CFAs: Migration and Asylum Policy Research and Innovation Grant

Deadline: 23-Sep-2026

This European Commission call supports research and innovation actions that help implement the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum while improving inclusion and health equity for migrants and refugees. The topic combines migration governance, human rights, public policy, and social integration with a strong emphasis on evidence-based recommendations for EU Member States.

The call is designed to produce comparative research that can inform policy across Europe on asylum systems, resettlement, crisis migration management, legal migration pathways, migrant health data, and long-term integration strategies.

Key facts

• Programme: Horizon Europe.

• Total budget: €12 million. [user prompt]

• Expected project funding: €3 million to €4 million. [user prompt]

• Topic focus: EU Pact implementation, migrant and refugee inclusion, health equity, and integration.

• Geography: EU-wide comparative research with relevance to Member States.

• Submission style: The call is presented as a Horizon research and innovation action. [user prompt]

What the call is about

The topic responds to the need for stronger evidence on how migration and asylum systems work in practice and how they can be improved. It places particular attention on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which is entering application in June 2026 and requires Member States to adapt legal and operational systems.

The call also recognizes that migrants and refugees should have equitable access to healthcare, including mental healthcare, and that integration depends on more than legal status alone. It links health, housing, education, labour, and civic participation as interconnected parts of sustainable inclusion.

Core focus areas

Migration governance

Projects may examine how to improve implementation of the EU Pact through evidence-based governance, asylum procedures, resettlement, and crisis management.

Legal pathways

The call encourages analysis of circular and permanent legal migration pathways and how they can complement migration governance systems. [user prompt]

Migrant health equity

Proposals may focus on improving access to care, health information systems, and equitable health outcomes for migrants and refugees.

Integration strategies

Research may evaluate long-term strategies across labour market participation, housing, education, mobility, and socio-cultural inclusion.

Data systems

The topic explicitly highlights the need to improve migrant health data governance, quality, privacy, security, and usability. [user prompt]

What research may study

Projects may explore:

• How Member States are implementing Pact requirements in legal and operational terms.

• What makes asylum, reception, and return systems more effective and rights-compliant.

• How age assessment frameworks for minors can be improved. [user prompt]

• Which resettlement and humanitarian admission mechanisms work best.

• How migrants’ health data systems can be made more complete and interoperable. [user prompt]

• How age, gender, disability, and legal status shape health outcomes. [user prompt]

• Which integration models best support labour, housing, education, and social inclusion.

Who should consider applying

This call is relevant to:

• Universities and research institutes. [user prompt]

• Public policy and migration studies centres. [user prompt]

• Public health and health systems researchers. [user prompt]

• Social science and humanities teams. [user prompt]

• NGOs and civil society organisations working with migrants and refugees. [user prompt]

• Consortiums involving local, national, and EU-level actors. [user prompt]

A strong consortium will usually include legal, social science, public health, and policy expertise. [user prompt]

What strong proposals should include

A competitive proposal should show:

• A clear policy question linked to the EU Pact.

• Comparative analysis across countries or systems. [user prompt]

• A rights-based and human-rights-compliant research approach.

• Strong attention to vulnerable groups and intersectional factors. [user prompt]

• Concrete policy recommendations for EU, national, and local levels. [user prompt]

• A credible plan for data governance, privacy, and security. [user prompt]

Why it matters

The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum is a major policy shift, and its success depends on implementation capacity, data quality, and public trust. This call matters because it helps governments move from legal reform to evidence-based practice.

It also matters because migrants and refugees often face barriers in healthcare, housing, education, and labour markets. Research that identifies these barriers and tests better integration models can improve both fairness and system performance.

How the call works

1. Define the policy problem.

   • Focus on a specific issue such as asylum processing, health access, or integration outcomes. [user prompt]

2. Build a comparative research design.

   • Include evidence from multiple EU contexts or levels of governance. [user prompt]

3. Integrate vulnerable groups.

   • Address gender, disability, age, and legal status explicitly. [user prompt]

4. Include both evidence and recommendations.

   • Show how the findings will support policy design and implementation. [user prompt]

5. Prepare the consortium and proposal.

   • Bring together research, policy, and practice partners. [user prompt]

6. Submit before the deadline.

   • The call is part of Horizon Europe and follows its participation rules. [user prompt]

Common mistakes and tips

• Mistake: Treating the call as only a migration policy study.

  • Tip: Include health equity, integration, and data governance where relevant. [user prompt]

• Mistake: Proposing a single-country case study with limited policy value.

  • Tip: Use comparative frameworks that generate wider EU relevance. [user prompt]

• Mistake: Ignoring privacy and security in health data work.

  • Tip: Make data governance a core part of the research design. [user prompt]

• Mistake: Leaving out vulnerable groups.

  • Tip: Address age, gender, disability, and legal status explicitly. [user prompt]

• Mistake: Weak policy translation.

  • Tip: Plan for clear recommendations for EU, national, and local stakeholders. [user prompt]

FAQ

1. What is the main goal of this call?

   • To support research that strengthens implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum while advancing migrant inclusion and health equity.

2. How much funding is available?

   • The total budget is €12 million, with expected project funding of €3 million to €4 million. [user prompt]

3. What topics are covered?

   • Migration governance, asylum systems, legal pathways, migrant health data, health equity, and long-term integration strategies.

4. Who can apply?

   • Research and policy-oriented organisations, including universities, institutes, NGOs, and consortiums working on migration and inclusion. [user prompt]

5. Does the call include health research?

   • Yes. It specifically addresses access to healthcare, mental healthcare, and migrant health data systems.

6. Does it focus on vulnerable groups?

   • Yes. It emphasizes age, gender, disability, and legal status as important factors in outcomes. [user prompt]

7. Why is the EU Pact relevant?

   • Because Member States are implementing it now, and the call seeks evidence to support effective, rights-based rollout.

Conclusion

This Horizon Europe call is aimed at turning migration and asylum reform into workable, evidence-based policy across Europe. The strongest proposals will combine comparative analysis, health equity, and integration research with practical recommendations that support both human rights and effective governance.

For more information, visit European Commission.