Grants8 | The most comprehensive grants search on the web

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

GRANT PURPOSE AND TARGET

Core objective: To improve the border crossing experience for travellers and border authorities' staff, maintaining security, monitoring movements, reducing illegal movements, and protecting fundamental rights at EU external borders.
Target recipient types: Public entities such as Border or Coast Guard Authorities, Police, Customs Authorities. Also, organizations developing relevant innovative solutions (e.g., technology providers, research institutions).
SECTOR-SPECIFIC: Civil Security for Society, specifically focusing on border management and security.
Geographic scope: Solutions are intended for use at EU external borders. Beneficiary organizations must be from EU Member States or Associated Countries.
Key filtering criteria: Projects must address secured and facilitated external border crossings, involve at least two Border or Coast Guard Authorities as beneficiaries, and offer innovative or disruptive solutions in security and border management.
Grant frequency: This is a specific topic within the annual Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, part of a recurring framework.

Financial Structure

FINANCIAL STRUCTURE

Funding type: Lump Sum contribution.
Budget per project: Each project is expected to receive €3,000,000.
Total budget for the topic: The total budget allocated for this topic is €9,000,000, with 3 expected grants.
Eligible costs:
The lump sum approximates beneficiaries' underlying actual costs.
Includes costs such as personnel, subcontracting, purchase costs (travel, equipment, goods, services).
May include other cost categories: financial support to third parties, internally invoiced goods and services, transnational/virtual access to research infrastructure, PCP/PPI procurement costs.
Must only contain costs eligible under Horizon Europe rules for an 'actual costs' grant.
Indirect costs: Calculated at a 25% flat rate of eligible direct costs, included in the lump sum calculation.
Funding rate: Typically 100.0% of eligible costs for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).
Payment schedule:
Payments are tied to the successful implementation and completion of work packages, as defined in Annex 1 of the grant agreement.
Payments do not depend on costs actually incurred, focusing instead on technical performance and output.
Lump sum contributions per work package are paid to the coordinator upon meeting conditions.
Financial reporting: No detailed cost reporting post-award, as financial verification focuses on technical completion of work packages.

Eligibility Requirements

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Organization types:
Border or Coast Guard Authorities: Must be competent authorities designated by EU Member States or Associated Countries for civilian border management and maritime security tasks.
Police Authorities: Participation is welcome.
Customs Authorities: Participation is welcome.
Other entities involved in research and innovation for security solutions (e.g., businesses, research organizations) are implied as potential partners to develop technologies.
Consortium requirements:
Mandatory: At least 2 Border or Coast Guard Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries must be actively involved as beneficiaries.
Geographic location requirements:
All participating organizations must be established in an EU Member State or an Associated Country to Horizon Europe.
Technical qualifications:
If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, or timing data and services, beneficiaries must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.
Exclusion criteria:
Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

Application Process

APPLICATION PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Application type: HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).
Submission procedure: Single-stage.
Application deadline: 2025-11-12 00:00:00+00.
Submission platform: Electronic Submission Service via the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Required documentation:
Standard application form specific to this call (Part B) available in the Submission System.
Annex 'Information about security practitioners' must be filled in the application form using the provided template.
Detailed budget table (for lump sum actions).
Evaluation process:
Proposals are evaluated by external independent experts based on excellence, expected impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation.
Experts with financial knowledge will check the budget estimate based on benchmarks and assess if resources align with activities and outputs.
The amount of the lump sum is established after evaluation, based on expert assessments.
Support availability:
Guidance for applicants, including clarifications on additional eligibility conditions.
Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network.
IT Helpdesk for technical submission issues.
European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk for intellectual property and standardisation advice.
Partner Search tool available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Evaluation Criteria

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Excellence:
Quality and scientific/technical merit of the proposed solutions.
Originality and innovation of the approach, including creative or disruptive solutions.
Impact:
Contribution to improved border crossing experience, maintaining security, and protecting fundamental rights.
Potential to reduce illegal movements of people and goods across EU external borders.
Addressing new, upcoming, or unforeseen challenges in border regions.
Integration of aspects like lower environmental impact, better cost-efficiency, better energy-efficiency, and/or better operational autonomy of capabilities and solutions.
Quality and Efficiency of Implementation:
Soundness of the proposed methodology and work plan.
Appropriateness of resources and management structure.
Active involvement of and timely feedback from relevant security practitioners, including a mid-term deliverable for assessment of outcomes by practitioners.
Cross-cutting aspects (integrated into evaluation):
Safeguarding and promoting human rights: Solutions must contribute to this.
Ethical considerations: Inputs from human rights, law, and ethical perspectives, as well as consideration of individuals and society (including gender-sensitive approach).
Cybersecurity: Aspects of cybersecurity of the technology proposed, and protection of communication systems and networks involved in solutions.

Compliance & Special Requirements

COMPLIANCE AND SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

Regulatory compliance: Described in Annexes to the Work Programme General Annexes (e.g., Annex C for financial and operational capacity and exclusion).
Ethical standards and human rights:
Projects must safeguard and promote human rights as per the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.
Proposals need to integrate inputs from human rights, legal, and ethical perspectives.
Consideration for individuals, society, and gender-sensitive approaches is required.
Data protection and privacy:
Secure and private data approaches are relevant for applications in border checks.
Protection of communication systems and networks involved in the solutions.
Intellectual property policies: Standard Horizon Europe IP rules apply (not detailed in provided text).
Risk management: Implicitly expected in security projects, including aspects like cybersecurity of technology.
Project-specific requirements:
Solutions should consider geopolitical instabilities or tensions in Europe's border regions.
Mechanisms for detecting threats in travel flows should be investigated.
Proposals should explain how they build on, and do not duplicate, previous Horizon Europe calls on border management if relevant.
Lump Sum specific compliance:
Checks, reviews, and audits will focus on the technical implementation of the action, specifically the fulfillment of conditions for releasing lump sum contributions per work package.
Beneficiaries are not obliged to document costs incurred for the grant to the granting authority, but remain subject to national accounting laws.

Grant Details

Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Financial Structure

Eligibility Requirements

Application Process

Evaluation Criteria

Compliance & Special Requirements

Grant Details