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Call key data
Detecting, analysing and countering foreign information manipulation and interference
Call number
HORIZON-CL2-2023-DEMOCRACY-01-01
deadlines
Opening
14.12.2022
Deadline
14.03.2023 17:00
Deadline - 2nd stage
Opening
16.01.2023
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 9,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
between € 2,000,000.00 and € 3,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
Call objectives
Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) is a key global challenge and needs to be addressed in full respect of fundamental rights like the freedom of speech, freedom of expression and media freedom. A pre-condition for counter-acting efforts to undermine such democratic values is an understanding of the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) used to manipulate information environments in an intentional, harmful and coordinated manner. Understanding these TTPs and having the means to share them with stakeholder and partners, allow democratic governments to impose costs and efficiently disrupt the ‘supply chain’ for manipulated information.
This research will therefore look at (1) how to create a common understanding of parameters needed to provide technical attribution, (2) how these TTPs can be identified and gathered and (3) how they can be stored and shared in an adequate privacy-compliant environment. While there are existing proposals (like the DISARM framework), more research is needed on the practicability and potential pitfalls of these frameworks. There are also ongoing efforts to create an interoperable Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (ISAC) which would provide a means for the various stakeholders to systematically and efficiently exchange information of TTPs used by threat actors, to which this research could contribute.
As most of the activities qualified as FIMI are not defined as “illegal” under national and international law, another important research angle is to what extent FIMI is used in conjunction with illegal activity such as cyber-attacks or hate speech. More specifically, the research should look at the following specific contexts in which TTPs may appear: how foreign actors use proxies within their own territory and abroad to support their activities; how TTPs related to FIMI are used in combination with TTPs outside the FIMI remit, such as cyber criminality; how FIMI campaigns may target individual policymakers and/or social groups in attempts to influence decision-making processes in politics, economy or societal affairs, taking into account relevant characteristics of the targeted groups (e.g. gender, socioeconomic background, ethnicity). Likewise, the connections between foreign actors and their ecosystem with domestic democratic and anti-democratic forces should be explored – how do they influence each other, how do they align their TTPs and/or how could connections be addressed politically, without interfering in the democratic process. Other forms of foreign interference like elite capture, the use of foreign direct investment, or threats of armed attacks as means of influence, are also in the scope of the research this topic aims to cover. Contributions from behavioural, cognitive, political, legal and communication disciplines, among others, should ensure the required multidisciplinary coverage of such a research plan.
Based on these insights and research, response options should be proposed to give policymakers, but also stakeholders from civil society and private industry, solutions and options to implement as appropriate. These should take into account existing responses and tools, thereby extending and improving the solution space. All the possible response options need to be in full respect of fundamental rights and freedoms and potential risks of any such options should be outlined, e.g. how illiberal democracies, authoritarian regimes and domestic anti-democratic forces could exploit them for their own purposes. Given the very intense ongoing multilateral efforts to tackle this threat, international cooperation is strongly encouraged.
Proposals are encouraged to develop links and use outcomes in particular from the projects financed under HORIZON-CL3-2021-FCT-01-03: Disinformation and fake news are combated and trust in the digital world is raised. They should also foresee appropriate collaboration with the ongoing Horizon 2020 action EU-HYBNET. Clustering and cooperation with other selected projects under this call and other relevant projects are strongly encouraged.
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Expected results
- Protect democratic processes in the EU from Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) by foreign actors while preserving the fundamental rights and freedoms underlying these processes.
- Increase our ability to pro-actively detect, analyse and counter foreign attempts to harm the integrity of our democratic processes by creating a better understanding of the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) involved in these attempts, with the aim to improve our ability to technically attribute them to specific foreign actors.
- Increase our understanding of the behavioural and societal effect – both short- and long-term – of those attempts.
- Develop and extend the solution-space for policymakers, private stakeholders, and civil society actors to counter FIMI and raise resilience to it. Also, improve our understanding of the efficiency and potential negative side-effects of such solutions and propose mitigating measures.
- Improve our normative and theoretical understanding of the tensions between the value/norm of a free, pluralistic, and democratic society, FIMI, and domestic anti-democratic forces.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, International organization, Natural Person, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
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.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities without legal personality — 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 to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 45 pages.
Call documents
HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 2, Destination 1HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 2, Destination 1(1125kB)
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