Innovative solutions to fight wildlife trafficking and to reduce invasion of invasive alien species

What it funds:development, demonstration and scaling of interoperable tools and prototypes (including digital/forensic evidence handling, automated detection in online and physical trade, multimodal signal interpretation, cross-border evidence collection, and training/awareness campaigns) to detect illegal wildlife trade and invasive alien species in trade; solutions must be co-created with end-users, demonstrable in relevant environments, scalable and include long-term maintenance and training plans.

Who can apply:Consortia eligible under Horizon Europe Innovation Actions; proposals must include as beneficiaries at least 3 competent authorities (e.g., customs, border guards, law enforcement, conservation or environment agencies) from at least 3 different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries; SSH expertise is required and PCP subcontracting may be used 1.

Key evaluation/administrative notes:single-stage submission; proposals must address lawful collection, preservation and admissibility of digital and physical evidence, chain-of-custody and data governance; projects are encouraged to liaise with the EC Joint Research Centre (JRC) for potential testing (Border Security Lab).

Programme:Horizon Europe (HORIZON). Call cluster: Transformative change towards a nature-positive economy and society (HORIZON-NATURE-2027-02). Topic identifier: HORIZON-NATURE. Type of action: HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA). Type of Model Grant Agreement: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based (HORIZON-AG). Deadline: 14 January 2027 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. Planned opening date: 13 October 2026. Submission procedure: single-stage. Submission via EU Funding & Tenders Portal (Submission System).

Indicative budget and expected number of grants:Topic contribution to Work Programme: €13 000 000 (budget year 2027). Indicative number of grants expected: 1. Indicative EU contribution per accepted proposal: around €13 000 000.

Expected outcomes:Proposals must contribute to all the listed outcomes: improved capacities of customs officers, border guards, law enforcement and competent civil servants to detect illegal wildlife trade and to prevent introduction, re‑introduction and spread of invasive alien species; better detection of illegal wildlife trade contributing to improved protection of endangered species; prevention and early identification of invasive alien species introductions via trade, supporting EU and global biodiversity objectives.

Scope and strategic alignment:The topic addresses threats to biodiversity and human health from wildlife trafficking and invasive alien species (IAS) introduced through trade. It aims to develop innovative tools and prototypes to detect illegal wildlife trade and IAS in online and physical trade channels, interpret multimodal signals, enable lawful collection and cross-border admissible evidence handling, ensure interoperability with operational systems used by competent authorities, and support training, long-term maintenance and public awareness. Projects should support implementation of EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 (target 12 on IAS), the EU IAS Regulation, EU wildlife trade regulations, the revised EU action plan against wildlife trafficking (2022–2027), CITES and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (targets on halting extinctions and IAS).

Technological and operational expectations:Proposals should prioritise technologies and methods deployable by law enforcement and competent authorities and co-created with end users to ensure cost-effectiveness and low barriers to adoption. Technical solutions must be demonstrable in relevant environments, scalable, maintainable long-term and interoperable with existing operational systems. Projects must ensure lawful collection, preservation and admissibility of digital and physical evidence, preserve chain-of-custody and data governance compliance, and facilitate cross-border evidence collection. Activities are expected to reach Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 6–7 by the end of the project.

User engagement and training:Proposals must develop the skills and competences of competent authorities (law enforcement, border guards, customs, environment protection agencies) through trainings and training materials and must design societal awareness-raising campaigns involving civil society organisations and relevant companies. The effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines is required to enhance societal impact.

Testing and liaison:Funded projects are encouraged to liaise with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and may explore testing outputs at the JRC Border Security Lab. Projects may include pre-commercial procurement (PCP) subcontracting activities as described in the Work Programme General Annexes.

Consortium composition:Proposals should involve, as beneficiaries, at least three relevant competent authorities representing law enforcement (for example customs or border guards), nature conservation services or environmental protection services from at least three different EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries. The Joint Research Centre (JRC) may join the selected consortium as a beneficiary with zero funding or as an associated partner but will not participate in proposal preparation.

Geographic eligibility:Eligible applicants are described in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and include entities established in EU Member States and Associated Countries. Some non‑Associated countries may have specific arrangements. Note: entities established in an eligible country that are directly or indirectly controlled by China or a legal entity established in China are not eligible to participate in this topic (restriction on control in critical technology areas).

Other eligibility / specific conditions:If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Activities may involve classified background or produce security‑sensitive results (EUCI and SEN) — applicants must follow General Annex provisions on security. The specific conditions for actions with PCP/PPI procurements apply where used (General Annex H).

Funding type:Grant (Horizon Innovation Action). Form: Unit grant; action grant managed through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Funding modality: budget-based action under the HORIZON Action Grant (HORIZON‑AG).

Funding amount and scale:Topic indicative contribution to work programme: €13 000 000. Indicative EU contribution per project: around €13 000 000 (one grant expected under this topic). Projects must set out estimated budgets in Annex 2 following Model Grant Agreement rules for Horizon Europe. Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6–7 by project end.

Co-funding and funding rate:Standard Horizon Europe rules on funding rates, eligible costs and lump sums/unit contributions apply as set out in General Annexes and Model Grant Agreement. Applicants must consult the Application Form and General Annexes for specific eligible cost categories, funding rates and the requirement to demonstrate financial and operational capacity.

Target sectors and themes:wildlife law enforcement, customs and border control, environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, invasive alien species management, forensic science, digital evidence and cyber investigations, e-commerce monitoring, logistics supply chain surveillance, postal and parcel inspection, and public awareness/communications.

Expected project stage:activities may start at any TRL but funded projects are expected to achieve TRL 6–7 by project completion (see General Annex B). Proposals must demonstrate credible advancement to TRL 6–7, including demonstration in relevant environments and scalability planning.

Application type and access:open single-stage call (one submission deadline). Apply via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the Application Form in the Submission System. Applicants must follow page limits, layout and templates described in the Application Form and General Annexes. Admissibility, eligibility, exclusion, operational and financial capacity criteria and evaluation rules are detailed in the work programme General Annexes A–F and H.

Evaluation criteria and process:Evaluation will follow Horizon Europe award criteria (excellence, impact, implementation) and standard evaluation forms (HE RIA/IA templates adapted as needed). Scoring thresholds and ex‑aequo rules apply as specified in General Annex D. The submission and evaluation process follows General Annex F. Evaluation timeline and indicative timeline to grant agreement are in General Annex F and the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

Application stages and timeline:Single-stage submission only. Planned opening of submission system: 13 October 2026. Deadline: 14 January 2027 at 17:00 Brussels time. Indicative evaluation timeline and grant preparation timelines are provided in General Annex F and in the Funding & Tenders Portal documentation.

Award criteria:standard Horizon Innovation Action award criteria apply: Excellence, Impact and Quality & Efficiency of Implementation. Scoring thresholds and weighting defined in General Annex D. Where applicable, ex-aequo criteria (gender balance, maturity, etc.) and other ranking rules in the work programme apply. The topic may prioritise projects demonstrating interoperability with operational systems and strong end-user co-creation.

Indicative success rate and competitiveness:Indicative number of grants: 1; indicative EU contribution per project: around €13 million. Expected competition is high given the strategic relevance and relatively limited number of awards; success rate will depend on the number and quality of submissions. Applicants should assume a competitive evaluation and ensure high-quality alignment with criteria and required consortium composition.

Recommended structure to cover evaluation criteria and topic requirements:(1) Excellence: detailed problem statement; state-of-the-art; clear innovation beyond current solutions; technical approach and TRL pathway to TRL 6–7; interoperability and standards adherence; data sources and Copernicus/Galileo use if applicable; SSH integration. (2) Impact: measurable expected outcomes; deployment and market-readiness strategy; business plan and sustainability; scalability and maintenance plan; cross-border evidence handling and legal admissibility; alignment with EU biodiversity and wildlife action plans and international agreements. (3) Implementation: consortium roles and consortium agreement; clear involvement of at least 3 competent authorities from 3 different Member/Associated States; work packages including demonstration in relevant environments; training and capacity building; dissemination and awareness campaigns; management, risk mitigation and data governance; ethics and security measures; detailed budget breakdown and justification aligned with Annex 2 guidance.

Award criteria:proposals will be evaluated for Excellence (innovation, methodology, TRL pathway), Impact (contribution to expected outcomes, business plan, market-readiness and scalability, societal impact, legal admissibility and cross-border evidence facilitation), and Quality and efficiency of Implementation (consortium, management, resources, deliverables, ethics, security). Thresholds and scoring rules for Horizon Europe Innovation Actions are in General Annex D — applicants must meet minimum threshold scores per criterion and total score thresholds to be eligible for funding. Specific ex‑aequo rules and additional ranking criteria in the work programme may apply.

Support resources:Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk for technical portal issues, European IPR Helpdesk for intellectual property issues, CEN-CENELEC and ETSI Research Helpdesks for standardisation, and Partner Search tools on the Portal. The Portal allows publication of partner search announcements and project partner requests. Applicants are encouraged to consult topic Q&As in the Portal for topic-specific clarifications.

Nature of support:monetary grants (budget-based action grant) and non-monetary services via access to testing infrastructure (encouraged liaison with JRC Border Security Lab) and policy engagement opportunities. Application stages: single-stage submission; evaluation by independent experts using standard evaluation forms and adapted criteria; possible clarification or interviews at evaluators’ discretion; grant preparation and signature following successful evaluation and verification checks. Typical number of major stages: 1 (submission) plus evaluation and grant preparation steps — functionally 3 operational stages (submission, evaluation, grant agreement preparation and signature).

Success rates and competitiveness:Indicative success rate: with one grant expected and a significant, Europe-wide policy priority, competition is anticipated to be strong. Exact success rates cannot be predicted but applicants should expect a selective process and ensure full compliance and high technical quality.

Eligibility and consortium highlights:Applicants should plan a consortium that combines operational authorities, technical developers, biodiversity and species expertise, and social science capabilities, because the topic explicitly asks for co creation with end users, interoperability with existing operational systems, and strong societal impact.2