Humanitarian demining / Unexploded Ordnance Disposal (UXO) of civil areas and unexploded ordnance risk education

The EU grant opportunity focuses on humanitarian demining and unexploded ordnance (UXO) disposal, particularly aimed at enhancing risk education and improving safety in post-conflict regions. This initiative is part of the Horizon Europe program, specifically categorized under the Horizon Innovation Action framework. The total budget for this call is €6 million allocated for a single project, with an expected funding amount of up to €6 million per project.

Eligible applicants include international humanitarian demining organizations, local and regional NGOs involved in demining initiatives, and entities from EU Member States and Associated Countries, including Ukraine. A consortium is required for application, encompassing at least one international organization and two local NGOs from different member states, necessitating active involvement of Ukrainian entities specializing in humanitarian demining or UXO disposal.

Geographically, the program is open to applicants from EU member states, associated countries, and other international partners, specifically targeting nations affected by conflict, particularly Ukraine, which is prioritized due to mine contamination from ongoing conflicts.

The funded projects should focus on practical implementation, within the development and validation stage, delivering innovative tools, methodologies, and training for practitioners involved in demining and risk education. The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline set for November 12, 2025.

Co-funding from participants is generally expected under Horizon Europe grants, while success rates for such competitive opportunities typically range from 10% to 39%. The aims of the grant emphasize both technological advancements in demining tools and the societal dimensions of risk education, creating awareness among civilians about the dangers posed by landmines and unexploded ordnance.

Overall, this funding opportunity seeks to enhance the capabilities of organizations dedicated to humanitarian demining and UXO risk education in civil areas, ultimately contributing to improved safety and socio-economic recovery in affected regions.

The EU Funding Opportunity focuses on Humanitarian Demining and Unexploded Ordnance Disposal (UXO) in civil areas, coupled with risk education. It falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the Civil Security for Society (HORIZON-CL3-2025-01) call. The action type is HORIZON-IA, which stands for Horizon Innovation Actions, utilizing a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement. This is a forthcoming opportunity with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is June 12, 2025, and the deadline for submission is November 12, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this funding opportunity are multi-faceted. It aims to foster improved, modern, and validated tools, skills, methodologies, and innovative training curricula for practitioners actively involved in humanitarian demining and UXO disposal within civil areas. These improvements must align with all applicable legislation and fundamental rights. Furthermore, the opportunity seeks to enhance educational activities designed to reduce the risk of injuries stemming from anti-personnel mines and other forms of unexploded ordnance. It also aims to create an enhanced understanding of the key challenges and best practices associated with humanitarian demining and UXO risk education, explicitly considering the experiences of Ukrainian participants. Finally, the funding aims to provide evidence-based support to policymakers, assisting them in shaping EU mine action strategies.

The scope of this opportunity is defined by the pressing need to address the dangers posed by land contamination in post-conflict zones. Anti-personnel mines and unexploded ordnance not only endanger civilian lives but also impede the return of economic activity. The EU is committed to providing continuous support for humanitarian demining activities in heavily affected countries and regions worldwide, thereby promoting peace, security, post-conflict reconstruction, and social and economic rehabilitation. In Ukraine, mine action is considered a critical aspect of the humanitarian emergency response, with the primary goal of supporting the return of the civilian population and the rebuilding of essential civilian infrastructure. EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated Countries, including Croatia, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Armenia, are actively involved in mine action operations, striving to eliminate anti-personnel mines and other explosive ordnance from their territories.

It is important to distinguish humanitarian demining from military demining. Humanitarian demining focuses on restoring peace and security for civilians, while military demining is a process undertaken by soldiers to clear a safe path for military advancement during conflict.

The funding opportunity recognizes that existing humanitarian demining initiatives often face challenges such as high costs and slow progress due to the need for absolute accuracy. The diversity of contaminated areas, types of anti-personnel mines, deployment methods, and complex contamination scenarios involving UXO and improvised explosive devices necessitates the development of new, improved, innovative, or disruptive solutions. These solutions should be accompanied by relevant training curricula to enhance humanitarian demining activities in civil areas. Risk education is also a crucial component, aiming to raise awareness among civilians about the risks associated with anti-personnel mines and UXO, thereby promoting safer behavior and reducing risks to people and the environment. Existing risk education initiatives often lack collaboration with NGOs, sustainability, and comprehensive needs assessments, highlighting the need for improvement. The funding opportunity emphasizes the development of improved, modern, and validated tools, skills, methodologies, and innovative training curricula for practitioners, adapted to regional and cross-border contexts.

Proposals submitted under this funding opportunity should detail plans for demonstration, testing, or validation of developed tools and solutions. They should also outline strategies for future uptake and upscaling at national, EU, and international levels. Furthermore, proposals should build upon previous research, including projects funded under other Framework Programmes, and explore synergies and complementarities with related initiatives in humanitarian demining and explosive ordnance risk education.

The activities proposed should address both the technological aspects of humanitarian demining and the societal dimensions of explosive ordnance risk education in a balanced manner. To ensure the active involvement of security practitioners, proposals should include a mid-term deliverable consisting of an assessment of the project's mid-term outcomes performed by the practitioners involved.

The European Commission encourages all potential participants to create opportunities for affected persons and entities, particularly Ukrainian national mine action authorities, researchers, innovators, demining agencies, companies, and NGOs.

The general conditions for this funding opportunity include admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout, as described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Additional eligibility criteria require the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least one international humanitarian demining organisation and two local or regional NGOs active in humanitarian demining from at least three different EU Member States or Associated Countries, including Ukraine. Applicants must provide information about these security practitioners in the application form. The participation of at least one entity from Ukraine with competences in humanitarian demining or UXO disposal is mandatory. If projects utilize satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, or timing data and services, they must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award processes, including award criteria, scoring, thresholds, submission, evaluation, and indicative timelines, are detailed in Annex D, Annex F, and the Online Manual. Legal and financial aspects of the grants are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions are outlined in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms, as well as the model grant agreement (MGA), are available in the Submission System. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2025, the HE Programme Guide, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and various guidelines and regulations related to legal entity validation, financial capacity assessment, and grant management.

The budget overview lists various topics under the call, including HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-BM-01, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-BM-02, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-BM-03, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-DRS-01, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-DRS-02, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-DRS-03, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-DRS-04, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-01, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-02, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-03, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-04, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-INFRA-01, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-INFRA-02, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-SSRI-01, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-SSRI-02, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-SSRI-03, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-SSRI-04, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-SSRI-05 and HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-SSRI-06. Each topic specifies the type of action (HORIZON-IA, HORIZON-RIA, HORIZON-CSA, HORIZON-PCP), the budget in EUR, the stage (single-stage), the opening date (2025-06-12), the deadline (2025-11-12), and the indicative number of grants.

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 in the topic header.

In summary, this EU funding opportunity aims to enhance humanitarian demining and UXO disposal efforts, particularly in Ukraine and other affected regions, by promoting innovative solutions, improving risk education, and fostering collaboration among relevant stakeholders. It requires the active involvement of international and local organizations, including Ukrainian entities, and encourages projects to address both technological and societal dimensions of mine action. The call provides a range of funding options across different action types, with a total budget of several million EUR, and emphasizes the importance of building upon existing research and creating synergies with related initiatives.

The EU is offering grants to organizations that can develop better ways to clear landmines and unexploded bombs from civilian areas, especially in Ukraine. They also want to improve education programs that teach people how to stay safe around these dangerous items. The goal is to help communities rebuild after conflicts by making their land safe and promoting peace. To get the grant, you need to work with demining groups, local charities, and at least one organization from Ukraine. The EU wants these projects to use new technology and also teach people how to avoid accidents.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include international humanitarian demining organisations and local or regional Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) active in humanitarian demining from EU Member States or Associated Countries, including Ukraine. Ukrainian national mine action authorities, researchers, innovators, demining agencies or companies, and NGOs are also encouraged to participate.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based, provided through HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP).

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. The consortium must include at least one international humanitarian demining organisation and two local or regional Non-Governmental Organisations active in humanitarian demining from at least three different EU Member States or Associated Countries, including Ukraine. The participation of at least one entity from Ukraine with competences in humanitarian demining / Unexploded Ordnance Disposal (UXO) is mandatory.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries, including Ukraine. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible if they have specific provisions for funding participation in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The target sectors are civil security, humanitarian demining, unexploded ordnance (UXO) disposal, and explosive ordnance risk education. The program also targets the development of tools, skills, methodologies, and training curricula for practitioners in these fields.

Mentioned Countries: Ukraine, Croatia, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia, EU Member States, EU Associated Countries.

Project Stage: The project stage includes demonstration, testing, and validation of developed tools and solutions. The projects should also outline plans for future uptake and upscaling at national, EU, and international levels.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €2,000,000 to €18,000,000. For example, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-04 has a budget of €6,000,000, while HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-01 has a budget of €18,000,000. The indicative number of grants also varies per topic.

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

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their projects.

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

Success Rates: The success rates can be inferred from the "Indicative number of grants" provided for each topic, but the exact success rate would depend on the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: The document does not explicitly state a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, under the Civil Security for Society program, focuses on humanitarian demining and unexploded ordnance (UXO) disposal in civil areas, along with explosive ordnance risk education. The primary goal is to improve tools, skills, methodologies, and training for practitioners in these fields, ultimately contributing to peace, security, and socio-economic rehabilitation in post-conflict areas. The call encourages projects that address both technological and societal dimensions, with a mandatory Ukrainian participation and active involvement of international and local NGOs. Eligible applicants include international humanitarian demining organisations, local and regional NGOs from EU Member States and Associated Countries, and Ukrainian entities. The funding is provided through Horizon Innovation Actions, Research and Innovation Actions, Coordination and Support Actions and Pre-commercial Procurement with varying budgets and a single-stage application process. The European Commission encourages creating opportunities for Ukrainian national mine action authorities, researchers, innovators, demining agencies, companies, and NGOs. The call aims to support evidence-based policy-making and enhance the EU's role in mine action globally.