Introduction: The Joint Programming Initiative "More Years Better Lives - The Potential and Challenges of Demographic Change " (JPI MYBL) is a pan-European and Canadian intergovernmental initiative gathering European countries and Canada to jointly coordinate European and national research programmes related to demographic change and fund new transnational research initiatives.

This funding opportunity serves to inform policymaking. It must therefore address questions which are important, or likely to be important in the future, to decision making by government (at national, regional and/or local level), employers, and civil society bodies.

Challenge: Major demographic change is taking place across Europe and Canada. Rising life expectancy and falling fertility rates are changing family sizes and structures, and the length and nature of working life, while economic, political and environmental pressures are causing new patterns of migration into and within Canada and the European continent. These changes can increase inequality, bringing greater opportunities for some people, but fewer for others. Since high levels of inequality are damaging to both individuals and society, the Joint Programming Initiative "More Years, Better Lives" seeks to identify who benefits and who loses from demographic change. We are interested in how these inequalities are changing, how they can be avoided, and solidarity sustainably supported, through both policy and practice.

This Call therefore seeks proposals for research which will enhance our understanding of:

· How demographic change is altering the implicit contract between generations?

· How policy can ensure that change results in a reduction, rather than an increase, in inequality?

Research Topics

More specifically, this call is interested in three aspects of inequality. Proposals may choose to focus on one, two or all three of these:

1. Income and wealth: extending working life changes the distribution of income and wealth between generations. Income in later life is very unevenly distributed on the basis of previous employment, earnings, and the structure of different pension systems. Patterns of intergenerational inheritance change as people spend longer in retirement, and as the costs of social care impact on savings. Different national patterns of housing tenure also have differing implications for wealth and inheritance.

2. Caring responsibilities: a high proportion of older people (especially, but not only women) undertake caring responsibilities, for parents, children, or partners. Caring can be emotionally rewarding, but when it makes heavy physical or emotional demands, it can have a seriously damaging effect on mental and physical health, and on employment opportunities of the carer, especially where they are caring simultaneously for children and elders. A particular feature of caring is that needs can arise, and end, unexpectedly, giving little time for carers to plan and manage other commitments.

 3. Social and political participation: in many countries older people are more likely than young people to participate in formal political processes. However, many are disengaged, especially in later life, and some feel that their interests and concerns are underrepresented in political decision making. Older people are also more vulnerable to social isolation and loneliness, with less support from younger generations than in the past. The problem is exacerbated as friends and partners die, and mobility reduces. Sense of identity and security can also be challenged as neighbourhoods change, becoming younger, or possibly poorer. This is an issue both in urban environments and in rural areas, in declining communities (where the young have moved away), or without access to public or private transport.

Relevance of COVID-19

 The Funding Organisations acknowledge the relevance of the COVID-19 pandemic to the topic of this call. The pandemic has brought a refreshed focus on the relationship and inequalities between and within generations and on the responsibilities of generations to one another. The virus and the measures put in place to stop its spread are having differential impacts both between and within generations. This includes in key areas of daily life that are addressed as topics of this call - income and wealth, caring responsibilities, and social and political participation. The primary focus of proposals to this call should still be the research topics and cross-cutting issues set out in the call text above. However, proposals can, and where appropriate should, recognise the COVID-19 pandemic as an important contextual factor in the research that is proposed.

Countries that are aiming to fund the EWG call:

Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Spain, Sweden, UK.

A proposal can address multiple topics, but researchers can only receive funding for their activities related to a topic funded by their national funding organisation. Please consult Guide for Applicants.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for evaluation, submitted research proposals shall comply with the following criteria at transnational level, that is at the level of the transnational call EWG:

• Each proposal must involve a minimum of three eligible applicants from at least three different countries participating in the Call (see list of participating countries and Funding Organisations above). These applicants, submitting collectively a proposal, form a Project Consortium;
• Members of the JPI MYBL Steering Committee, Scientific Advisory Board, Societal Advisory Board and General Assembly involved in the evaluation process are not allowed to apply. Neither are Joint Call Secretariat and Call Steering Committee members. Other individuals who have participated in the preparation of the call are also not allowed to apply, but the institutions they work for are eligible;
• Every Project Consortium is composed of research partners, called Project Investigators (PIs) amongst which one is appointed as coordinator, called the Coordinator. This Coordinator will coordinate the project, be responsible for its internal scientific management and will be the main contact person of the project consortium with the Call Secretariat;
• A given researcher is allowed to be involved in up to two proposals as Project Investigator, but if they serve as Coordinator for one proposal they cannot be involved as PI in another;
• Project Consortia can also include non-eligible researchers as PIs, i.e. belonging to a country that is not participating to this call or not eligible according to the national rules of participating countries. In this case, these non-eligible researchers or societal actors must secure their own funding and state its origin in advance of proposal submission on the Electronic Submission Platform. However, non-eligible Project Investigators are not counted In order to be eligible for evaluation, submitted research proposals shall comply with the following criteria at transnational level, that is at the level of the transnational call EWG:
• Each proposal must involve a minimum of three eligible applicants from at least three different countries participating in the Call (see list of participating countries and Funding Organisations above). These applicants, submitting collectively a proposal, form a Project Consortium;
• Members of the JPI MYBL Steering Committee, Scientific Advisory Board, Societal Advisory Board and General Assembly involved in the evaluation process are not allowed to apply. Neither are Joint Call Secretariat and Call Steering Committee members. Other individuals who have participated in the preparation of the call are also not allowed to apply, but the institutions they work for are eligible;
• Every Project Consortium is composed of research partners, called Project Investigators (PIs) amongst which one is appointed as coordinator, called the Coordinator. This Coordinator will coordinate the project, be responsible for its internal scientific management and will be the main contact person of the project consortium with the Call Secretariat;
• A given researcher is allowed to be involved in up to two proposals as Project Investigator, but if they serve as Coordinator for one proposal they cannot be involved as PI in another;
• Project Consortia can also include non-eligible researchers as PIs, i.e. belonging to a country that is not participating to this call or not eligible according to the national rules of participating countries. In this case, these non-eligible researchers or societal actors must secure their own funding and state its origin in advance of proposal submission on the Electronic Submission Platform. However, non-eligible Project Investigators are not counted

Max. project duration: 36 months

Funding Organisation: Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) - State Research Agency

Maximum funding per project: The following funding limits are considered eligibility criteria. Proposals not respecting these limits could be declared ineligible. - Maximum amount of funding per proposal eligible for AEI should not exceed €100,000, independently of the number of Spanish Project Investigators in the project.

- Additional 20,000€ can be granted if the work plan of the project includes substantial original data collection tasks to be carried out by the Spanish Project Investigators.

- Additional 40,000€ can be granted if the applicant is the Coordinator of the transnational project.

Eligible costs: Personnel costs for temporary employment contracts (scholarships are not eligible).

- Current costs, small scientific equipment, disposable materials, travelling expenses and other costs that can be justified as necessary to carry out the proposed activities.

- Indirect costs (overheads) and clinical trials are not eligible for funding in the PCI call.

More info at: https://www.jp-demographic.eu/calls/fourth-call/

In case of interest please contact lnorton@fsjd.org