Enhancing the security of citizens against terrorism and lone-actor violence in confined spaces such as schools

The HORIZON-CL3 is a forthcoming EU funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe program aimed at enhancing the security of citizens against terrorism and lone-actor violence in confined spaces like schools and public buildings. The call was designed to respond to pressing security challenges in Europe, specifically targeting the prevention of terrorism and radicalization in various public settings, including schools and places of worship. Eligible applicants for this grant must form a consortium that includes at least three Police Authorities from different EU Member States or associated countries and at least two Civil Society Organizations or NGOs from the same geographic representation. Additionally, the consortium must feature a blend of technical experts, social scientists, psychologists, and security practitioners to foster multidisciplinary approaches to the problem. The funding type is categorized as a lump sum grant, structured under the Horizon Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA), allowing a fixed amount to be granted regardless of actual costs incurred. This opportunity offers an expected grant amount of €4,835,000 per project with a total budget of approximately €9,670,000 allocated for two grants. Applications are a single-stage process, opening on May 6, 2026, with a deadline of November 5, 2026. Projects should focus on developing methodologies and actionable solutions for early detection of radicalization, enhancing cooperation between Police Authorities and institutional staff, and ensuring that the solutions are affordable and practical for public institutions. Activities should combine social research with technology to craft comprehensive and effective prevention strategies. The importance of involving social sciences and humanities experts is emphasized throughout the project scope. While specific success rates were not disclosed, similar Horizon Europe opportunities typically exhibit success rates ranging from 10% to 39%, indicating moderately competitive conditions. Notably, co-funding is not a formal requirement, but leveraging synergies with other EU funding programs and contributions from consortium members is encouraged. Overall, this grant seeks to develop innovative solutions that improve safety in public spaces while respecting rights and fostering inclusivity in tackling violence and terrorism. The focus is on collaboration amongst various stakeholders to ensure comprehensive and effective strategies are put in place across Europe.

This EU funding opportunity, under the Horizon Europe program, aims to enhance the security of citizens against terrorism and lone-actor violence in confined spaces such as schools, places of worship, and public administration buildings. The call, titled HORIZON-CL3, falls under the Civil Security for Society 2026 call and seeks to provide solutions for ensuring civil security while respecting fundamental rights.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this topic include:

Increased understanding among policymakers and security practitioners regarding terrorism and lone-actor violence in confined spaces within the European context.

Prevention of terrorist and lone-actor attacks through early detection and tackling of isolation and radicalization, fostering a secure and inclusive environment.

Provision of state-of-the-art security measures for European schools and other confined public spaces.

Improved cooperation between European Police Authorities and relevant staff in schools and public administration.

The scope of the projects should involve:

Analyzing the phenomenon of terrorism and lone-actor violence in the European context.

Developing methodologies for detecting and tackling early signs of terrorist threats, isolation, and radicalization, considering social and cultural factors like gender roles and stereotypes.

Creating awareness programs and training for relevant staff, ensuring inclusivity and effectiveness for diverse groups.

Improving cooperation between staff and Police Authorities.

Developing affordable solutions for public schools and similar structures with limited funding.

Consortia should involve Police Authorities, security practitioners, Civil Society Organizations, Non-Governmental Organisations, IT specialists, psychologists, and sociologists.

A mid-term deliverable should consist of an assessment of the project’s mid-term outcomes by the practitioners involved.

Activities should combine social research with technological development and applications.

The call emphasizes the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines, experts, and institutions to enhance the societal impact of research activities.

Proposals should outline plans for future uptake and upscaling at national and EU levels and build on outcomes from previous EU-funded projects, such as HORIZON-CL3-2024-FCT-01-04 and HORIZON-CL2-2025-01-DEMOCRACY-05, avoiding duplication of research. Projects concerning drug-related issues are expected to engage with the EU Drugs Agency. Coordination among successful proposals is encouraged to avoid duplication and exploit complementarities. Proposals should also address considerations in the Introduction of the Fighting Crime and Terrorism Destination.

The general conditions for this funding opportunity include:

Admissibility Conditions:Proposal page limits and layout as described in Annex A, Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.

Eligible Countries:As 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, as beneficiaries, of at least 3 Police Authorities and at least 2 Civil Society Organisations (or Non-Governmental Organisations) from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Applicants must provide information about security practitioners in the application form. Projects using satellite data must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion:As described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award:Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes are 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:The granting authority may object to a transfer of ownership or exclusive licensing of results up to 4 years after the action's end. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme and Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application forms and model grant agreements are available in the Submission System, including standard application forms for HE RIA, IA, CSA, RI, PCP, PPI, COFUND, FPA, MSCA PF/DN/SE/COFUND, ERC STG/COG/ADG/POC/SYG, EIC PATHFINDER CHALLENGES/OPEN/TRANSITION/STEP, and EIC Accelerator.

Evaluation form templates will be used with necessary adaptations, including standard evaluation forms for HE RIA/IA, CSA, PCP/PPI, COFUND, FPA, MSCA, and EIC PATHFINDER/TRANSITION/Accelerator.

Guidance documents include the 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, information on clinical studies, and guidance on lump sums.

Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, EIC Work Programme 2026, ERC Work Programme 2026, HE Framework Programme 2021/695, HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Terms and Conditions, and Privacy Statement.

The budget overview for the call in 2026 includes various topics with their respective budget, stages, opening date, deadline, contributions, and indicative number of grants. The HORIZON-CL3 topic, which is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA), has a budget of €9,670,000, is a single-stage application, opens on 06 May 2026, closes on 05 November 2026, and aims to award around 2 grants with contributions of around €4,835,000 each.

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

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

This funding opportunity seeks to address the growing threat of terrorism and lone-actor violence in confined public spaces by fostering innovative solutions that combine social research and technological advancements. It aims to improve the safety and security of citizens in these vulnerable locations while upholding fundamental rights and promoting inclusivity. The EU is looking for collaborative projects that involve a diverse range of stakeholders, including law enforcement, civil society organizations, and experts from various fields, to develop and implement effective strategies for preventing and responding to such threats. The emphasis on affordability and scalability ensures that the solutions developed can be widely adopted and sustained across Europe.

Eligible Applicant Types:The call targets consortia involving Police Authorities, relevant security practitioners, Civil Society Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations, IT specialists, psychologists, and sociologists. The eligibility criteria also specify that the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 3 Police Authorities and at least 2 Civil Society Organisations (or Non-Governmental Organisations) from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries is required.

Funding Type:The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) funding scheme. Other types of actions are also mentioned in the budget overview, such as 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).

Consortium Requirement:The call requires a consortium of multiple applicants. Proposals are specifically invited from consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. The additional eligibility criteria specify that the Police Authorities and Civil Society Organisations must be from at least 3 different EU Member States or 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 program targets the civil security sector, specifically focusing on fighting crime and terrorism. It also involves aspects of education (schools), public administration, social sciences, and technology development.

Mentioned Countries:The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States and Associated Countries as eligible regions. It also mentions non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects.

Project Stage:The project stage is innovation action, which implies a focus on demonstration and validation of solutions, moving beyond research to practical application.

Funding Amount:The budget overview lists various topics with different budget allocations. For the specific topic HORIZON-CL3, the budget is €9,670,000, with an indicative grant amount of around €4,835,000 and an indicative number of 2 grants. Other topics listed have budgets ranging from €1,330,000 to €12,000,000.

Application Type:The application type is a single-stage call, as indicated by the "single-stage" deadline model.

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

Application Stages:The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential success rate, which is not possible to calculate without knowing the number of applications.

Co-funding Requirement:The need for co-funding is not explicitly stated, but Horizon Europe actions typically fund a percentage of the total eligible costs, implying that co-funding might be necessary.

Summary:This Horizon Europe call, under the Civil Security for Society 2026 program, aims to enhance the security of citizens in confined spaces like schools against terrorism and lone-actor violence. It seeks proposals from consortia involving Police Authorities, Civil Society Organisations, and experts from various fields, including IT, psychology, and sociology. The projects should develop and implement solutions that prevent attacks, detect early signs of radicalization, raise awareness, and improve cooperation between staff and police. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the geographic scope includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. The call emphasizes the importance of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and requires the active involvement of Police Authorities and Civil Society Organisations from multiple EU Member States or Associated Countries. The call is a single-stage application process. The overall goal is to create safer and more inclusive environments in public spaces by combining social research with technological advancements.