Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

The European Union's Quest for a Relational Open Strategic Autonomy

Objective

QUEST - “The European Union’s Quest for a Relational Open Strategic Autonomy” tackles one of the most pressing strategic questions facing the EU today: what Open Strategic Autonomy (OSA) is, what it entails, and what is required to achieve it. At its core, QUEST asks: How can the EU achieve open strategic autonomy?

By addressing this overarching question, QUEST responds directly to the demand from EU institutions, practitioners, and national decision-makers for conceptual clarity and practical guidance. OSA represents a potential paradigm shift in how the EU defines its role in the world, balances openness and autonomy, and upholds its foundational norms and values. Yet pursuing OSA in practice inevitably forces the Union to navigate dilemmas and contradictions—both in its dealings with international partners and in the defence of its own principles. To date, neither academic research nor policy advice has provided systematic answers on how to manage these tensions.

QUEST fills this critical gap by developing an innovative conceptual framework, which directs attention to the different ways in which OSA may be understood and practiced. Moving beyond existing approaches, QUEST sees OSA as intrinsically linked to political capabilities and competences. It underlines that for open strategic autonomy to be realised, the EU has to reconsider its relations to others. QUEST identifies key drivers of OSA and generates robust empirical evidence across six strategically important policy domains, including economic and research security. It clarifies how a novel approach to OSA would enhance the EU’s capacity to protect its economic and security interests while also recognising the rights and autonomy of others, thus contributing to a more secure and just world.

Taking facts on the ground into account, QUEST delivers clear, evidence-based guidance to EU institutions and policymakers on how OSA can be realised—transforming an ambiguous concept into an actionable strategy.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

This project has not yet been classified with EuroSciVoc.
Be the first one to suggest relevant scientific fields and help us improve our classification service

You need to log in or register to use this function

Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL2-2025-01

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 790 250,00
Address
OUDE MARKT 13
3000 LEUVEN
Belgium

See on map

Region
Vlaams Gewest Prov. Vlaams-Brabant Arr. Leuven
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

No data

Participants (9)

My booklet 0 0