Crime prevention approaches, online and off-line, tackling the nexus between addictions and crime

The grant opportunity titled HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-FCT-04 focuses on developing crime prevention approaches related to the nexus between addictions and criminal behavior. This initiative falls under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting research and innovation actions. The grant aims to fund projects that explore the complex relationships between various forms of addiction—such as drugs, alcohol, and gambling—and crime. It encourages innovative methodologies and tools for both online and offline prevention strategies, with an emphasis on evidence-based solutions.

The total budget for this opportunity is €6,000,000, intended to fund two projects, each expected to receive around €3,000,000. The call for proposals will open on May 6, 2026, with a submission deadline of November 5, 2026. Applications are to be submitted in a single-stage process.

Eligible applicants must form multi-national consortia comprising at least two police authorities and two civil society organizations from a minimum of three different EU Member States or Associated Countries. It's essential that these bodies play active roles in the projects, ensuring that the solutions developed have practical applications in real-world scenarios. Additional eligible participants may include research institutions and organizations with expertise in social sciences and humanities. The incorporation of a gender-sensitive approach is also a requirement.

The projects will address community safety, resilience, and modernized approaches to law enforcement, focusing particularly on the prevention of addiction-driven crime. Successful proposals will need to demonstrate strong collaboration and coordination among various stakeholders and outline plans for future scalability and implementation across EU levels.

The evaluation process will check the admissibility and eligibility of proposals in a single assessment round. Success rates are not explicitly stated but are estimated to be competitive given the funding structure and limited number of projects available for support. While co-funding is not explicitly required, applicants are encouraged to demonstrate commitment through in-kind contributions or additional resources.

This funding opportunity is distinguished by its aim to integrate social sciences research with technological development, facilitating a comprehensive understanding of the addiction-crime connection. The ultimate goal is to enhance community resilience against crime and improve the effectiveness of criminal justice responses to addiction-related offenses within the EU framework.

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-FCT-04, titled "Crime prevention approaches, online and off-line, tackling the nexus between addictions and crime". It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) 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 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the project are: Improved understanding of links between addictions and crime, including drivers of criminality; Innovative and effective solutions, including training curricula, for Police Authorities in Europe and relevant Civil Society Organisations (or Non-Governmental Organisations) to prevent addictions and related crimes, with a special attention to young people at risk; Evidence-based support to modernising European criminal justice system’s approach when dealing with addiction-related offenses; Novel approaches of collaboration between different stakeholders, primarily Police Authorities in Europe and Civil Society Organisations (or Non-Governmental Organisations), to increase communities’ addiction resilience, security and safety.

The scope of the project is to analyse the specific nexus between addictions (gambling, drug or alcohol use) and crime, developing modern methodologies and tools for prevention both offline and online, while respecting fundamental rights and using non-stigmatising language. It encourages novel approaches of collaboration between different community stakeholders, from Police Authorities, civil society, national and local entities, private actors, trained psychologists, to increase communities’ addiction resilience, security and safety. The work should emphasize young people at risk, the criminal justice system, drivers of criminality and pathways from petty crime to organised crime, combining social research with technological development and applications.

The project requires the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts and institutions. Incorporating a gender-sensitive approach is also required. Proposals should outline plans for future uptake and upscaling at national and EU level and consider previous research. Coordination among successful proposals is encouraged. Engagement with the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and cooperation with CEPOL (if it opts out from applying for funding) are expected. Proposals should address all applicable considerations expressed in the Introduction of the Fighting Crime and Terrorism Destination.

The general conditions include: 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); 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); Other Eligible Conditions (active involvement of at least 2 Police Authorities and 2 Civil Society Organisations from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries, use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS if projects use satellite-based earth observation); Financial and operational capacity and exclusion (described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes); Evaluation and award (award criteria, scoring and thresholds described in Annex D, submission and evaluation processes described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual, indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in Annex F); Legal and financial set-up of the grants (granting authority may object to transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results up to 4 years after the end of the action, eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021, described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes).

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 standard application forms, evaluation form templates, HE Programme Guide, Model Grant Agreements (HE MGA, HE Unit MGA, Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, Framework Partnership Agreement FPA), call-specific instructions, detailed budget table (HE LS), information on financial support to third parties (HE), information on clinical studies (HE), and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 (General Introduction, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), 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 (EIE), Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area, Missions, New European Bauhaus Facility (NEB), 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 various topics under the call, including HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-FCT-04, which has a budget of 6 000 000 EUR, is a single-stage action, opens on 06/05/2026, closes on 05/11/2026, and has an indicative number of 2 grants with contributions around 3000000 EUR.

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

This funding opportunity focuses on addressing the complex relationship between addictions and crime within the Horizon Europe program. It seeks to fund projects that can develop innovative methodologies and tools for preventing both addictions and related criminal activities, both online and offline. The program emphasizes collaboration between police authorities, civil society organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to build community resilience and improve the criminal justice system's response to addiction-related offenses. The projects should incorporate social sciences, humanities, and a gender-sensitive approach to ensure effective and inclusive interventions. The ultimate goal is to create evidence-based solutions that can be scaled up at the national and EU levels, contributing to safer and more secure communities.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types for this opportunity include Police Authorities (defined as public authorities explicitly designated by national law for the prevention, detection, and/or investigation of terrorist offences or other criminal offences, specifically excluding police academies, forensic institutes, training facilities, as well as border and customs authorities) and Civil Society Organisations (or Non-Governmental Organisations). The active involvement of at least 2 Police Authorities and at least 2 Civil Society Organisations is required. Other stakeholders mentioned include national and local entities, private actors, and trained psychologists.

Funding Type: The funding type for this opportunity is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA). Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum. There are also HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA), HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA), HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP), and HORIZON Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (HORIZON-PPI)

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The call specifically mandates the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Police Authorities and at least 2 Civil Society Organisations (or Non-Governmental Organisations) from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. 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.

Target Sector: The target sectors for this program include civil security, crime prevention, social sciences, humanities, health (specifically addiction-related issues), and technology development. It focuses on the nexus between addictions and crime, aiming to develop methodologies and tools for prevention.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States and Associated Countries as regions from which eligible applicants must originate. It also refers to non-EU/non-Associated Countries with specific funding provisions.

Project Stage: The project stage is geared towards research and innovation actions, suggesting a focus on development, validation, and demonstration of methodologies and tools. The call also mentions innovation actions, pre-commercial procurement, and public procurement of innovative solutions, indicating a range of project maturities from development to deployment.

Funding Amount: The funding amount varies depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €1,330,000 for Coordination and Support Actions to €12,000,000 for Innovation Actions. For the specific topic HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-FCT-04, the budget is €6,000,000, with an indicative number of 2 grants to be awarded, implying an average grant size of around €3,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, meaning that applicants submit a full proposal at once.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant to cover eligible costs.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage, where applicants submit a complete proposal for evaluation.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the competition level. For HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-FCT-04, with an indicative number of 2 grants, the success rate is likely to be below 10%, depending on the number of proposals received.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement. Given that eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum, co-funding is unlikely but should be verified in the specific call documents.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, specifically topic HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-FCT-04, focuses on "Crime prevention approaches, online and off-line, tackling the nexus between addictions and crime." It aims to fund research and innovation actions that improve the understanding of the relationship between addictions (such as gambling, drug, or alcohol use) and crime, and to develop modern methodologies and tools for preventing both. The call requires a consortium of applicants, including at least two Police Authorities and two Civil Society Organisations from at least three different EU Member States or Associated Countries. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the projects should contribute to increased community resilience, security, and safety, with a particular emphasis on young people at risk and the modernization of the criminal justice system. The call encourages collaboration with the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) and CEPOL, and proposals should consider the broader context of fighting crime and terrorism. The planned opening date for submissions is May 6, 2026, with a deadline of November 5, 2026. The total budget for this specific topic is 6,000,000 EUR, with an expected two grants to be awarded.