Who funds human rights research?

We count 48 funded human rights projects, active between 2021 and 2031, from 2 funders. The most came from EU · ERC (29 projects), EU · MSCA (16 projects) and EU · Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment (1 project). The median award is $2M, across the 48 of 48 projects that list an amount.

Funded projects

48

Funders

2

Median award

$2M

Open calls now

1

Top funders of human rights research

Projects whose title or summary mentions human rights. Median award: of the projects that list an amount, in US dollars; “—” when fewer than 3 do.

Open human rights funding calls

1 open call mentions human rights today.

• Global Human Rights and EU values
  European Commission · Horizon Europe€3,500,000 – €4,000,000Deadline: September 23, 2027 ·

Funded human rights projects

A sample, latest start first, at most three per program.

• Children on the Move and the Right to a Legal Identity (ChiMRI)
  UKRI · AHRC · £224,315 · ends 2028
• Adverse Acquisition and European Basic Rights Frameworks: Legal-Philosophical-Computational Inquiry
  EU · MSCA · €193,643 · 2027–2029 · UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI GENOVA
• In search of a sustainable and just legal framework for divestment of toxic business activities and -assets.
  EU · ERC · €2,498,240 · 2027–2031 · KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
• A new research methodology for complex ethical-technical security and privacy dilemmas
  EU · ERC · €2,499,381 · 2027–2031 · RHEINISCHE FRIEDRICH-WILHELMS-UNIVERSITAT BONN
• Research Network for Responsible Business Conduct in VUCA Environments: agile risk-based due diligence processes in enterprises’ value chains for better organisational decision-making
  EU · MSCA · €1,173,590 · 2027–2030 · UNIVERSITATEA NATIONALA DE STIINTASI TEHNOLOGIE POLITEHNICA BUCURESTI
• A History of Self-determination across the Sinosphere: Genealogies, Narratives, and the Geopolitics of a Concept
  EU · ERC · €1,950,000 · 2026–2031 · UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI ROMA LA SAPIENZA
• Illiberal Peacebuilding and Authoritarian Regime Survival: Evidence from Postwar Syria
  EU · MSCA · €230,185 · 2026–2028 · CEU GMBH
• Colonial Legacies of Universities: Materialities and New Collaborations
  EU · Culture, creativity and inclusive society · €3,798,047 · 2025–2029 · UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHT
• FAIR FOOD AND TRADE SYSTEMS FOR AFRICA THROUGH FOOD CONVERGENCE INNOVATION
  EU · Food, Bioeconomy Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment · €4,499,353 · 2024–2028 · INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE

How we count

Funded projects come from public award records (NIH RePORTER, NSF, EU CORDIS, UKRI Gateway to Research, Wellcome, the Gates Foundation, DOE, NASA and USDA NIFA) whose title or summary matches “human rights”. NIH lists each budget year separately; one project counts once. Amounts are as the funder lists them; medians use only projects that list one, in US dollars. Open calls and forecasts are from our listings of October 28, 2026. A project can mention a topic without being mainly about it, so treat the counts as a guide to who funds the area.