Objectives

The call finances a co-funded European Partnership for Social Transformations and Resilience in the Destination Innovative Research on Social and Economic Transformations. The partnership is intended to establish a 7-year research and innovation programme drawing on social sciences and humanities to reinforce societal resilience, fairness, inclusion and cohesion in response to climate and environmental change, technological shifts, demographic change and unforeseen shocks. The work programme frames these transformations as being driven by climate change, biodiversity loss, digitalisation and demographic trends, and as intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. They bring intertwined challenges and opportunities: changing skills needs, labour shortages, digital and intergenerational divides, inequalities, pressures on social cohesion and higher social protection costs. The partnership should combine financial resources from participating national or regional research programmes and implement joint transnational calls that provide grants to third parties.

It should give research funders, policymakers and SSH communities a multiannual programme addressing these megatrends; increase research investment in social protection, essential services, the future of work, education and skills, and a fair transition to climate neutrality; and deliver evidence-based knowledge, tools and innovative solutions for policies and strategies that strengthen resilience, fairness, inclusion and social cohesion at European, national and regional level. Its impact areas are modernisation of social protection systems and essential services, the future of work, education and skills, and a fair climate transition. Its operational objectives include gathering data and evidence, promoting comparative studies, creating new ways to connect researchers with policymakers, stakeholders, citizens and social innovators, supporting social and individual experimentation, developing new analytical, methodological and epistemological tools, and building capacity in the R&I and policymaking communities. The partnership should create a critical mass of knowledge and resources, engage funders, ministries, authorities, SSH researchers, social partners, NGOs, citizens’ organisations, private actors, EU agencies, international organisations and research infrastructures, consider gender and intersectional aspects, and seek synergies with relevant Horizon Europe projects, partnerships, missions and the New European Bauhaus Facility.

Actions

This call covers the following topics:

HORIZON-CL2-2026-02-TRANSFO-01: Co-funded European Partnership for Social Transformations and Resilience