Advancing autonomous systems and robotics for high-risk disaster response, strengthening disaster resilience in conflict-afflicted crisis zones

Grant Purpose and Target

• Core Objective: To fund a project that will develop and deploy advanced autonomous systems and robotics for high-risk, large-scale disaster response. The primary focus is on addressing the unique challenges found in conflict-afflicted crisis zones, drawing inspiration from scenarios like the war in Ukraine, to enhance the capabilities and safety of first responders.
• Funding Organization: European Commission
• Target Recipients: Any legal entity (e.g., companies, SMEs, universities, research organisations, NGOs, public authorities) is eligible to participate. The consortium must specifically include at least three 'first responder' organisations from three different eligible countries, showcasing a user-centric approach.
• Sector Focus: SECTOR-SPECIFIC. The grant targets the development of technology for civil security, specifically autonomous systems and robotics for disaster response and crisis management.
• Geographic Scope: Applicants must be from an EU Member State or a country Associated to Horizon Europe. The participation of at least one legal entity from Ukraine is mandatory.
• Key Filtering Criteria: This is an Innovation Action (IA), indicating the project should be at a high Technology Readiness Level (TRL), likely TRL 5-8. A consortium is required, with mandatory participation from at least three first responder organisations and at least one Ukrainian entity. The expected EU contribution is approximately €5.00 million for a single project.

Financial Structure

• Funding Range: The EU contribution is expected to be around €5.00 million. The budget overview indicates the minimum and maximum contribution per project is €5,000,000.
• Co-financing (Funding Rate): As an Innovation Action (IA), the grant does not cover 100% of costs for all participants.
  • For-profit legal entities: are funded at 70% of their total eligible costs.
  • Non-profit legal entities (e.g., public bodies, research organisations, NGOs): are funded at 100% of their total eligible costs.
• Eligible Costs: Costs must be actually incurred, connected to the project, and recorded according to standard accounting practices. Eligible direct costs include:
  • Personnel costs: Calculated based on a daily rate, with a standard of 215 working days per year.
  • Subcontracting costs: For specific tasks that are part of the action.
  • Purchase costs: Travel and subsistence, equipment, and other goods, works, and services necessary for the project.
• Ineligible Costs: Standard Horizon Europe rules apply. Notable ineligible costs include any costs that are not directly linked to the project or are not verifiable.
• Indirect Costs (Overheads): A flat rate of 25% of the total eligible direct costs is provided to cover administrative and general overheads. This flat rate does not apply to subcontracting costs, financial support to third parties, or internally invoiced goods and services.

Eligibility Requirements

• Formal Criteria: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium that meets specific composition requirements:
  • Consortium Composition: Must include at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different EU Member State or Associated Country. At least one of these entities must be established in an EU Member State.
  • Topic-Specific Consortium Rule: In addition to the general rule, the consortium must include, as beneficiaries, at least three first responder organisations or agencies from at least three different EU Member States or Associated Countries. One of these countries must be Ukraine.
  • Mandatory Ukrainian Participation: The participation of at least one legal entity from Ukraine in the consortium is mandatory.
• Organizational Status: Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment or legal form, can participate, provided it meets the consortium requirements. For public bodies, higher education establishments, and research organisations established in an EU Member State or Associated Country, having a Gender Equality Plan (GEP) in place is an eligibility criterion.
• Technical Expertise: The consortium as a whole must demonstrate the necessary expertise and capacity to carry out the project. This includes proven experience in robotics, autonomous systems, sensor technology, AI, disaster response operations, and user-centred design and testing.
• Exclusion Criteria: The following are explicitly excluded from participation in any capacity:
  • Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine.
  • Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in Innovation Actions.
  • Entities subject to EU restrictive measures (sanctions).

Application Practical Information

• Deadlines:
  • Submission Deadline: 12 November 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels Time (CET, UTC+01:00).
  • Evaluation Period: Approximately 5 months from the submission deadline.
  • Grant Agreement Signature: Approximately 8 months from the submission deadline.
• Required Documents: The application consists of two main parts:
  • Part A: Contains administrative information about the participants, legal declarations, and the budget, completed via online forms in the submission system.
  • Part B: A narrative document (PDF) describing the technical aspects of the project, structured according to the evaluation criteria (Excellence, Impact, Implementation). The page limit is 45 pages.
  • Annex: Applicants must complete and attach the 'Information about security practitioners' template for the required first responder organisations.
• Application Process: Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The process is a single-stage submission.
• Support: The grant provides direct financial support in the form of an Innovation Action (IA).
• Post-Award Obligations:
  • Beneficiaries must submit periodic technical and financial reports.
  • A Data Management Plan (DMP) is a mandatory deliverable, due within the first 6 months of the project.
  • Beneficiaries are required to disseminate and exploit project results and comply with open access requirements for publications.
  • Beneficiaries must adhere to any ethics and security requirements identified during the evaluation.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals are evaluated against three main criteria: Excellence, Impact, and Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation. Each criterion is scored from 0 to 5. A proposal must achieve a minimum score of 3 for each individual criterion and an overall score of at least 10 to be considered for funding.

Scoring Factors

• Excellence (Threshold: 3/5):
  • Clarity and pertinence of the project’s objectives: How well the project's goals align with the topic's scope.
  • Ambition and Innovation: The extent to which the proposed work is ambitious, goes beyond the current state-of-the-art in autonomous disaster response systems, and is positioned at an appropriate R&I maturity level (TRL).
  • Methodology: The soundness of the proposed methodology, including the underlying concepts, inter-disciplinary approaches, and the quality of open science practices (e.g., data management, open access).
• Impact (Threshold: 3/5, Weighting: 1.5x):
  • Pathway to Impact: The credibility of the plan to achieve the expected outcomes and impacts specified in the work programme, such as enhancing responder safety, improving situational awareness, and building capacity. The likely scale and significance of the project's contributions are assessed.
  • Measures to Maximise Impact: The suitability and quality of the plan for dissemination, exploitation, and communication of project results to relevant stakeholders, including first responders, civil protection agencies, and policymakers.
• Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation (Threshold: 3/5):
  • Work Plan: The quality and effectiveness of the work plan, including a robust risk assessment and the appropriateness of the effort and resources assigned to each work package.
  • Consortium Capacity: The capacity and role of each participant, and the extent to which the consortium as a whole brings together the necessary expertise, infrastructure, and resources to successfully complete the project.

Strategic Fit

Proposals must demonstrate a strong alignment with the strategic objectives of the 'Disaster-Resilient Society for Europe' destination. This includes contributing to the EU's preparedness for complex crises, particularly those exacerbated by conflict, and delivering innovative technological solutions that can be validated in realistic, demanding environments.

Cross-cutting Themes

• Gender Dimension: Proposals must describe how the gender dimension (i.e., sex and/or gender analysis) is taken into account in the project’s research and innovation content.
• Open Science: The quality of open science practices is a key part of the 'Methodology' assessment under the Excellence criterion. This includes responsible management of research data and open access to publications.

Compliance and Special Requirements

• Regulatory Compliance: If the project uses satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Projects must comply with all applicable EU, international, and national laws, including on data protection (GDPR) and ethics.
• IP Policy: The standard Horizon Europe rules apply. Results are owned by the beneficiary that generates them. Beneficiaries must grant each other access rights to background and results needed for project implementation. They must also use their best efforts to exploit the results and disseminate them. The EU receives royalty-free access rights for policy and programme purposes.
• Unique Aspects:
  • Mandatory Ukrainian Partner: A legal entity from Ukraine must be a member of the consortium.
  • First Responder Involvement: The consortium must include at least three first responder organisations, whose roles and capacities must be justified using a specific template.
  • Thematic Focus: The project must directly address the challenges of disaster response in conflict zones, with the war in Ukraine cited as a key context. Proposals are encouraged to create opportunities for Ukrainian researchers.
• Industry-Specific Rules: The definition of 'first responders' is strict: 'entities specifically tasked with direct engagement in field operations (e.g. paramedics, emergency medical technicians, police officers, firefighters)'. This excludes organisations like professional associations or training centres from fulfilling this mandatory role.