second call

Meet the jury for the second Journalism Science Alliance call

Meet the jury for the second Journalism Science Alliance call 2560 1707 journalismsciencealliance

The jury for the second Journalism Science Alliance call has been appointed. We welcome two new members, Vasco Barreto and Alexandra Borchardt, while three returning jurors ensure continuity with the first round. A warm thank you to outgoing members Miguel Castanho and Adriana Homolova for their invaluable contribution.

The jury members for the second call are (in alphabetical order by last name):

  • Vasco M. Barreto is a biologist, university lecturer and researcher, entrepreneur, and science writer whose work focuses on molecular genetics and genetic engineering;
  • Alexandra Borchardt is a senior journalist, independent advisor and university teacher with more than 30 years of experience in newsrooms and management;
  • Sanne Breimer, founder of Inclusive Journalism and a global media strategist, trainer, coach, and researcher;
  • Adam Bychawski, freelance investigative journalist who has received high commendations from judges at the UK Press Awards and the British Journalism Awards;
  • Daniela Ovadia, scientific director of Center for Ethics in Science and Journalism and co-director of the Neuroscience and Society Lab at University of Pavia, Italy.

The new panel will soon begin evaluating the proposals received in the second call, which closed on March 23 with 177 submissions.

All submissions will first undergo a preliminary eligibility check by the Journalism Science Alliance team. Eligible applications will then be assessed by the jury in two steps: an independent evaluation against the selection criteria followed by a consensus meeting for a final decision. Awarded teams are expected to be announced in May. 

The jury assesses applications through a transparent and independent process, free from donor influence, and based on the merit of each proposal.See more information about our jury members here.

Journalism Science Alliance call gathers 177 applications

Journalism Science Alliance call gathers 177 applications 2560 1709 journalismsciencealliance

The most recent Journalism Science Alliance call, which closed on 23 March, gathered 177 applications, surpassing the 162 applicants in the first call.

The Journalism Science Alliance grants cover investigative journalism projects conducted by teams of journalists and scientists. In 2025, 24 teams were awarded grants in a total of 1 M€ and are now working, across Europe, to uncover stories of public interest where science is relevant to ascertain facts. In this second round, the programme will award an additional one million euros in grants.

The 2026 call involved applicants from 49 different countries. In terms of lead applicants, the top 5 countries were Italy, Spain, Portugal, North Macedonia, and France. As in the first call, most applicants opted for the upper tier (€50,000) signalling larger or more complex projects.

Top 5 lead applicants’ countries
Italy – 22
Spain – 20
Portugal – 17
North Macedonia – 11
France – 10

All applications will now undergo validation and will be evaluated by an independent jury, with selected teams expected to be announced in May 2026. Once notified of the results, teams will sign the agreements to receive their first instalment.

Combining both calls, the Journalism Science Alliance received a total of 339 applications, greatly exceeding the initial expectations of this programme. We thank all applicants for their interest and submissions.

This two-year programme, which began in April 2025, was designed to provide grants for investigative journalism projects of teams bridging the gap between journalism and scientific expertise to deliver high-quality, impactful stories to the European audience.

Read more about the Journalism Science Alliance grants here.