Accelerating uptake through open proposals for advanced SME innovation

Grant Purpose and Target

Core Objective

This grant aims to help innovative Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) develop and bring to market mature digital technology solutions that address Europe's civil security needs. The program provides a collaborative environment for SMEs to tailor their innovations to the specific requirements of security end-users and public buyers.

Funding Organization

European Commission, under the Horizon Europe framework, specifically the 'Civil Security for Society' cluster.

Target Recipients

This grant is primarily targeted at Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and high-tech start-ups. Consortia must also include end-user organisations (like law enforcement or civil protection agencies) who will act as validators and potential customers. Participation from large industries and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) is permitted but significantly restricted.

Sector Focus

SECTOR-SPECIFIC. The grant targets the development of digital and deep-tech innovations for the civil security sector. Projects must align with one of the following security areas:
* Fighting Organised Crime and Terrorism
* Disaster-Resilient Society
* Resilient Infrastructure
* Border Management

Geographic Scope

Applicants must be legal entities established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country. Specific restrictions apply to entities from China, Russia, and Belarus.

Key Filtering Criteria

• Project Type: Innovation Action (IA), focused on mature technologies close to market.
• Consortium Size: A team of 3 to 7 partners is mandatory.
• SME Leadership: At least 2 SMEs from 2 different countries must be included, and they must receive at least 50% of the total project budget. An SME is encouraged to be the project coordinator.
• Project Duration: Maximum of 2 years.
• Funding Model: This is a lump sum grant, where payments are tied to the completion of work packages, not reported costs.

Financial Structure

This grant uses a Lump Sum funding model.

Funding Range

• EU Contribution: The expected EU contribution is exactly €1,500,000 per project.
• Total Call Budget: The total budget available for this topic is €3,000,000, with an expectation to fund 2 projects.

Co-financing

• Funding Rate: As an Innovation Action (IA), the grant covers 70% of the total eligible costs for for-profit legal entities. Non-profit legal entities can receive up to 100% funding.
• Applicant Contribution: For-profit partners must co-finance the remaining 30% of their project costs.

Eligible Costs

Because this is a lump sum grant, you will not report actual costs. Instead, you must provide a detailed budget estimation in your proposal. This budget can include costs that would be eligible under a standard grant, such as:
* Personnel costs: Salaries and social security for staff working on the project.
* Subcontracting costs: Work performed by external providers.
* Purchase costs: Travel, equipment (depreciation), and other goods and services like consumables and dissemination activities.
* Indirect costs: A flat rate of 25% of the total eligible direct costs (excluding subcontracting and financial support to third parties) is applied to cover overheads like rent and utilities.

Ineligible Costs

Costs that cannot be included in your budget estimation include:
* Identifiable indirect taxes, including VAT.
* Interest owed.
* Provisions for future losses or debts.
* Currency exchange losses.
* Costs declared in another EU-funded project.

Payment & Reporting

• Payment Structure: Payments are tied to the successful completion of work packages as defined in your grant agreement. You will receive a pre-financing payment at the start of the project. Subsequent payments are released upon validation that a work package has been properly implemented.
• No Financial Audits: A major advantage of the lump sum model is that there are no financial reports or ex-post audits of actual costs. Audits will focus on the technical implementation and completion of the work.

Eligibility Requirements

Formal Criteria

To be eligible, your proposal must meet these non-negotiable conditions:
* Consortium Composition: The project team must consist of a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of seven (7) partner organisations.
* SME Requirement: The consortium must include at least two (2) SMEs as beneficiaries, established in two different EU Member States or Associated Countries.
* End-User Requirement: The consortium must include at least one (1) end-user organisation relevant to the security area your proposal addresses (e.g., a police force, border guard, or emergency response agency).
* Budget Allocation: Specific budget rules apply:
* At least 50% of the total project budget must be allocated to the SME partners.
* Participation from non-SME industries (large companies) and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) is limited to a combined maximum of 15% of the total project budget.

Organizational Status

• Primary Applicants: Your business must be an SME or a high-tech start-up. The definition of a non-SME refers to large industries with more than 250 employees.
• Required Partners: You must partner with other SMEs and at least one public or private 'end-user' organization.
• Coordinator Role: It is strongly encouraged that an SME takes the role of project coordinator. Exceptions must be well-justified.
• Gender Equality Plan (GEP): Public bodies, research organisations, and higher education establishments applying must have a GEP in place.

Technical Expertise

While specific skills are not listed, the project must propose a 'mature digital technological solution'. This implies the team should possess advanced expertise in digital technologies, deep tech, and the specific security domain being addressed. The project should focus on technology transfer and market access, not fundamental research.

Exclusion Criteria

Your application will be disqualified if:
* The consortium has fewer than 3 or more than 7 partners.
* The consortium does not include at least 2 SMEs from different countries and 1 end-user.
* The budget allocations for SMEs (<50%) and non-SMEs/RTOs (>15%) are not met.
* The project does not focus on one of the specified civil security areas.
* Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in Innovation Actions. Legal entities from Russia, Belarus, or non-government controlled territories of Ukraine are also ineligible.

Application Practical Information

Deadlines

• Call Opening: 12 June 2025
• Submission Deadline: 12 November 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels Time (CET)

Required Documents

Your application must be submitted electronically and include:
* Part A: Administrative forms filled out directly on the portal.
* Part B: The main technical description of your project, uploaded as a PDF. The page limit is 50 pages.
* Detailed Budget Table: A mandatory annex for lump sum grants, detailing the estimated costs per partner and work package.
* Information on Security Practitioners Template: A specific template to provide information on the end-users involved in the project.

Application Process

• Submission Platform: Applications must be submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
• Procedure: This is a single-stage call. You submit a full proposal by the deadline.
• Evaluation Timeline: You can expect to receive the outcome of the evaluation approximately 5 months after the submission deadline.
• Grant Agreement Signature: Successful projects are expected to sign their grant agreements approximately 8 months after the submission deadline.

Support

• Type of Support: The primary support is financial (grant funding). The project activities are also designed to provide support in market analysis, IP management, approaching public buyers, and business model innovation.
• Application Help: A variety of support services are available, including National Contact Points (NCPs), the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), and the portal's IT Helpdesk and Online Manual.

Post-Award Obligations

• Project Duration: The maximum project duration is 2 years.
• Reporting: Technical reporting is required at set intervals, focusing on the progress and completion of work packages, milestones, and deliverables. There is no financial cost reporting.
• Dissemination & Exploitation: You must regularly update your plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results and report on these activities.

Evaluation Criteria

Your proposal will be scored out of 15 points based on three main criteria. To be funded, you must score at least 3/5 on each criterion and a total of 10/15 overall.

Scoring Factors

1. Excellence (Score out of 5): This assesses the clarity, ambition, and innovation of your project. It evaluates how your proposal goes beyond the current state-of-the-art and the soundness of your methodology. This includes how you integrate gender dimensions into your research content and your use of open science practices.

2. Impact (Score out of 5, weighted by 1.5): This is the most important criterion for this grant. It measures the credibility of your plan to achieve the expected outcomes, such as facilitating SME access to the security market. The evaluation will focus on the likely scale and significance of your project's contribution and the quality of your plan for dissemination, exploitation, and communication.

3. Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation (Score out of 5): This evaluates the quality of your work plan, your assessment of risks, and the appropriateness of your budget and resources. It also assesses the capacity of each partner and how well the consortium as a whole has the necessary expertise to deliver the project.

Innovation & Impact

Your project is expected to deliver:
* A mature technological solution that addresses specific EU civil security priorities.
* A clear pathway for small innovators to access the civil security market.
* Improved cooperation between your company and public buyers (end-users).
* Stronger partnerships among European security SMEs to boost innovation and reduce dependency on non-EU suppliers.

Project Quality

Evaluators will look for a clear, efficient, and realistic work plan. This includes a logical breakdown of tasks into work packages, a thorough risk assessment, and a clear justification for the resources (personnel, equipment) you plan to use. The roles of each partner must be well-defined and complementary.

Strategic Fit

Your proposal must strongly align with the priorities of Horizon Europe's Cluster 3: Civil Security for Society. It must address one of the four specified security domains and contribute to the objectives of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) by developing digital and deep-tech innovations. Successful proposals that pass all thresholds will be awarded a STEP Seal, a quality label designed to help attract other public or private funding.

Cross-cutting Themes

• Gender Dimension: You must describe how sex and/or gender analysis is relevant to your project's content. If you believe it's not relevant, you must provide a solid justification.
• Ethics and Fundamental Rights: Proposals must demonstrate a strong understanding of and adherence to ethical principles, fundamental rights, privacy, and data protection laws.

Compliance and Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

• Ethics: Your project must comply with all ethical principles and relevant EU, international, and national laws. An ethics self-assessment is a mandatory part of the proposal. If ethics issues are identified, specific requirements may be added to your grant agreement.
• Security: As this call is in the civil security domain, proposals may undergo a security review. If your project involves classified or sensitive information, specific security obligations will be included in the grant agreement. You must declare any security practitioners involved using the provided template.

IP Policy

• Ownership: The results of the project are owned by the partner who generates them.
• Access Rights: Partners in the consortium are granted royalty-free access to the results needed to carry out their own work in the project. The grant agreement and your consortium agreement will detail the specific access rights for exploitation purposes.
• Exploitation: Beneficiaries must use their best efforts to exploit the results. If results are not exploited within one year after the project, they must be made available on the Horizon Results Platform.

Unique Aspects

• Lump Sum Funding: This is a key feature. It simplifies financial management by removing cost reporting and financial audits, but requires a very accurate and detailed budget estimate at the proposal stage. Payments are based on performance and completion of work.
• Strict Consortium and Budget Rules: The grant has very specific requirements for the number of partners (3-7), the mandatory inclusion of SMEs and end-users, and fixed budget percentages for different types of partners. These are strict eligibility criteria.
• STEP Seal of Excellence: All proposals that are evaluated above the quality threshold but cannot be funded due to budget limitations will automatically receive a 'STEP Seal'. This is a quality label from the European Commission that can help you secure funding from other public or private sources.
• SME Focus: The call is uniquely designed to support SMEs, not just through eligibility rules but by encouraging them to take the lead coordinator role.

Industry-Specific Rules

Projects operate within the civil security domain, which has a specific legal and ethical framework. The involvement of end-users (practitioners) from security fields is mandatory, and their needs must drive the project. The work programme emphasizes that security research should deliver solutions that are minimally intrusive while respecting fundamental rights and values.