Three European programmes to drive social transformation by 2025

The European Commission is moving towards a more inclusive and equitable society through European funding programmes, which include initiatives for social, cultural, and democratic innovation under Horizon Europe, CERV, and Creative Europe. These initiatives aim to tackle the social challenges faced by Europe, encompassing topics as varied as cultural heritage, equality of rights, and cooperation within the cultural and creative sectors. In 2025, funding will be directed towards projects that promote transformation in key areas for the European Union.

Izaskun De Allende, an expert consultant in Social Innovation for European Projects at Zabala Innovation, explains that “these programmes respond to the need for a more united and cohesive Europe, integrating technological, social, and cultural innovation to face the major challenges ahead.” The European Commission aims for these funds to reach a variety of actors, from small civil society organisations to large research consortia, with the goal of maximising and diversifying the impact of each funded project.

Horizon Europe Cluster 2: culture, creativity, and inclusive society

Horizon Europe’s Cluster 2, a pillar of the EU’s research and innovation policy, has released its latest calls for 2024, focusing its support on projects that explore European cultural heritage and promote the cultural and creative industries. Notably, the call for a European collaborative cloud for cultural heritage aims to create a collaborative digital space for cultural heritage. The intention is to enable a cloud platform that facilitates access to, information exchange, and preservation of Europe’s cultural heritage, advancing towards a shared cultural data space.

“By integrating digital advancements and creating an unprecedented collaborative space, Brussels is driving the preservation and enhancement of cultural heritage in Europe,” De Allende explains. “The European cultural heritage cloud will promote collaboration between cultural institutions and entities from various countries, resulting in greater cohesion and enriching citizens’ access to the shared heritage of the European Union,” she adds.

Through this call, participating institutions will have access to funding in various thematic areas aimed at researching and developing essential tools and features that make the platform attractive, useful, and easy to use.

The European Commission expects this platform to facilitate collaboration among museums, archives, and research centres across Europe, thus promoting a shared vision of European cultural identity.

CERV: Citizens, Equality, Rights, and Values

The Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme is aimed at strengthening a democratic, inclusive, and pluralistic European society. CERV supports projects that seek to bolster civil rights, promote gender equality, and encourage civic participation throughout the EU. The programme’s calls are structured into four pillars: equality of rights, citizen participation, combating violence (through its Daphne section), and promoting EU values.

De Allende emphasises that “CERV is a platform that enables civil society organisations, both local and transnational, to address social cohesion and democracy challenges.” This expert explains that the programme’s focus for the 2025 calls, on reinforcing European values, aligns with the need to create more inclusive societies resilient to social divisions. “Projects within CERV, such as those fostering citizens’ participation in democratic processes, are crucial in a Europe where democracies are threatened by polarisation,” she asserts.

Creative Europe: boosting cultural cooperation

The Creative Europe programme has significantly increased its budget for the current period, aiming to strengthen the cultural and creative sectors. “This increase reflects the importance of culture and creativity for the social and economic fabric of the EU,” states Iraia Nuñez, a consultant in European projects at Zabala Innovation. “The Creative Europe calls aim to activate cultural cooperation so that Europe becomes a reference point not only for economic innovation but also for social and cultural innovation,” she adds.

The programme is divided into the areas of Culture, Media, and Cross-sectoral. In 2025, the Culture strand is expected to encourage the formation of networks and alliances among artists and cultural organisations across different countries, promoting innovation in the sector, supporting its economic and social dimension, enhancing the mobility and visibility of European talent, and strengthening the digital and green transitions.

In this context, the Cooperation Projects call stands out. With a budget of approximately 60 million euros, this initiative focuses on small, medium, and large-scale projects that seek to improve access to European cultural and creative works and to promote innovation and creativity within the sector. Selected projects will aim to boost the competitiveness of European cultural production and ensure public access to a broad and diverse cultural offering.

The Cross-sectoral strand, meanwhile, is designed to support the development of multidisciplinary projects within the cultural and creative sectors. Within this framework, calls such as the Innovation Lab seek to foster new forms of creation through innovative approaches and technologies that facilitate the distribution, promotion, and monetisation of the cultural and creative sectors, including cultural heritage. Regarding the media sector, Nuñez highlights the Journalism Partnership call, aimed at supporting media outlets in adapting to new economic and consumption trends.