Enhanced resilience in multimodal passenger transport through digital technologies and generative and discriminative AI

The Horizon Europe call, titled "Enhanced resilience in multimodal passenger transport through digital technologies and generative and discriminative AI," targets enhancing the resilience of passenger transport systems through innovative digital and AI solutions. It is categorized as HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions) with a forthcoming opening date of June 4, 2026, and a deadline for submissions by October 8, 2026. The funding available is €10,000,000, distributed for two grants of €5,000,000 each.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of stakeholders such as research organizations, universities, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises, and public institutions, especially those engaged in transport, digital technology, and data analytics. The call encourages multidisciplinary consortia, requiring projects to demonstrate real-life applications across at least three different Member States and involving at least three transport modes.

The primary focus is on developing systems that utilize real-time data analytics to manage disruptions, predictive maintenance through AI, and training programs for operators. The anticipated results include significant reductions in passenger delays and improved responsiveness to transport disruptions.

This funding operates under a lump sum grant model, minimizing administrative burdens and facilitating easier financial planning. There is no explicit co-funding requirement, but substantial in-kind contributions from project partners are expected to support the implementation of complex multi-site demonstrations.

Applications will be submitted in a single stage. Following submission, proposals will undergo evaluation based on established criteria, with a typical success rate for similar calls estimated between 10% and 20%.

Overall, this initiative aligns with broader EU strategies to enhance transport resilience, sustainability, and efficiency, while fostering a collaborative environment among various stakeholders to innovate in the transport sector.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically under the BATTERIES and MOBILITY (HORIZON-CL5-2026-10) program. The call aims to enhance resilience in multimodal passenger transport through digital technologies, generative and discriminative AI. The type of action is HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] Model Grant Agreement. It follows a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 04 June 2026, and the deadline is 08 October 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this call are: Development of systems that utilize real-time data analytics to dynamically respond to disruptions, allowing transport and infrastructure operators to adjust operations swiftly and efficiently; Development of predictive maintenance strategies applying innovative Generative AI solutions and utilizing other digital technologies to anticipate and prevent infrastructure and equipment failures; Development of guidelines and tools to support passenger transport operators and authorities to ensure minimal disruption in unexpected and critical situations and organise real life emergency simulations; Deployment of training programme for transport and infrastructure operators on how to handle transport disruption, including tools and catalogue with contingency planning for specific transport disruptions; Reduction of average passenger delay at corridor level (at least 20%) during planned disruptions, compared to the baseline and of (at least 40%) time needed from the generation to the dissemination of a response plan to different stakeholders (e.g. transport operators, passengers, citizens) during unplanned and critical events, compared to the baseline.

The scope of the call focuses on enhancing the resilience of passenger transport systems, which are critical for connectivity, reducing congestion, and supporting environmental sustainability. Resilience in this context refers to the ability of a transport system to absorb disturbances, maintain its function, and recover quickly and cost-effectively. The call emphasizes the use of digital technologies, particularly generative and discriminative AI, to anticipate and predict disruptions, minimize their impact, and enable faster recovery.

Proposed actions should address the following aspects: Development and implementation of measures to enhance the resilience of urban, sub-urban and long-distance transport systems; Leveraging digital technologies (e.g. big data, digital twins) and in particular generative and discriminative AI for anticipating and predicting the evolution of disruptions and their impacts, with real-time planning and information systems for minimizing impact and enabling faster recovery; Use of innovative technologies for data acquisition and integrate data from various sources to inform decision-making and optimise strategies, and generate scenario libraries for different disruptive events and monitor the implementation of the response plans; Involve authorities and operators in the design process to create holistic solutions that are user-friendly and aligned with their needs; Conducting safety and security assessments in data interpretation, ensuring decisions are based on objective factors while avoiding biases; Test and validate the aspects above in real-life use cases in multimodal transport corridor within urban, sub-urban and long-distance passenger transport with minimum three transport modes per use cases (e.g. buses, metros, trams, trains, coaches, trolleybuses, ferries, share mobility) in at least three pilot sites situated in different Member States and reflecting a diversity of operational, geographic, and technological contexts.

Proposals are encouraged to build on results from previous calls on infrastructure and transport resilience, multimodal traffic management, shared mobility and public transport. They should also comply with existing EU framework and strategies and building upon the concepts and solutions developed in other Union initiatives aimed to facilitate data sharing in transport, such as the European mobility data space (EMDS). Particular efforts should be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of this topic is FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable).

General conditions for participation 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 available in the Submission System; 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 requiring the use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS for projects using satellite data, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes; Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes; Evaluation and award criteria, scoring, and thresholds described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes; 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 of the Work Programme General Annexes; Legal and financial set-up of the grants, including the granting authority's right to object to transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results up to 4 years after the action's end, as set out in 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 – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025) described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions state that no specific conditions apply.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information includes: Application form templates available in the Submission System (Standard application form HE RIA, IA); Evaluation form templates to be used with necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form HE RIA, IA); Guidance from the HE Programme Guide; Model Grant Agreements (MGA) using the Lump Sum MGA; Call-specific instructions including a Detailed budget table (HE LS) and Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?".

Additional documents to consult include: HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 1. General Introduction; HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 8. Climate, Energy and Mobility; HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027 – 15. General Annexes; 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; Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview provides the following information for the HORIZON-CL5-2026-10 call, with a single-stage process, opening on 2026-06-04 and a deadline of 2026-10-08: HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D2-03 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 100,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants; HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-01 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 100,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 1 grant; HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-02 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 4,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 1 grant; HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-03 - HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions with a budget of 13,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants; HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-06 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 20,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 3 grants; HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-07 - HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions with a budget of 4,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 1 grant; HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-09 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 12,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants; HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-10 - HORIZON-IA HORIZON Innovation Actions with a budget of 10,000,000 EUR and an indicative number of 2 grants.

There are partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests after logging into the Portal. The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header.

For support, applicants are encouraged to read all provisions carefully, consult the Online Manual and Horizon Europe Programme Guide, check the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, use the Research Enquiry Service, contact National Contact Points (NCPs) or the Enterprise Europe Network, and utilize the IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks. The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment should also be consulted. Partner Search tools are available to find partner organizations.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call focuses on enhancing the resilience of passenger transport systems through the application of digital technologies and AI. It seeks to develop innovative solutions that can predict, manage, and mitigate disruptions in multimodal transport, ultimately reducing passenger delays and improving the overall reliability and sustainability of transport networks across Europe. The call encourages collaborative projects involving diverse stakeholders, including transport operators, authorities, and technology providers, to test and validate solutions in real-world settings. The funding mechanism is based on lump sum grants, and detailed guidance is provided to support applicants throughout the proposal preparation and submission process.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the nature of Horizon Europe calls and the mention of various support networks, it can be inferred that eligible applicants may include: research organizations, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, and other relevant stakeholders involved in passenger transport and digital technologies. The mention of LEARs (Legal Entity Appointed Representatives) and Account Administrators suggests that registered legal entities are eligible.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, as indicated by the type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) being a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS]. There are also HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, the call encourages testing and validation in real-life use cases in multimodal transport corridors with a minimum of three transport modes per use cases in at least three pilot sites situated in different Member States, suggesting that a consortium of multiple applicants is highly encouraged, if not required, to cover the necessary expertise and geographical diversity. Partner search announcements are available.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility appears to be focused on EU Member States, as the call requires pilot sites to be situated in different Member States. However, the mention of non-EU/non-Associated Countries having specific provisions for funding suggests that entities from those countries may also be eligible, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The primary target sectors are passenger transport, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence (AI). Specifically, the call targets: urban, sub-urban, and long-distance passenger transport systems, multimodal traffic management, infrastructure and transport resilience, shared mobility, public transport, big data, digital twins, generative AI, and discriminative AI.

Mentioned Countries: The text mentions "different Member States," implying the European Union member states. It also refers to "non-EU/non-Associated Countries" without specifying which ones.

Project Stage: The project stage is geared towards innovation actions, testing, and validation in real-life use cases, indicating that the projects should be at the demonstration and validation stages, with a focus on implementation and deployment.

Funding Amount: The budget overview provides specific funding amounts for different topics within the call:
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D2-03: EUR 100,000,000
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-01: EUR 100,000,000
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-02: EUR 4,000,000
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-03: EUR 13,000,000
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-06: EUR 20,000,000
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-07: EUR 4,000,000
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-09: EUR 12,000,000
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-10: EUR 10,000,000
These amounts represent the total budget allocated to each topic, with the "Indicative number of grants" suggesting the expected number of projects to be funded under each topic.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates can be roughly estimated based on the "Indicative number of grants" provided for each topic. For example, HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-10 with a budget of EUR 10,000,000 aims to fund around 2 projects. The actual success rate would depend on the number of applications received, which is not specified in the text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement. As Horizon Europe grants often fund a significant portion of project costs, it is possible that co-funding is not mandatory, but it could strengthen a proposal.

Summary:
This Horizon Europe call, under the BATTERIES and MOBILITY theme (HORIZON-CL5-2026-10), focuses on enhancing the resilience of multimodal passenger transport systems through the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. The call aims to develop innovative solutions that enable transport systems to better absorb disturbances, maintain essential functions, and recover quickly from disruptions. The projects should develop systems for real-time data analytics, predictive maintenance using AI, guidelines for handling disruptions, and training programs for transport operators. A key requirement is the validation of these solutions in real-life use cases across at least three pilot sites in different EU Member States, involving a minimum of three transport modes. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the call is structured around a single-stage application process. While primarily targeting entities within EU Member States, the call also allows for participation from non-EU/non-Associated Countries under specific conditions. The call encourages collaborative projects involving various stakeholders, including authorities, operators, and technology providers, to create holistic and user-friendly solutions that contribute to a more sustainable, smart, and resilient passenger transport system.