01
The pressure
Growth and demographic change
Economic pressures have renewed debate about the relationship between working hours and performance.
Horizon Europe research · 2026–2029
The future of work
is not simply
longer or shorter.
OPTIME is creating the first cross-national, multi-level evidence base to understand which working-time reduction models are feasible, inclusive and sustainable, where they work and under what conditions.
WORK
TIME
LIFE
working time, reimagined
Not one answer.
A better evidence base.
The European debate
Europe's working-time debate is entering a new phase.
02
The evidence gap
Promising, but fragmented
Evidence has largely come from single-country pilots and relatively uniform models of change.
03
The OPTIME shift
From “does it work?” to “what works where?”
We examine which models are feasible, for whom, in which contexts and under what conditions.
What OPTIME investigates
Beyond whether.
Towards what works where.
Evidence from people, organisations and national systems will be connected rather than studied in isolation.
Which model?
A four-day week is one possibility, not a universal prescription. We compare different ways of reducing working time.
↗Where?
We test how national institutions, sectors and organisational settings change what is feasible and sustainable.
↗For whom?
We examine different workers, life circumstances and groups that have been underrepresented in existing research.
↗Under what conditions?
We identify the barriers, enablers, incentives and risks that shape whether a model succeeds.
↗From everyday life to European systems
Research across three levels
OPTIME brings together evidence that is usually fragmented across disciplines and scales.
MACRO
Labour markets, policy and environment
MESO
Organisations, sectors and technology
MICRO
People, health and daily life
The OPTIME mission
Evidence people, organisations and policymakers can act on.
01Map barriers and enablers across countries+
02Assess impacts on people and business+
03Advance inclusive models for underrepresented groups+
04Develop effective organisational strategies+
05Co-create policy recommendations with leaders in the field+
The research journey
Evidence that grows
with the conversation.
Across three years, the public story moves from shared understanding to implementation and, finally, policy and practical use.
Year 12026—27
1
Understanding working time
Build a shared language. Map models, contested claims, barriers and knowledge gaps.
Year 22027—28
2
Designing better work
Study implementation, organisational redesign and what helps shorter hours endure.
Year 32028—29
3
Shaping Europe’s future of time
Integrate the evidence, explore future scenarios and turn learning into practical guidance.
The consortium
European by design.
Interdisciplinary by necessity.
Ten partners bring expertise from psychology, economics, sociology, management, political science, environmental research, behavioural science and foresight, supporting research engagement across 12 countries.
HSG
University of St. Gallen
Switzerland
ERS
European Research Services
Germany
TalTech
Tallinn University of Technology
Estonia
BD
BehaviourDoc
Ireland
PU
Panteion University
Greece
VUB
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Belgium
LISER
Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research
Luxembourg
ZSI
Centre for Social Innovation
Austria
Chalmers
Chalmers University of Technology
Sweden
Sussex
University of Sussex
United Kingdom
The network
Connected across Europe.
Ten consortium organisations bring different disciplinary, national and institutional perspectives to one shared research programme, with additional research activity in Spain and Poland.
Consortium countriesAdditional research countriesOther European countries
Country boundaries: Natural Earth
01 · TogetherThe project begins
OPTIME kickoff meeting
Luxembourg · October 2026
Our consortium came together in Luxembourg to begin a three-year European research journey: aligning the questions, connecting perspectives and building the shared foundations for evidence that can move the working-time debate forward.
Meet the consortium ↗Stay connected
Join the OPTIME network.
Follow the research and tell us how you might like to take part. Your answers help us share relevant events, stakeholder conversations and future study opportunities.
Updates→Events→Research opportunities
Horizon Europe · 2026–2029
European research for better working-time futures.
OPTIME is funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No. 101289891.
Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the granting authority. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.