The political decision-making in the EU is founded on the democratic values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, inclusivity, representativeness, political deliberations, voting via elections, political freedom, and access to information. Having resilient and strengthened democratic systems in place to support and provide the space for a robust, inclusive and holistic political decision-making will be fundamental to face many of the complex challenges and threats lying ahead of our society now and in the future. 
The European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) would like to explore and shed light on key issues that could strengthen and innovate our current democratic systems to face best future trends and critical challenges, to anticipate and respond to them, and, in doing so, to increase trust in democracy. 

Considering the complexity and the broadness of the topic, the project has started with a scoping phase (first phase) that was intended to direct JRC’s future work. The scoping phase, now concluded, aimed to identify and explore critical challenges, emerging trends and drivers that could impact and influence the future of democracy. 

Following the scoping phase and its results, the project will now enter in its second phase, which aims to provide a deeper analysis of three of the topics identified in the previous phase. 
The work will entail provision of expert advice and contribution in designing and subsequently executing a detailed note on each of the selected topics.

To apply 

Interested candidates can apply as: 

• Lead Author
• Contributing Author

Please download the Terms of Reference for more information and for the link to the application form. For applying, please use the link to the application form.

Terms of Reference 

Application deadline

Call launched on the 9th of July 2024 and will be open to applicants until 17:00 (CET) of the 3rd of September 2024 (extended deadline). 
The Evaluation Committee will meet and inform all applicants of their decisions by the 11th of September.
 

Enquiries 

For any questions on the call, please use the following email address: 
JRC-ENLIGHTENMENT2@ec.europa.eu 

Please do not submit your application to this email address as it will not be considered. Please use the link to the dedicated EU Survey Form, here.

Apply here