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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

This grant aims to accelerate the uptake of innovation in the security sector by providing advanced services and guidance to help research results reach the market.
It targets research institutions, SMEs, Start-ups, and security practitioners.
It is SECTOR-SPECIFIC focusing on civil security.
The geographic scope includes EU Member States and associated countries to Horizon Europe.
Key filtering criteria include a focus on security innovation uptake, the need for consortium participation with Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), and providing acceleration services rather than direct research.
This is part of the Horizon Europe 2025 Work Programme, specifically the 'Civil Security for Society' cluster.

Financial Structure

The total indicative budget for this topic (HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-SSRI-02) is EUR 5,000,000.
One grant is expected to be awarded for this topic.
The minimum and maximum grant amount per project is EUR 5,000,000.
The specific funding rate for this Coordination and Support Action (CSA) is not explicitly stated in the topic document, but generally, CSAs under Horizon Europe are funded at 100% of eligible costs.
Financial support to third parties is optional and can be provided in the form of prizes/grants.
The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 60,000.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Legal and financial set-up of grants are described in Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Structure

Participation as beneficiaries requires at least two Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs).
An RTO is defined as a non-profit organisation whose core mission is to produce, integrate, and combine various types of knowledge, skills, and infrastructures for R&D in collaboration with public and industrial partners of all sizes.
Target entities for services include SMEs, Start-ups, and security practitioners. While these are targets, the beneficiaries applying for the grant must meet the RTO requirement.
Consortia must demonstrate sufficient representativeness of communities of interest (including geographical) and a balanced coverage of knowledge and skills across security operations, technologies, research & innovation, industry, and market.

Geographic and Regulatory

Applicants must be from countries eligible under Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (typically EU Member States and countries associated with Horizon Europe).

Technical and Experience

Applicants should demonstrate proven experience in technology development and innovation in the area of security.
Deep knowledge of the security ecosystem is required.
The applying consortium must guarantee the expertise required to steer project activities across all relevant knowledge domains.

Application Process

The submission session became available on 2025-06-12.
The application deadline is 2025-11-12 at 00:00:00 UTC+00:00.
This is a single-stage submission procedure.
The application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System.
Proposals must adhere to page limits and layout described in Part B of the Application Form.
An Annex “Information about security practitioners” must be filled in the application form using the provided template in the submission IT tool.
Submission is via the Electronic Submission Service accessible through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Project Implementation and Duration

The project should have a maximum estimated duration of 5 years.
Projects should provide suggestions for methods and processes (for supporting organizations) as a deliverable to be approved by the European Commission.

Support Services Provided by Grant (not grant to applicant)

The funded project will provide services such as:
- Funding & procurement guidance
- Market research / competitive landscaping / Marketplaces / Market surveys/consultations
- Proof of concept development (for TRL 2-4)
- Funding and tendering observatory
- Investor search / venture building
- Technology validation support
- Lab testing support (e.g., Readiness assessment, AI act compliance, Machine Learning security, Ethical Legal and Societal assessment, High Performance Computing capabilities, Synthetic data generation, Access to Datasets, stress testing)
- Tech and/or entrepreneurial skills development (training)
Services can be open for the whole community (e.g., online material) or on-demand services provided upon specific request.

Evaluation Criteria

General Evaluation

Evaluation criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

Project Quality and Impact

Proposals should outline methods and processes for deciding which organizations to support, respecting principles of transparency, equal treatment, non-discrimination, and effectiveness (impact).
Projects are expected to contribute to:
- Offering advanced innovation uptake services to the security community.
- Providing a self-sustained mechanism for advisory and support services, acting as a market catalyst and accelerating innovation uptake for security.
- Enhanced cooperation between research institutions, smaller private research agencies, security practitioners, Start-ups, and SMEs.
- Strengthening technology transfer from research to market and boosting the capacity of security practitioners to adopt innovative tools.
- Supporting Start-ups and SMEs in reaching the security market.

Consortium Quality and Implementation

Consortia need to demonstrate expertise across all knowledge domains (security operations, technologies, research & innovation, industry, market).
Work must be supported by solid and recognised tools and methods, accompanied by required expertise.
Proposals should build upon outcomes of previous initiatives fostering innovation uptake (e.g., H2020 Networks of Practitioners, iProcureNet, Multirate, Horizon Booster, EACTDA, EAFIP).
A sustainability plan for services beyond the project lifetime, including a permanent, self-sustainable scheme, must be identified and described.

Cross-cutting Themes

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

Compliance & Special Requirements

Compliance and Regulatory

Regulatory compliance is described in Annex A and E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
General conditions and legal framework are detailed in documents like HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, and EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509.
Ethical, Legal and Societal (ELS) assessment is mentioned as a service provided by the project, implying general ethical considerations in project design and execution.

Technical Standards and IP

Artificial Intelligence Act compliance and Machine Learning security are mentioned as areas for lab testing support provided by the project, indicating relevance for projects dealing with AI/ML technologies.
Intellectual property policies are generally part of the standard Horizon Europe grant agreements (HE MGA).

Special Considerations and Strategy

The project aims to establish a self-sustained mechanism for innovation uptake services beyond its lifetime.
Proposals should consider and build upon work initiated by Networks of Practitioners funded under H2020 Secure Societies work programmes and ongoing Knowledge Networks.
Existing initiatives like Horizon Booster, EACTDA, and EAFIP should be considered and adapted for the security area.
Projects are expected to ensure sufficient representativeness of communities of interest and balanced coverage of knowledge domains.
The project design must avoid double funding for activities already funded by other EU actions.

Grant Details