Open topic on supporting disruptive technological innovations for civil security
Support disruptive technological innovations to enhance civil security preparedness, response, and risk mitigation in Europe.
This call funds research and innovation projects that integrate breakthrough technologies into civil security operations. Projects should focus on transitioning low TRL disruptive innovations into practical, tested, and scalable solutions. Collaboration between researchers, public authorities, industry, and end-users is essential to align technologies with real-world security needs.
Likely relevant for
- Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs)
- Security technology developers
- Public security authorities
- Industry partners in civil security
- Researchers in disruptive technologies
Project signals
What it funds
- Research and innovation activities to integrate disruptive technologies into civil security
- Bridging early-stage research and applied security solutions
- Development of robust, scalable, and interoperable security technologies
- Collaboration among researchers, public authorities, industry, and end-users
- Ethical, transparent, and accessible technology adoption
Expected outcomes
- Improved preparedness and response capabilities in civil security
- Enhanced risk mitigation against diverse threats
- Accelerated adoption of innovative security solutions
- Validated and tested disruptive technologies ready for operational use
- Strengthened collaboration ecosystem for civil security innovation
Who can apply / participate
- Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs)
- Public authorities
- Industry partners
- Security practitioners
- At least 2 relevant practitioners and 1 RTO must be beneficiaries
- Eligible countries as per Horizon Europe Annex B
- Participants from non-EU/non-Associated countries may have specific funding provisions
- Active involvement of practitioners and RTOs mandatory
- Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS data required if satellite data used
- Specific country eligibility for some participants must be verified
Must check before shortlisting
- Eligibility of countries and participants
- Requirement for at least 2 practitioners and 1 RTO as beneficiaries
- Use of Copernicus/Galileo data if applicable
Money
Total budget for this action is approximately €3 million for 2026, supporting 2 expected grants with lump sum funding.
- Total budget for 2026 — 3000000EURSupports 2 expected grants with €1.5 million each as lump sum contributions
Application notes
- Single-stage submission model.
- Proposal page limits and layout as per Horizon Europe General Annexes and Application Form.
- Eligibility criteria including involvement of practitioners and RTOs.
- Use of Copernicus/Galileo data if applicable.
- Security provisions for classified or sensitive information.
- Prepare proposal following the specific application form in the Submission System.
- Ensure consortium meets eligibility criteria with required participants.
- Submit proposal by the deadline (2026-11-05).
- Follow evaluation criteria as per Horizon Europe General Annexes.
- Some activities may involve classified or security sensitive information requiring compliance with EU security rules.
- Check specific eligibility and funding conditions in Horizon Europe General Annexes and topic-specific documents.
Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 2 Jul 2026, 09:19 UTC. Use this as a shortlisting aid; the official call text remains authoritative.
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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 preparedness, evidence-based approaches and response capabilities, along with a strengthened ability to mitigate risks from diverse threats, by integrating validated disruptive technologies into real-world operations; Accelerated adoption of innovative solutions by reducing barriers through rigorous testing and validation, fostering collaboration among public authorities, industry, and researchers to align technologies with real-world needs. Scope: This topic aims to support the integration of disruptive technological innovations [1] into civil security by strengthening research and innovation activities that enhance preparedness, response capabilities, and risk mitigation. A key focus is bridging the gap between early-stage, low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) research and applied security solutions, ensuring that emerging technologies are effectively transitioned into operational use. Proposals should prioritize disruptive solutions that address diverse security threats while improving the efficiency and effectiveness of civil security operations. Emphasis should be placed on ensuring that these technologies are robust, reliable, scalable, and aligned with the needs of security practitioners. This includes fostering a structured pathway for transitioning low TRL innovations into practical applications, ensuring rigorous testing and validation processes for safety, performance, and interoperability. To achieve this, proposals should promote strong collaboration between researchers, public authorities, industry partners, and end-users. Such partnerships will help align technological advancements with real-world security needs, facilitating the co-development of solutions that are both innovative and operationally relevant. Ensuring that emerging technologies are ethically sound, transparent, and accessible will also be crucial to their successful adoption. The expected outcomes of this topic include improved preparedness through the adoption of cutting-edge technologies tailored to emerging security challenges, enhanced risk mitigation capabilities, and the accelerated integration of disruptive innovations into civil security frameworks. By fostering a collaborative ecosystem, projects should ensure that promising research transitions effectively into practical security applications, contributing to a more resilient and adaptive civil security landscape across Europe. To ensure that the proposed research and innovation activities are aligned to EU long-term strategic priorities, proposers are encouraged to consult relevant technology foresight exercises [2] . Finally, proposals are expected to address all applicable considerations expressed in the Introduction of the Strengthened Security Research and Innovation Destination. Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects Activities are expected to achieve TRL 4-5 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. [1] In the context of this Destination, the concept of ‘disruptive technological innovations’ refers to breakthrough technologies starting at low or very low TRL (<4) and holding the promise of inducing a paradigm shift in the way civil security operations are currently carried out, e.g. by significantly improving performance and/or reducing costs if further developed. [2] See, for instance, Conte, N., Maleville, A. d., Favino, R., Garcia Monreal, E., Montanari, E. et al., Emerging risks and opportunities for EU internal security stemming from new technologies , Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2760/9617320
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
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 relevant practitioners and 1 Research and Technology Organisation (RTO). For participants with practitioner status, 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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