Accessible and available travel facilitation
Develop inclusive, secure, and seamless travel and border crossing solutions accessible to all travellers, minimizing bias and digital divides.
This call funds innovation actions to improve travel and border crossing facilitation across EU external borders. Projects should develop accessible, fair, and secure automated solutions usable by all travellers and border staff. The goal is to reduce workload, enhance safety, and ensure smooth, inclusive border management.
Likely relevant for
- Border and Coast Guard Authorities
- Security technology developers
- Digital identity and biometric technology providers
- Public authorities involved in border management
- Accessibility technology experts
Project signals
What it funds
- Development and testing of advanced seamless travel and border crossing solutions
- Innovative technologies, processes, or knowledge for border facilitation
- Automated decision support systems for border control operators
- Biometric matching minimizing data sharing to enhance data protection
- Solutions accessible and inclusive for all travellers regardless of age, gender, disability, or digital skills
- Adaptable solutions usable by all European border control staff in all conditions and border crossing points
Expected outcomes
- Improved trusted, secure, and easier automated travel and border crossing facilitation
- Minimized risk of bias and digital divides in travel facilitation
- Reduced workload and improved safety and performance of border management staff
- Facilitated solutions adaptable across all European border control points
- Enhanced user experience for travellers and practitioners
Who can apply / participate
- Legal entities including public authorities, research organizations, and companies
- At least 2 Border or Coast Guard Authorities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries must be beneficiaries
- Consortium must include at least 2 Border or Coast Guard Authorities from different EU/Associated countries
- Each beneficiary can cover only one type of security practitioner role
- Participants must be from eligible EU Member States or Associated Countries
- Entities controlled by China or Chinese legal entities are not eligible
- Active involvement of Border or Coast Guard Authorities is mandatory
- Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS data required if satellite data/services are used
- Projects may involve classified or security sensitive information subject to specific provisions
- Exact funding rates and maximum budget per project must be checked
- Specific consortium size limits not stated
Must check before shortlisting
- Eligibility of participants regarding additional conditions for Border or Coast Guard Authorities
- Compliance with TRL 6-7 technology readiness level by project end
- Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS if satellite data involved
- Details on lump sum funding and consortium requirements
Money
Estimated total budget around 8 million EUR for 2 expected grants under Horizon Innovation Actions in 2026.
- Minimum contribution per grant — 4000000EURTwo grants expected, total 8 million EUR in 2026
Application notes
- Single-stage submission model.
- Proposal page limits and layout as per Horizon Europe General Annexes and Application Form instructions.
- Additional eligibility conditions require detailed information about security practitioners in the consortium.
- Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS mandatory if satellite data used.
- Projects may involve classified or security sensitive information subject to EU provisions.
- Prepare proposal following Horizon Europe guidelines and templates.
- Include at least 2 Border or Coast Guard Authorities from different eligible countries.
- Fill in 'Information about security practitioners' annex in application form.
- Plan mid-term deliverable with assessment by security practitioners.
- Submit proposal by deadline 5 November 2026.
- Applicants must justify eligibility of each beneficiary regarding additional conditions.
- Each legal entity can represent only one type of security practitioner role.
- Frontex and eu-LISA may observe pilots and demonstrations but do not provide guidance during proposal preparation.
- Projects expected to reach TRL 6-7 by end of project.
- Lump sum funding applies as per Horizon Europe decisions.
Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 3 Sep 2026, 09:33 UTC. Use this as a shortlisting aid; the official call text remains authoritative.
Related calls
These funding calls are closely related and may be worth considering as part of the same funding landscape.
Official source text
Fine print from the EU source record. Expand when you need the original wording.
Topic description
Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following expected outcomes: Improved trusted, secure, and easier automated seamless facilitation for travel, border crossing through border crossing points (BCPs), and/or visa procedures with an integrated approach, minimized risk for bias, and accessible for all travellers minimising digital divides; Facilitated solutions with same approach adaptable by all European border control staff, in all conditions and border control points (BCPs); Reduced workload and improved safety, user experience and performance of practitioners’ staff involved in border management. Scope: Facilitation of travel and border crossings at border crossing points (BCPs) across the external EU borders went, and is further going, through developments thanks to updated procedures and regulatory frameworks and to innovative European technologies. From automated border control (ABC) gates to “no-gate” solutions and “seamless travel”, and with systems like the Entry-Exit System (EES), the Electronic Travel and Information Authorisation System (ETIAS), and the development of digital travel credentials and digital identity more in general, Europe has one of the most advanced, secure and facilitated border check systems in the world. Travel facilitation schemes are still not as fair, inclusive and accessible as they should be. There are several technical exceptions that for example make difficult for families, other groups of people travelling together, people with disabilities and/or reduced mobility, or with relatively lower digital skills, to smoothly use travel and border crossing facilitation solutions. This is a capability gap of travel facilitation systems that has an impact on both a fair accessibility and availability for travellers, and on performance and efficiency of the systems themselves. Travel facilitation systems should ensure both security and easy passenger flow, while remaining accessible to all travellers. On the other hand, both technical systems and procedures may have differences depending on the context or the BCP of application. This may be a limit for the performance and user experience of European integrated border management, especially in a perspective of a larger help to national members of the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) from the Standing Corps of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (EBCGA). According to the EBCG Capability Roadmap, legal border crossings should be as swift and simple as possible, while at the same time allowing a smooth crossing of bona fide persons, and of the goods carried with them. Innovation actions funded under this topic will develop and test solutions for advanced seamless travel and border crossing and/or visa procedures, protecting and promoting fundamental rights, minimising the risk for bias and being accessible for all travellers, with no or minimised limitations depending on age, sex, gender, disability, physical or digital abilities. To minimise potential for discrimination or physical or digital divide regarding travel facilitation schemes, solutions should be inclusive and accessible. Furthermore, solutions should be tested for use with the same approach by all European border control staff in all conditions and BCPs. The proposed solutions can include innovative technologies, innovative processes, innovative knowledge and/or a combination thereof. Solutions should include automated decision support systems suggesting to the end-users (border checks operators) which procedure, technology or database can be used without infringing rights of travellers. Solutions should also integrate and, if appropriate, further develop, biometric matching that minimises data shared (for example limiting to matching scores) to improve data protection. Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to address the priorities of the European Border and Coast Guard and of its Agency (Frontex) and of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA). This should start from the definition of requirements and the design phase of their work, including basing on the EBCG Capability Roadmap; and on the engagement with the Agencies during the implementation of the project. At the stage of proposal preparation, Frontex and eu-LISA will not provide any guidance on, or otherwise be involved in the preparation of, project proposals. Proposals should consider and foresee that Frontex and eu-LISA may observe pilots and demonstrations when the project will be implemented, with the aim of facilitating future uptake of innovations for the border, customs and coast guard community. To ensure the active involvement of and timely feedback from relevant security practitioners, proposals should plan a mid-term deliverable consisting in the assessment of the project’s mid-term outcomes, performed by the practitioners involved in the project. Depending on the particular scope of the proposal, participation of Customs Authorities is welcome. Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
Conditions and documents
General conditions
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
2. Eligible Countries
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other Eligible Conditions
In line with the “restriction on control in innovation actions in critical technology areas” delineated in General Annex B of the General Annexes, entities established in an eligible country but which are directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to participate in the action.
Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
The following additional eligibility criteria apply:
This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Border or Coast Guard Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. For these participants, applicants must fill in the table “Information about security practitioners” in the application form with all the requested information, following the template provided in the submission IT tool.
If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).
described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5.
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].
described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
Specific conditions
described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]
Some activities resulting from this topic may involve using classified background and/or producing of security sensitive results (EUCI and SEN). Please refer to the related provisions in section B Security — EU classified and sensitive information of the General Annexes.
Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):
Application form templates — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)
Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Call-specific instructions
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 6. Civil Security for Society
HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Support information
Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant. Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe. Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management. Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular. National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’). Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding. IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues. CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers. Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.
Raw budget overview
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