Open topic on improved intelligence picture and enhanced prevention, detection and deterrence of various forms of organised crime

Grant Purpose and Target

Core Objective

This grant funds projects that develop creative and disruptive solutions to improve the intelligence picture and enhance the prevention, detection, and deterrence of various forms of organised crime. The goal is to provide European Police Authorities with improved tools, skills, methodologies, and training to combat criminal networks and identify emerging threats.

Funding Organization

European Commission, under the Horizon Europe framework programme.

Target Recipients

This call is open to any legal entity, such as companies (including SMEs), universities, research organisations, and public bodies. However, consortiums are required to have at least three Police Authorities from three different EU Member States or Associated Countries as beneficiaries.

Sector Focus

SECTOR-SPECIFIC. Projects must focus on developing solutions for civil security, specifically for fighting organised crime. While technology and IT companies are expected to be key participants, the application domain is strictly limited to law enforcement and public security.

Geographic Scope

Applicants must be legal entities established in an EU Member State or a country associated with Horizon Europe. The consortium must include partners from at least three different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Key Filtering Criteria

• Project Scale: Projects are expected to have a budget of exactly EUR 3.75 million.
• Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Projects are expected to start at a level that allows them to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project. This means moving from technology demonstration in a relevant environment to system prototype demonstration in an operational environment.
• Consortium Requirement: A consortium is mandatory. It must include at least three Police Authorities from at least three different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Financial Structure

Funding Range

• The EU contribution per project is fixed at EUR 3,750,000.
• The total indicative budget for this topic is EUR 7,500,000, with an expectation to fund 2 projects.

Co-financing

• This is an Innovation Action (IA).
• The funding rate is 70% of total eligible costs for for-profit legal entities.
• For non-profit legal entities, the funding rate is up to 100% of total eligible costs.
• This implies a mandatory co-financing of at least 30% for for-profit partners.

Eligible Costs

• Direct Costs:
  • Personnel costs: Costs for employees and other personnel working on the project.
  • Subcontracting costs: Costs for tasks outsourced to a third party.
  • Purchase costs: Travel and subsistence, equipment (typically depreciation costs), and other goods, works, and services.
  • Financial support to third parties is not specified for this topic.
• Indirect Costs:
  • A flat rate of 25% of the total eligible direct costs is applied. This excludes subcontracting costs and costs for financial support to third parties.

Ineligible Costs

• Costs that do not comply with the general and specific eligibility conditions.
• Identifiable indirect taxes, including deductible or refundable VAT.
• Duties, interest owed, and provisions for future losses or debts.
• Currency exchange losses.
• Costs declared in connection with another EU grant (double-funding).

Payment & Reporting

• Payments are managed through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
• An initial pre-financing payment is made after the grant agreement is signed.
• Interim payments are made based on periodic reports covering technical progress and financial statements.
• A final payment is made upon approval of the final report at the end of the project. The total sum of payments cannot exceed the maximum grant amount.

Eligibility Requirements

Formal Criteria

• Consortium Composition: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least three independent legal entities established in three different countries. At least one entity must be from an EU Member State, and at least two others must be from different EU Member States or Associated Countries.
• Mandatory Participants: The consortium must include, as beneficiaries, at least three Police Authorities from at least three different EU Member States or Associated Countries. 'Police Authority' is defined as a public authority legally mandated for the prevention, detection, or investigation of criminal offences. This specifically excludes police academies, forensic institutes, and training facilities.
• Eligible Countries: Applicants must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country.

Organizational Status

• The call is open to any type of legal entity (public body, private company, university, non-profit, etc.) provided they are part of an eligible consortium.
• The consortium must include public bodies that meet the specific definition of a 'Police Authority' as provided in the topic conditions.

Technical Expertise

• The consortium as a whole must demonstrate the necessary expertise to develop and validate innovative tools and solutions for fighting organised crime.
• The proposal must outline the capacity and role of each participant, showing how their collective expertise meets the project's objectives.
• A specific annex, 'Information about security practitioners', must be completed for the participating Police Authorities.

Exclusion Criteria

• Legal entities established in China are not eligible to participate in this Innovation Action in any capacity.
• Entities established in Russia, Belarus, or non-government controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible to participate.
• Entities subject to EU restrictive measures (sanctions) are not eligible.
• The project must have an exclusive focus on civil applications.

Application Practical Information

Deadlines

• Submission Deadline: 12 November 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels time (CET).
• Evaluation Outcome: Applicants will be informed of the evaluation outcome approximately 5 months after the submission deadline.
• Grant Agreement Signature: Successful projects are expected to sign the grant agreement approximately 8 months after the submission deadline.

Required Documents

• Part A: Administrative forms to be completed directly in the submission system.
• Part B: A PDF document describing the technical aspects of the project, structured according to the evaluation criteria (Excellence, Impact, Implementation). The page limit for Innovation Actions is 45 pages.
• Annexes: A specific template, 'Information on Security Practitioners', must be completed for the participating Police Authorities. Other standard annexes may be required.

Application Process

• The application process is a single-stage submission.
• Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before the deadline.
• The proposal must be created and submitted by the contact person of the coordinating organisation.

Support

• The primary support is financial, in the form of a grant covering a percentage of eligible project costs.
• The proposals funded under this topic that concern issues within the mandate of Europol or the EU Drugs Agency are expected to engage with them during the project for validation and to facilitate future uptake.

Post-Award Obligations

• Reporting: Beneficiaries must submit periodic technical and financial reports, as well as a final report.
• Mid-term Deliverable: A mid-term assessment of the project's outcomes, performed by the practitioners involved in the project (e.g., Police Authorities), is a required deliverable.
• Dissemination & Exploitation: Beneficiaries must have a plan for disseminating and exploiting project results. Open access to scientific publications is mandatory.
• Coordination: Successful proposals from this topic are expected to coordinate with each other to avoid duplication and enhance impact.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals are evaluated based on three main criteria, each scored from 0 to 5. The minimum score for each criterion is 3/5, and the overall threshold is 10/15. For Innovation Actions, the 'Impact' criterion is weighted 1.5 times higher for ranking purposes.

Scoring Factors

• Excellence (Threshold: 3/5): The clarity and ambition of the project's objectives, and the extent to which it goes beyond the state-of-the-art. The soundness of the proposed methodology, including inter-disciplinary approaches, consideration of the gender dimension (if relevant), and the quality of open science practices.
• Impact (Threshold: 3/5, Weight: 1.5): The credibility of the pathways to achieve the expected outcomes and impacts listed in the work programme. The likely scale and significance of the project's contribution to fighting organised crime. The suitability and quality of the plan for dissemination, exploitation, and communication of results.
• Quality and efficiency of the implementation (Threshold: 3/5): The quality of the work plan, risk assessment, and appropriateness of resources. The capacity of each participant and the synergy of the consortium as a whole.

Innovation & Impact

• Novelty: Proposals should address new, upcoming, or unforeseen challenges in the fight against organised crime and present creative or disruptive solutions.
• Beyond State-of-the-Art: The proposal must convincingly explain how the project's ambition goes beyond current technologies and methods.
• Impact Pathways: Applicants must provide a clear narrative explaining how project results will contribute to the expected outcomes, such as improved tools for Police Authorities, better information exchange, and evidence-based support for policymakers. This includes identifying target groups and estimating the scale and significance of the contributions.

Project Quality

• Work Plan: The proposal must include a clear and effective work plan, detailing work packages, deliverables, and milestones.
• Methodology: The soundness of the methodology is a key aspect of the 'Excellence' criterion. Proposals must convincingly explain how they will plan and carry out demonstration, testing, or validation of the developed tools and solutions.
• Feasibility: The proposal must include a risk assessment and mitigation plan. The allocation of effort and resources across work packages must be appropriate and justified. The consortium must demonstrate access to any necessary infrastructure.

Strategic Fit

• Alignment with Funder's Priorities: The project must directly contribute to the outcomes specified for this topic, which fall under the Destination 'Better protect the EU and its citizens against Crime and Terrorism'.
• Avoiding Duplication: If a proposal relates to topics covered in previous calls (2021-2022), it must convincingly explain how it builds upon, and does not duplicate, prior research. It should also consider other relevant projects from past Framework Programmes.
• Uptake Strategy: Proposals should outline plans for future uptake and upscaling of the solutions at national and EU levels after the project concludes.

Cross-cutting Themes

• Gender Dimension: The integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in the research content should be addressed, but only if relevant to the project's objectives.
• Fundamental Rights: Proposed solutions, particularly those involving information exchange and data analysis, must take into account all applicable legislation and respect for fundamental rights.

Compliance and Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

• Security: Some project activities may involve using or producing classified information (EUCI) or security-sensitive information (SEN). In such cases, specific security rules detailed in the grant agreement will apply. This may include requirements for Facility Security Clearances (FSC) and Personnel Security Clearances (PSC).
• Fundamental Rights: Projects must comply with all applicable legislation and ensure respect for fundamental rights, especially in areas like data privacy and information exchange.
• Ethics: Proposals undergo an ethics review. All research activities must comply with fundamental ethical principles and the highest standards of research integrity.

IP Policy

• The standard Horizon Europe rules on Intellectual Property apply. Results are owned by the beneficiary that generates them.
• Beneficiaries must grant each other access to their results on a royalty-free basis for the purpose of implementing the project.
• For the purpose of exploiting results, access must be granted to other beneficiaries under fair and reasonable conditions.

Unique Aspects

• Open Topic: This topic is designed to be 'open', inviting proposals for new, upcoming, or unforeseen challenges not covered by other specific topics in recent calls. Applicants must demonstrate the novelty and relevance of the problem they are addressing.
• No Duplication: Proposals must convincingly explain how they build on, and do not duplicate, research from previous Horizon Europe calls (2021-2022) or other Framework Programmes.
• Practitioner Involvement: Active involvement and feedback from security practitioners (Police Authorities, Border Guards, Customs) is a core requirement, formalized through a mandatory mid-term assessment deliverable.
• Agency Engagement: Projects are expected to engage with the Europol Innovation Lab and/or the EU Drugs Agency for validation and to facilitate uptake if their scope is relevant to these agencies' mandates.

Industry-Specific Rules

• Satellite Data: If projects use satellite-based data for earth observation, positioning, navigation, or timing, they are required to use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS services. Other services can be used in addition.
• Communication Networks: The call is subject to 'restrictions for the protection of European communication networks,' which may affect the eligibility of certain suppliers or technologies.