Development of innovative tools, processes, equipment and technologies through responses to disasters and emergencies for search and rescue in hazardous conditions
Develop innovative tools and technologies for search and rescue in hazardous disaster conditions to enhance emergency response safety and efficiency.
This call funds projects to create advanced tools, robotics, and autonomous systems for emergency responders in disasters like wildfires and earthquakes. It aims to improve safety and coordination in hazardous conditions. Projects should include field testing and plans for real-world use.
Likely relevant for
- Emergency response technology developers
- Robotics and autonomous systems researchers
- Disaster management organizations
- Medical emergency authorities
- First responder organizations
- EU policy and civil protection stakeholders
Project signals
What it funds
- Development of innovative tools, equipment, and technologies for emergency responders in hazardous disaster environments
- Advancement of autonomous drones, robotics, and smart protective equipment for search and rescue
- Improvement of response efficiency and safety in scenarios like wildfires, earthquakes, and large-scale trauma events
- Design, testing, and validation of solutions for extreme conditions including high temperatures and unstable terrains
- Enhancement of interoperability and data-sharing among emergency platforms and teams
- Development of command-and-control solutions for coordinated disaster response
- Consideration of ethical, legal, and social implications of autonomous technologies
Expected outcomes
- Cutting-edge technologies enhancing disaster and emergency response capabilities
- Improved safety and efficiency for survivors and emergency practitioners
- Validated autonomous systems and robotics tailored for hazardous conditions
- Enhanced interoperability and integration with EU-level emergency capacities
- Roadmap for uptake of innovations by industry, research, and authorities
- Strengthened European disaster response capacity aligned with EU policies
Who can apply / participate
- Research organizations
- Industry and SMEs
- First responder organizations
- Medical emergency authorities
- International organizations headquartered in EU Member States or Associated Countries
- Must include at least 2 practitioner organizations (first responders) and 2 medical emergency authorities from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries
- Eligible countries as per Horizon Europe Annex B
- Special provisions for some non-EU/non-Associated countries
- Entities controlled by China are not eligible
- Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS data mandatory if satellite data used
- Compliance with security and classified information provisions required
- Specific budget per participant not detailed here
- Exact funding rates and co-financing rules must be checked
Must check before shortlisting
- Eligibility of participant countries and consortium composition
- Compliance with security and classified information rules
- Use of Copernicus and Galileo/EGNOS data if applicable
- Involvement of required practitioner and medical emergency organizations
Money
Total budget allocated for this topic is approximately 8 million EUR for 2026, supporting 2 expected grants under Horizon Innovation Actions.
- Total budget for 2026 — 8000000EURSupports 2 expected grants with minimum contribution of 4 million EUR each
Application notes
- Single-stage submission model.
- Proposal page limits and layout as per Horizon Europe General Annexes and Application Form guidelines.
- Eligibility criteria include consortium composition and use of specific satellite data services.
- Security provisions for classified and sensitive information apply.
- Prepare proposal following the specific topic and general annexes guidance.
- Ensure consortium meets eligibility criteria with required practitioner and medical emergency participants.
- Submit proposal via the Horizon Europe Submission System before the deadline.
- Entities controlled by China are excluded due to critical technology restrictions.
- Use of Copernicus and Galileo/EGNOS data mandatory if satellite data involved.
- Compliance with ethical, legal, and social implications is required.
- Projects must plan for real-world deployment and market uptake.
Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 2 Jul 2026, 09:15 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: Creation of cutting-edge tools, processes, equipment and technologies to enhance disaster and emergency response capabilities for various practitioners as well as for assets, such as vehicles, aircraft, and heavy equipment; Taking into consideration existing technologies, development of autonomous drones, robotics, and other technologies specifically designed for emergency medical response and search and rescue operations in hazardous conditions such as wildfires, earthquakes and large-scale events; Improvement of response efficiency and safety for survivors and emergency practitioners through the adoption of advanced, technology-driven solutions in disaster scenarios; Consider needs of existing EU-level capacities, emergency reserves, and stockpiling in the deployment of the assets and being able to move them. Scope: The scope of this topic is the development of innovative tools, equipment, and technologies to enhance the capabilities of emergency responders operating in complex and hazardous disaster environments. By leveraging advancements in smart protective equipment, in robotics, autonomous systems, remote sensing, communication and human sensor technologies, the aim is to improve the efficiency, safety, and effectiveness of emergency medical response and search and rescue operations, particularly in high-risk scenarios, such as wildfires, earthquakes and large-scale trauma events. Proposals should explore the design, testing, and validation of innovative solutions capable of performing critical tasks in disaster-stricken areas. These technologies should be tailored to operate in extreme conditions, including high temperatures, unstable terrains, and low-visibility environments and beneficial to all individuals regardless of their age, gender or ability. Research should address challenges related to autonomous navigation, AI-driven decision-making, real-time situational awareness, and seamless integration with existing command-and-control systems used by disaster management. Collaboration of different practitioners should be supported to support proper market uptake. Efforts should be made to enhance interoperability and data-sharing capabilities between various platforms, emergency response teams, and crisis management systems. A key aspect of this research should be the practical deployment and validation of these technologies through field exercises and simulations in real-world disaster scenarios. User-driven design approaches, prioritising inclusivity and accessibilities should ensure that developed solutions align with the operational needs of responders in disasters., Proposals should develop a command-and-control solution that allows organisation of all activities, ensuring a swift, coordinated, and effective response to any disaster with clear plan for uptake after the project. Projects should conduct a stakeholder or market analysis and a roadmap or plan for uptake of the developed methodologies, findings, and technologies to the industry, the research and innovation community, and the relevant authorities. The current response capacities of the European Civil Protection Pool [1] its capacity gaps [2] , and the rescEU strategic reserve [3] as well as the EU Stockpiling Strategy should be taken into account in the roadmap to ensure needs-based approach. Thus, the proposals could consider innovation for heavier assets, such as flood containment and high-capacity pumping, transport or response aircraft, shelters and power generators, ground firefighting vehicles and aerial firefighting helicopters. Furthermore, proposals should consider ethical, legal, and social implications associated with the deployment of autonomous technologies in emergency response. Issues such as data privacy, cybersecurity, human- and animal life protection, public acceptance, and compliance with regulatory frameworks should be addressed to facilitate the responsible and effective use of these innovations. Projects should contribute to strengthening Europe’s disaster response capacity by equipping practitioners with state-of-the-art technological solutions that enhance their ability to operate safely and efficiently in life-threatening environments. Alignment with EU policies and international best practices should be ensured to maximize the scalability and real-world applicability of the developed solutions. The Preparedness Union Strategy is a key document in this regard. Finding synergies with projects from operational grants, such as the Knowledge for Action in Prevention & Preparedness (KAPP) [4] , is recommended. Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. [1] https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/media/ecpp-capacities-brochure [2] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0286 [3] https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/resceu_en [4] Knowledge for Action in Prevention and Preparedness (KAPP) - European Commission - https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/funding-evaluations/financing-civil-protection/cp-calls-proposals/knowledge-action-prevention-and-preparedness-kapp-0_en
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.
Due to the scope of this topic, relevant international organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country are exceptionally eligible for funding.
The following additional eligibility criteria apply:
This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 practitioner organisations (first responders) and 2 medical emergency authorities from at least 3 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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