The COESO project (Collaborative Engagement on Societal Issues) will fund 5 new pilot projects for up to 50,000 € each to implement innovative Citizen Science projects in Social Sciences and Humanities. Civil society and researchers are invited to apply.

What is the COESO project and what kind of projects are we searching for?

COESO is a research project, coordinated by OpenEdition and EHESS, dedicated to the development of citizen science and participatory research in the area of Social Sciences and Humanities. It consists of 15 partners from 6 European countries (France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Belgium and Germany), including research centers, foundations, companies and associations.

We are looking for projects that meet all of the following criteria:

• Collaborative projects connecting at least one researcher and one stakeholder from outside academia (civil society organizations, socio-economic actors, policy-makers or others);
• Projects involving Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines;
• Projects that follow participatory research methodology or collaborative research methodology;
• Projects willing to be part of an observation protocol and a testing phase for the development of a platform aiming at supporting and facilitating participatory and collaboratory research practices;
• Projects addressing societal challenges (a connection with at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals).

Why apply?

• COESO will fund 5 projects (lasting up to 12 months) with 50.000 € to implement innovative and collaborative Citizen Science projects
• COESO will connect applicants with  a community of people and initiatives responding to similar societal challenges and contributing to common goals.
• COESO will enable applicants to be part of an experimental protocol to participate in the testing of the VERA platform (Virtual Ecosystem for Research Activation) in the Social Sciences and Humanities.
• For researchers: an opportunity to enhance the production of new knowledge and maximize the societal benefit of the research.
• For socio-economic actors: an opportunity to participate in knowledge exchange, capitalize on and spread their experiences in their fields.
• For policymakers: an opportunity to elaborate policies that are closer to social actors' concerns, increasing the contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities research to innovation.
• For Citizens: an opportunity to contribute to the enrichment of the public debate and participate in civic empowerment.

Who can apply?

Funding is only available to legal entities established in EU Member States including their outermost regions or associated countries eligible to receive Horizon 2020 grants.

How to apply?

Open Call application timeframe: November, 30 2021 – March, 31 2022 (17:00 CET)

1st round

• Short Proposal submission (November, 30 2021 - January, 30 2022)
• Live info session webinar on December 14, 2021 12:00-13:00 CET

2nd round

• Selected applicants will be invited to submit a Full Project Proposal (March, 02 - 31, 2022)

All applications need to be sent to: coeso.opencall@cria.org.pt 

For more information regarding the application process, please consult the “OpenCall - Guide for Applicants” on the COESO website.

COESO has received funding from the EU Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (2014-2020) SwafS-27-2020 - Hands-on citizen science and frugal innovation, under Grant Agreement No.101006325