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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to stimulate demand-led innovation in civil security through Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP). Its core objective is to develop and validate innovative technology solutions that address the specific needs of civil security practitioners. The grant targets consortia comprising public procurers and civil security practitioners, fostering a strong industrial base that includes SMEs and Startups to facilitate market access and scale-up opportunities. This is a SECTOR-SPECIFIC grant focused on civil security. Geographically, it targets organizations and activities within EU Member States or Associated Countries. Key filtering criteria include the mandatory consortium structure, the focus on civil security technology development, and the use of the PCP mechanism. This funding call is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025.

Financial Structure

Funding Amounts

Total Budget for Topic: The total budget allocated for this specific grant topic (HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-SSRI-06) is EUR 5,500,000.
Grant Per Project: This grant aims to fund 1 project, with a minimum and maximum contribution of EUR 5,500,000 per project.

Eligible Costs

PCP/PPI procurement costs are explicitly stated as eligible costs.
For procurers implementing the project as a 'fast-track PCP' who foresee financial or regulatory incentives for others to adopt successful solutions (e.g., if the final end-users are citizens), a maximum budget of EUR 100,000 can be used for financial support to third parties to provide these incentives.

Financial Guarantees

Procurers who commit to procuring successful solutions as part of the PCP must foresee the budget in the proposal to purchase at least one solution during the PCP.

Financial Reporting

The rules for legal and financial set-up of grants, including financial reporting, are described in General Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes, which was not provided in the grant materials.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Types

Practitioners: While not strictly defined beyond 'security practitioners', applicants must fill in a specific annex ('Information about security practitioners') explaining how each beneficiary fulfills this role. This implies they are end-users with specific security needs for innovative solutions.
Public Procurers: These are defined as 'State, regional or local authorities, bodies governed by public law or associations formed by one or more such authorities or one or more such bodies governed by public law, managing the process through which they acquire work, goods or services from economic operators.'
SMEs and Startups: Explicitly mentioned as key beneficiaries of the program's outcomes, suggesting their involvement in the industrial base that will develop and provide innovative solutions.

Consortium Requirements

Mandatory Consortium: Proposals must involve a consortium composed of at least 3 practitioners and at least 3 public procurers. These entities must come from 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. One organization is permitted to fulfill both the practitioner and public procurer roles simultaneously, and count towards the total required numbers.

Geographic Requirements

All participating entities (practitioners, public procurers, and any other beneficiaries) must be from EU Member States or Associated Countries.
Any subcontracted work funded by the grant must be performed in at least 3 Member States, unless otherwise approved by the granting authority.
Required open market consultations must be completed in at least three EU Member States.

Technical Expertise and Capacity

Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to acquire and manage Research and Development (R&D) services and develop innovative civil security technology solutions.
A thorough analysis of the state-of-the-art and market landscape, aligning research activities with identified needs and presenting a range of technical alternatives, is required.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Financial and operational capacity, as well as exclusion criteria, are described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This document was not provided, so specific details are not available here. However, applicants are generally expected to demonstrate sufficient resources and capability to implement the proposed project.

Application Process

Application Deadlines and Submission

Application Deadline: The deadline for submitting proposals is November 12, 2025, at 00:00:00 UTC+00:00.
Submission Procedure: The call follows a single-stage submission procedure.
Submission Platform: Applications must be submitted via the Electronic Submission Service available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Required Documentation and Materials

Standard Application Form: Use the specific application form for 'HE PCP' (Horizon Europe Pre-commercial Procurement) available in the Submission System.
Security Practitioners Annex: Applicants must complete the Annex 'Information about security practitioners' using the template provided in the IT submission tool. This annex is crucial for explaining how each beneficiary fulfills the additional eligibility conditions related to practitioner status.
Project Plan Details: Proposals should include:
- An analysis of the state-of-the-art and market landscape.
- A well-defined tendering process supported by a draft plan.
- Readiness of documentation and administrative procedures for launching the PCP call for R&D services.
- Clear plans for post-PCP activities and strategies for future uptake.
- If no commitment to buying/deploying solutions at the proposal stage, a deliverable outlining concrete activities to prepare for follow-up deployment or procurement after the PCP.

Project Implementation and Timeline

Phased Implementation: The project implementation should include:
- A minimal preparation stage to finalize tendering documents for the PCP call and define verification/validation procedures.
- Launching the call for tenders for research and development services, envisioning a competitive development.
- Competitive Development: This includes a design phase, an integration and technical verification phase, and a validation in a real operational environment phase. This process should lead to at least 2 prototypes from 2 different providers being validated.
- Consolidation and Strategy: Consolidating evaluation results, extracting conclusions and recommendations, and defining a strategy for potential uptake of solutions, including technical specifications and standardization needs.
Fast-Track PCP: The grant allows public buyers to use a fast-track PCP option (e.g., 2 instead of 3 phases) if they commit to buying or deploying the resulting solutions after the PCP.

Support for Applicants

Various resources are available, including the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and Partner Search services.

Evaluation Criteria

The detailed award criteria, scoring, and thresholds for evaluation are outlined in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, which was not provided in the grant materials. However, based on the 'Scope' and 'Expected Outcomes' sections, the following aspects are critical for a successful proposal: Strategic Relevance and Impact

Contribution to Civil Security: How effectively the project contributes to forming a community of EU civil security practitioners with shared needs and supports an industrial base (especially SMEs and Startups) to access the public procurement market and scale up their business.
Market Uptake & Commercialisation: The potential for increased market uptake and economies of scale for innovative solutions, and how procurers facilitate commercialization by successful suppliers.
Policy Alignment: Support for public procurers in collectively implementing PCPs to drive innovation and open up wider commercialization opportunities for European companies.
Sustainability and Exploitation: Clear commitment to exploiting project results beyond its conclusion, ensuring engagement with stakeholders and implementing strategies for future uptake.

Quality and Implementation of the Project

Problem Definition: Clear evidence to justify and de-risk the PCP action, demonstrating that the identified challenge is significant and necessitates a PCP approach to mature technologies and compare alternatives.
Technical Approach: Analysis of the state-of-the-art and market landscape, aligning research with identified needs, and presenting a range of technical alternatives.
PCP Process Design: A well-defined tendering process, supported by a draft plan, including readiness of documentation and administrative procedures. The competitive development should lead to at least 2 prototypes from 2 different providers validated in a real operational environment.
Consortium Quality: Demonstrated commitment from a consolidated group of practitioners and procurers with shared needs and requirements for the PCP process, enabling informed decisions.
Stakeholder Engagement: Involvement of procurement decision-makers to ensure adoption of solutions, and clear plans for post-PCP activities.
Open Market Consultations: Evidence of conducting open market consultations in at least three EU Member States.

Cross-Cutting Themes

Gender Dimension: Integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if relevant to the objectives of the research effort.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory and Legal Compliance

EU Procurement Directive: Applicants must ensure full compliance with the principles of the EU Directive on public procurement, specifically those related to Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP).
Subcontracting Rules: Any subcontracted work must be carried out in at least 3 Member States, unless an exception is approved by the granting authority.

Data Protection and IP

Data Protection: While not detailed, general EU data protection regulations apply.
Intellectual Property (IP): Specific conditions concerning Intellectual Property (IP) for actions with PCP/PPI procurements are described in Section H of the General Annexes of the Horizon Europe Work Programme. (This annex was not provided, so specific details are not available here).

Ethical and Environmental Standards

Ethical Standards: The grant implies adherence to ethical standards inherent in EU funding, particularly in areas like civil security and research.
Environmental Compliance: Not explicitly detailed, but generally expected for EU-funded projects.

Risk Management

Proposals are expected to provide clear evidence to justify and de-risk the PCP action, demonstrating that the identified challenge is significant enough to warrant this approach and mitigate potential risks.

Unique Aspects and Strategic Opportunities

Demand-Driven Innovation: This grant uniquely focuses on innovation driven by the specific, collective needs of public procurers and civil security practitioners, ensuring direct relevance and uptake.
Market Creation: It explicitly aims to open up new markets for innovative solutions and support the commercialization efforts of SMEs and Startups by providing first customer references.
International Collaboration: The mandatory consortium structure involving multiple EU Member States or Associated Countries fosters significant cross-border collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Procurer Commitment: The grant requires procurers to declare their interest in deploying the resulting solutions, which can include direct procurement, follow-up procurement, adoption of open-source solutions, or providing financial/regulatory incentives for adoption.
Gender Dimension: Integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is expected only if relevant to the objectives of the research effort.
Visibility and Liaison: Maximizing visibility of project outcomes to the wider EU public buyer community is expected, as is liaison with other civil security communities for potential reuse and extensibility of solutions.

Grant Details