Closing the learning gap: uncovering causes and effective policy interventions for declining youth skills in mathematics, reading, and science

Overview

Research funding to investigate the structural causes of declining youth skills in mathematics, reading, and science across Europe and identify effective policy interventions. Targets interdisciplinary research teams aiming to generate actionable evidence for education policymakers.

Who Can Apply

Consortia of legal entities (e.g., universities, research institutions, public bodies, NGOs) from eligible countries. Individual applicants or single entities are not eligible.

Funding Details

Maximum grant amount: 5,000,000 EUR per project. Funding is provided as a lump sum, with eligible costs defined in the Horizon Europe lump sum decision.

What Is Funded

Research addressing structural causes of declining youth skills in mathematics, reading, and science, including:

• Impact of teaching methods, curriculum design, and assessment practices
• Role of digital distractions, reading habits, and cognitive development factors (e.g., handwriting)
• Links between cognitive skills and socio-emotional skills, learning environments, and school climate
• Influence of socio-economic background, gender, parental involvement, and migration-related heterogeneity
• Effectiveness of policy measures, programmes, and remedial actions, including cost evaluations
• Interdisciplinary approaches combining economics, sociology, psychology, neurosciences, and education sciences

Technology / Maturity Requirements

Projects must operate at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4 to 6, focusing on applied research and validation in relevant environments.

Key Dates

• Open date: 2027-05-12
• Deadline: 2027-09-22

Application Process (High-Level)

Single-stage submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposals must adhere to page limits and templates specified in the call documentation.

Post-Award Obligations

• Clustering and cooperation with other selected projects under this call topic are strongly encouraged.
• The granting authority may object to transfers of ownership or exclusive licensing of results for up to 4 years post-project.
• Standard Horizon Europe reporting requirements apply, including dissemination of results.

Geographic Scope & Language

Eligible countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, Switzerland. Application language: English.

Notes

• Proposals must use experimental and/or quasi-experimental methods, complemented by qualitative research where applicable.
• Close cooperation with data-owning authorities or institutions is required.
• Interdisciplinary approaches are encouraged, particularly those integrating social sciences and humanities (SSH).