Accessible and available travel facilitation

HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-BM-02 is a Horizon Europe Innovation Action grant opportunity focused on advancing accessible and available travel facilitation at EU external border crossing points. This initiative is part of the Civil Security for Society program, with a total budget of €8 million allocated for this topic, aiming to fund two projects, each expected to receive approximately €4 million.

Eligible applicants include a diverse range of organizations such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and public authorities, with a mandatory requirement for the participation of at least two Border or Coast Guard Authorities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries as active beneficiaries. Entities controlled by China are explicitly excluded from participation.

The funding mechanism is a grant provided through the Lump Sum Grant model, which simplifies cost reporting requirements. The application process is structured as a single-stage submission, opening on May 6, 2026, with a deadline of November 5, 2026. This initiative has a competitive nature, estimated success rates for projects ranging from below 10% to 39% depending on the volume and quality of proposals received.

The target sector focuses on border management and external security, aiming to develop and test solutions that enhance security, fairness, and accessibility for all travellers, including those with disabilities, older adults, and individuals with limited digital literacy. The expected solutions should address challenges related to automated border control systems and ensure compliance with fundamental rights.

Projects should involve all necessary stages, including development, validation, demonstration, and pilot testing of innovative technologies and processes. There is no explicit requirement for co-funding, as recipients are generally expected to receive full funding under this program.

Overall, the call aims to modernize border management practices through advanced technologies and collaborative efforts between multiple stakeholders at different levels and institutions within the EU border security landscape, while ensuring the minimization of bias and discrimination.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call under the Civil Security for Society 2026 program (HORIZON-CL3-2026-01). The specific topic is HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-BM-02, titled "Accessible and available travel facilitation". It is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage. The planned opening date is 06 May 2026, and the deadline date is 05 November 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this call are:
1. Improved trusted, secure, and easier automated seamless facilitation for travel, border crossing through border crossing points (BCPs), and/or visa procedures with an integrated approach, minimized risk for bias, and accessible for all travellers minimising digital divides.
2. Facilitated solutions with same approach adaptable by all European border control staff, in all conditions and border control points (BCPs).
3. Reduced workload and improved safety, user experience and performance of practitioners’ staff involved in border management.

The scope of this call is to develop and test solutions for advanced seamless travel and border crossing and/or visa procedures, protecting and promoting fundamental rights, minimising the risk for bias and being accessible for all travellers, with no or minimised limitations depending on age, sex, gender, disability, physical or digital abilities. The solutions should be inclusive and accessible to minimise potential for discrimination or physical or digital divide regarding travel facilitation schemes. Furthermore, solutions should be tested for use with the same approach by all European border control staff in all conditions and BCPs.

The proposed solutions can include innovative technologies, innovative processes, innovative knowledge and/or a combination thereof. Solutions should include automated decision support systems suggesting to the end-users (border checks operators) which procedure, technology or database can be used without infringing rights of travellers. Solutions should also integrate and, if appropriate, further develop, biometric matching that minimises data shared (for example limiting to matching scores) to improve data protection.

Proposals are expected to address the priorities of the European Border and Coast Guard and of its Agency (Frontex) and of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA). This should start from the definition of requirements and the design phase of their work, including basing on the EBCG Capability Roadmap; and on the engagement with the Agencies during the implementation of the project. At the stage of proposal preparation, Frontex and eu-LISA will not provide any guidance on, or otherwise be involved in the preparation of, project proposals. Proposals should consider and foresee that Frontex and eu-LISA may observe pilots and demonstrations when the project will be implemented, with the aim of facilitating future uptake of innovations for the border, customs and coast guard community.

To ensure the active involvement of and timely feedback from relevant security practitioners, proposals should plan a mid-term deliverable consisting in the assessment of the project’s mid-term outcomes, performed by the practitioners involved in the project. Participation of Customs Authorities is welcome, depending on the particular scope of the proposal.

The general conditions include:
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible Countries described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other Eligible Conditions: Restrictions on control by Chinese entities in critical technology areas, restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, and the following additional eligibility criteria:
 * Active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Border or Coast Guard Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Applicants must fill in the table “Information about security practitioners” in the application form with all the requested information, following the template provided in the submission IT tool.
 * If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information is provided, with links to various standard application forms, evaluation forms, and guidance documents.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 (General Introduction, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, Research Infrastructures, Health, Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society, Civil Security for Society, Digital, Industry and Space, Climate, Energy and Mobility, Food, Bioeconomy, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment, European Innovation Ecosystems, Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area, Missions, New European Bauhaus Facility, Horizontal Activities, General Annexes), EIC Work Programme 2026, ERC Work Programme 2026, HE Programme Guide, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview lists all topics under the call, their respective budget, stage, opening date, deadline, contributions, and indicative number of grants. For HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-BM-02, the budget is 8,000,000 EUR, it is a single-stage application, the opening date is 06/05/2026, the deadline is 05/11/2026, and the indicative number of grants is 2 with around 4,000,000 EUR contributions.

There are 4 partner search announcements available. LEARs, Account Administrators or self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics. The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

There are no topic Q&As available. General FAQs are available.

Support is available through 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, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk, The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment, and Partner Search.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call aims to fund innovation actions that will develop and test solutions for more accessible, secure, and seamless travel and border crossing procedures. The focus is on creating solutions that are inclusive, minimise bias, and improve the overall experience for travellers and border control staff. The call encourages collaboration with relevant agencies like Frontex and eu-LISA, and requires the active involvement of Border or Coast Guard Authorities. The funding will be provided as a lump sum, and the application process is single-stage with a deadline in November 2026. This opportunity seeks to improve the fairness, efficiency, and security of European border management through innovative technologies and processes.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, based on the context of Horizon Europe and the nature of the call, eligible applicants could include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other relevant organizations involved in research and innovation related to civil security. The mandatory involvement of Border or Coast Guard Authorities suggests that governmental or public organizations are also eligible and, in fact, required.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the "Type of MGA: HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]" designation. Additionally, the budget overview mentions HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA), HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA), HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP), and HORIZON Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (HORIZON-PPI), all of which are types of grants or procurement mechanisms.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium. The text explicitly states: "This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Border or Coast Guard Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries." This indicates that a consortium of at least two entities, including the specified authorities, is necessary.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries, as indicated by the requirement for Border or Coast Guard Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. The text also mentions that "A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects," suggesting that some third countries may also be eligible.

Target Sector: The program targets the civil security sector, specifically focusing on border management, travel facilitation, and related technologies. This includes areas such as innovative technologies, automated border control, biometric matching, data protection, and the development of systems like the Entry-Exit System (EES) and the Electronic Travel and Information Authorisation System (ETIAS).

Mentioned Countries: The text refers to EU Member States and Associated Countries generally, without explicitly naming any specific country. China is mentioned in the context of restrictions on entities controlled by China.

Project Stage: The project stage is primarily focused on innovation actions, which involve development, testing, and piloting of solutions. The call aims to "develop and test solutions for advanced seamless travel and border crossing," indicating a focus on demonstration and validation stages, potentially leading to commercialization or uptake by border management agencies.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call. The budget overview lists different funding amounts for different types of actions:
HORIZON-IA: Typically between €4,500,000 and €12,000,000, with most around €4,000,000 to €6,000,000.
HORIZON-RIA: Typically between €3,000,000 and €9,000,000, with most around €3,000,000 to €4,000,000.
HORIZON-CSA: Around €1,330,000.
HORIZON-PCP: Around €5,830,000.
HORIZON-PPI: Around €2,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process, as indicated by "Deadline model: single-stage" and the planned opening and deadline dates.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant to cover eligible costs, as stated in section 6 of the general conditions.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage, as indicated by "Deadline model: single-stage".

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the text. However, the "Indicative number of grants" provides some insight, suggesting that for actions with a budget of €6,000,000, around 2 grants may be awarded, while for actions with a budget of €4,500,000, only 1 grant may be awarded. This implies that the success rates could be relatively low, depending on the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. However, Horizon Europe typically involves some level of co-funding, which may be detailed in the specific call documents or work program annexes.

Summary:
This Horizon Europe call, under the Civil Security for Society program, aims to fund innovation actions that develop and test solutions for advanced seamless travel and border crossing procedures. The call focuses on improving the efficiency, security, and accessibility of border management systems, while protecting fundamental rights and minimizing bias. Eligible applicants include consortia with at least two Border or Coast Guard Authorities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries, along with other organizations involved in research and innovation. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, with varying amounts depending on the type of action (Innovation Actions, Research and Innovation Actions, Coordination and Support Actions, Pre-commercial Procurement, and Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions). The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline of November 5, 2026. The call addresses the priorities of the European Border and Coast Guard, Frontex, and eu-LISA, and encourages the participation of Customs Authorities. The projects should include a mid-term deliverable assessing the project's outcomes, performed by involved practitioners. The call seeks to modernize and streamline border crossing procedures, making them fairer, more inclusive, and more efficient, while also enhancing security and data protection.