EU opens €12m research call

The European Commission has opened a €12 million Horizon Europe call for studies on how digital tools used outside school affect young people’s educational outcomes and mental health. The topic, HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-04, opened on May 12, 2026 under the EU’s Cluster 2 programme for culture, creativity and inclusive society. (horizon-europe.gouv.fr) The call asks researchers to examine social media, video gaming and other leisure uses of digital tools, according to the topic text published through Horizon Europe channels. Proposals are due on September 23, 2026. ### Which digital habits does Brussels want studied? The Commission’s topic text names “social media, video gaming and other leisure uses of digital tools” as the main focus of the research. (horizon-europe.gouv.fr) The wording draws a line between classroom technology and non-instructional digital activity, including communication and entertainment uses outside school. The call says projects should give policymakers, education practitioners and citizens a “solid understanding” of how those activities relate to educational outcomes for young people, including effects that run through well-being and mental health. It also asks for rigorous evidence on causal mechanisms and on differences across groups of young people. (horizon-europe.gouv.fr) ### How much money is on offer, and what size projects is the EU expecting? The budget for the topic is €12 million. A planning document tied to the 2026-2027 Horizon Europe work programme indicates the Commission expects to fund projects with EU contributions of roughly €3 million to €4 million each, implying a small number of grants. (horizon-europe.gouv.fr) Horizon Europe classifies the topic as a Research and Innovation Action. That means the funding is aimed at generating evidence and methods rather than piloting a market-ready product or service. ### Why is this topic sitting in the EU’s social-transformation programme? (horizon-europe.gouv.fr) The call appears in the Social and Economic Transformations, or TRANSFO, section of Cluster 2. The European Research Executive Agency says Cluster 2 funding is intended to support democratic values, cultural heritage and socio-economic transformations that contribute to inclusion and growth. The 2026-2027 work programme places the topic in the Commission’s broader research agenda for social change, rather than in a narrower education-technology track. (horizon-europe.gouv.fr) That positioning suggests the Commission is treating young people’s digital lives as a cross-cutting social question with implications for schools, families and public policy. That is an inference from the programme structure and topic placement. ### What kind of evidence does the Commission say it wants back? The topic text says successful projects should produce evidence-based insights that can help policymakers and practitioners understand links between leisure digital use, learning outcomes and mental health. The emphasis is on robust research rather than headline claims about screen time alone. (rea.ec.europa.eu) The French Horizon Europe portal’s summary of the same topic says the Commission wants research that can identify how digital activities relate to outcomes and support evidence for action. That includes looking at impacts on different groups of young people and at the conditions under which digital use may be associated with better or worse results. (ec.europa.eu) ### Where does this fit in the EU’s 2026 funding calendar? The European Research Executive Agency says the next Cluster 2 call for Social and Economic Transformations opened on May 12, 2026. The Funding & Tenders Portal lists the broader HORIZON-CL2-2026-01 call as open for submission, with most topics in that package closing in late September. (horizon-europe.gouv.fr) For this topic, the next concrete step is the application deadline on September 23, 2026. Researchers and consortia must submit proposals through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal under topic code HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-TRANSFO-04. (rea.ec.europa.eu) (horizon-europe.gouv.fr)