Ensuring comprehensive geographical coverage of the Network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs)

Call DIGITAL-2026 under the Digital Europe Programme funds the establishment of national Safer Internet Centres to expand EU geographical coverage and protect and empower children online. The topic budget is €10,000,000 with a funding rate of 50% and maximum grants of €1,175,000 (large countries), €750,000 (medium), and €450,000 (small), for projects up to 18 months. Eligible applicants are legal entities (NGOs, government bodies/agencies and/or private sector organisations) established in eligible countries; only one SIC will be co-funded per country and each SIC must provide at minimum an awareness centre, a helpline, preferably a hotline, and a youth panel. Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 01 October 2026 (17:00 Brussels time); evaluation is planned October–December 2026 with results expected January 2027.

Ensuring comprehensive geographical coverage of the Network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs)

Call: DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10-NETWORKSICs — Accelerating Best Use of Technologies

Deadline: 01 October 2026 (17:00 Brussels time)

What it funds: national Safer Internet Centres (SICs) that provide the four core SIC services (awareness centre, helpline, hotline and youth panel) and activities to protect and empower children online, including support to vulnerable groups, monitoring emerging online risks, cooperation with law enforcement and platform engagement. Only one SIC will be co-funded per eligible country; preference is given to SICs that did not receive funding under DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-08-NETWORKSICs.

Who can apply:Consortia forming a national Safer Internet Centre composed of one or more NGOs, government bodies/agencies and/or private sector organisations established in eligible countries (EU Member States and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme). Applicants must register in the Participant Register and meet standard eligibility, financial and operational capacity rules.

1. 1Awareness centre producing age-appropriate, localised resources and campaigns
2. 2Helpline offering advice and support to children, parents and professionals (close cooperation with national Child Helpline 116111 expected)
3. 3Hotline to receive, analyse and process reports of suspected online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), cooperating with INHOPE/ICCAM and law enforcement
4. 4Youth panel to engage children from diverse backgrounds in regular participation activities

Type of action and duration: DIGITAL Simple Grants (budget-based). Projects may run up to 18 months; consortia must deliver mandatory periodic reports and specific deliverables (communication plans, helpline/hotline reports, youth panel and awareness outputs).

Funding available:Topic budget: €10,000,000 for DIGITAL-2026 within a total call budget of €24,400,000. Maximum grant per SIC varies by country size: €1,175,000 for large countries (>€20Mpopulation), €750,000 for medium (€6M–€20M), €450,000 for small (<€6M). Funding rate: 50% of eligible costs. ¹

How to apply: submit a single-stage proposal via the Funding & Tenders Portal using the DEP application form (Part A online; Part B PDF + annexes). Proposals are evaluated on relevance, implementation and impact; minimum thresholds apply. Read the full Call Document and annexes on the Portal before preparing your application.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call document, topic fiche and application templates: Call DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10 topic page.

Ensuring comprehensive geographical coverage of the Network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs) - Call DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10-NETWORKSICs

Call identity and administrative overview

Call identifier: DIGITAL-2026. Call title: Ensuring comprehensive geographical coverage of the Network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs). Work programme / programme: Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) – Accelerating Best Use of Technologies. Type of action: DIGITAL Simple Grants (Simple Grants). Type of Model Grant Agreement: DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based (DIGITAL-AG). Planned opening date: 21 April 2026. Deadline (single-stage): 1 October 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Estimated topic budget: €10,000,000. Overall call budget across topics: €24,400,000. Indicative number of grants for the call: 115 across related topics; topic-specific budget and expected number of SIC grants to be allocated within €10,000,000 subject to evaluation and geography.

Objective, scope and required SIC services

Objective: to contribute to protection and empowerment of children online by ensuring comprehensive geographical coverage of the national Safer Internet Centres (SICs) network across eligible countries, prioritising countries that were not funded under DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-08-NETWORKSICs. Only one SIC may be co-funded per eligible country.

Required minimum composition and four core elements: Each awarded SIC (consortium) must provide at minimum the following four elements: an Awareness Centre, a Helpline, a Hotline (preferably), and a Youth Panel. SICs may be single organisations or consortia composed of NGOs, government bodies/agencies and/or private sector organisations. The work must support children under 18, families, teachers/educators and other professionals working with children, and strengthen inclusion of vulnerable groups.

1. 1Awareness Centre: produce and promote localised age-appropriate resources and campaigns addressing known and emerging risks and opportunities for children. Resources to include a mix of online and offline materials, training modules (MOOCs) for teachers, and actions to reach children in vulnerable situations.
2. 2Helpline: provide confidential advice and support to children and adults regarding children's use of digital technologies, cyberbullying, mental-health related issues, and to strengthen support to victims of cyberbullying. Close cooperation with the national Child Helpline 116111 is required. Consider 24/7 coverage models and uptake/customisation of the Commission-supported online safety app.
3. 3Hotline: operate a hotline to receive, analyse and process public reports of suspected online child sexual abuse material (CSAM), cooperating with law enforcement, INHOPE network and ICCAM infrastructure, and implementing notice-and-takedown and proactive monitoring where legally possible. If a hotline is not included, the proposal must justify absence.
4. 4Youth Panel: organise regular youth participation activities, ensuring geographic balance, turnover and open selection. Engage youth from different demographic groups and gather inputs for awareness, policy and DSA enforcement support.

Target activities and additional expected functions

SICs must address known risks (harmful/illegal content, cyberbullying, sexual extortion, addictive design, disinformation, age-inappropriate content), emerging risks (new apps, games, AI, generative AI including AI-generated pornographic and violent content, VR/AR/XR, IoT), consumer risks (nudge-to-spend, aggressive marketing, loot boxes), and mental/physical health impacts (self-harm, eating disorders, screen addiction). They must support monitoring and reporting through the BIK platform, promote teacher MOOCs, expand BIK Youth Ambassadors, act as a one-stop-shop for reliable, age-appropriate information, provide digital literacy and train parents/carers and professionals, and cooperate with platforms including as trusted flaggers under the DSA where applicable.

KPIs and minimum aggregated targets:The call sets minimum EU-wide aggregated KPI targets per year across all EU co-funded SICs: at least 1,100 new/updated online resources uploaded; at least 500,000 people reached through events and training; at least 20% of awareness activities target children in vulnerable situations; at least 1,250 active youth participants with a turnover ≥ 30% per year; at least 65,000 helpline requests handled; at least 350,000 hotline reports received; minimum 500 participants per SIC for certain surveys (e.g. on DSA measures). Proposals must define relevant KPIs and measurement methods, and include periodic reporting conforming to BIK platform formats.

Eligibility and applicant types

Eligible applicants: legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries (EU Member States and countries associated to Digital Europe Programme where association is in force). Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed persons where the company has no separate legal personality. International organisations are eligible only if they qualify as International Organisations of European Interest per the Digital Europe Regulation. Associations and groupings can participate as sole beneficiaries or beneficiaries without legal personality under specific conditions. EU bodies (except the JRC) are not eligible as beneficiaries. Entities must be registered in the Participant Register and undergo legal entity validation (PIC and REA validation).

Eligible applicant types expected to apply for a SIC: NGOs, non-profit organisations, government bodies/agencies, municipal/regional authorities, universities (for awareness or research components), research institutes, private sector organisations (e.g. ICT platform intermediaries, helpline/hotline service providers), and public-private consortia. SIC consortia can include affiliated entities and associated partners as defined in the Model Grant Agreement. Only one SIC will be co-funded per eligible country.

Funding type, funding rate and maximum grant amounts per country size

Funding type: Simple Grants – budget-based mixed actual cost grants (actual costs with unit cost and flat-rate elements where applicable). Funding rate: 50% of eligible costs (Simple Grants funding rate for this topic). Maximum grant amounts are differentiated by population size of the country (Eurostat population reference 1 January 2025):

The awarded grant may be lower than the requested amount. Grants must respect the no-profit rule: any profit (surplus of revenues plus EU grant over costs) must be declared and deducted from the final grant amount.

Consortium requirement and geographic scope

Consortium requirement: This topic accepts single-beneficiary submissions where appropriate (Safer Internet Centres may be single organisations). Multi-beneficiary consortia are possible if the SIC is composed of multiple organisations, but only one SIC per eligible country may be funded. SICs can be composed of one or more NGOs, government bodies/agencies and/or private sector organisations acting together as the national SIC.

Beneficiary scope (geographic eligibility): Eligible countries are EU Member States and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme as listed in the Call document and the Participant Register. The call targets countries that were not funded under DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-08-NETWORKSICs; proposals should come from eligible countries not previously funded under that prior SIC call. The SICs are national-level operations (one per eligible country).

Project maturity and expected stage

Project stage and expected maturity: Implementation and service-delivery stage. Applicants must demonstrate operational readiness to provide helpline and hotline services, awareness and outreach programmes, youth engagement structures and reporting systems compatible with INHOPE/ICCAM and BIK platform reporting. Proposals must include operational plans, staffing and evidence of capacity to run helpline/hotline services, youth participation activities, monitoring and communication strategies.

Budget overview, schedule and payment model

Topic budget: €10,000,000 allocated to the NETWORKSICs topic. Call opening: 21 April 2026. Submission deadline: 1 October 2026. Evaluation period: October–December 2026. Information on evaluation results: January 2027. Expected grant agreement signature: June 2027. Project duration for successful SIC grants: up to 18 months unless otherwise justified and agreed.

Payments and reporting: Single-stage submission. Reporting follows the Model Grant Agreement: continuous reporting using the Funding & Tenders Portal Continuous Reporting tool, periodic reporting (technical and financial parts) and final reporting. For Simple Grants under this topic there will be no interim payments; prefinancing arrangements will be defined at grant preparation. Payments to the coordinator account; coordinator distributes funds to beneficiaries without undue delay. Standard late-payment interest and EU payment conditions apply. See Data Sheet in the Model Grant Agreement for exact schedules.

Application modality and templates

Application type: open single-stage call for proposals. Submission channel: electronic submission only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. Paper submissions are not accepted. Applicants must register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC before submission. Use the Portal Application Form (DEP) consisting of Part A (online administrative sections) and Part B (technical description uploaded as PDF with annexes).

Application template and structure (what to prepare):Use the Standard DEP Application Form. Part A is completed online in the Portal. Part B (technical) must follow the DEP template: cover page, project summary, sections covering Relevance, Implementation, Impact, detailed Work Plan with Work Packages, budget details (Annex 2 is generated by Portal), ethics and security sections, declarations and annexes. Maximum Part B length: 70 pages. Font: Arial minimum 9pt; A4 margins ≥ 15mm. Required annexes: depending on topic; for NETWORKSICs include organisational descriptions, evidence of legal status, proof of mandate to act for the applicant(s), and any mandatory documents listed in the call (see Submission System).

1. 1Part A online: administrative data, participant PICs, declarations, coordinator and contacts.
2. 2Part B PDF: technical proposal addressing the award criteria (Relevance, Implementation, Impact) and following the DEP structure (objectives & activities; contribution to policies; maturity; implementation plan; dissemination and KPIs; work packages; risk management; resources).
3. 3Annexes: legal entity validation documents (to be provided at grant preparation), bank details for coordinator, any supporting documents requested in the call (see Annex list on the Portal topic page).

Admissibility: Part B must not exceed 70 pages; excess pages will be disregarded. Applicants must confirm consent of all participants and sign the declaration of honour in Part A. At grant preparation beneficiaries will provide legal and financial documents for validation.

Award criteria, scoring, thresholds and evaluation

Award criteria: Relevance, Implementation, Impact. Scoring: each criterion scored 0–5 with minimum thresholds per criterion = 3 and overall threshold = 10 out of 15. Proposals passing thresholds will be ranked. Tie-breaking prioritisation rules include thematic coverage, higher Relevance score, then Impact and Implementation, and other portfolio-level considerations to ensure balanced geographical and thematic coverage. Evaluation process: admissibility and eligibility checks, evaluation by independent experts, panel ranking, reserve list. Invitations to grant preparation do not constitute a formal commitment to funding until legal checks (entity validation, financial capacity, exclusion checks) and grant signature are completed.

Evaluation and award timeline

Planned evaluation: October–December 2026. Notification of evaluation results: January 2027. Grant preparation and signature: targeted June 2027. Applicants are informed by the Portal and receive evaluation letters. If you disagree with the evaluation procedure, complaint procedures are detailed in the evaluation result letter.

Financial and operational capacity, exclusion and audits

Financial capacity: beneficiaries must have stable and sufficient resources to implement the project and contribute their share. Financial capacity checks are performed at grant preparation using financial statements, P&L, balance sheet and other documents. Operational capacity: applicants must demonstrate relevant experience and resources (staff, technical infrastructure) to deliver helpline/hotline/awareness services. Exclusion: EU exclusion decisions or grounds under the EU Financial Regulation will bar participation. Ethics and security: projects must comply with ethical standards, data protection (GDPR), and, where applicable, security rules for classified information. The granting authority and EU bodies (OLAF, EPPO, ECA) have audit and control rights; beneficiaries must keep records for the retention period in the Data Sheet and make them available for checks and audits.

Co-funding, revenues and no-double-funding

Co-funding: the topic funding rate is 50% of eligible costs. Applicants must provide the non-EU funded share from other sources (own resources, third-party contributions, fees, etc.). Revenues generated by the action must be declared and may reduce the final grant if they produce profit. Double funding is prohibited: costs declared here cannot be financed by another EU grant for the same period and same costs. Where the SIC provides services partially financed by other EU or national programmes, applicants must clearly separate costs and accounting streams.

Deliverables and mandatory reporting items for NETWORKSICs

1. 1National communication and dissemination plan for awareness, helpline and hotline (with KPIs).
2. 2Periodic helpline report (statistics, trends, impact; data feed to BIK platform).
3. 3Periodic hotline report (statistics, report-handling metrics, takedown monitoring; ICCAM compatibility).
4. 4Annual awareness-raising report (impact evaluation and KPI reporting).
5. 5Annual report on emerging trends related to CSEM including AI-generated material.
6. 6Annual Youth Panel report and summary of youth participation activities.
7. 7Safer Internet Day report and national activities summary.
8. 8Submission of SIC best practices (annual).
9. 9Long-term financial sustainability plan.
10. 10Annual report on support activities to DSA implementation and cooperation with DSCs where applicable.

Deliverables must be uploaded in the Portal by the due months committed in the proposal. SICs funded under this call are expected to join the Insafe network and INHOPE where applicable and contribute to EU-level early-warning groups and DSA enforcement data collection tasks.

Assessment of risks and sustainability

Applicants must present a risk register with likelihood and impact, and mitigation measures covering operational continuity of helpline/hotline services, data protection incidents, legal and jurisdictional constraints on take-down procedures, cooperation with law enforcement, and sustainability risks (funding beyond the grant). A long-term financial sustainability plan is a mandatory deliverable. Proposals should describe the business model to ensure continuity of helpline/hotline operations after project end.

Specific technical, legal and data requirements for helplines and hotlines

Hotline services must be compatible with ICCAM technical infrastructure and INHOPE best practices for CSAM reporting and takedown workflows. Hotline operations must include preliminary legality assessment and automated or semi-automated processing where legally feasible, and procedures for systematic notice to hosting providers and cooperation with law enforcement where appropriate. Helplines must define confidentiality, safeguarding and referral pathways (including links with national Child Helpline 116111) and consider secure storage and transmission of evidence, user consent, and mental-health referral processes. Data collection and regular reporting must align with BIK platform requirements and DSA enforcement data needs.

Application support, documentation and where to apply

All application documents, the Call document, DEP Application Form templates, the Model Grant Agreement (DEP MGA), and annexes are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page. Applicants must submit via the Portal Submission System only. Help resources: Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Topic Q&As on the Portal topic page, IT Helpdesk for submission technical issues, and the call contact email/address provided on the topic page for call-specific inquiries.

Deadlines and timelines:Planned opening date 21 April 2026. Application deadline 1 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Evaluation October–December 2026. Information on results January 2027. Expected grant agreement signature June 2027 ¹.

Success rates and stages

Application stages: single-stage submission and one-step evaluation. Post-evaluation there is grant preparation including legal checks (entity validation, financial capacity, exclusion checks) and negotiation of the Grant Agreement. Number of formal selection stages: 1 (submission and evaluation), followed by grant preparation steps. Success rates: not published for this specific topic; success depends on score thresholds (minimum 10/15 overall with minimum 3/5 per criterion) and available budget. Given the limited budget and one-SIC-per-country rule, competition may be strong; applicants from countries not previously funded under DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-08-NETWORKSICs are explicitly prioritised.

Co-funding and recipients' obligations if financial support to third parties is used

This topic does not primarily use cascading grants for NETWORKSICs. Where financial support to third parties is allowed in other topics of the same call (e.g. EHDS topic), specific rules apply. For NETWORKSICs the standard Simple Grant rules apply: 50% funding rate and beneficiaries must declare co-financing sources. Recipients of any financial support within the consortium (e.g. subcontracted service providers) are subject to the Grant Agreement obligations and audits as applicable.

Templates and application form structure guidance

Primary application templates and structure: use the DEP Application Form (Part A online; Part B PDF). Part B must address: Relevance (alignment with call objectives, uptake by national actors, inclusion of vulnerable groups, DSA/BIK/INHOPE/ICCAM compatibility), Implementation (maturity, operational plan, staff profiles, work packages, helpline/hotline operational model, youth panel organisation, subcontracting strategy, monitoring & evaluation, quality assurance), Impact (KPIs, dissemination & communication plan, sustainability and financial plan). Include a Work Plan with Work Packages, deliverables and milestones, staff effort per participant, detailed justification for major purchases and equipment, and risk management table. Attach mandatory annexes required in the Submission System (legal entity documents at grant preparation, consortium agreement if applicable).

1. 1Part A: Portal fields to fill: proposal title, acronym, duration, coordinator and participant PICs, declarations, legal entity and bank details (when required).
2. 2Part B: Follow DEP template sections: Project summary; 1. Relevance; 2. Implementation (including WP1 Project Management and WPs for Awareness, Helpline, Hotline, Youth Panel); 3. Impact (outcomes, dissemination plan and KPIs); 4. Work plan and resources; 5. Ethics and Security; 6. Declarations.
3. 3Annexes: list of previous projects (recent 4 years), proof of mandate for consortium members, technical evidence of helpline/hotline platforms and ICCAM compatibility if available, CVs or profiles of key staff, communication plan, sustainability plan and proposed KPI targets.

Evaluation tips and checklist for applicants

1. 1Directly address the three award criteria (Relevance, Implementation, Impact) with measurable indicators and tangible deliverables.
2. 2Provide evidence of operational capacity to run helpline/hotline services (staffing, 24/7 arrangements or escalation, referral pathways, technical platform capabilities, data protection measures).
3. 3Demonstrate partnerships with national child helplines (116111) and law enforcement cooperation agreements where possible.
4. 4Document ability to cooperate with INHOPE/ICCAM and the BIK platform and to act as a trusted flagger under the DSA if applicable.
5. 5Include a clear long-term sustainability plan and describe co-funding sources or income models to support continuity after EU funding ends.
6. 6Respect the page limits, formatting rules and upload the correct templates and annexes in the Submission System.

What this opportunity is about — summary

This Digital Europe Simple Grants topic funds national Safer Internet Centres to expand and complete EU-wide coverage, prioritising countries not previously funded under the earlier SIC call. Each funded SIC must deliver at least an Awareness Centre, a Helpline, ideally a Hotline, and a Youth Panel. The scope covers awareness raising, helpline support including mental-health and cyberbullying assistance, hotline processing and takedown support for suspected CSAM (INHOPE/ICCAM compatibility), youth participation and inclusion of vulnerable groups, with monitoring and reporting via the BIK platform and support to DSA enforcement tasks. The topic finances part (50%) of national SIC operating costs for a fixed project period (up to 18 months), with maximum grants scaled to country population size. Applications are submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the DEP Application Form; evaluation follows standard Digital Europe award criteria requiring minimum scores per criterion and overall. Successful applicants must demonstrate operational readiness, ethical and data-protection compliance, capacity to cooperate with networks (Insafe/INHOPE/BIK/DSCs), and a credible sustainability plan to secure SIC continuity and impact beyond EU funding.

For official source documents, templates and the full call dossier consult the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page and the Call Document and annexes available there. The call document contains detailed sections referenced in this summary including admissibility and eligibility conditions, financial and operational capacity checks, award criteria, the DEP application form template and the DEP Model Grant Agreement ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Call document and annexes for DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10 are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page. See the official call fiche, the DEP application templates, and the DEP Model Grant Agreement in the Portal Reference Documents for complete legal and procedural details.

Ensuring Comprehensive Geographical Coverage of the Network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs)

Funding Opportunity Overview

This call aims to enhance the geographical coverage of the European network of Safer Internet Centres by supporting national SICs that have not previously received EU funding. The initiative contributes to the protection and empowerment of children online, a key EU priority, through comprehensive support for online safety information, educational resources, public awareness tools, and counselling and reporting services.

Call Identification and Timeline

Call Reference:DIGITAL-2026

Programme:Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL)

Opening Date:21 April 2026

Submission Deadline:01 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time

Submission Model:Single-stage submission

Funding Budget and Grant Parameters

Total Call Budget:€10,000,000

Type of Action:DIGITAL Simple Grants

Funding Rate:50% of eligible costs

Maximum Grant Amount per Project:Varies by country size: €1,175,000 for large-size countries (population over €20 million); €750,000 for medium-size countries (population 6-€20 million); €450,000 for small-size countries (population under €6 million). Population figures as of 1 January 2025 from Eurostat are the definitive reference.

Indicative Number of Grants:Approximately 115 grants expected to be awarded

Project Duration and Implementation

Project Duration:Up to 18 months

Starting Date:To be fixed in the Grant Agreement, normally after grant signature

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants

Applicant consortia must consist of NGOs, government bodies or agencies, and/or private sector organisations from eligible countries that have not previously received EU funding under the call DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-08-NETWORKSICs. Only one Safer Internet Centre will be co-funded per country.

Eligible Countries

EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories) and non-EU countries listed as EEA countries and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme are eligible. Applicants must be established in one of these eligible countries.

Consortium Composition

Safer Internet Centres must be composed of an awareness centre and a helpline, and preferably a hotline. If a hotline is not part of the proposal, this must be justified. SICs may be composed of one or more NGOs, government bodies or agencies, and/or private sector organisations. Awarded SICs are expected to join the Insafe network of awareness centres and helplines, and the INHOPE network of hotlines.

Objectives and Scope

The objective is to contribute to the protection and empowerment of children online through comprehensive geographical coverage of the national Safer Internet Centres network in the EU. The call seeks to enhance geographical coverage by engaging SICs from eligible countries that have not received EU funding under the previous call. The initiative supports the implementation of the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy and broader EU legal frameworks for child online protection.

Key Deliverables and Activities

Funded SICs must provide four key elements: a centre for raising awareness among children, parents, carers, teachers and educators about online opportunities and risks; a helpline to provide advice and support on digital technologies and mental health issues; a hotline for tackling the spread of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM); and a youth panel to engage children from different demographic groups.

Awareness Centre Activities

The awareness centre must provide trustworthy resources and carry out campaigns targeting children, parents, carers, teachers and other professionals working with children. Resources should address known risks (harmful and illegal content, cyberbullying, age-inappropriate content, sexual extortion, addictive design, disinformation), emerging risks (new apps, games, online challenges, AI-generated content, virtual and augmented reality), mental and physical health risks (self-harm, risky online challenges, eating disorders, screen addiction, social isolation), and risks to children as consumers (nudges to spend money, aggressive marketing, loot boxes). Activities must promote positive online experiences, engage directly with children from different demographic groups, promote online training modules for teachers, organise training for parents, and evaluate campaign impact.

Helpline Services

The helpline must offer one-to-one conversations via telephone, email and online chat with trained helpers to provide advice and support to children and parents on online-related issues. Solutions should explore 24 hours a day, 7 days a week support, including using artificial intelligence with human moderation where appropriate. The helpline should consider uptake of an online safety app to be supported by the EU action plan against cyberbullying. Close cooperation with the national Child Helpline 116111 service is required, along with coordination with hotlines for reporting CSAM and mechanisms on violence against girls and women.

Hotline Operations

The hotline must receive, analyse and process reports of suspected online CSAM. It must establish or continue operating a hotline to receive information from the public relating to potential CSAM and, if deemed appropriate, racism and xenophobia. The hotline must cooperate with the INHOPE network and make full use of the technical infrastructure ICCAM. It must undertake preliminary assessment of content legality, trace origin, and forward reports to appropriate bodies. The hotline must ensure compatibility with ICCAM data formats and provide statistics measuring impact and effectiveness. Proactive monitoring and follow-up procedures for CSAM takedown must be developed, with extension to child sexual exploitation material (CSEM) where legally possible.

Youth Panel Requirements

A youth panel must engage directly with children from different demographic groups through regular youth participation activities. Adequate turnover, geographic balance and open selection of participants are required. The panel should allow young people to express their views and pool their knowledge and experience of using online technologies, particularly in relation to Digital Services Act (DSA) enforcement.

Support for Vulnerable Children

SICs must strengthen their support to children in vulnerable situations, including children with disabilities, children from minority, racial or ethnic backgrounds, refugee children, children in care, LGBTQI+ children, and children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. Non-formal education and training should be offered to address the digital divide for these groups and communities.

Key Performance Indicators and Targets

Proposals must define clear, pertinent targets and measurement methods for all measurable outcomes and deliverables. Minimum targets across all EU co-funded SICs include:

• 1,100 new or updated online resources made available per year (e.g. online trainings, videos, online tools, apps)
• 500,000 people reached through events and training activities per year
• 20% of total awareness-raising activities targeting children in vulnerable situations per year
• 1,250 active youth participants per year with at least 30% turnover compared to the previous year
• 65,000 requests handled by co-funded helpline services per year
• 350,000 reports received by co-funded hotlines per year
• 500 participants minimum per SIC in surveys or studies related to emerging risks to privacy, safety and security
• 500 participants minimum per SIC in annual surveys on protection measures taken by online platforms in response to Digital Services Act Guidelines

Mandatory Deliverables

The following deliverables are mandatory for all projects:

• National communication and dissemination plan for awareness raising activities, helpline and hotline including key performance and impact indicators
• Periodic helpline report
• Periodic hotline report
• Annual awareness raising report
• Annual report on emerging trends on child sexual exploitation material (CSEM), including AI-generated material
• Annual Youth Panel report
• Safer Internet Day report
• Submission of SIC best practices (once a year)
• Long-term financial sustainability plan
• Annual report on support activities to the implementation of the Digital Services Act (where applicable)

Specific Requirements and Conditions

Equipment Cost Eligibility

For this topic, equipment costs are eligible at full cost only (not depreciation).

Financial Support to Third Parties

Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this topic.

Award Criteria Exceptions

The following award criteria are exceptionally NOT applicable for this topic: extent to which the project would reinforce and secure the digital technology supply chain in the Union; extent to which the proposal can overcome financial obstacles such as the lack of market finance; extent to which the proposal addresses environmental sustainability and the European Green Deal goals.

Budget Categories and Cost Eligibility

Eligible budget categories include:

• A. Personnel costs (employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners and natural person beneficiaries)
• B. Subcontracting costs
• C. Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods, works and services)
• D. Other cost categories
• E. Indirect costs (7% flat-rate of eligible direct costs)

Personnel costs may use average personnel costs as unit costs according to usual cost accounting practices. Travel and subsistence are reimbursed at actual costs. Equipment is reimbursed at full cost. Indirect costs are calculated as a 7% flat-rate of eligible direct costs.

Reporting and Payment Arrangements

Payment Schedule:Initial prefinancing (approximately 65% of maximum grant amount) will be paid 30 days from entry into force or 10 days before starting date, whichever is latest. For this topic, there will be no interim payments. Final payment will be made 90 days from receiving the final periodic report.

Reporting Requirements:Continuous reporting via the Portal Continuous Reporting tool is required. Periodic reports (technical and financial) must be submitted according to the schedule set in the Data Sheet. Financial statements must detail eligible costs and contributions for each budget category.

No-Profit Rule:Grants may NOT produce a profit (surplus of revenues plus EU grant over costs). For-profit organisations must declare their revenues, and if there is a profit, it will be deducted from the final grant amount.

Evaluation and Award Procedure

Proposals will be evaluated against three award criteria: Relevance (alignment with objectives, contribution to policy objectives, synergies); Implementation (maturity, soundness of implementation plan, capacity of applicants); and Impact (achievement of expected outcomes, competitiveness and societal benefits). Each criterion is scored on a scale of 3-5 points, with a minimum pass score of 3 points per criterion and an overall threshold of 10 points out of 15.

Proposals will first be checked for admissibility and eligibility. Admissible and eligible proposals will be evaluated and ranked according to their scores. For proposals with the same score, priority will be determined based on thematic coverage, relevance score, impact score, and implementation score. The evaluation is expected to take place from October to December 2026, with information on evaluation results in January 2027 and grant agreement signature in June 2027.

Application Process and Documentation

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System. Paper submissions are not accepted. Proposals must be submitted before the call deadline of 01 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

The application consists of two parts: Part A (administrative information about participants and summarised budget, filled in directly online) and Part B (technical description of the project, downloaded as a template, completed, and re-uploaded as PDF). Part B is limited to a maximum of 70 pages. Mandatory annexes and supporting documents must also be uploaded.

Before submitting the proposal, all beneficiaries, affiliated entities and associated partners must be registered in the Participant Register and will receive a 9-digit participant identification code (PIC), which is mandatory for the Application Form.

Key Contacts and Support

For individual questions on the Portal Submission System, applicants should contact the IT Helpdesk. Non-IT related questions should be sent to the email address specified in section 12 of the call document, clearly indicating the call reference (DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10) and topic DIGITAL-2026. The EU Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual provides step-by-step guidance through the Portal processes from proposal preparation to evaluation and reporting.

Important Applicant Information

Applicants should complete their applications well in advance of the deadline to avoid last-minute technical problems. Call deadlines cannot be extended. The Portal Topic page should be consulted regularly for updates and additional information on the call. By submitting the application, all participants accept the call conditions and the use of the electronic exchange system in accordance with the Portal Terms and Conditions. Proposals that do not comply with all call conditions will be rejected. If any applicant does not fulfil the criteria, they must be replaced or the entire proposal will be rejected.

Information about EU grants awarded is published annually on the Europa website, including beneficiary names, addresses, purpose of the grant, and maximum amount awarded. Publication can exceptionally be waived if there is a risk that disclosure could jeopardise rights and freedoms or harm commercial interests. The submission of a proposal involves collection, use and processing of personal data, which will be processed in accordance with applicable legal frameworks and the Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.