HORIZON-CL3-2027-01-FCT-01

Online harms detection and investigation tools using a short development cycle model

Status
forthcoming
Programme
Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
Action type
HORIZON Innovation Actions
Opens
5 May 2027
Deadline
4 Nov 2027
Fetched
15 Jul 2026, 07:18 UTC
Plain-language summary

Develop agile online harms detection and investigation tools with short development cycles for European Police Authorities.

This call invites proposals to create fast-adapting tools to detect and investigate online harms like fraud, disinformation, and digital violence. Projects must involve multiple Police Authorities across Europe and focus on iterative development with stakeholder feedback. The goal is to enhance law enforcement capabilities against evolving online threats.

Likely relevant for

  • Police Authorities
  • Cybersecurity technology developers
  • Law enforcement technology researchers
  • Digital security policymakers
  • Consortia involving multiple EU Member States

Project signals

Focus on online harms detection and investigationUse of short development cycle modelsEngagement with Europol Innovation Lab and CEPOLTargeting TRL 6-8 technology readiness levelInvolvement of at least 3 Police Authorities from different EU/Associated countries

What it funds

  • Development of detection and investigation tools for online harms such as identity theft, disinformation, deepfakes, spoofing, phishing, digital violence, and online payment fraud
  • Tools employing short development cycles for rapid adaptation to emerging threats
  • Creation of modular toolsets allowing incorporation of new functionalities and updates
  • Collaboration with Police Authorities, Europol Innovation Lab, EU Drugs Agency (if drug-related), and CEPOL for training
  • Projects aiming for TRL 6-8 by project end
  • Minimum project duration of 48 months

Expected outcomes

  • Rapid deployment of targeted detection and investigation tools tailored to current and emerging online harms
  • Flexible modular frameworks for tool adaptation based on latest trends and threats
  • Enhanced collaboration among researchers, policymakers, and Police Authorities ensuring tools are effective, user-friendly, legally and ethically sound

Who can apply / participate

  • Consortia including at least 3 Police Authorities from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries
  • Research organizations
  • Technology developers
  • Policymakers and relevant stakeholders
  • Must include at least 3 Police Authorities as beneficiaries from different EU Member States or Associated Countries
  • Police Authorities defined as public authorities legally mandated for prevention, detection, or investigation of criminal or terrorist offences
  • Police academies, forensic institutes, training facilities, border and customs authorities excluded
  • Participants must be from EU Member States or Associated Countries
  • Entities controlled by China or Chinese legal entities are not eligible
  • Active involvement of Police Authorities required
  • Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS mandatory if satellite data used
  • Compliance with security-sensitive information provisions if applicable
  • Exact funding rates and maximum budget per participant
  • Specific eligibility of non-Police Authority participants

Must check before shortlisting

  • Eligibility of Police Authorities as defined by national law
  • Consortium composition meeting minimum Police Authority participation
  • Compliance with restrictions on entities controlled by China
  • Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS if satellite data involved

Money

Expected grant amount is approximately €7.8 million for one grant under this Innovation Action call in 2027.

  • Maximum grant per project — 7833000EUR
    One expected grant with lump sum funding

Application notes

  • Single-stage submission model with proposal page limits and layout as per Horizon Europe General Annexes and Application Form guidelines.
  • Proposal page limits and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes
  • Eligible countries listed in Annex B of Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes
  • Additional eligibility conditions include Police Authority involvement and restrictions on entities controlled by China
  • Security provisions apply for classified or sensitive information
  • Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS mandatory if satellite data used
  • Lump sum funding model applies as per Decision of 7 July 2021
  • Prepare proposal following Application Form and Horizon Europe guidelines
  • Ensure consortium includes required Police Authorities from different countries
  • Fill in 'Information about security practitioners' table in application form
  • Plan mid-term deliverable with assessment by security practitioners
  • Engage with Europol Innovation Lab and other relevant agencies as applicable
  • Police Authorities must be legally mandated public authorities, excluding academies and training facilities
  • Entities controlled by China are ineligible
  • Projects may involve classified or sensitive information requiring compliance with security provisions
  • Active involvement of Police Authorities is mandatory for eligibility

Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 22 Jun 2026, 15:03 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 all of the following expected outcomes: Police Authorities in Europe benefit from a rapid deployment of targeted detection and investigation tools and related training materials, specifically tailored to counter current, foreseeable and emerging online harms at the outset of each development cycle; Police Authorities in Europe are provided with a flexible framework for adaptation via creation of a modular toolset that allows for the incorporation of new functionalities and updates based on the latest trends and threats in online harms; Enhanced European stakeholder collaboration through facilitation of partnerships among researchers, policymakers, and Police Authorities in Europe to ensure that tools are not only effective but also user-friendly, legally and ethically sound. Scope: As the digital landscape continues to evolve, so too do the myriads of online harms that threaten citizens’ security and well-being. To address these challenges, we invite proposals for the development of detection and investigation tools that employ short development cycle models. This approach emphasizes agility and responsiveness, ensuring that tools can quickly adapt to emerging online threats, such as identity theft, disinformation, deepfakes, spoofing, phishing, digital violence, or, e.g., tools for an early detection as well as real-time monitoring and risk assessment that can identify potential fraudulent sales (“online payment fraud”) before they occur. This topic welcomes innovative ideas focused on creating efficient detection and investigation tools to combat varying forms of online harms, which should be selected at the beginning of every new development cycle, in agreement with all stakeholders involved in the consortia, especially including concrete needs of Police Authorities. The emphasis on short development cycles allows proposals to remain dynamic, responsive to the fast-paced nature of online threats, and capable of addressing both established issues and new challenges as they arise. Proposals should focus on the iterative process of tool development, integrating feedback from Police Authorities to ensure continuous improvement and relevance in combating online harms. Ultimately, the goal is to foster a proactive and effective response to safeguarding online spaces for all users, regardless of their gender identity or expression. Proposals are expected to provide ideas on how they would engage with the Europol Innovation Lab during the lifetime of the project. Furthermore, if the proposals concern drug-related issues, they are expected to engage with the EU Drugs Agency during the lifetime of the project, including validating the outcomes. For aspects of training of Police Authorities, cooperation of successful proposals with CEPOL is expected, provided that the Agency opts out from applying for funding. 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. Finally, proposals are expected to address all applicable considerations expressed in the Introduction of the Fighting Crime and Terrorism Destination. The project should have a minimum estimated duration of 48 months. null Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

Conditions and documents

General conditions

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

DELETE ME Please add hyperlinks as embedded links where needed (underscored text). Send the call document through the document publication form to receive the hyperlink within 2 business days max. DELETE ME

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

The following additional eligibility conditions apply:

This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 3 Police Authorities[[In the context of this Destination, ‘Police Authorities’ means public authorities explicitly designated by national law, or other entities legally mandated by the competent national authority, for the prevention, detection and/or investigation of terrorist offences or other criminal offences, specifically excluding police academies, forensic institutes, training facilities as well as border and customs 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.

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.

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)

Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1) 

Standard application form (HE RIA IA Stage 1 BLIND)

Standard application form (HE CSA) 

Standard application form (HE CSA Stage 1) 

Standard application form (HE CSA Stage 1 BLIND)

Standard application form (HE RI) 

Standard application form (HE PCP) 

Standard application form (HE PPI) 

Standard application form (HE COFUND) 

Standard application form (HE FPA) 

Standard application form (HE MSCA PF) 

Standard application form (HE MSCA DN) 

Standard application form (HE MSCA SE) 

Standard application form (HE MSCA COFUND) 

Standard application form (HE MSCA COFUND CE)

Standard application form (HE ERC STG) 

Standard application form (HE ERC COG) 

Standard application form (HE ERC ADG) 

Standard application form (HE ERC POC) 

Standard application form (HE ERC SYG) 

Standard application form (HE EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES) 

Standard application form (HE EIC PATHFINDER OPEN) 

Standard application form (HE EIC TRANSITION) 

Standard application form (HE EIC STEP)

Standard application form (HE EIC Accelerator stage 2 - full proposal)

Standard application form (HE EIC Accelerator stage 1 - short proposal)

Evaluation form templates — will be used with the necessary adaptations 

Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) 

Standard evaluation form (HE CSA) 

Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1) 

Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA and CSA Stage 1 BLIND)

Standard evaluation form (HE PCP PPI) 

Standard evaluation form (HE COFUND) 

Standard evaluation form (HE FPA) 

Standard evaluation form (HE MSCA) 

Standard evaluation form (HE EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES) 

Standard evaluation form (HE EIC PATHFINDER OPEN) 

Standard evaluation form (HE EIC TRANSITION) 

Standard evaluation form (HE EIC Accelerator stage 1 - short proposal) 

Standard evaluation form (HE EIC Accelerator stage 2 - full proposal) 

Guidance

HE Programme Guide 

Model Grant Agreements (MGA)

HE MGA 

HE Unit MGA 

Lump Sum MGA 

Operating Grants MGA 

Framework Partnership Agreement FPA 

Call-specific instructions 

Detailed budget table (HE LS) 

Information on financial support to third parties (HE) 

Information on clinical studies (HE) 

Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"

Additional documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 2. Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 3. Research Infrastructures

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 4. Health

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 5. Culture, creativity and inclusive society

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 6. Civil Security for Society

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 9. Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 10. European Innovation Ecosystems (EIE)

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 11. Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 12. Missions

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 13. New European Bauhaus Facility (NEB)

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2025 – 13. General Annexes

EIC Work Programme 2025

ERC Work Programme 2026

HE Programme Guide

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 

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions 

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

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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