Brussels, 31 July 2023
Today, the Commission launched a call for project proposals that can decipher how disinformation narratives on Russia’s war against Ukraine, elections and the LGBTQ+ community emerge online and offline, and to help tackle them and their effect.
This call builds on a previous similar project that is already ongoing, following a call for proposals published in July 2022.
This new call foresees nearly €1.2 million EU funding to support a better understanding of how disinformation is formed and spread, how it shapes people’s minds, as well as its real-life impact. This is of particular importance in the context of false and misleading information on Russia’s war against Ukraine having the potential to destabilise democracies, the harm disinformation can cause to the integration and equality of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as its effect on elections.
Complementing the work of the European Digital Media Observatory (EDMO), the project is also expected to propose strategies and measures, future policy actions and novel practices to support positive narratives and counter harmful false ones, including by pre-bunking expected disinformation narratives.
The deadline for applications is 22 September 2023, and the successful project is expected to start in September 2024. Universities, research centres, NGOs, public authorities and others are eligible to apply. More information on this call for proposals is availablehere.
These projects are part of wider efforts to counter disinformation, including the Code of Practice on Disinformation and EU vs Disinfo. By the end of August, Very Large Online Platforms designated under the DSA will also have to conduct their first regular risk assessment, which covers, among other issues, how their services are misused for disinformation.
Tackling online disinformation
Source – EU Commission