Open topic on modern information and forensic evidence analysis and on frontline policing

Grant Purpose and Target

• Core Objective: This grant aims to develop and validate modern tools, skills, and methodologies for police authorities and forensic institutes to prevent, detect, and investigate crime and terrorism. The focus is on improving information analysis, forensic evidence handling, and frontline policing capabilities, while ensuring lawful evidence collection and better cross-border information exchange.
• Funding Organization: European Commission (via the Horizon Europe programme).
• Target Recipients: Consortia of legal entities from EU Member States and Associated Countries. A key requirement is the active participation of Police Authorities. Other eligible participants include research organizations, universities, SMEs, and other private or public entities.
• Sector Focus: SECTOR-SPECIFIC. The grant is focused on Civil Security, specifically for the 'Fight against crime and terrorism'. It targets law enforcement, forensic science, and related security technology sectors.
• Geographic Scope: Applicants must be established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country. Specific consortium composition rules apply.
• Key Filtering Criteria:
  • Project Scale: The indicative funding per project is EUR 3.00 million.
  • Technology Readiness Level (TRL): Projects are expected to achieve TRL 5 (technology validated in a relevant environment) by the end of the project.
  • Consortium: A consortium is required, which must include at least 2 Police Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Financial Structure

• Funding Range: The European Commission expects to fund projects with a contribution of around EUR 3,000,000 per project. The total indicative budget for this topic is EUR 18,000,000, with an expectation to fund approximately 6 projects.
• Co-financing: The funding rate is 100% of eligible costs, as this is a Research and Innovation Action (RIA). Therefore, no mandatory co-financing is required from the participants.
• Eligible Costs: Costs must be actually incurred by the beneficiary, necessary for the project, and recorded in the accounts. Eligible direct costs include:
  • Personnel costs for employees and other staff working on the project.
  • Subcontracting costs for specific tasks, which must be limited and justified.
  • Purchase costs, including travel and subsistence, equipment (depreciation costs), and other goods, works, or services.
  • Indirect costs are covered by a flat rate of 25% of the total eligible direct costs (excluding subcontracting and financial support to third parties).
• Ineligible Costs: Standard Horizon Europe rules apply. Ineligible costs include, but are not limited to:
  • Debt and debt service charges.
  • Provisions for future losses or debts.
  • Interest owed.
  • Currency exchange losses.
  • Deductible VAT.
• Payment & Reporting: Funding is disbursed through a pre-financing payment at the start of the project, followed by interim payments based on periodic reports. A final payment is made after the approval of the final report. An amount (typically 5%) is retained from the pre-financing and contributed to the Mutual Insurance Mechanism (MIM).

Eligibility Requirements

Formal Criteria

• Consortium Composition: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium that includes, as beneficiaries, at least three independent legal entities, each established in a different country, with the following conditions:
  • At least one independent legal entity established in an EU Member State.
  • At least two other independent legal entities, each established in different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
• Police Authority Participation: This is a mandatory additional eligibility criterion. The consortium must include at least 2 Police Authorities as beneficiaries, from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Applicants must provide details for these participants in the 'Information about security practitioners' annex.
  • Definition: 'Police Authorities' are public authorities designated by national law, or other entities legally mandated by a competent national authority, for the prevention, detection, and/or investigation of criminal offences. This specifically excludes police academies, forensic institutes, and border/customs authorities.
• Satellite Data Usage: If the project uses satellite-based data for observation, positioning, navigation, or timing, it must utilize Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS services.

Organizational Status

• Applicants must be legal entities (public or private bodies, including international organizations) established in an eligible country.
• For Option b) 'modern forensics analysis', the active involvement of forensic institutes as beneficiaries is recommended, although not a mandatory eligibility criterion.
• Applicants must be registered in the Participant Register and have a valid Participant Identification Code (PIC).

Technical Expertise

• The consortium must demonstrate the necessary expertise to address the chosen project option (advanced technology, modern forensics, or frontline policing).
• Proposals must convincingly explain plans for demonstration, testing, or validation of the developed tools and solutions with security practitioners.

Exclusion Criteria

• Entities subject to EU restrictive measures are not eligible to participate.
• Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
• Proposals must focus exclusively on civil applications. Activities intended for military use are excluded from funding.

Application Practical Information

• Deadlines:
  • Call Opening: 12 June 2025
  • Submission Deadline: 12 November 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels Time (CET).
• Required Documents: The application consists of two main parts submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal:
  • Part A: Administrative forms completed directly in the online submission system, containing information on participants and the budget.
  • Part B: A narrative technical description of the project, uploaded as a PDF. The page limit for this RIA proposal is 45 pages.
  • Annex: Applicants must fill in and submit the 'Information about security practitioners' template for the required Police Authority participants.
• Application Process: This is a single-stage call. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before the deadline.
• Support: The grant provides financial support (funding) to cover up to 100% of eligible project costs for research and innovation activities.
• Post-Award Obligations:
  • Reporting: Beneficiaries must submit periodic technical and financial reports, as well as final reports.
  • Mid-term Assessment: Proposals must plan for a mid-term deliverable where the involved security practitioners (Police Authorities and/or forensic institutes) assess the project's progress and outcomes.
  • Engagement: Funded projects may be expected to engage with the Europol Innovation Lab and/or the EU Drugs Agency to validate outcomes and facilitate uptake by the law enforcement community.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals are evaluated based on three main criteria, each scored from 0 to 5. A minimum score of 3/5 is required for each criterion, and an overall score of at least 10/15 is needed to be considered for funding.

1. Excellence

• Objectives and Ambition: Clarity and pertinence of the project's objectives. The proposal must be ambitious and demonstrate how it advances beyond the current state-of-the-art.
• Methodology: Soundness of the proposed methodology, including the underlying concepts, models, and assumptions. This includes the quality of inter-disciplinary approaches and open science practices. The integration of the gender dimension (sex and/or gender analysis) should be addressed if relevant to the research.

2. Impact

• Pathway to Impact: Credibility of the pathways to achieve the expected outcomes and impacts specified in the work programme. This includes the likely scale and significance of the project's contributions to:
  • Modern tools and skills for security practitioners.
  • Improved cross-border information exchange.
  • Evidence-based support for policymakers.
• Measures to Maximise Impact: Suitability and quality of the plan for dissemination, exploitation, and communication of project results. This includes strategies for future uptake and upscaling at national and EU levels.

3. Quality and Efficiency of the Implementation

• Work Plan and Resources: Quality and effectiveness of the work plan, including a thorough assessment of risks and the appropriateness of the effort and resources assigned to each work package.
• Consortium Capacity: The capacity and role of each participant must be clearly described. The evaluation will assess the extent to which the consortium as a whole brings together the necessary expertise to achieve the project's goals.

Special Evaluation Rule: Portfolio Approach

• To ensure a balanced portfolio of funded projects, grants will be awarded not only in order of their ranking but also to ensure at least one project is funded from each of the three topic options (a, b, and c), provided it is the highest-ranked in its option and meets all scoring thresholds.

Compliance and Special Requirements

• Regulatory Compliance:
  • Ethics: Proposals must complete an ethics self-assessment. All funded activities must comply with fundamental ethical principles and applicable laws.
  • Security: This topic is flagged as potentially security-sensitive. Activities may involve handling EU Classified Information (EUCI) or producing sensitive results. A security self-assessment is required in the application, and projects may be subject to a security scrutiny procedure.
  • Data Protection: Projects must comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) when processing personal data.
• IP Policy: The standard Horizon Europe intellectual property rules apply, as detailed in the Model Grant Agreement. Results are owned by the beneficiary that generates them. Other consortium members are granted access rights to the results if needed to carry out their own work under the project (royalty-free) or for exploiting their own results.
• Unique Aspects:
  • Portfolio Evaluation: At least one highest-ranked, eligible project from each of the three options (a: technology challenges, b: forensics, c: frontline policing) will be funded to ensure a balanced portfolio.
  • Practitioner Involvement: The mandatory inclusion of at least two Police Authorities as beneficiaries is a core requirement, ensuring the project's practical relevance and facilitating validation.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: Proposals concerning issues within Europol's mandate are expected to engage with the Europol Innovation Lab. Similarly, projects on drug-related issues should engage with the EU Drugs Agency.
• Industry-Specific Rules:
  • Projects using satellite-based earth observation or navigation data must use Europe's Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS services.