Open grounds for pre-commercial procurement of innovative security technologies

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity known as HORIZON-CL3 is focused on advancing civil security through innovative security technologies via pre-commercial procurement (PCP). This Coordination and Support Action (CSA) invites eligible applicants such as public procurers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and research institutions from EU Member States and associated countries. The funding type is through grants, specifically categorized as a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, offering a total budget of €2 million for this specific topic, with an indicative number of two expected grants of approximately €1 million each. The prospective applicants must form a consortium that includes at least six end-user organizations and three public procurers from a minimum of three different EU Member States or Associated Countries. The timeline for this opportunity indicates an opening date for submissions on June 12, 2025, and a deadline of November 12, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The application process follows a single-stage model, with all proposals evaluated in this phase. This initiative primarily targets the development of technologies aimed at enhancing border security, combating crime and terrorism, protecting public infrastructure, and increasing societal resilience against disasters. Projects will focus on consolidating buyer demand for innovative solutions and improving decision-making processes regarding investments in security technologies. Successful proposers will be expected to deliver tangible outputs demonstrating the necessity and potential impact of future PCP actions, ensuring compliance with EU standards and legislative frameworks. Projects arising from this grant are expected to culminate within a maximum duration of one year. The call emphasizes collective collaboration across public procurement and innovation and aims to drive forward EU strategic objectives in civil security through collaborative, evidence-based approaches. The anticipated success rates remain broad but typically range between 10% and 39% in similar programs under Horizon Europe, although exact figures are not provided in this case. There is no co-funding requirement for applicants pursuing this grant. In summary, this grant fosters innovation in civil security by supporting collaborative projects across the EU, aimed at addressing shared security challenges and facilitating the future procurement of advanced security solutions.

This is a description of a funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically within the Civil Security for Society call (HORIZON-CL3-2025-01). The topic is "Open grounds for pre-commercial procurement of innovative security technologies" HORIZON-CL3. It is a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 12 June 2025, and the deadline for submission is 12 November 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of the projects are to contribute to:

Consolidated demand for innovative security technologies built on the aggregation of public buyers with a common need expressed in functional and/or operational terms without prescribing technical solutions.

Better informed decision-making related to investment in innovative security technologies based on a better understanding of the potential EU-based supply of technical alternatives that could address common needs of EU public buyers.

Better informed decision-making related to investment in innovative security technologies based on an improved visibility of the potential demand in the EU market for common security technologies.

Increased capacity of EU public procurers to align requirements with industry and future products and to attract innovation and innovators from security and other sectors through common validation strategies, rapid innovation, experimentation and pre-commercial procurement.

Increased innovation capacity of EU public procurers through the availability of innovative tendering guidance, commonly agreed validation strategies and evidence-based prospects of further joint procurement of common security solutions.

The scope of the funding opportunity is as follows:

End-users and public procurers from several countries are invited to submit proposals for a preparatory action that should build the grounds for a future Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) action. Both this preparatory action and the future PCP action are open to proposals oriented to the acquisition of Research and Development (R&D) services for the development of innovative technologies, systems, tools or techniques to enhance border security, to fight against crime and terrorism, to protect infrastructure and public spaces, and/or to make societies more resilient against natural or human-made disasters.

In preparing the grounds for a possible future PCP action, the outputs of this Coordination and Support Action (CSA) should take into consideration:

The policy priorities described in this Work Programme Part for the security areas mentioned above.

The EU Directive for public procurement and in particular with the provisions related to PCP.

The specific provisions and funding rates of PCP actions and the specific requirements for innovation procurement (PCP/PPI) supported by Horizon Europe grants, as stated in the General Annex H of the Horizon Europe Work Programme.

The guidance for attracting innovators and innovation, as explained in the European Commission Guidance on Innovation Procurement C(2021) 4320, in particular those measures oriented to reduce the barriers to high-tech start-ups and innovative SMEs.

During the course of the project, the applicants are expected to deliver clear evidence on a number of aspects in order to justify and de-risk a possible follow-up PCP action, including:

That the challenge is pertinent and that indeed a PCP action is required to complete the maturation cycle of certain technologies and to compare different alternatives.

That there is a consolidated group of potential buyers with common needs and requirements which are committed to carry out a PCP action in order to be able to take an informed decision on a future joint procurement of innovative solutions.

That there is a quantifiable and identifiable community of potential buyers (including and beyond those proposed as beneficiaries in the proposal) who would share to a wide extent the common needs and requirements defined and who could be interested in exploring further joint-uptake of solutions similar to those developed under the PCP, should these prove to be technologically mature and operationally relevant by the end of the project.

That the state of the art and the market (including research) has been explored and mapped, and that there are different technical alternatives to address the proposed challenge.

That a future PCP tendering process is clear, that a draft planning has been proposed and that the supporting documentation and administrative procedures will be ready on due time in order to launch the call for the acquisition of R&D services according to the PCP rules.

That the technology developments to be conducted in the future PCP can be done in compliance with European societal values, fundamental rights and applicable legislation, including in the area of free movement of persons, privacy and protection of personal data.

That in developing technology solutions, societal and gender aspects (e.g., perception of security, possible side effects of technological solutions, societal resilience) can be taken into account in a comprehensive and thorough manner.

If the applicants intend to submit a proposal for a follow-up PCP in a future Horizon Europe Cluster 3 Work Programme, they should ensure that the above evidence is consolidated in the project deliverables of this CSA before the submission of the PCP proposal.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if relevant in relation to the objectives of the research effort.

The project should have a maximum estimated duration of 1 year.

The general conditions 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. Specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries are detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other Eligible Conditions:Requires participation, as beneficiaries, of at least 6 end-user organisations as well as at least 3 public procurers from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Open market consultations must take place in at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries.

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

Evaluation and award:Award criteria, scoring and thresholds described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award:Submission and evaluation processes described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

Evaluation and award: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: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. Described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA):

Application form templates are available in the Submission System (Standard application form (HE CSA)).

Evaluation form templates will be used with the necessary adaptations (Standard evaluation form (HE CSA)).

Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA) include the Lump Sum MGA.

Call-specific instructions, a detailed budget table (HE LS), and guidance on lump sums are provided.

An Information on Security Practitioners Template is available.

Additional documents include:

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 6. Civil Security for Society

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. 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 indicates that for the HORIZON-CL3 topic, which is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (CSA), the budget is €2,000,000 for the year 2025. It is a single-stage application process with an opening date of 12 June 2025 and a deadline of 12 November 2025. The indicative number of grants is around 2, with each grant contributing around €1,000,000.

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

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

General FAQs and support are available through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network, IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk, ETSI Research Helpdesk, and Partner Search.

In summary, this Horizon Europe funding opportunity aims to prepare the ground for future pre-commercial procurement (PCP) actions in the area of civil security. It invites end-users and public procurers to collaborate on developing innovative technologies to enhance security and resilience against various threats. The funded projects are expected to consolidate demand, inform investment decisions, increase procurer capacity, and promote innovation in the EU security sector. The call requires a consortium with at least 6 end-user organizations and 3 public procurers from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. The projects are Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs) with a maximum duration of 1 year and are funded as lump sums. The overall goal is to de-risk and justify future PCP actions by providing clear evidence of need, consolidated buyer groups, market analysis, and compliance with EU values and legislation.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types include end-user organisations and public procurers. The call requires the participation, as beneficiaries, of at least 6 end-user organisations and at least 3 public procurers. One beneficiary can have the role of end-user and public procurer simultaneously. 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.

Funding Type:The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant. There are also HORIZON Innovation Actions (IA), HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (PCP) actions.

Consortium Requirement:The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. Specifically, it requires the participation, as beneficiaries, of at least 6 end-user organisations as well as at least 3 public procurers. These beneficiaries must be from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and 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. Open market consultations carried out during this project must take place in at least three EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Target Sector:The target sector is civil security, with a focus on enhancing border security, fighting crime and terrorism, protecting infrastructure and public spaces, and making societies more resilient against natural or human-made disasters. The program targets innovative security technologies, systems, tools, or techniques.

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

Project Stage:The project stage is preparatory action, aiming to build the grounds for a future Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) action. The projects focus on consolidating demand, informing decision-making, increasing capacity of public procurers, and enhancing innovation capacity.

Funding Amount:The budget for the HORIZON-CL3 topic is €2,000,000, with an indicative number of 2 grants. Other topics under the same call have varying budgets, ranging from €3,000,000 to €18,000,000.

Application Type:The application type is a single-stage call.

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 stated, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential success rate. For HORIZON-CL3, the indicative number of grants is 2.

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

Summary:This Horizon Europe call, under the Civil Security for Society program, invites end-users and public procurers to submit proposals for preparatory actions that will pave the way for future Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) actions. The focus is on acquiring Research and Development (R&D) services to develop innovative technologies that enhance security across various domains, including border security, counter-terrorism, infrastructure protection, and disaster resilience. The call aims to consolidate demand for these technologies, improve decision-making in investment, increase the capacity of public procurers to attract innovation, and enhance their overall innovation capacity. Eligible applicants must form a consortium with at least 6 end-user organizations and 3 public procurers from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process involves a single stage. The projects should deliver clear evidence to justify and de-risk a possible follow-up PCP action, ensuring compliance with European societal values and fundamental rights. The call is part of the Horizon Europe Cluster 3 Work Programme and aims to foster innovation in the civil security sector. The indicative budget for the HORIZON-CL3 topic is €2,000,000, with an expected 2 grants to be awarded. The opening date for submission is planned for June 12, 2025, with a deadline of November 12, 2025.