP, which states that “electrical and electronic equipment continues to be one of the fastest growing waste streams in the EU, with current annual growth rates of 2%. It is estimated that less than 40% of electronic waste is recycled in the EU. Value is lost when fully or partially functional products are discarded because they are not reparable.”

Proposals should demonstrate and deploy at large scale innovative solutions and designs for increased quality, non-toxicity and durability of secondary materials and increased share of secondary materials in new products. Proposals should demonstrate increased recovery, recycling and upcycling rates and a higher uptake of secondary materials for high value applications. Special attention should be given to the increased circularity of critical raw materials186. Proposals should also demonstrate circular business practices, in particular in the uptake of repair and reuse, remanufacture, product-service-systems, and in the full lifetime of products or services. To achieve this, targeted market size, economic feasibility, cost efficiency and social acceptance need to be addressed. To break down the barriers for this transition, it is important that proposals involve and address the different perspectives of all relevant actors, e.g., manufacturers, retailers, consumers and civil society organisations (CSOs). The projects should consider the use of digital solutions (including technologies such as AI, robotics, IoT and blockchain) and demonstrate their benefits for increased circularity, also analysing and addressing possible trade-offs. Proposals should aim to implement traceability solutions in support of recent policy developments, e.g. regarding the digital product passport. Projects should also help produce harmonised and robust methods to assess the amount of recycled content in sectoral products, which is key for a future review of green claims through authorities and consumer organisations. Environmental, social and economic impacts should be assessed from a lifecycle perspective as product, organisation and consumption environmental footprints, using the respective methods developed by the European Commission (Product Environmental Footprint, PEF, should be used for the assessment of the environmental impacts) and through costing methods; relevant data should be fed into the European Platform on Life Cycle Assessment, following the specific Environmental Footprint data and format requirements. The functional performance of technologies and secondary materials can be assessed through the EU Environmental Technology Verification (ETV) scheme. All project results should be validated using quantitative indicators and targets wherever possible.

Projects should also develop training material to endow workers in this occupational group with the right skillset in order to deploy the new technologies developed. Proposals should consider the development of learning resources for the current and future generations of employees, with the possibility to integrate them in existing curricula and modules for undergraduate level and lifelong learning programmes. The projects should provide contributions to relevant standards or best practices.

Proposals should build on ongoing projects funded under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe and envisage clustering activities with these. Social innovation is recommended when the solution is at the socio-technical interface and requires social change, new social practices, social ownership or market uptake.

The targeted TRL at the end of the projects is 6 to 8.

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €10,000,000

Deadline: Two-Stage: 22 February 2024 / 17 September 2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-circbio-02-3-two-stage

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

In line with the objectives of the farm to fork and biodiversity strategies, successful proposals will promote diversification in agriculture as a means to increase the resilience and sustainability of the sector vis-a-vis challenging environmental, climatic and economic conditions. By increasing agrobiodiversity, activities will contribute to food security, adaptation of the agricultural production to the effects of climate change, and thereby support implementation of the farm to fork strategy, the common agricultural policy and the EU climate policy under the European Green Deal.

Eligible Activities: Successful proposals will contribute to the following outcomes:

• Increased evidence of the environmental benefits of minor crops;

• Farmers make use of a wider range of crops, and combination of crops;

• Minor crops are integrated in farming systems promoting their environmental benefits;

• Increased resilience and climate adaptation of farming systems vis-a-vis biotic and abiotic stresses;

• Feed and food industry make use of minor crops;

• Creation of new avenues for farmers and value chains through a wider range of products.

Scope:

Farmers face increasing pressure to shift production towards lower input systems, while continuing to ensure sufficient supplies of food and non-food products. The European Green Deal in particular has set ambitious targets to reduce by 2030 the overall use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, reduce nutrient losses and increase organic farming. Activities shall release the value of minor crops and promote their broader use in breeding, farming and in food/non-food value chains. For the purpose of this topic, minor crops are defined as underutilised and/or genetically diverse crops (including landraces and varieties).

• Promote the access to minor crops engaging in breeding activities;

• Improve agronomic management practices for minor crops;

• Explore the effects and benefits of minor crops and demonstrate the ecosystems services supported by farming system diversification and the integration of minor crops (if applicable, including novel crop rotations).

• Identify and test avenues for marketing and processing of more diverse farming outputs across the value chain;

• Promote the uptake of minor crops through the development of guidelines and wide-spread practical demonstrations taking into account a range of farming systems, pedo-climatic conditions and value chains;

• Support capacity building, training and education enabling farmers/growers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices.

• The topic is open to all types of farming systems (e.g., arable farming, horticulture, fruit trees) in various geographical and pedo-climatic conditions. Result of activities should benefit both conventional and organic agriculture.

Activities must implement the multi-actor approach, thus ensure an adequate involvement of researchers, farmers, advisors, food industry, and other players in the value chain and consumers. Communication and outreach to a wide range of stakeholders is essential. This topic should include the effective contribution of SSH disciplines.

Where relevant, proposals should seek complementarities and synergies, while avoiding duplication and overlap, with relevant actions funded under Horizon 2020[3]. Proposals should specify how they plan to collaborate with other proposals selected under this and other relevant topics, for example by undertaking joint activities, workshops or common communication and dissemination activities. Proposals should allocate the necessary resources to cover these activities.

Eligible Applicants: Applications are welcome from legal entities (public or private bodies) registered in the eligible countries.

Total Budget: €10,000,000

Deadline: Two-Stage: 22 February 2024 / 17 September 2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-biodiv-02-3-two-stage

Programme: Bagri Foundation

Objective: The Bagri Foundation is accepting applications to provide support, in the form of grants, towards artistic and educational projects.

Areas of Interest

• Promotion of arts and culture of all Asia and the diasporas.

• Supporting established and mid-career level artists.

• Partnerships that explore global topics in creative ways.

• Courses, lectures, research projects, exhibitions and symposiums that cover a wide range of topics from Asia.

• London is their prime city for showcasing talent. International projects and those in other parts of the UK are considered occasionally.

Eligible Activities: What they support?

The Foundation supports visual arts, digital production, music, written word, heritage & crafts. Most productions fall within the following format:

Artist exhibitions or retrospectives

Large scale exhibitions

New public commissions

Digital Projects

Major festivals and biennials

Prizes and awards

Long-term and cross-cultural research projects with public outcomes.

Please be aware that the grants does not support Research & Development-only projects, scholarships and fellowships, and applications submitted by individuals.

Eligible Applicants: Financial support can be requested by non-for-profit arts organisations actively working in areas of interest listed above.

Total Budget: €500,000

Deadline: 31/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://bagrifoundation.org/funding-opportunities/

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

This topic refers to the innovation market for Healthcare and Medicine, which affects many citizens and their needs. Several materials specifications and related innovations needs will support this topic such as renewable and recyclable materials, alternative active ingredients, design for circularity, lightweight materials. The topic should address several key policies of the European Union such as Circular Economy Action Plan, EU Chemicals strategy.

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

• Develop the swiftly growing innovation market of medical applications, which is dependent on advanced biocompatible materials that can be printed or injected, including 4D materials that change their 3D structures following external impact (e.g. thermic, electric, mechanical or radiation treatment).

• Medical and/or surgical procedures will benefit from injectable materials for non-invasive surgical procedures.

• Some of their advantages include easy deliverability into the body, increased implantation precision, controllable release of therapeutic agents, antimicrobial properties and the possibility of monitoring or stimulating biological events.

• Medical suppliers can commercialise injectable hydrogels, including those made of nanocomposite, natural and synthetic polymer-based biomaterials, bone cements, bio-ceramics and electronics.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Proposals should address at least four of the following activities:

• To enable a fast development of new advanced novel injectable biomaterials, digital tools such as modelling, simulation and characterisation techniques (including those provided by analytical infrastructures) assisted by advanced methods e.g. physics-based methods, machine learning or artificial intelligence.

• The innovation market of medical applications is fast growing and dependent on advanced biocompatible materials that can be printed or injected. The 4D materials will change their 3D structures after external impact such as thermic, electric, mechanical or radiation treatment.

• Proposals shall demonstrate new engineering strategies that present functional characteristics beyond bio-compatibility, and express properties that can be used to control the physiological environment (shape-memory, self-healing properties) and induce a response.

• Proposals shall address biomaterials with antibacterial properties contributing to the widespread bottleneck of antimicrobial resistance often encountered in clinical care

• Demonstrate the scaling of injectable hydrogels, including those made of nanocomposite, natural and synthetic polymer-based biomaterials, bone cements, bio-ceramics and electronics.

• The design for circularity has to develop, when relevant, bio-degradable or bio-absorbable biomaterials that are gradually eliminated by the body after fulfilling a purpose.

• The biomaterials used should be safe and sustainable by design (SSbD), taking also into account any specific medical requirements.

Proposals submitted under this topic should include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. An early involvement of end users could be essential.

Projects should build on or seek collaboration with existing projects and develop synergies with other relevant European, national or regional initiatives, funding programmes and platforms.

Where relevant, proposals should seek links with and capitalise on the results of past and ongoing EU funded research projects, including the ones under Cluster 1 “Health” and Cluster 6 'Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to start at TRL 3-4 achieve TRL 5-6 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• be established in one of the eligible countries

Total Budget: €31,000,000

Deadline: 2 stage 07 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time / 24 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl4-2024-resilience-01-36

Programme: Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Objective: Objective

Through the develoPPP.de programme, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) provides companies investing in developing and emerging countries with financial and, if required, also professional support. Submitted projects have to meet the development-policy criteria of the German government, like for example promoting sustainable economic development, strengthening human rights, social and environmental standards, education, food security.

Eligible Activities: In concrete terms, this can mean:

• Improving environmental and social standards in supply chains

• Creating decent jobs and improved working conditions

• Supporting women and marginalised groups, in particular, with careers and entrepreneurship

• Implementing measures that contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation

• Taking measures to protect the natural environment, for example through sustainable cultivation methods, saving water in production processes, and avoiding and recycling waste

• Creating access to health care services

Selected countries as listed in the OECD-DAC list are eligible (Africa, Asia, America, Europe).

Eligible Applicants: Applications are open to German companies and companies registered in the EU, as well as companies in developing and emerging countries (as listed on the OECD-DAC list) in which EU-registered companies or European nationals own at least a 25% share. Any company that applies must meet the following minimum requirements: annual turnover of at least €800,000, 8 employees and three years of business operations. Although associations, foundations, non-governmental organisations, foreign chambers of commerce or registered associations are not themselves eligible to apply, they are entitled to participate in develoPPP.de projects as project partners of the applicant company.

Total Budget: €100,000 - €2,000,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.developpp.de/en/application/classic

Programme: Australian Embassy in India

Objective: Objective

The Direct Aid Programme (DAP) is a flexible small grants program funded by the Australian Government and managed through the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) overseas posts. The program aims to support projects with a strong development focus that complement Australia’s broader aid program which contributes to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. DAP projects should promote a distinctive and positive image of Australia.

Eligible Activities: While they always seek a diversity of projects, this year we are especially looking for projects that will support development through:

• COVID relief and other areas impacted by the pandemic (such as livelihoods, education and health)

• Health

• WASH or water management

• Education or skills training

• Empowerment of women and girls

• Projects should be self-contained, with finite time lines.

Actions must take place in India.

Eligible Applicants: DAP funding is available to individuals, community groups, academic institutions and NGOs engaged in development activities on a not-for-profit basis.

Total Budget: $100,000

Deadline: 30/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://dap.smartygrants.com.au/DAP2023_2024

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

In support of the European Green Deal and EU water-related policies, successful proposals will contribute achieving sustainable and circular management and use of water resources, as well as prevention and removal of pollution, in particular Destination ‘Circular economy and bioeconomy sectors' impact ‘Accelerate transitions towards a sustainable, regenerative, inclusive, just and clean circular economy based on enhanced knowledge and understanding of science’.

Projects results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• Demonstrate the benefits of decentralised approaches for water and wastewater treatment in various geographic, climate and economic conditions and create a decision framework to help policy makers to see where a decentralised approach can bring the most overall benefits with regards to the centralised one, as well as, how to better design their integration.

• Improve co-design and co-creation processes and synergies between all relevant stakeholders and enhance public engagement to speed up the market uptake of decentralised and/or semi-decentralised solutions.

• An enhanced systemic circular economy approach along the water, cycle by using process integration, to minimise water pollution, water consumption and the environmental footprint (including energy use) of water activities and ensure water security.

• Support the implementation of relevant EU policy needs (e.g., water and marine related policies, water reuse regulation, climate change adaptation strategy, circular economy action plan, the EU zero pollution action plan, and chemical strategy for sustainability).

Eligible Activities: Scope:

With a rapidly changing urban, peri-urban and rural environments, increasing flooding and contamination of water resources, and in order to reap the benefits of circular economy approaches, adapt to climate change and support the implementation of water supply and sanitation related SDG, innovative approaches and technologies are required. Such innovative approaches should go beyond the central objective of protecting human health and environment, by enabling the overall concept of circularity and sustainability in terms of economic feasibility, social equity and acceptance, technical and institutional applicability, environmental protection, and resource recovery.

Moreover, the current COVID19 pandemic highlighted the essential role of safely managed water supply, sanitation, and hygiene services for preventing disease and protecting human health during infectious disease outbreaks and constitutes a good opportunity to revisit strategies implemented so far, and to build a more sustainable society meeting basic needs such as water and sanitation for all.

Decentralised water and wastewater systems can play an important role in delivering such an innovative approach and has the potential for a sustainability transition of the water supply and sanitation sector, by treating wastewater close to its source. However, full and appropriate exploitation of these systems, requires further developments, in order to become economically affordable, ecologically sustainable and socially accepted. In addition, the integration between centralised and local, decentralised and/or semi-decentralised solutions should be further explored.

Actions in this topic should further develop efficient and sustainable decentralised and distributed approaches and technologies for climate-neutral and zero pollution water supply and wastewater treatment to optimise circular and sustainable use of natural resources, including integrated stormwater management systems to encourage water management on site rather than to the sewer. The impact of reduced sewer flows, more concentrated sewage and waste sludge discharges from decentralised systems on sewer infrastructure should be better assessed. A thorough comparison of the overall environmental and economic performance of ongoing decentralized water and wastewater systems in different geographical and climate conditions and their potential for climate mitigation and adaptation should be undertaken, in order to assess under which conditions decentralised systems perform better than the centralised ones and help to create the right enabling environment to overcome various regulatory and technological barriers related to the implementation of these approaches. New urban sanitation models based on decentralised and integrated approaches which consider municipal organic waste and wastewater as source for recovery and recycling materials such as organic matter and nutrients that are included in the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and wastewater streams, could be also considered.

The integration of decentralised and centralised systems for water supply and sanitation is particularly needed in highly urbanised areas where centralised systems are currently used, to provide better water services, by reconciling, for instance, the need to meet an increasing water demand and new quality standards in an economic and sustainable manner, including energy efficiency and production. In this context, this action should:

• Develop an overarching risk analysis and optimization framework for the integrated design and operation of multiple source water supply systems, enhancing the application of digital technologies and solutions.

• Demonstrate the potential of the integration of decentralised with centralised systems for water supply and sanitation in different areas and scales (eg. district level, cities, river basin), to assess the potential benefits/drawbacks, strengthening public participation and engagement and public private partnerships.

• Address potential regulatory, financial and socioeconomic bottlenecks with a view of promoting long-term performance-based business models in public private partnerships for decentralised and/or integrated decentralised and centralised systems.

• This action should bring together relevant researchers, technology providers, water utilities, business representatives, investors, policy makers and other water users and citizens. The active participation and engagement of different stakeholders should span the entire project development and implementation to ensure performance and sustainability and maximise the final impact.

To reinforce the potential benefits of implementing these decentralised approaches to policy makers their social impact, notably in terms of employment generation and population settlement in decentralised territories should be demonstrated.

The inclusion of relevant SSH expertise would be also needed to ensure the proposed solutions are also socially accepted.

Decentralised approaches for water and wastewater systems provides significant opportunities for developing countries and emerging economies to establish new alternatives and more sustainable approaches to water supply and sanitation and support the implementation of related SDGs. International cooperation is therefore strongly encouraged.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• be established in one of the eligible countries

Total Budget: €15,000,000

Deadline: 22/02/2024 & 17/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-circbio-02-4-two-stage

Programme: U.S. Mission to Lebanon

Objective: Objective

The U.S. Department of State established the AFCP in 2001 at the request of Congress in Conference Report 106-1005 accompanying H.R. 4942 (October 26, 2000). The Senate report on this bill noted that the preservation of cultural heritage “offers an opportunity to show a different American face to other countries, one that is non-commercial, non-political, and non-military.”

Eligible Activities: The AFCP Grants Program supports the preservation of archaeological sites, historic buildings and monuments, museum collections, and forms of traditional cultural expression, such as indigenous languages and crafts. Appropriate project activities may include:

1. Anastylosis (reassembling a site from its original parts);

2. Conservation (addressing damage or deterioration to an object or site);

3. Consolidation (connecting or reconnecting elements of an object or site);

4. Documentation (recording in analog or digital format the condition and salient features of an object, site, or tradition)

5. Inventory (listing of objects, sites, or traditions by location, feature, age, or other unifying characteristic or state);

6. Preventive Conservation (addressing conditions that threaten or damage a site, object, collection, or tradition);

7. Restoration (replacing missing elements to recreate the original appearance of an object or site, usually appropriate only with fine arts, decorative arts, and historic buildings);

8. Stabilization (reducing the physical disturbance of an object or site).

Actions must take place in Lebanon.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants include state governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), private institutions of higher education, and city or township governments.

Total Budget: $500,000

Deadline: 25/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/350889

Programme: CULTURE MOVES EUROPE

Objective: Objective

Culture Moves Europe’s second call for individual mobility supports artists and cultural professionals in the music, literature, architecture, cultural heritage, design, fashion design, visual arts, and performing arts sectors. This initiative encourages creative projects with partners in different Creative Europe countries. The focus is on exploring, creating, learning, and connecting, with the aim to foster creative research, develop new artistic works, enhance competences, and expand professional networks.

Eligible Activities: The grant aids in travel and subsistence costs, with additional support tailored to individual circumstances, promoting cross-cultural exchanges and professional development.

Actions must take place in Europe and Tunisia.

Eligible Applicants: The call is open to individual artists and cultural professionals or groups of up to 5 people working in Creative Europe countries, excluding their country of residence. Applicants must collaborate with a partner in the destination country and provide proof of collaboration when applying. Projects that simply showcase previously created work are not eligible.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 31/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://culture.ec.europa.eu/calls/second-call-for-individual-mobility-of-artists-and-cultural-professionals#projects

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

In line with the objectives of the farm to fork and biodiversity strategies, successful proposals will promote diversification in agriculture as a means to increase the resilience and sustainability of the sector vis-a-vis challenging environmental, climatic and economic conditions. By increasing agrobiodiversity, activities will contribute to food security, adaptation of the agricultural production to the effects of climate change, and thereby support implementation of the farm to fork strategy, the common agricultural policy and the EU climate policy under the European Green Deal.

Successful proposals will contribute to the following outcomes:

• Increased evidence of the environmental benefits of minor crops;

• Farmers make use of a wider range of crops, and combination of crops;

• Minor crops are integrated in farming systems promoting their environmental benefits;

• Increased resilience and climate adaptation of farming systems vis-a-vis biotic and abiotic stresses;

• Feed and food industry make use of minor crops;

• Creation of new avenues for farmers and value chains through a wider range of products.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Farmers face increasing pressure to shift production towards lower input systems, while continuing to ensure sufficient supplies of food and non-food products. The European Green Deal in particular has set ambitious targets to reduce by 2030 the overall use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers, reduce nutrient losses and increase organic farming[1]. Activities shall release the value of minor crops and promote their broader use in breeding, farming and in food/non-food value chains. For the purpose of this topic, minor crops are defined as underutilised and/or genetically diverse crops[2] (including landraces and varieties).

• Promote the access to minor crops engaging in breeding activities;

• Improve agronomic management practices for minor crops;

• Explore the effects and benefits of minor crops and demonstrate the ecosystems services supported by farming system diversification and the integration of minor crops (if applicable, including novel crop rotations).

• Identify and test avenues for marketing and processing of more diverse farming outputs across the value chain;

• Promote the uptake of minor crops through the development of guidelines and wide-spread practical demonstrations taking into account a range of farming systems, pedo-climatic conditions and value chains;

• Support capacity building, training and education enabling farmers/growers to adopt sustainable agricultural practices.

The topic is open to all types of farming systems (e.g., arable farming, horticulture, fruit trees) in various geographical and pedo-climatic conditions. Result of activities should benefit both conventional and organic agriculture.

Activities must implement the multi-actor approach, thus ensure an adequate involvement of researchers, farmers, advisors, food industry, and other players in the value chain and consumers. Communication and outreach to a wide range of stakeholders is essential. This topic should include the effective contribution of SSH disciplines.

Where relevant, proposals should seek complementarities and synergies, while avoiding duplication and overlap, with relevant actions funded under Horizon 2020[3]. Proposals should specify how they plan to collaborate with other proposals selected under this and other relevant topics, for example by undertaking joint activities, workshops or common communication and dissemination activities. Proposals should allocate the necessary resources to cover these activities.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• be established in one of the eligible countries

Total Budget: €10,000,000

Deadline: Two Stage 22/02/2024 / 17/09/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-biodiv-02-3-two-stage

Programme: Zambia USAID-Lusaka

Objective: Objective

The Zambia LCAI APS is an initiative to encourage new and innovative ideas, as well as new partnerships to create sustained, measurable improvements in development outcomes. USAID/Zambia is looking for innovative and creative ideas and, through the Zambia LCAI APS, is open to considering a wide range of approaches to achieve its development objectives.

Eligible Activities: The Zambia LCAI APS seeks to expand USAID’s direct relationship with new, grassroots, community-based, and/or private sector organizations to support climate smart innovations. Emphasis will be placed on locally led, locally developed, innovative, risk-embracing concepts that engage the private sector and communities in climate-friendly economic growth.

In alignment with Objective 2 of the strategy, awards under this APS will work toward the goal of expanding USAID’s direct relationship with new, grassroots, community-based, and/or private sector organizations to support climate smart innovations. How this goal is achieved is up to the applicant. However, USAID is focusing on the below specific aspects of applications:

• Climate Focus

• Gender-Sensitive Approaches – Cost-Sharing

• Risk

Actions must take place in Zambia.

Eligible Applicants: USAID welcomes local entities that have received less than $250,000 of USAID assistance in the past 5 years (this also includes entities that have not received any USAID assistance in the past 5 years).

Total Budget: $250,000

Deadline: 03/05/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/350852

Programme: U.S. Mission to Kyrgyzstan

Objective: Objective

The PDS invites proposals for programs that strengthen ties between the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic and support a priority program area (see below) in order to highlight shared values and promote bilateral cooperation. All proposed programs must include an American element, either through a connection with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s, usage of American educational/informational resources, or any other activities that promote or contribute to increased mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Eligible Activities: Competitive proposals will promote continued/sustainable cooperation between the people of the United States and the Kyrgyz Republic even after the project concludes. Special consideration will be given to proposals which include partnership with Kyrgyz governmental bodies, and to organizations that have a demonstrated track record of implementing these types of partnerships.

PDS invites proposals for programs that support one of the following U.S. Embassy priority program areas:

• Sustainable Economic Growth

• Accountable Governance and Stability

• English Language Programming

• Climate Change Resilience and Environmental Protection

• Combating Transnational Threats.

Actions must take place in Kyrgyzstan.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are: Kyrgyz Republic registered not-for-profit, civil society/non-governmental organizations, educational institutions, and U.S. and Kyrgyz Republic individuals with at least one year of programming experience.

Total Budget: $80,000

Deadline: 17/08/2024

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/350814

Programme: MARTHE VAN RIJSWIJCK FOUNDATION

Objective: Objective

The Marthe van Rijswijck Foundation (MvRF) financially supports charitable, scientific or non-profit organisations and its main goal is to contribute to the development of ideas and/or support projects of social importance with idealistic and social intent. The main focus of this support are projects that support people or groups of people who, because of social circumstances or disabilities of mental or physical nature, are limited in their development and help them create a place in society where their skills are developed, optimized and brought to good use.

Eligible Activities: A special focus is granted for the benefit of deprived and underprivileged children around the world. All projects must be managed by a Dutch organisation or individuals who do not have any commercial interest in the proposed project. The Foundation also prefers to see a certain degree of fundraising done on the NGO’s own initiative.

Projects from all over the world may be considered for financial support. Most funding of past projects has gone to initiatives in Africa and Asia. So far they have supported projects in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Eligible Applicants: Charitable, scientific or non-profit organisations are eligible to apply. The MvRF prefers to support NGO’s with an existing organizational infrastructure of which the sustainability has been proven and whose the goal is to set up projects which, in the long run, will be more or less self-supporting. The project must be initiated by a Dutch organisation or individual who does not have any commercial interest in the project.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: http://mvrf.nl/?page_id=17&lang=en

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Selected proposals are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

 Contribution to sustainable aquaculture systems (in marine and/or transitional, and/or fresh waters) for fair, safe, healthy, climate-resilient and environment-friendly food systems with low impact on aquatic ecosystems, supporting the European Green Deal and the farm to fork strategy, the “Strategic guidelines for a more sustainable and competitive EU aquaculture for the period 2021 to 2030[1]”, and the “Action plan for the development of organic production”[2];

 Implementation of innovations, such as dietary shifts and aspects of circularity, for a more sustainable and competitive European aquaculture enhancing aquaculture resilience to adverse consequences of climate change;

 Positioning of European aquaculture production as the global reference for sustainability and quality, increase its competitiveness, reduce EU dependence on imports of fisheries and aquaculture products and create more jobs, especially in rural and coastal regions;

 Contribution to aquaculture production with a reduced environmental footprint, advancing towards climate-neutrality;

 Contribution to technologically-advanced aquaculture production (indicatively through the use of techniques such as artificial intelligence, sensors, internet-of-things and robotics), fully embedded in natural, social, ethical and economic sustainability.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Proposals are expected to enhance knowledge of the impacts of climate change on aquaculture production at environmental, social and economic levels. They should identify, forecast and assess the main effects of climate change on different aquaculture production systems and on their ecological carrying capacity.

They should consider impacts of climate change such as water availability (e.g., rise in evaporation, decrease in rainfall, extreme weather events like droughts or floods), water quality (e.g., acidification, eutrophication, pollution, contamination), temperature rise, sea level rise, spread of diseases (e.g. recrudescence of endemic and emerging diseases in traditional and recirculating aquaculture systems), reduced fish welfare, invasive species, and other climate related risks.

They should also investigate adaptation and mitigation solutions and opportunities such as technological, social, economic, and biological/ecological aspects, selection of suitable sites, culture methods (including the contribution of organic production and integrated multi-trophic aquaculture), species plasticity and adaptability to changing environments as well as breeding and selection techniques for a more sustainable, productive and resilient production.

Furthermore, they should address aspects of circularity in terms of more efficient use of resources and less negative impacts on marine environment, including reduction, valorisation, and reuse of waste. Indicative aspects could include Life Cycle Assessment approaches such as of feeding systems and valorisation of non-food biomass for feeds and fertilisers.

Proposals should build on the work of Horizon 2020 and EMFF projects, such as ClimeFish and CERES, and provide applicable approaches and tools to the aquaculture sector.

Selected proposals should collaborate with each other.

This topic should involve the effective contribution of SSH disciplines.

Proposals are encouraged to cooperate with actors such as the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). The possible participation of the JRC in the project would consist in providing and analysing aquaculture data.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• be established in one of the eligible countries

Total Budget: €9,000,000

Deadline: Two Stage: 22 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time & 17 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-farm2fork-02-7-two-stage

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

Selected proposals are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:

 Contribution to sustainable fisheries for fair, healthy, climate-resilient and environment-friendly food systems with low impact on aquatic ecosystems, supporting the EU common fisheries policy, the European Green Deal and in particular the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the farm to fork strategy;

 Transformation of fisheries to make a significant contribution to climate-neutrality;

 Contribution to more precise, technologically advanced data collection (notably through the use of techniques such as artificial intelligence, sensors and robotics) which encompasses the natural and social ecosystem context;

 Understanding of the resilience potential to climate change of exploited resources and build up the adaptive capacity for fisheries management;

 Preparation of the seafood sector to seize opportunities to harvest shifting stocks in the most sustainable manner, taking into account environmental, social and economic considerations.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Proposals are expected to investigate the impacts of climate change on biological and ecological processes such as shifts in stocks distribution, abundance and density, fish health, stock productivity, habitats, regime shifts in ecosystems and altered growth, reproduction rates, seafood safety and overall changes in the ecosystem potential production. They should also explore and test innovative measures to mitigate climate change (such as new designs of fishing gears or new fishing strategies that do not resuspend carbon from the seabed or new fishing strategies which improve energy use efficiency or strengthen circularity aspects) and adaptive solutions (such as valorisation of new catches or building resilience actions).

Proposals should include studies representing the whole spectrum of European fisheries, including small-scale fisheries, and the related biotic, abiotic, social and economic conditions. They should follow an interdisciplinary approach and cover both scientific and socioeconomic aspects.

They should build on the work of Horizon 2020 projects ClimeFish and CERES and others and provide applicable approaches and tools to the fishing sector. They should also build on the work of initiatives such as the EMFF-funded studies on “Climate change and the Common Fisheries Policy: adaptation and building resilience to the effects of climate change on fisheries and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases from fishing”, and “Adapting postharvest activities in the value chain of fisheries and aquaculture to the effects of climate change and mitigating their climate footprint through the reduction of greenhouse gases emissions”.

Also importantly, proposals should build synergies with the projects funded under the topics HORIZON-CL6-2023-BIODIV-01-5: Understanding and reducing bycatch of protected species in Destination “Biodiversity and ecosystem services” and ‘HORIZON-CL6-2022-CLIMATE-01-02: Understanding the oceanic carbon cycle’ as well as with work done under other organisations such as the OECD Committee for Fisheries. Selected proposals should collaborate with each other.

Proposals are encouraged to cooperate with actors such as the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). The possible participation of the JRC in the project would consist in providing and analysing fisheries.

This topic should involve the effective contribution of SSH disciplines.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• be established in one of the eligible countries

Total Budget: €9,000,000

Deadline: Two Stage: 22 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time & 17 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-farm2fork-02-6-two-stage

Programme: RTL FOUNDATION

Objective: Objective

Since 1996, Stiftung RTL – We help children eV has been helping children in need of care in Germany and around the world. In the awareness of the social responsibility of a successful media company, the management at that time decided to put the transmitter’s existing charitable commitment on a stable footing. The goal is to provide sustained support for the most vulnerable in society, the children – both in Germany and abroad.

Eligible Activities: In the past they have funded projects like: health projects (eye health) for children and adults, construction of therapy rooms for disabled children, support for abused children and their families, education projects for children in Africa, etc.

Actions can take place across the globe.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are NGOs.

Total Budget:€100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://wirhelfenkindern.rtl.de/informieren/ueber-die-stiftung

Programme: RICHARD S. REYNOLDS FOUNDATION

Objective: Objective

Founded in 1955, the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation is devoted to building strong communities and creating a positive and enduring impact on the world around us.

Eligible Activities: To that end, the Foundation provides assistance to community and worldwide organisations in the United States and across the globe in the areas of (1) science; (2) education; (3) healthcare; (4) environment; and (5) arts.

The Foundation offers grant funding to initiatives across the globe.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible for grant funding are non-profit organisations that are tax-exempt under IRS Section 501(c)(3).

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: http://richardsreynoldsfoundation.org/apply-2/

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

In line with the European Green Deal priorities, notably the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, as well as the EU climate adaptation strategy and the EU's climate mitigation ambition for 2030 and 2050, the successful proposals will support the development of Nature-based Solutions (NBS) contributing to the sustainable management of water resources in a changing climate, with a special attention to reducing the impacts of extreme droughts.

Project results are expected to contribute to all of following expected outcomes:

 Cost-effective ways of implementing NBS at large scale for integrated water management are ready to use for relevant stakeholders and widely replicated;

 Consolidated evidence of the contribution of NBS to sustainable water management and of NBS’ cost and resource efficiency, notably concerning the reduction of impacts of droughts;

 Enhanced implementation of EU policies, notably for water management (Water Framework Directive, as well as the Floods Directive, when relevant), climate adaptation (Article 5 of the European Climate Law, EU strategy for climate change adaptation), the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 and the EU soil strategy for 2030.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Due to the changing climate, many European regions are already facing more frequent, severe, and longer lasting droughts. Extreme droughts can have cascading effects; e.g., they reduce water levels in rivers and ground water, stunt tree and crop growth, increase pest attacks, favour the occurrence of sand drifts and storms and fuel wildfires. Moreover, impacts of extreme droughts accumulate over time across large areas, and the effect can linger for years. In areas with an intense demand for water supply, the impacts of droughts add up to the stress imposed to water systems by human activities.

In Europe, most of the losses caused by extreme drought (~EUR 9 billion/year) affect agriculture, forestry the energy sector and the public water supply. Extreme droughts in western and central Europe in 2018, 2019 and 2020 caused considerable damage. With global climate change deepening, the impacts will be even more severe in the future, including decreasing quality, occurrence and availability of standing and running water.

By deploying systemic thinking NBS utilise an understanding of the structure and functioning of local ecosystems over time to address a broad range of societal challenges, including having enough water of good quality, both in surface waters and in ground water. They also contribute to restoration of biodiversity and help carbon sequestration in the soil. As such, NBS are highly adaptable to respond to changing local conditions and are often more cost and resource efficient than purely technological approaches in the longer term.

The 2021 EU climate adaptation strategy underlines that NBS represent multipurpose, “no regret” solutions, with environmental, social and economic benefits and help build climate resilience. They can have an essential role in land-use management and infrastructure planning to reduce costs, provide climate-resilient services, and improve compliance with Water Framework Directive (WFD) requirements.

However, evidence on the cost-efficiency of these measures remains dispersed and incomplete, and do not address the whole catchment area in a holistic approach. River basin management plans are still limited in the recognition of NBS capacity to contribute to drought resilience. Furthermore, we are still missing more and longer-term evidence of the combined effects of different designs and combinations of NBS operating in different contexts (urban, peri-urban and rural) and/or at different scales and/or different climatic zones, in what regards the sustainable management of water resources to reduce the impacts of extreme droughts. At the same time, the co-benefit that these NBS may bring to reduce hydrogeological risks such as flood peaking and stabilising hydrographs for both droughts and floods is still to be demonstrated.

The successful proposals should:

Demonstrate innovative, systemic and locally attuned NBS (as single interventions or as a combination of them), for the management of catchment water resources and the reduction of extreme drought risks, in areas that are heavily impacted by temporary or lasting water scarcity and areas that are being increasingly exposed to this risk with the deepening of climate change.

Be incorporated into an integrated design concept for land and water management at the appropriate scales (preferably at landscape level, integrating water, soil and ecosystems as a whole), in accordance with WFD objectives, considering longitudinal connectivity of water flows, lateral connectivity with floodplains and adjacent grounds, and connections between surface- and groundwater.

Plan, co-design and co-deploy solutions in a transdisciplinary multi-stakeholder and participatory context with due consideration and integration of social and cultural aspects and climate change effects.

Building on the work of Horizon 2020 projects and their taskforces, develop an advanced monitoring programme for the demonstrated solutions and test and further develop as needed the EU Impact Evaluation Framework for NBS to assess the economic, social and ecological benefits of NBS and provide quantitative evidence, including positive and negative synergies, and analysis of trade-offs, for higher performance.

Identify and assess barriers related to: functional conflicts in land-use; NBS technical, commercial, social and cultural acceptance (e.g., farmers perceptions and values, the role of private landowners); and policy regulatory frameworks (e.g., the role of the common agriculture policy, urban, rural and regional development plans) - and propose ways to overcome them (for example through new business cases and governance approaches).

Develop methodologies and tools, adapted to end-users (e.g., farmers, forest owners, local authorities, engineers, spatial planners), enabling the replication and up-scaling of NBS.

To provide a long-term evidence as ambitious as possible, new interventions should be complemented with the analysis of established NBS. In this respect, opportunities to build up from relevant initiatives should be explored (e.g., LIFE, INTERREG, national funded projects, etc).

Develop protocols and standards for the design, operation and maintenance of NBS, building on existing work, considering:

The best solutions for different soil characteristics (as these determine the type and impact of droughts) and soil health, relief and geo-morphological conditions, including urban conditions;

The resilience of NBS, considering present and future climatic conditions and water regimes;

The ecological performance and resilience of NBS, to deal with both natural and human-induced hazards, such as extreme weather events, desertification, forest fires, plant- and animal diseases (pests), other human activities and socio-political approaches that could have an impact on land-use;

The long-term maintenance of NBS: also in relation to the adequate management of biomass, synergies with other approaches that affect the management of ecosystems like agroforestry, etc.

Proposals should address all of the above points.

Because of the substantial investments that might be necessary for implementing the NBS, additional or follow-up funding (private or public) should be sought, considering the EU taxonomy, including from relevant regional/national schemes under the Recovery and Resilience Fund, the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF), or other relevant funds. Please note, however, that reference to such additional or follow-up funding will not lead automatically to a higher score in the evaluation of the proposal.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. This means proposals should bring together from the early start multiple types of scientific expertise in both natural sciences (e.g., ecology, climate, pedology) and social sciences and humanities (e.g., economics, geography, sociology) together with a variety of urban and/or rural community representatives, farmers, businesses, civil society organisations and citizens.

Social innovation is recommended when the solution is at the socio-technical interface and requires social change, new social practices, social ownership or market uptake.

Proposals should set out a clear plan on how they will collaborate with other projects selected under this topic and any other relevant topic/call, by participating in joint activities, workshops, as well as common communication and dissemination activities. This includes notably the Horizon 2020 NBS project portfolio, including the European Green Deal Call, and its task forces; Horizon Europe projects Invest4Nature and Naturance and HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-01-03: Network for nature: multi-stakeholder dialogue platform to promote nature-based solutions. Applicants should plan the necessary budget to cover these activities without the prerequisite to define concrete common actions at this stage.

Proposals should ensure complementarity and foresee synergies with the activities of the Horizon Europe missions "A Soil Deal for Europe”, “Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030” and “Adaptation to Climate Change”, as well as with the partnerships Biodiversa+ and Water4All.

Proposals should ensure that all evidence, information and project outputs will be accessible through the Oppla portal (the EU repository for NBS). Where relevant, proposals should consider creating links, contributing to and using the information and data of other platforms such as NWRM, Climate-ADAPT, BISE and the European Drought Observatory.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• be established in one of the eligible countries

Total Budget: €16,000,000

Deadline: Two Stage: 22 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time & 17 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-biodiv-02-1-two-stage

Programme: Australian Embassy in India

Objective: Objective

The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is a flexible small grants program funded by the Australian Government and managed through the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) overseas posts. The program aims to support projects with a strong development focus that complement Australia’s broader aid program which contributes to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. DAP projects should promote a distinctive and positive image of Australia.

Eligible Activities: While they always seek a diversity of projects, this year we are especially looking for projects that will support development through:

 COVID relief and other areas impacted by the pandemic (such as livelihoods, education and health)

 Health

 WASH or water management

 Education or skills training

 Empowerment of women and girls

 Projects should be self-contained, with finite time lines.

Actions must take place in India.

Eligible Applicants: DAP funding is available to individuals, community groups, academic institutions and NGOs engaged in development activities on a not-for-profit basis.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 30/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://dap.smartygrants.com.au/DAP2023_2024

Programme: European Youth Foundation (EYF)

Objective: Objective

The European Youth Foundation (EYF) is a fund established in 1972 by the Council of Europe to provide financial and educational support for European youth activities. An international activity is an international meeting of young people or youth leaders in Europe which contribute to the work of the youth sector of the Council of Europe in topic, methodology and with a clear European dimension. Until now, four working days were considered as a minimum duration for an international activity based on the principles of non-formal education/learning. However, in order to adapt to NGOs’ needs, the EYF will no longer consider this duration as a hard criterion.

Eligible Activities: The EYF will continue to assess grant applications on the basis of their merit and the quality of the programme provided. NGOs applying for activities lasting less than four days will have to convince the EYF that the activity is based on a non-formal education approach.

Special attention will be given to applications integrating a gender perspective. This should be clearly explained in the grant application. Gender perspective does not mean having an equal number of female and male participants. You should try to develop your project looking through different gender glasses, taking into account the needs of young women and men.

Action must take place in Europe.

Eligible Applicants: The following hard criteria are a requirement for an international activity: (1) participants must represent at least 7 Council of Europe member states; (2) it has to be run by an international team (4 nationalities represented in the project team); (3) 75 % of participants under 30 years old; (4) a gender and geographical balance must be ensured; and (5) a gender perspective is taken into account throughout the whole process.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-youth-foundation/international-activity

Programme: WWF NEDBANK GREEN TRUST

Objective: Objective

The WWF Nedbank Green Trust was established by the Trustees in 1990 in order to promote the conservation of nature and ecological processes. Nedbank was the first, and subsequently only, funder for the Trust and WWF appointed as the management agency for the Trust and subsequently the environmental outcomes strategist for the Trust. The Trust has planned to achieve its mission through “…the preservation of genetic, species and ecosystem diversity; by ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and by promoting actions aimed at reducing, to the absolute minimum, pollution and the wasteful exploitation and consumption of resources and energy”.

Eligible Activities: Since 1990, the WWF Nedbank Green Trust has invested more R300 million in various catalytic conservation projects which have grown to a scale that has had a significant impact for environ- mental health and wealth of South Africa.

Actions must take place in South Africa.

Eligible Applicants: The WWF Nedbank Green Trust welcomes all organizations, aligned to its strategy, to partner with the Trust to achieve its vision of igniting new ways for people and nature to thrive.

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.greentrust.org.za/funding/

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

This topic refers to the innovation market for Healthcare and Medicine, which affects many citizens and their needs. Several materials specifications and related innovations needs will support this topic such as renewable and recyclable materials, alternative active ingredients, design for circularity, lightweight materials. The topic should address several key policies of the European Union such as Circular Economy Action Plan, EU Chemicals strategy.

Projects are expected to contribute to the following outcomes:

 Develop the swiftly growing innovation market of medical applications, which is dependent on advanced biocompatible materials that can be printed or injected, including 4D materials that change their 3D structures following external impact (e.g. thermic, electric, mechanical or radiation treatment).

 Medical and/or surgical procedures will benefit from injectable materials for non-invasive surgical procedures.

 Some of their advantages include easy deliverability into the body, increased implantation precision, controllable release of therapeutic agents, antimicrobial properties and the possibility of monitoring or stimulating biological events.

 Medical suppliers can commercialise injectable hydrogels, including those made of nanocomposite, natural and synthetic polymer-based biomaterials, bone cements, bio-ceramics and electronics.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

Proposals should address at least four of the following activities:

 To enable a fast development of new advanced novel injectable biomaterials, digital tools such as modelling, simulation and characterisation techniques (including those provided by analytical infrastructures) assisted by advanced methods e.g. physics-based methods, machine learning or artificial intelligence.

 The innovation market of medical applications is fast growing and dependent on advanced biocompatible materials that can be printed or injected. The 4D materials will change their 3D structures after external impact such as thermic, electric, mechanical or radiation treatment.

 Proposals shall demonstrate new engineering strategies that present functional characteristics beyond bio-compatibility, and express properties that can be used to control the physiological environment (shape-memory, self-healing properties) and induce a response.

 Proposals shall address biomaterials with antibacterial properties contributing to the widespread bottleneck of antimicrobial resistance often encountered in clinical care

 Demonstrate the scaling of injectable hydrogels, including those made of nanocomposite, natural and synthetic polymer-based biomaterials, bone cements, bio-ceramics and electronics.

 The design for circularity has to develop, when relevant, bio-degradable or bio-absorbable biomaterials that are gradually eliminated by the body after fulfilling a purpose.

 The biomaterials used should be safe and sustainable by design (SSbD), taking also into account any specific medical requirements.

Proposals submitted under this topic should include a business case and exploitation strategy, as outlined in the introduction to this Destination.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities. An early involvement of end users could be essential.

Projects should build on or seek collaboration with existing projects and develop synergies with other relevant European, national or regional initiatives, funding programmes and platforms.#

Where relevant, proposals should seek links with and capitalise on the results of past and ongoing EU funded research projects, including the ones under Cluster 1 “Health” and Cluster 6 'Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to start at TRL 3-4 achieve TRL 5-6 by the end of the project

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• be established in one of the eligible countries

Total Budget: €31,000,000

Deadline: Two Stage: 07 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time & 24 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl4-2024-resilience-01-36

Programme: HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

The successful proposal will contribute to fostering a sustainable, balanced, equitable and inclusive development of rural areas, supporting the implementation of the long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas and its objectives (in particular contributing to stronger and resilient rural areas) and to its flagship initiative “Research and innovation for rural communities”, the European Green Deal, in particular the climate pact, the fit for 55 package, the forest and biodiversity strategies, and the new soil strategy as well as the territorial agenda 2030, the common agricultural policy (CAP) and the REPowerEU plan. In addition, proposals will complement the EU Mission Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities, covering sparsely populated areas, and contribute to the objectives of the EU Mission ‘A Soil Deal for Europe’.

Project results are expected to contribute to all of following expected outcomes:

 rural communities are empowered and engaged in the green transition and equipped with strategies and innovative solutions to contribute to EU’s climate-neutrality objectives (by 2035 and 2050) and benefit from a climate-neutral economy;

 rural communities take advantage of data, interoperable platforms and digital technologies available to help them meet climate-neutrality objectives, such as dashboards, data visualisation techniques, modelling, digital twins of entire rural communities and tools contributing to spatial planning;

 policy makers are better informed about policy and regulatory frameworks, conditions and processes that are likely to encourage rural areas’ climate-neutrality while sustaining an adequate social welfare and well-being and avoiding negative social, economic and environmental externalities;

 a stronger rural innovation ecosystem is in place bringing together public and private players and making rural areas an attractive place for innovators to work and live.

Eligible Activities: Scope:

The EU aims to be climate-neutral by 2050 – an economy with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. This objective is in line with the EU’s commitment to global climate action under the Paris Agreement and it is reflected in the European Green Deal objectives. Considering that approximately one third of EU citizens live in rural areas, which represent 83% of the EU territory, it is key to empower rural communities to transit towards sustainability by fostering innovation in key areas such as environment and sustainable management of resources (air, soil, water), energy, transport, agriculture, industry, bioeconomy, and finance and ensure that no one is left behind.

Projects funded under this topic are expected to:

 design, prototype and test concrete innovations (technical, social, organisational) supporting climate-neutrality, zero pollution and biodiversity enhancement in rural communities, possibly including initiatives such as nature-based solutions (NBS), circularity and bioeconomy, bio-based solutions, community-energy systems, climate-neutral mobility, fire-prevention, etc. Innovations should be co-created with rural stakeholders to respond to their needs and tested for their feasibility for the territorial development opportunities or drawbacks that they bring;

 include training and capacity building for local administrations and rural stakeholders in order to create and maintain a rural innovation ecosystem and enable them to make use or benefit from the successful innovations developed and from existing funding opportunities for the green and digital transitions;

 boost networking and enhance peer-to-peer learning between communities and capitalise on lessons learnt making them available as recommendations for policy makers at various levels (European, national, regional and local);

 Proposals are encouraged to fully exploit and build complementarities with the ongoing work regarding the establishment of the European Open Science Cloud and interact with relevant projects developing metadata standards and added value tools to ensure interoperability within and across fields of study.

This topic should involve the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH), (e.g., for expertise in behavioural change, etc.) and must implement the multi-actor approach by involving relevant stakeholders from an early stage (e.g. rural communities representatives, small-medium enterprises -SMEs, etc., end-users, local authorities, etc.).

Proposals should cover various biogeographical regions with a balanced coverage reflecting the various pedo-climatic zones in Europe in a representative way.

Proposals are expected to build on the preliminary results of the Horizon Europe projects GRANULAR and RUSTIK, in particular its framework and indicators on climate-neutrality of rural communities.

Proposals should also create synergies and coordinate activities with the other project funded under this topic and should allocate appropriate budget for this task. Proposals are also encouraged to build synergies with relevant projects that will be financed under this call.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• be established in one of the eligible countries

Total Budget: €10,000,000

Deadline: Two Stage: 22 February 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time & 17 September 2024 17:00:00 Brussels time

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl6-2024-communities-02-1-two-stage

Programme: Australian Consulate General in Mumbai

Objective: The Australian Consulate General in Mumbai is offering grants to support projects with a strong development focus that complement Australia's broader aid program which contributes to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction.

The Direct Aid Program (DAP) is a flexible small grants program funded by the Australian Government and managed through the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) overseas posts. DAP projects should promote a distinctive and positive image of Australia.

Funding Information

The Australian Consulate-General in Mumbai supports small-scale, sustainable development projects in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, with grants typically up to INR 10 lakh.

Eligible Activities: Eligible Projects

While they always seek a diversity of projects, this year they are especially looking for projects that will support development through:

COVID relief and other areas impacted by the pandemic (such as livelihoods, education and health)

Health

WASH or water management

Education or skills training

Empowerment of women and girls

Eligible Activities

DAP activities should achieve practical and tangible outcomes of high development impact. DAP is able to fund activities that have a direct, practical and immediate impact, including capacity building programs in the areas of governance and human rights engagement. They will favourably consider projects:

in the areas of community and/or rural development, education, gender equality, disabilities, youth, human rights, the environment, small-scale infrastructure, economic empowerment and ad hoc humanitarian relief.

where applicants and their communities make a contribution in labour, materials, transport or cash;

that use sports to achieve development outcomes

that enhance educational and cultural exchanges and people-to-people links

that are achievable and have sustainable outcomes

that provide educational or occupational/skills training

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

DAP is available on a not-for-profit basis to individuals, community groups, NGOs and other entities engaged in development activities in countries that are eligible for official development assistance (ODA).

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: 30/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://dap.smartygrants.com.au/DAP2023_2024

Programme: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Objective: Expected Outcome:

The Hop On Facility allows for legal entities from low R&I performing countries to join already selected collaborative R&I actions, subject to the agreement of the respective consortium and provided that legal entities from such countries are not yet participating in it. The scheme aims to improve the inclusiveness of Horizon Europe by involving more research institutions from Widening countries under Horizon Europe Pillar 2 and EIC Pathfinder actions.

Main selection criteria are excellence and added value of the new partner performing a relevant additional task in the project. All consortium partners need to agree on the accession of the new partner whereas the R&I relevance and complementarity needs to be demonstrated. The accepted application will trigger a GA amendment with the service in charge of the related topic.

Eligible Activities: Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

-At system level, it mobilises excellence in the Widening countries, increases visibility of the participants from the Widening countries, improves knowledge circulation, and reduces lack of participation of the Widening countries in specific thematic domains;

-At organisation level, it opens up silos of established closed consortia, improves research excellence of the Widening country’s institutions in specific fields, enlarges outreach of the participants’ R&I actions and provides access to new talent pools;

-At the level of the beneficiary, new competencies and skills for working in transnational projects including research management and dissemination and exploitation are acquired.

Scope:

The Hop On Facility integrates one additional participant from a Widening country to an ongoing project under Pillar 2 or the EIC pathfinder scheme while topping up a relevant task or work package and the cost incurred by the additional participant. This will happen on a voluntary basis without affecting the freedom of choice for the consortium and the principle of excellence. The Hop On Facility is open to all topics under Pillar 2 and the EIC pathfinder. Applications with activities that contribute to the policy objective of the transition towards a green and digital economy are especially encouraged.

The action will be part of an existing project with a valid Grant Agreement. Applications must demonstrate the R&I added value of the new partner and present a visible and distinct work package for the acceding partner. The proposal should include a detailed description of the profile of the new partner and its role in the existing project. The additional partner and task should be presented in a dedicated proposal template with the Description of the Action (DOA) of the ongoing action uploaded as an annex. Selected consortia will be invited to submit an amendment request for accession of a new partner, modification of the description of the action and upgrade of the budget.

The budget increase must be exclusively for the benefit of the new partner with the exception of a coordination fee of up to 10% of the increased budget to be allocated to the coordinator of the consortium. The coordinator may request the coordination fee and provide an explanation on the additional integration efforts for the new partner.

Eligible Applicants: In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies);

• be established in one of the eligible countries

Total Budget: €40,000,000

Deadline: 26/04/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-widera-2023-access-06-01

Programme: European Commission - CREA

Objective: Objective

The Films on the Move action shall encourage and support the wider distribution of recent non-national European films by encouraging sales agents and theatrical distributors in particular to invest in promotion and adequate distribution of non- national European films.

Eligible Activities: Expected Results are:

-Development of pan-European theatrical and/or online distribution strategies for non-national European films.

-Increased investment in theatrical and/or online promotion and distribution of non-national European films in view of expanding audience reach.

-Develop links between the production and distribution sector thus improving the competitive position of non-national European films on a global market

-Description of the activities to be funded under the call for proposals: The activities to be funded are campaigns for the pan-European theatrical and/or online distribution of eligible European films, coordinated by the sales agent of the film. Applications should present adequate strategies to ensure more sustainable and more environmentally-respectful industry and to ensure gender balance, inclusion, diversity and representativeness.

Actions must take place in EU member states plus listed EEA countries.

Eligible Applicants: Applicants should be based in Ukraine and other Creative Europe country and correspond to one of the following categories

-non-profit organisations, public or private bodies, provided that they can prove the organisation’s non-commercial status

-the project proposal will not generate any profit.

Total Budget: €16,000,000

Deadline: 18/07/2024

More information and official documents: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/crea-media-2024-filmove?tenders=false&closed=false&frameworkProgramme=43251814

Programme: European Media and Information Fund (EMIF) / Gulbenkian

Objective: Objective

The Call Boosting Fact-checking Activities in Europe aims at supporting projects from independent fact-checking organisations, which play a key role in limiting the negative effects of disinformation on the public discourse and democratic processes. In the context of the ongoing Russia – Ukraine war, and in light of its repercussions across Europe, this Call for Proposals is currently accepting applications that contemplate collaborations with Ukrainian fact-checking and media organisation and/or journalists. Though Ukrainian organisations are not eligible as funded partners, costs pertaining to such collaborations, namely subcontracting costs, will be considered as eligible.

Eligible Activities:

a. Urgent actions: projects designed to increase coverage, depth, and speed of fact-checking activities by organisations that commit to producing regular flows of fact-checks. These actions may have a duration up to 6 months and receive a grant up to €55,000.

b. Scale-up projects: free-lance collaborations within newsrooms and/or the integration of state-of-the-art technologies for content verification and media and social media monitoring. These actions may have a duration up to 12 months and receive a grant up to €80,000.

Actions must take place in Europe.

Eligible Applicants: Only individual entities or organisations in a consortium located in the EU, EFTA and UK are eligible.

Total Budget: €4,350,000

Deadline: 30/06/2025

More information and official documents: https://gulbenkian.pt/emifund/bolsas-lista/boosting-fact-checking-activities-in-europe/

Programme: Patagonia Inc

Objective: Objective

Patagonia Inc. is an American clothing company founded in 1973 that sells and showcases mainly sustainable outdoor clothing. The Patagonia Environmental Grants Programme surges from the company’s commitment to use 1% of their total sales or 10% of their profit, whichever is more, to environmental concerns. Patagonia supports environmental organizations with bold, direct-action agendas and a commitment to long-term change.

Eligible Activities: They support innovative work that addresses the root causes of the environmental crisis and seeks to protect both the environment and affected communities. They focus on places where we’ve built connections through outdoor recreation and through our network of retail stores, nationally and internationally. They encourage work that brings underrepresented communities to the forefront of the environmental movement and defend communities whose health and livelihoods are threatened by environmental exploitation. They support multipronged campaigns that push for greater environmental protections and force the government to abide by its own laws.

They fund projects in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom).

Eligible Applicants: Their funding focuses on organizations that have or can create a strong base of support.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.patagonia.com/how-we-fund/international-grant/

Programme: Daiwa Foundation

Objective: Objective

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is a UK charity established in 1988 with a generous benefaction from Daiwa Securities Co Ltd. The Foundation’s purpose is to support closer links between Britain and Japan. It does this by: (1) making grants available to individuals, institutions and organisations to promote links between the UK and Japan across all fields of activity; (2) awarding scholarships to young British graduates to study Japan and its language and; (3) organising a year-round program of events to increase intercultural understanding between Japan and the UK.

Eligible Activities: Daiwa Foundation Small Grants can cover all fields of activity, including educational and grassroots exchanges, research travel, the organisation of conferences, exhibitions, and other projects and events that fulfill this broad objective. New initiatives are especially encouraged. Grants are available to individuals, societies, associations or other bodies in the UK or Japan to promote and support interaction between the two countries.

Actions must take place in UK and Japan.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are: individuals, societies, associations or other bodies in the UK or Japan.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://dajf.org.uk/daiwa-foundation-small-grants-and-awards

Programme: ERANDA ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATION

Objective: Objective

The Eranda Rothschild Foundation is a UK registered charitable trust and makes donations to registered charities working in the fields of medical research, education and the arts. While for their medical research and arts program the Foundation usually supports work well known to the Trustees, for their education program they invite applications from universities and other non-profit organisations to support young professionals in fields including medicine, science and business. They support disadvantaged young people and apprenticeships. Since its founding fifty years ago, the Foundation has made donations totalling more than £74 million to a wide range of charities in the UK and across the globe.

Eligible Activities: Thematic areas are: (1) Education: they consider applications from universities and other charities to support young professionals in fields including medicine, science and business. They support disadvantaged young people and apprenticeships; (2) Medical Research: they support original research and the continuation of existing research. Welfare is also considered under the medical theme and here the priority is to support work well known to the Trustees; and (3) The Arts: they support the education and outreach work of arts charities and prioritise work which is well known to the Foundation.

Actions can take place in various countries worldwide.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are non-profit organisations registered in the UK and abroad. They support registered charities, including Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs) and those correctly registered as charities in their own countries.

Total Budget: €2,500,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.erandarothschild.org/

Programme: CISV INTERNATIONAL PEACE FUND

Objective: Objective

The CISV International Peace Fund Trust (PFT) was created in 1988 with the objectives (1) to advance education in the understanding, internationally, of children throughout the world, without distinction of race, religion or politics, so that they may grow to maturity, conscious of their responsibilities as human beings; (2) to develop the individual child’s potential for cooperation with others; and (3) to further research contributing to this work. They have a grants program for which they launch four calls for applications throughout the year.

Eligible Activities: Trustees may approve grants for projects which are in line with PFT objectives and the purpose of the sub-fund, provided accumulated interest is available. Some examples of projects that have been funded in the past include: (1) first time programmes hosted by promotional associations; (2) participation by promotional associations at CISV workshops/activities; and (3) international or regional workshops co-hosted by CISV and like-minded organizations.

Actions can take place in various countries worldwide.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are: (1) CISV charities (officials of the International Association (e.g. International Office, Governing Board), a National Association (NA itself or one of its Chapters), Promotional Association); (2) Official delegates to regional or international CISV activities/ conferences with endorsement of relevant CISV entity; and (3) PFT trustees for projects consistent with PFT’s objectives.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents:https://international-peacefund.org/

Programme: EEA and Norway Grants

Objective: Objective

The EEA Grants Programme on Business Development, Innovation and SMEs in Slovakia launches a new Call for Bilateral Initiatives, with 70 000 euros in funding for projects that develop and strengthen business partnerships between the entities from Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway and Slovakia.

Eligible Activities: The Call for Proposals for Bilateral Initiatives under the Fund for Bilateral Relations within the Business Development, Innovation and SMEs programme aims to set up a flexible and easy tool to develop and strengthen business partnerships between entities from Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway (Donor states) and Slovakia. The programme focus areas:

• Green Industry Innovation and

• Welfare Technology and Ambient Assisted Living technologies

Actions must take place in Slovakia.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible applicants are any public or private entities, commercial or non-commercial, and NGOs established as legal persons in Slovakia. Each Slovak applicant shall have at least one partner from the Donor states and vice versa.

Total Budget: €70,000

Deadline: 30/06/2024

More information and official documents: https://eea.innovationnorway.com/article/30062023:-slovakia-call-for-bilateral-initiatives

Programme: Network for Social Change Charitable Trust

Objective: Objective

The Network for Social Change Charitable Trust is a group of individuals providing funding for progressive social change projects, particularly in the areas of justice, peace and the environment. The Trust supports projects which are innovative, highly leveraged, and/or difficult to fund, addressing the root causes of a problem.

Eligible Activities: The Trust provides 3 types of grants:

1) Pools – sponsoring projects for grants with a thematic focus on one of the 6 Pools (green planet, human rights, economic justice, health and wholeness, peace, arts and education)

2) Major Projects – focusing on a neglected area of social change (a sustainable economy, income inequality, asylum injustice, remote control warfare), providing funding for 3-6 years

3) Fast Track – providing grants to projects that are identified, assessed and sponsored by a single member of the Trust, who then invites fellow members to join them in funding it.

They support projects in the area of health, HIVA/AIDS, children and alike.

Actions can take place worldwide.

Eligible Applicants: Non-profit organisations whose focus areas are: (1) justice; (2) peace and (3) environment are eligible to apply.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.thenetworkforsocialchange.org.uk/funding/project-submission.html

Programme: Foundation

Objective: The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of local communities. Priscilla Chan is co-founder and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The Foundation’s mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone. In addition to traditional grant-making to support people and organisations working toward our missions in (1) science; (2) education, and (3) community, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative makes venture investments in impact-focused companies, builds tools and products that we can scale and give away for free, and supports movement and capacity building to achieve progress across their work. Since their launch in 2015, the Foundation has awarded approximately $5 billion in grants. Grants are awarded via three funding entities: the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation, a 501(c)(3) private foundation; the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Advocacy, a 501(c)(4) organization.

Eligible Activities: Thematic Interest

• Education and training

• Science, innovation and technology

• Children and youth

• Diversity, equity and inclusion

• Social inclusion of marginalised youth

Their pillar “local community” only support organisations/projects in San Mateo County. As for the other program pillars grants are given to projects and initiatives across the globe.

Eligible Applicants: They support science through targeted grant-making and open competitions for research funds in specific issue areas with Requests for Applications, or RFAs. For education, at times they also issue calls for proposals. For ‘community’, grants are only disbursed for projects and initiatives in San Mateo County.

Total Budget: $20,000,000

Deadline: No Deadline

More information and official documents: https://chanzuckerberg.com

Programme: Foundation

Objective: Danone Ecosystem catalyzes and develops projects that advance the public interest in ecosystems where Danone operates. Since 2009, they have co-created disruptive business models that strengthen inclusion and environmental sustainability, providing organisational know-how, technical expertise and financing support. Projects developed by Danone Ecosystem respond to local challenges linked to sustainable sourcing and regenerative agriculture; micro-distribution; circular economy; and the promotion of healthy drinking and eating habits. The projects are organised into four areas, corresponding to key activities in Danone’s value chain: (1) Sourcing & Watershed, for the sustainability of water resources and the sustainable sourcing of key raw materials; (2) Distribution to create new product distribution channels; (3) Caring Services to strengthen knowledge and access to nutrition and health services; and (4) Recycling to reinforce the circular economy and sourcing of rPET.

Eligible Activities: Thematic Interest

• Agricultural and rural/community development/sustainable farming

• Circular economy

• Sustainable waste management

• Community health

• Healthy drinking and eating habits

• Women’s empowerment and business development

Focus Countries

They give grants to projects across the globe (currently in more than 40 countries worldwide).

Eligible Applicants: They have no formalised application procedures displayed on their website.

Total Budget: €20,000,000

Deadline: No Deadline

More information and official documents: http://ecosysteme.danone.com

Programme: Foundation

Objective: Endeavor is leading the high-impact entrepreneurship movement around the world. Endeavor is the leading global community of, by, and for High-Impact Entrepreneurs — those who dream bigger, scale faster, and pay it forward. Driven by our belief that High-Impact Entrepreneurs transform economies, Endeavor is on a mission to build thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems in emerging and underserved markets around the world. Endeavor creates a Multiplier Effect by inspiring high-growth founders to dream bigger, supporting and investing in them to scale faster, and providing a platform to pay it forward — thereby compounding their individual impact. To sustain Endeavor’s long-term operations in a mission-aligned way, Endeavor created Endeavor Catalyst, a co-investment fund, set up to invest in the same High-Impact Entrepreneurs that Endeavor supports.

Eligible Activities: Thematic Interest

• Economic development

• Social entrepreneurship

Focus Countries

Endeavor operates across Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Eligible Applicants: Endeavor launches mentorship programs for entrepreneurs and also invests in the form of equity in some selected companies. First, they launch a call for proposal to new cities, regions and countries, their pull model is led by local private sector leaders who pledge their time and money to open a new office. Then they select and support a group of innovative individuals. Through a rigorous, multi-step selection process, Endeavor annually screens thousands of entrepreneurs from around the world to identify those with the best talent and potential for impact and funding.

Total Budget: €5,000,000

Deadline: No Deadline

More information and official documents: http://www.endeavor.org/

Programme: Embassy of Japan to Georgia

Objective: The GGP is one of the grant schemes of the Embassy of Japan in Georgia, oriented towards providing support to the grassroots actors, for the promotion of Basic Human Needs and Human Security in Georgia. This involves, but is not limited to the actions, which aim to mitigate threats to human survival, human life, human dignity, as well as the actions aimed to build up the capacities of individuals and communities.

Eligible Activities: Within 22 years of its work in Georgia – from 1998 to 2022, the Grassroots Human Security Program (GGP) of the Government of Japan funded more than 200 projects, in total amounting to more than 20 million USD. Through this funding, agriculture infrastructure was developed, alleviating poverty in some of the poorest villages; thousands of hectares of land were cleared from hazardous landmines, saving lives of local population; dozens of schools, kindergartens, hospitals were rehabilitated and re-equipped, providing essential services to the most vulnerable population. Those are only a few of the examples and the range of sectors funded has been very broad.

Representing the goodwill of the ordinary Japanese people, the Embassy of Japan strives to provide support in the sectors, considered most essential by the population of Georgia itself. Vast majority of the reputable local and international research reflects that the population of Georgia considers socio-economic problems as the most acute national issues, along with the occupation of its territories. Thus, in its GGP program, the Embassy strives to emphasize the projects, which aim to resolve those problems most effectively and efficiently.

Actions must take place in Georgia.

Eligible Applicants: The following lists are examples of potential recipients: NGOs and INGOs; Local public authorities (mayor’s office).

Total Budget: $100,000

Deadline: No Deadline

More information and official documents: https://www.ge.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/development_assistance_eng20180727.html

Programme: Global Innovation Fund

Objective: The Global Innovation Fund (GIF) has launched its Innovating for Climate Resilience fund in partnership with the Adaptation Research Alliance and the Global Resilience Partnership, with seed funding from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.

The Innovating for Climate Resilience fund invests, through grant, equity, and debt instruments, in innovations with the potential to scale and support the world’s poorest to build resilience and adaptation.

Eligible Activities: GIF has a staged funding approach, whereby the amount of funding available is tiered according to the level of maturity of your innovation and the activities proposed. The three tiers are:

Pilot – the innovation is at an early stage but you have a credible plan for how it can be developed and tested in a real-world setting. Funding of up to USD 230,000 is available to test core assumptions around operational, social, and financial viability.

Test and transition – the innovation has already shown promise of success at a small scale, and you have some information on your operational, social, and financial viability which you want to solidify before you scale. Funding of up to USD 2.3 million is available to support further growth and generate additional evidence on whether the innovation can achieve social impact and market viability, for commercial innovations.

Scale – the innovation has a strong evidence base and logistically credible plan for scaling to reach millions of people. Funding of up to USD 15 million is available to expand the reach of innovations with a view to reaching millions of people in the long term if successful.

What they fund

GIF seeks out innovations GIF believes have the greatest potential to improve the lives of millions of people living in poverty and only select those innovations which:

• Are focused on the poor.

• Are novel approaches which are not commonplace.

• Can improve upon alternatives solutions.

• Are backed by evidence of potential impact.

• Can be widely applied in many different settings.

• Have the potential to scale to reach millions of people.

• Are led by strong and dynamic teams.

• Are ready for investment.

• Will generate new knowledge on what works.

• Have a clear role for GIF.

Eligible Applicants: Any type of organisation may apply. This includes social enterprises, for-profit companies, non-profit organisations, government agencies, international organisations, and research institutions in any country. It is recommended that individual innovators, entrepreneurs, or researchers apply through an affiliated organisation.

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: https://www.globalinnovation.fund/what-we-do/innovating-for-climate-resilience/

Programme: USAID

Objective: USAID Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) is an open innovation fund that sources, tests, and accelerates breakthrough ideas that address global development challenges around the world. DIV seeks to bring in new ideas for solving problems facing millions around the world – delivering more impact, for less money, with greater potential for sustainable scale. Inspired by the venture capital experience, DIV uses a tiered, evidence-based funding model to test ideas, gather evidence of what works, find failures quickly and cheaply, without long-term commitments, and continue to support only proven solutions.

Eligible Activities: Funding ranges across all sectors: global health 36%, economic growth and trade 30%, energy 30%, agriculture and food security 26%, water/sanitation and hygiene 17%, education and training 12%, democracy and governance 7%, disaster relief and humanitarian assistance 3% and environment 2%.

The funding is open to countries in Asia, Middle East, Africa, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, where USAID provides funds to development efforts.

Eligible Applicants: DIV accepts applications from U.S. and non US organisations, individuals, non-profit and for profit entities, provided their work is in a country where USAID provides funds to development efforts.

Total Budget: $5,000,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: https://divportal.usaid.gov/s

Programme: Inter-American Foundation (IAF)

Objective: The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) invites proposals for its grant program. The IAF funds the self-help efforts of grassroots groups in Latin America and the Caribbean to improve living conditions of the disadvantaged and the excluded, enhance their capacity for decision-making and self-governance, and develop partnerships with the public sector, business and civil society. The IAF does not identify problems or suggest projects; instead it responds to initiatives presented. Projects are selected for funding on their merits rather than by sector.

Eligible Activities: The IAF looks for the following in a project it funds:

1) innovative solutions to development problems;

2) diverse array of community voices in project development and execution;

3) substantial beneficiary engagement in: the identification of the problem addressed, the approach chosen to solve it, the design of the project, and management and evaluation of activities;

4) partnerships with local government, the business community and other civil society organizations; and

5) evidence of beneficiaries’ enhanced capacity for self-governance.

The IAF only supports projects in independent countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (excl. Cuba, Venezuela).

Eligible Applicants: Non-profit organisations (civil society groups) are eligible to apply. They only support projects submitted by community-led groups that are based in independent countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Total Budget: $400,00

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: https://www.iaf.gov/apply-for-grant

Programme: Pulitzer Centre

Objective: The Pulitzer Center has announced the Machine Learning Reporting Grants to use advanced data mining techniques, such as machine learning and natural language processing, to solve a data or reporting problem related to a journalistic investigation.

Eligible Activities: Pulitzer Center seeking compelling data-driven storytelling—based on original and transparent data collection and analysis—that has the potential to shape public discourse and hold the powerful accountable.

These projects harnessed machine learning to augment the reporters’ capacity to tackle big data and systemic issues. The reporters combined the use of machine learning with geospatial analysis, satellite imagery, and traditional shoe-leather reporting, among other approaches.

Eligible Applicants: Eligibility Criteria

This opportunity is open to U.S. residents and journalists around the world. They are open to proposals from freelance data journalists, staff journalists, or groups of newsrooms working in collaboration on a data project idea. They want to make sure that people from many backgrounds and perspectives are empowered to produce data journalism. They strongly encourage proposals from journalists and newsrooms who represent a broad array of social, racial, ethnic, underrepresented groups, and economic backgrounds.

Total Budget: $100,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: https://pulitzercenter.org/grants-fellowships/opportunities-journalists/machine-learning-reporting-grants

Programme: NORAD

Objective: There is a need for increased focus on and attention to adaptation to future impacts of climate change. Quality weather and climate information are important tools that can be used for preparing for and reducing the negative consequences of serious climate-related events. Climate and weather services may improve stakeholders’ capacity to monitor, forecast, plan for, and cope with the impacts of climate and weather-related events. Early warning can prevent loss of life and livelihood. The weather and climate information needs to enable decision-makers, as well as end users to understand the information and to act.

Eligible Activities: The collection and analysis of data require sufficient infrastructure, technology, and capacity at local and national level. Additionally, the information needs to be communicated in a way that the end-users understand it and act on it. This entails tailoring communication to the various groups of end users. According to the end users’ needs, the weather and climate services may be linked to non-meteorological data, such as road and infrastructure maps, demographic data and census information, food and agricultural production, health sector information, and socio-economic variables.

The target group for the scheme is the population in ODA-approved developing countries.

Eligible Applicants: Potential grant recipients under this scheme are: Public actors/bodies in Norway and in recipient country; Norwegian and international civil society organisations/non-governmental organisations; Norwegian and international analysis and research institutes; Private sector actors in Norway and in recipient country.

Total Budget: €1,000,000

Deadline: No Deadline

More information and official documents: https://grants.mfa.no/#call/2621/details

Programme: Rapid Response Facility (RRF)

Objective: The Rapid Response Facility (RRF) provides emergency support to natural World Heritage sites in times of crisis. The RRF is a partnership between the UNESCO World Heritage Center and Fauna & Flora International (FFI). RRF grants are available for UNESCO natural World Heritage sites. The RRF only funds actions at a site facing an ‘emergency’ threat to its biodiversity. They do not fund on-going issues even if they require urgent action.

Eligible Activities: The RRF’s definition of emergency is based on the following criteria, all of which will be considered during the decision process:

(1) Suddenness: How recently has the threat emerged or worsened? RRF only consider a situation an emergency if it has arisen in the last few months or weeks, or if the intensity of an existing threat has got suddenly worse. RRF advise applicants to provide evidence of any recent increases in the threat profile where possible;

(2) Predictability: Based on past experience, how predictable was the situation? The RRF prioritises funding for situations where the threat was unpredictable and thus difficult to prepare for in advance;

(3) Time sensitivity: Will there be a measurable conservation benefit if work starts immediately (within days / 1-2 weeks), rather than in months or years? The RRF prioritises projects that require immediate assistance;

and (4) Duration and reversibility of impact: Does the threat have the potential to cause long-lasting negative impact to the biodiversity value of the site? The RRF prioritises actions that avert irreversible damage or reduce long-term negative impacts.

RRF grants are restricted to countries that are eligible for ‘official development assistance’ according to the OECD.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible are: (1) government bodies responsible for site management (for example national wildlife agencies, park managers, government ministries etc.); (2) registered local, national or international non-governmental organisations (NGOs); (3) private sector organisations (including local and multinational corporations). Applicant organisations must be able to accept funds into an organisational bank account, directly from the UK in US Dollars (USD).

Applications are accepted year round, there are no deadlines. Requests for funding are only accepted through submission of the official RRF application form to the RRF email address (rrf(a)fauna-flora.org). Applications from NGOs or private sector organisations must include a letter of support from the relevant site management authority as part of their application. The templates can be downloaded from their website. Proposals shall not exceed 6 pages.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: http://www.rapid-response.org/

Programme: European Youth Foundation (EYF)

Objective: The European Youth Foundation (EYF) is a fund established in 1972 by the Council of Europe to provide financial and educational support for European youth activities.

Eligible Activities: An international activity is an international meeting of young people or youth leaders in Europe which contribute to the work of the youth sector of the Council of Europe in topic, methodology and with a clear European dimension. Until now, four working days were considered as a minimum duration for an international activity based on the principles of non-formal education/learning. However, in order to adapt to NGOs’ needs, the EYF will no longer consider this duration as a hard criterion. Nevertheless, the EYF will continue to assess grant applications on the basis of their merit and the quality of the programme provided. NGOs applying for activities lasting less than four days will have to convince the EYF that the activity is based on a non-formal education approach.

Special attention will be given to applications integrating a gender perspective. This should be clearly explained in the grant application. Gender perspective does not mean having an equal number of female and male participants. You should try to develop your project looking through different gender glasses, taking into account the needs of young women and men.

Action must take place in Europe.

Eligible Applicants: The following hard criteria are a requirement for an international activity: (1) participants must represent at least 7 Council of Europe member states; (2) it has to be run by an international team (4 nationalities represented in the project team); (3) 75 % of participants under 30 years old; (4) a gender and geographical balance must be ensured; and (5) a gender perspective is taken into account throughout the whole process.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: No Deadline

More information and official documents: http://www.coe.int/en/web/european-youth-foundation/international-activity

Programme: Democracy and Media Foundation (DMF)

Objective: Do you want to contribute to independent media and a strong, just democratic state? Do you have an initiative that stimulates independent and critical media, or one that sustains or promotes a strong, and just democratic state? Does your initiative match their pillars of truth-seeking, innovation in media, fundamental rights and liberties, vigorous democracy or commemoration and remembrance? Then you are welcome to submit a project proposal.

Eligible Activities: Types of projects that the Democracy and Media Foundation supports include (but are not limited to):

1) Media productions (long-form) journalistic articles, books, documentaries, podcasts and web or TV series);

2) Digital journalistic platforms;

3) Strategic awareness campaigns;

4) Policy advocacy;

5) Strategic juridical litigation;

6) Cultural and art projects (installations, expositions, theatre, etc.). These only qualify for funding by the Democracy and Media Foundation if they further the objectives of the foundation;

7) Lectures and debates (as long as they are rooted in a broader adaptation strategy); and

8) Training/capacity building.

The foundation prioritizes projects and organizations with clear added value in the Netherlands. Within the Netherlands, preference goes out to projects with an international or national outlook, as well as local initiatives that are part of a broader strategy for change. Projects taking place outside the Netherlands are granted support only rarely. The foundation limits its support to organizations located in the 47 member states of the Council of Europe. Priority is granted to projects in countries were freedom of press and/or the democratic state based on the rule of law is under pressure.

Eligible Applicants: The Democracy and Media Foundation provides financial support to organizations, projects and other initiatives that promote this mission.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: https://www.stdem.org/en/urgency-requests/

Programme: Samruk-Kazyna Trust

Objective: The Fund for development of social projects “Samruk-Kazyna Trust” implements charitable projects and programs aimed at solving socially important issues for the population from the whole group of companies of JSC “Samruk-Kazyna”. The Fund’s activities are carried out with the assistance of state bodies, the Government of Kazakhstan and experts in the field of public and social policy.

Eligible Activities: The priorities are:

• helping people, communities in the social and health sector;

• development of media, cultural community, development of human potential, strengthening of labor relations and investments in sustainable development of society;

• the implementation of the regional program of social investments in the regions of presence of group of the Fund;

• strengthening the reputation and promoting the image of the Fund and/or the Fund group.

Actions must take place in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Eligible Applicants: They partner with non-profit organisations. Most of their partner are local NGOs.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: No Deadline

More information and official documents: https://sk-trust.kz/en/send-an-application/

Programme: Charles Hayward Foundation

Objective: Charles Hayward Foundation is a grant-making charitable trust making awards to charities that are registered in the U.K. The organisation is governed by a board of voluntary trustees, chaired by Mrs. Sue Heath. Organisations can apply for funding for clean water and sanitation projects, basic health programmes and self sustainability projects through training in farming skills and income generation activities.

Eligible Activities: Funding priorities include:

• Projects that adopt a holistic approach throughout all project stages and have a well defined ‘exit strategy’

• Projects being delivered at the grass-roots level through an established and proven delivery partner who is fully engaged with the local community

• Projects that clearly demonstrate the local communities involvement and that necessary training and education is in place to sustain the project beyond the delivery partner’s departure

The applicant must be able to demonstrate that robust governance and monitoring procedures are in place

They focus on Commonwealth Countries of Africa.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible organisations must be UK registered charities delivering projects in Commonwealth Countries of Africa with an annual income of between £150,000 and £5,000,000. The applicant must be able to demonstrate that robust governance and monitoring procedures are in place.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: http://www.charleshaywardfoundation.org.uk/overseas/

Programme: A.J. Muste Memorial Institute

Objective: The A.J. Muste Memorial Institute funds projects which promote the principles and practice of nonviolent social change through grant-making programs including the International Nonviolence Training Fund (INTF). The INTF was created in 1994 by a group of concerned donors with the aim of specifically supporting nonviolence trainings which prepare participants for specific nonviolent actions or campaigns.

Eligible Activities: Nonviolence trainings seek to help people develop and improve the skills they need to confront systemic injustice through organized, principled, nonviolent action. Trainings promote the exchange of ideas, information, and strategies, through which activists can become more effective at using nonviolent action in their struggles. Projects eligible for support include:

• those which prepare participants for specific nonviolent actions or campaigns;

• those which build capacity and leadership among people engaged in nonviolent struggles;

• those geared to “training the trainers,” in order to expand and multiply nonviolence training throughout a targeted community.

Projects must be located outside the United States, or within its Native nations.

Eligible Applicants: Preference is given to: projects which involve trainers from the local area or region, where such trainers are available and groups which are small, community-based and have less access to funding from other sources. The Muste Institute can and does directly fund organizations which do not have their own 501(c)3 non- profit tax-exempt status, and/or which are not incorporated. The only time we require a fiscal sponsor is if the organization does not have its own bank account

Total Budget: $100,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: https://ajmuste.org/programs

Programme: Embassy of Japan to Macedonia

Objective: The Grant Assistance for Grass Roots and Human Security Projects (GGP) was first introduced by the Government of Japan in 1989 in order to meet various socio-economic needs in developing countries. The GGP provides non-refundable financial assistance to NGOs, hospitals, primary schools, and other non-profit associations to help implement their development projects. The availability of GGP funding in each eligible country provides Japanese ODA with a new means of cooperation that has a direct impact on the well-being of grass-roots communities.

Eligible Activities: Its focus areas in Macedonia include: (1) refurbishment and supply of equipment for primary schools; (2) refurbishment and supply of medical equipment for hospitals (projects for the benefit of women, children or prevention of infectious disease such as AIDS are given priority); (3) supply of equipment for basic skills training courses (e.g. brick making, sewing, candle making machines, etc); (4) agricultural training equipment (e.g. tractors, pumps, sprinklers); (5) women empowerment; (6) public welfare (refurbishment and supply of equipment for facilities for the handicapped, orphans, family planning education, or the construction of community centers); and (7) water supply (facilities and equipment for drilling well pumps etc.).

Actions must take place in North Macedonia.

Eligible Applicants: Any type of non-profit organisation is eligible to be a GGP recipient.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: http://www.at.emb-japan.go.jp/mk/en/40_bilateral/020_ggp/021_ggpintroduction.html

Programme: Horizon Europe Guarantee

Objective: The UK government has announced a new scheme that guarantees funding for successful applicants to the third wave of Horizon Europe grant awards regardless of the outcome of the UK’s efforts to associate to Horizon Europe.

The guarantee is a short term measure intended to address the delays in formalising the UK’s association to Horizon Europe. To provide reassurance, the government has guaranteed funding for the first three waves of eligible, successful applicants to Horizon Europe with call deadlines up to 31 December 2022, if they are unable to sign their grant agreements with the EU.

This funding route is for collaborative research and innovation calls under Pillars 1, 2 and EIC calls under Pillar 3 with final application submission deadlines from 1 May up to 31 December 2022. ERC and MSCA calls are being routed through the Joint Electronic Submissions (Je-S) system. N.B. KICs 2022 activities are being routed through a separate IFS competition template.

Eligible Applicants: You will be eligible to register with UKRI for the Horizon Europe guarantee through this route if you are a UK-based organisation which has been successful through a Horizon Europe call in scope of the guarantee. For the consortium-style grants, you must remain a partner on the project and be listed on the Horizon Europe grant agreement as an Associated Partner.

This funding route is for collaborative research and innovation calls under Pillars 1, 2 and EIC calls under Pillar 3 with final application submission deadlines from 1 May up to 31 December 2022.

Total Budget: N/A

Deadline: N/A

More information and official documents: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1389/overview/b900fdc4-c48d-4d8a-8733-ce4ca210ae9a#eligibility

Programme: Global Fund

Objective: The Global Fund is a 21st-century partnership organization designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. It is a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by the diseases. Most of their funding is earmarked for HIV/AIDS, followed by Malaria and finally TB.

Eligible Activities: The 2023-2028 Global Fund Strategy recognizes that ending HIV and TB as epidemics and eliminating malaria will require comprehensive approaches to strengthening: the financing of health systems (including raising additional resources as well as ensuring the efficient, effective and equitable use of existing resources); sustainable national responses to the three diseases; and resilient systems for health. Countries are strongly encouraged to focus on sustainability in their national planning and program design, with support from the Global Fund and partners as necessary. A sustainable approach to program planning and implementation should consider how to maximize impact while balancing short- and long-term results – not only taking into account the financing available today, but also which elements will require domestic financing in the future

The Global Fund operates worldwide (currently in over 100 countries).

Eligible Applicants: In most cases, Principal Recipients disburse funds to other smaller organizations who serve as sub-recipients or even sub-sub-recipients. A purpose of this is for financing to effectively cascade to smaller organizations, and for programs to be carried out to reach those populations or groups which may not be otherwise easily reached by a government.

Total Budget: $4 billion for an average of 450-470 grants (average grant size is $8,5 million).

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/applying-for-funding/

Programme: WE4F (Water and Energy for Food)

Objective: Objective

Water & Energy for Food (WE4F): A Grand Challenge for Development is a joint international initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the European Union (EU), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands, The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Eligible Activities: WE4F aims to:

• Increase food production along the value chain through a more sustainable and efficient usage of water and/or energy

• Increase income for base of the pyramid (BoP) women and men in both rural and urban areas working in farming and/or consuming food products

• Sustainably scale the Organizations’ solutions to meet the challenges in the WE4F nexus.

• Promote climate and environmental resilience and biodiversity through the sustainable, holistic management of natural resources and ecosystems

This Open Call for Innovation (O-CFI) is designed to address barriers to enable the production of more food with efficient and sustainable usage of water and energy along the value chain from farming to end-users, and to impact food security, gender, and poverty reduction in an environmentally sustainable way.

The S/CA RIH supports innovators from Angola, Botswana, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Eligible Applicants: WE4F is looking for mid- to late-stage enterprises, nonprofits with a for-profit program, and other organizations based in the Middle East and North Africa, who have innovative water-food, energy-food, and water-energy-food solutions. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements outlined below to participate in this call for innovation. WE4F is open to legally incorporated/registered for-profit businesses and nonprofit organizations or academic institutions with a proven business model, recurring sales, an existing customer base, and the ability to generate revenue and maintain a self-sustaining operational budget.

Total Budget: $250,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://we4f.org/apply-sca

Programme: European Programme for Integration and Migration (EPIM)

Objective: Objective

The latest suspensions of the right to asylum in multiple Member States in the framework of Covid-19 protection measures show once more that European asylum politics and practice move fast, especially in times of emergency. The design of EU asylum policies as well as their implementation and translation (or lack thereof) into national, bilateral, regional and local policies and practices have direct impact on the lives of people who seek international protection.

Eligible Activities: Through this Call for Proposals, EPIM aims to support (transnational) partnerships of civil society organisations active at EU, national, bilateral, regional and/or local levels. The support is for their efforts to seize (urgent) opportunities to advise European asylum policies and practices. In light of existing and future EU asylum law, policies, frameworks and human rights standards, projects should aim to:

• promote feasible (evidence-based) alternatives; and/or

• put forward thought-provoking ideas, and/or

• react to policy proposals and practices to safeguard the right to asylum and prevent backtracking.

Projects should be implemented in the European Union. Additionally, projects implemented in non-EU countries (e.g. Turkey, UK) could also be considered eligible if of EU relevance.

Eligible Applicants: Applicants must be non-profit and non-governmental organisations registered in the European Union or in the United Kingdom. Non-profit organisations active at EU, national, bilateral, regional and/or local levels are eligible for this call for proposals. Non-EU based non-profit organisations can apply as partners.

Total Budget: €40,000

Deadline: No deadline

More information and official documents: https://epim.info/proposal/epim-call-for-proposals-seizing-opportunities-to-advise-european-asylum-policies-and-practices/

Programme: Botswana Innovation Hub

Objective: Objective

The Botswana Innovation Hub is a business accelerator with the objective to support entrepreneurship and innovation through technology transfer in Botswana. It identifies, develops and nurtures viable technology-oriented start-up businesses with potential to grow locally and into international markets. Membership also offers access to their Innovation Fund.

Eligible Activities: Within these focus sectors and categories, BIH selects partners and members based on the following aspects:

• Product / Service / Method that creates new or unique value for Botswana Innovation Hub stakeholders and Botswana

• Stage / Level of Innovation (Idea, Research / Screening and Experimentation, Testing / Proof of Concept / Prototyping, Commercialization / Production, Diffusion and Implementation)

• Target Market / Social Need being Addressed

• Benefits to Botswana:

• Employment creation

• Knowledge Creation and Skills Transfer

• Advancement of Science and Technology within the Botswana

• Business / Partnership model and Funding Aspects

• Leadership (Visionary and qualified leadership to play the critical role in driving the business towards its goal)

• Capital investment in land, buildings, infrastructure, and equipment

Actions must take place in Botswana.

Eligible Applicants: Businesses in the sectors of solar energy, water technologies, sustainability, coal utilisation, and waste management are eligible

Total Budget: $1,000,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: http://www.bih.co.bw/benefits-criteria/

Programme: Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD)

Objective: Objective

As Canada’s lead agency for development assistance, Global Affairs Canada aims to manage Canada’s support and resources effectively and accountably to achieve meaningful, sustainable results.

Eligible Activities: They work across many sectors:

Agriculture and food security

Disability-inclusive development

Education

Gender equality

Governance

Health

Humanitarian preparedness and response

Private sector development

Social protection

Water

Selected focus countries worldwide are eligible: Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America.

Eligible Applicants: Organizations worldwide can apply for funding through the Global Affairs Canada website. International non-governmental organizations from any country can submit an unsolicited proposal for funding, so long as they meet the eligibility requirements as published in the Application Form. Applicants also have to demonstrate proof of their legal and financial standing as per their home country’s laws or per the laws of Canada.

Total Budget: $1,000,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and other documents: http://international.gc.ca/world-monde/funding-financement/apply_funding-demande_financement.aspx?lang=eng

Programme: Embassy of Japan to Philippines

Objective: Objective

The Japanese Government has various programs under its Official Development Assistance (ODA) that meets the diverse needs of developing countries. One of the ODA schemes, the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) support small-scale projects directly benefiting the grassroots level as well as contributing to the socio-economic development of developing countries. In the Philippines, GGP was launched in 1989 and as of March 2019, 543 small-scale grassroots projects have been implemented by non-government organizations (NGOs), local government units (LGUs), and other non-profit organizations. They support around 15-20 projects every year.

Eligible Activities: The following sectors and projects are examples that the GGP can assist:

· Education

· Health

· Water System (Levels I and II only)

· Agriculture

· Social Welfare

· Capacity Building

· Disaster Management

· Waste Management

· Others

Actions must take place in Philippines.

Eligible Applicants: The Embassy of Japan accepts applications from the following organisations: (1) non-government organisations (NGOs); (2) peoples’ Organisations (POs) and Cooperatives; (3) local government units (LGUs); (4) educational institutions (universities) and medical institutions.

Total Budget: €100,000

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: http://www.ph.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_en/00_000032.html

Programme: US Mission to Ghana

Objective: Objective

The U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana, through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out virtual and in-person peacebuilding and conflict resolution education programs in Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, and Togo. This program is in support of the U.S. Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability, authorized by the Global Fragility Act. Overall, grant-making authority for this project is contained in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.

Eligible Activities: This program will engage early and mid-career professionals by offering a menu of virtual courses in English and French that include information adaptable to the range of countries and contexts. Central topics will include social cohesion, conflict resolution, media literacy and misinformation, engaging government from local to national level, and inclusivity. The online/hybrid course on conflict resolution will include 500 young community leaders with at least half from Ghana and the remainder from the other four countries specified. Recruitment should target regions and communities most vulnerable to conflict and instability but may include geographically diverse participants.

The courses will be followed by interactive conversations via chat or social media platforms to form a network of similarly-minded individuals willing to develop activities or policies integrating course principles in their own institutions or communities. An in-person training and networking opportunity will then be offered to 60 participants to come together and discuss more deeply the topics of the courses. The material may include U.S. authored content and reflect the diversity of opinion in the United States and underscore U.S. fundamental values of democracy and freedom. Speakers and instructors may include U.S. citizens and experts who have experience in West Africa and the United States.

Actions must take place in Ghana.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible are U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations subject to section 501(c) (3) of the U.S. tax code; foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGO); Public International Organizations; Foreign Public Organizations; and private, public, or state institutions of higher education.

Total Budget: $444,375

Deadline: Ongoing

More information and official documents: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=349074