Adapting to and mitigating demographic trends in rural areas through evidence-based planning and innovative solutions
Horizon Europe Cluster 6: Resilient, inclusive, healthy and green rural, coastal and urban communities
Funding Amount
Amount not specified
Deadline
16/09/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution
Trusted by
What is the Adapting to and mitigating demographic trends in rural areas through evidence-based planning and innovative solutions Call?
Grant Description
This research and innovation action supports the long-term vision for European Union rural areas by empowering rural communities to adapt to demographic change. It funds research to understand the causes and social, economic and environmental impacts of population trends; evidence-based planning and inclusive stakeholder engagement; piloting of innovative, sustainable solutions; and development of digital tools to improve resilience, attractiveness and well-being.
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
Funded projects are expected to:
• Improve understanding by all relevant actors of the causes and social, economic, and environmental impacts of demographic trends in rural areas.
• Equip rural communities to respond to demographic challenges through evidence-based planning, targeted actions, and inclusive stakeholder engagement.
• Enhance the well-being and attractiveness of rural areas by delivering sustainable and innovative solutions that support resilience, strategic sector growth, and job creation.
• Provide local and regional decision-makers with an accessible, digital tool for assessing demographic impacts and planning future strategies within a just, fair, and green transition framework.
• Improve understanding by all relevant actors of the causes and social, economic, and environmental impacts of demographic trends in rural areas.
• Equip rural communities to respond to demographic challenges through evidence-based planning, targeted actions, and inclusive stakeholder engagement.
• Enhance the well-being and attractiveness of rural areas by delivering sustainable and innovative solutions that support resilience, strategic sector growth, and job creation.
• Provide local and regional decision-makers with an accessible, digital tool for assessing demographic impacts and planning future strategies within a just, fair, and green transition framework.
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Proposals must:
• Address all of the following:
• Causes and social (including gender and intersectional) differentiations, economic and environmental impacts of demographic trends in rural areas.
• Evidence-based planning strategies: monitoring fluctuations and defining appropriate actions for population changes.
• Innovative solutions to mitigate and adapt to changing populations, focusing on climate-vulnerable rural areas.
• Collect evidence to develop sustainable, comprehensive long-term strategies for managing population change based on rural community needs, identified via an inclusive multi-actor approach.
• Ensure consideration of gender and other social categories (disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation) and their intersections.
• Test, pilot, and validate sustainable solutions co-created with local stakeholders that improve well-being, attractiveness, and resilience of rural communities, and support strategic sector development and job creation.
• Include coordination of financial support to third parties where used, with clear management and consolidation of outcomes to derive policy recommendations.
• Emphasize sustainability and replicability of strategies and solutions.
• Develop a digital/accessible decision-support tool for evidence-based demographic impact assessment and future planning.
• Implement the multi-actor approach with active involvement of public authorities, rural communities, SMEs, organisations, and social economy actors.
• Build on existing research from the EU Rural Observatory, prior Horizon Europe projects, and link to the Demographic Toolbox.
• Involve effective contributions from social sciences and humanities, including gender studies, utilising services of European research infrastructures (e.g., ESS ERIC) where relevant.
• Address all of the following:
• Causes and social (including gender and intersectional) differentiations, economic and environmental impacts of demographic trends in rural areas.
• Evidence-based planning strategies: monitoring fluctuations and defining appropriate actions for population changes.
• Innovative solutions to mitigate and adapt to changing populations, focusing on climate-vulnerable rural areas.
• Collect evidence to develop sustainable, comprehensive long-term strategies for managing population change based on rural community needs, identified via an inclusive multi-actor approach.
• Ensure consideration of gender and other social categories (disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, sexual orientation) and their intersections.
• Test, pilot, and validate sustainable solutions co-created with local stakeholders that improve well-being, attractiveness, and resilience of rural communities, and support strategic sector development and job creation.
• Include coordination of financial support to third parties where used, with clear management and consolidation of outcomes to derive policy recommendations.
• Emphasize sustainability and replicability of strategies and solutions.
• Develop a digital/accessible decision-support tool for evidence-based demographic impact assessment and future planning.
• Implement the multi-actor approach with active involvement of public authorities, rural communities, SMEs, organisations, and social economy actors.
• Build on existing research from the EU Rural Observatory, prior Horizon Europe projects, and link to the Demographic Toolbox.
• Involve effective contributions from social sciences and humanities, including gender studies, utilising services of European research infrastructures (e.g., ESS ERIC) where relevant.
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
- Financial support to third parties may be provided only as grants, up to €60 000 per third party; participants must coordinate these activities and aggregate results for policy guidance.
• Mandatory implementation of the multi-actor approach as defined in the Work Programme.
• Proposals must involve social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines, including gender studies, to ensure human-centred, inclusive analyses.
• Inclusive engagement must address gender, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnic/cultural origin, sexual orientation, and their intersections.
• Proposals must build on and coordinate with: the EU Rural Observatory, relevant Horizon Europe projects, the Demographic Toolbox, and where appropriate the European Social Survey (ESS ERIC).
• Emphasis on just, fair, and green transition frameworks, and on sustainability, replicability, and scalability of results.
• Mandatory implementation of the multi-actor approach as defined in the Work Programme.
• Proposals must involve social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines, including gender studies, to ensure human-centred, inclusive analyses.
• Inclusive engagement must address gender, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnic/cultural origin, sexual orientation, and their intersections.
• Proposals must build on and coordinate with: the EU Rural Observatory, relevant Horizon Europe projects, the Demographic Toolbox, and where appropriate the European Social Survey (ESS ERIC).
• Emphasis on just, fair, and green transition frameworks, and on sustainability, replicability, and scalability of results.
Important dates
Open from: 06/05/2025
Deadline:16/09/2025
Application period has ended
Win your grant with Cogrant
How cogrant works
Smart Funding Fit Check
Instantly know if your project fits call criteria. Our system highlights strengths, gaps, and risks, so you only apply when your chances are real.
Intelligent Research Engine
Our research engine digs deeper than any founder could alone. It pulls data about your company, your market, and even your competitors - giving your proposal an edge backed by facts, not fluff.
Full Proposal Development
Our system builds your entire proposal from start to finish, ensuring every section is complete, coherent, and crafted to the highest quality. You focus on your vision — we deliver the winning document.
Expert Review
Our experts run a complete review before delivery, ensuring your draft proposal is accurate, well-structured, and polished. You’ll receive a high-quality draft that’s ready for your final touches before submission.
Our Numbers
Results that speak for themselves
70+
proposals prepared
€36.7M
total funding secured for clients
65%
win rate in highly competitive calls