Rethinking sustainable competitiveness beyond traditional perspectives: role and contribution of the Social Economy
Funds interdisciplinary research on how the social economy advances sustainable competitiveness and shared prosperity in the EU, emphasizing frameworks, metrics, and policy recommendations.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: September 23, 2027 (Full application, single-stage, 17:00 Brussels time)
Funding Amounts: €3,000,000–€4,000,000 per project | ~3 projects funded | Lump sum grant | Project duration typically 36–48 months
Summary: Supports interdisciplinary research on how the social economy drives sustainable competitiveness and shared prosperity in the EU, with a focus on frameworks, metrics, and policy recommendations.
Key Information: Single-stage application; lump sum funding; strong emphasis on social economy, sustainability, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Description
This Horizon Europe call funds research and innovation actions (RIA) to deepen understanding of the social economy's role in promoting sustainable competitiveness and shared prosperity across the European Union. Projects should address knowledge gaps around how social economy actors (such as cooperatives, mutual societies, associations, foundations, and social enterprises) contribute to economic, social, and environmental objectives. The call encourages development of comprehensive frameworks and metrics, identification of enabling factors, best practices, and policy recommendations, and the involvement of stakeholders from the social, private, and public sectors. Interdisciplinary approaches—including social sciences and humanities—are strongly encouraged to explore the multifaceted impacts of the social economy in line with EU priorities such as the Green Deal and the Kunming Montreal Agreement.
