ISF-2026-TF2-AG-THB

Trafficking in human beings

Status
open for submission
Programme
Internal Security Fund (ISF)
Action type
ISF Project Grants
Opens
21 May 2026
Deadline
3 Sep 2026
Fetched
15 Jul 2026, 07:18 UTC
Plain-language summary

EU funding to dismantle human trafficking networks by enhancing law enforcement cooperation, victim protection, and financial investigations.

This call funds projects to fight trafficking in human beings within the EU. It supports cross-border law enforcement cooperation, victim identification and protection, and tackling criminal networks financially. Projects should improve prosecution, awareness, and partnerships with private and civil society actors.

Likely relevant for

  • Law enforcement agencies
  • Judicial authorities
  • Civil society organisations
  • Anti-trafficking NGOs
  • Financial investigation units
  • Cross-border cooperation bodies

Project signals

Focus on dismantling trafficking networksCross-border operational actionsPublic-private partnerships with online platformsVictim-centred criminal justice approachesUse of EU cooperation instruments

What it funds

  • Dismantling organised criminal networks involved in trafficking in human beings (THB) in the EU
  • Exploring links between THB and other serious crimes like corruption and drug trafficking
  • Increasing detection and early identification of trafficking victims, including online environments
  • Enhancing cooperation with online platforms, technology and financial service providers
  • Intensifying cross-border cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities
  • Increasing use of parallel financial investigations and asset recovery in THB cases
  • Improving prosecution and conviction outcomes with specialised knowledge
  • Improving victim referral to support services and protection during criminal proceedings
  • Promoting awareness raising and demand reduction measures

Expected outcomes

  • Increased understanding of criminal networks and key actors
  • Enhanced coordination of law enforcement in cross-border operations
  • Greater involvement of civil society and non-law enforcement stakeholders
  • Increased availability and use of technical tools for law enforcement
  • Improved victim detection, referral, and protection
  • Better prosecution and conviction rates in THB cases

Who can apply / participate

  • Law enforcement authorities
  • Judicial authorities
  • Civil society organisations
  • Non-governmental organisations
  • Public bodies involved in criminal justice
  • Cross-border cooperation encouraged
  • Partnerships with private sector and civil society recommended
  • Eligible countries as per call document section 6
  • Check call document section 6 for detailed eligibility conditions
  • Exact eligible countries and consortium size requirements must be verified in call document

Must check before shortlisting

  • Eligibility criteria in call document section 6
  • Consortium composition and country eligibility
  • Budget and funding rate details
  • Specific submission requirements and page limits

Money

Total budget of approximately EUR 16.55 million for 2026 under ISF Project Grants.

  • Total budget for 2026 — 16550000EUR
    Allocated for ISF Project Grants on trafficking in human beings

Application notes

  • Single-stage submission model.
  • Proposal page limits and layout as per call document section 5 and application form Part B
  • Eligibility and admissibility conditions detailed in call document sections 6 and 7
  • Evaluation criteria and award process described in call document section 8 and 9
  • Legal and financial set-up described in call document section 10
  • Call document and annexes available on Funding & Tenders Portal
  • Prepare proposal according to call document and application form templates
  • Submit proposal via Funding & Tenders Portal before deadline
  • Follow evaluation and award procedures as per call document
  • Check eligibility criteria carefully before applying
  • Ensure compliance with page limits and submission requirements
  • Consult call document for detailed conditions and evaluation criteria

Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 22 Jun 2026, 17:09 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 Impact: In the long-term , the funding is expected to: have increased operational capacity of law enforcement authorities to fight organised crime, including an improved capability to trace and untangle complex money laundering schemes. have improved cross-border cooperation and sharing of challenges and best practices in fighting against organised crime. have improved detection, identification and referral of victims of crime in the context of cross-border operational actions, as well as improved protection of victims in criminal proceedings, in cooperation with civil society organisations. Expected Outcome: Projects should aim to achieve one or more of the following outcomes: increase understanding of the nature and modus operandi of criminal networks and key actors and enablers. enhance coordination of law enforcement authorities in cross-border operations and support multi-stakeholders coordinated responses. increase involvement of civil society and other relevant (non-law enforcement) stakeholders in preventing and combating organised crime. increase the availability and use of technical tools for law enforcement. Objective: The overall objective of the action is to dismantle organised criminal networks engaged in trafficking in human beings (THB) in the EU, including poly criminal networks, by strengthening operational cooperation including with third countries, enhancing financial investigations, improving criminal justice effectiveness, and ensuring a robust victim-centred approach throughout the criminal justice chain Scope: Exploring the links between trafficking in human beings and other forms of serious crime, including corruption and drug trafficking. Increasing the detection and early identification of victims of trafficking, including in the online environment and improve detection of trafficking for all forms of exploitation, in particular for sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, forced begging and forced criminality, trafficking for the purposes of organ removal and the trafficking and exploitation of children. Enhancing cooperation with online platforms, technology providers, financial service providers and other private actors through structured public-private partnerships; Intensifying cross-border cooperation between law enforcement authorities and judicial authorities by facilitate joint investigations, coordinated prosecutions, and the use of EU cooperation instruments and by strengthening information exchange and coordination in complex cross-border THB cases. Increasing the systematic use of parallel financial investigations in THB cases and by improving tracing, freezing, confiscation, and recovery of criminal assets; Improving overall prosecution and conviction outcomes by enhancing the specialised knowledge of prosecutors and judges regarding the specificities of THB, including evidentiary challenges, and the cross-border access to online evidence. Improving the referral of trafficking victims to support services, following operational anti-trafficking actions, including cooperation between law enforcement authorities and victims’ support services. Guarantee victim rights and victim protection throughout the criminal proceedings. Improving the protection of victims in criminal proceedings. Promoting awareness raising, including measures addressing the demand that fosters trafficking in human beings .

Conditions and documents

Conditions

1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout

described in section 5 of the call document.

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

2. Eligible countries

described in section 6 of the call document.

3. Other eligibility conditions

described in section 6 of the call document.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion

described in section 7 of the call document.

5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes

described section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.

5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds

described in section 9 of the call document.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement

described in section 4 of the call document.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants

described in section 10 of the call document.

Support information

For help related to this call, please contact HOME-ISF@ec.europa.eu Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – Submission of proposals . IT Helpdesk – Contact the IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. Online Manual – Step-by-step online guide through the Portal processes from proposal preparation and evaluation to reporting on your ongoing project. Valid for all 2021-2027 programmes.

Raw budget overview
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