Open topic for improved preparedness for, response to and recovery from large-scale disruptions of critical infrastructures

The Horizon Europe program has launched a grant opportunity titled HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-INFRA-01 aimed at enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure against threats like natural hazards, cyberattacks, and human actions. This initiative falls under the Civil Security for Society call within Horizon Europe, specifically structured as a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a budget-based action grant.

The grant seeks innovative proposals addressing current challenges in critical infrastructure resilience, particularly in sectors and interdependencies not previously covered in earlier Horizon calls, specifically Resilient Infrastructure 2023 and 2024. Projects must demonstrate a solid understanding of prior outcomes and avoid duplication of efforts.

Participants in funded projects are expected to improve resilience within critical infrastructure, enhancing crisis management mapping, access to advanced monitoring tools, and post-incident investigation capabilities, while also developing training programs. Proposals should include demonstrations or testing of tools, with plans for future scalability in mind. Mid-term deliverables will include assessments from security practitioners regarding project outcomes. Integrating gender dimensions is encouraged, though only mandatory if relevant.

A separate notable requirement is the provision of financial support to third parties. Projects should allocate 10% to 30% of requested EU funds for practitioners from relevant sectors, including private security and government authorities, with a maximum of EUR 200,000 grantable per third party. This allocation aims to broaden the initiatives' reach and involve small and medium-sized enterprises as solution providers.

Effective coordination among successful projects is vital to prevent overlap and maximize collective impact. Collaboration with projects focused on human factors in resilience will also be encouraged.

Eligibility criteria include adherence to proposal guidelines and the participation of at least three practitioners from different EU Member States or Associated Countries, specifically from critical infrastructure sectors. Proposals should use satellite data if applicable, including Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

The indicative budget for this topic is around EUR 15 million, with plans to award approximately three grants. The submission timeline begins with an opening date on June 12, 2025, and a closing date of November 12, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. Potential applicants are advised to consult various resources, including the Horizon Europe Programme Guide and National Contact Points, for assistance during the application process.

In summary, this funding opportunity focuses on innovative solutions to strengthen Europe's critical infrastructure resilience, promoting collaboration and practical applications that can profoundly impact security and safety measures across the continent. The EU aims to support projects that introduce new methodologies and engage directly with stakeholders responsible for protecting and managing essential infrastructure.

The Horizon Europe program is offering a grant opportunity, HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-INFRA-01, focused on enhancing the resilience of critical infrastructure against various threats, including natural hazards, cyberattacks, and intentional or accidental human actions. This initiative falls under the Civil Security for Society call within the Horizon Europe framework. The grant is structured as a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a budget-based action grant.

The primary goal of this open topic is to invite proposals that address new or existing challenges in critical infrastructure resilience. The emphasis is on sectors and interdependencies not adequately covered in previous Horizon Europe calls, specifically Resilient Infrastructure 2023 and Resilient Infrastructure 2024. If proposals relate to topics from the 2021-2022 calls, they must clearly demonstrate how they build upon prior outcomes without duplicating efforts.

Projects funded under this topic are expected to contribute to several key outcomes: increased resilience of critical infrastructure, improved mapping of interdependencies for better crisis management, access to advanced monitoring and risk assessment tools, enhanced post-incident investigation capabilities, effective digital tools for stress testing, and the development of training curricula for relevant personnel.

The scope of the proposals should include demonstrations, testing, or validation of developed tools and solutions, along with plans for future uptake and upscaling at various levels. A mid-term deliverable is required, involving an assessment by security practitioners of the project's mid-term outcomes. While the integration of gender dimensions is encouraged, it is only mandatory if relevant to the research objectives.

A significant aspect of this grant is the provision of financial support to third parties. Proposals should allocate 10% to 30% of the requested EU funding to support practitioners, such as critical infrastructure operators, government authorities, and civil protection authorities, as well as SMEs. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 200,000. This financial support aims to expand the work in terms of additional user groups, complementary assessments, technology testing, and the involvement of SMEs as solution providers.

Coordination among successful proposals is essential to avoid duplication and maximize impact. Collaboration with projects funded under HORIZON-CL3-2025-INFRA-01-02, which focuses on the human factor in critical entity resilience, is also encouraged.

Eligibility conditions include adherence to proposal page limits and layouts as described in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and the Application Form. Eligible countries are detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries. Additional eligibility criteria include the involvement of at least three relevant practitioners from different EU Member States or Associated Countries, representing critical infrastructure operators, authorities, civil protection, law enforcement, or private security companies. If satellite-based data is used, it must include Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.

The indicative budget for the HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-INFRA-01 topic is EUR 15,000,000, with an expected three grants to be awarded. The planned opening date for submissions is June 12, 2025, and the deadline for submission is November 12, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time.

Applicants are directed to consult various resources, including the Horizon Europe Programme Guide, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, and National Contact Points, for guidance and support throughout the application process.

In summary, this Horizon Europe grant opportunity seeks innovative projects that enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure. It emphasizes practical application, collaboration with relevant stakeholders, and the provision of financial support to third parties to ensure broad impact and effective solutions. The call encourages proposals that address gaps in previous research and contribute to a more secure and resilient European infrastructure landscape.

This funding opportunity is all about making Europe's critical infrastructure stronger and more resistant to all sorts of threats, from natural disasters to cyberattacks. The EU wants to fund projects that come up with new ideas and practical solutions to protect things like power grids, transportation networks, and communication systems. They're especially interested in projects that haven't been done before and that involve the people who actually run and protect these systems, like infrastructure operators and civil protection agencies. The EU is putting money on the table, and they want to see projects that can really make a difference in keeping Europe safe and secure.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but the call targets a wide range of practitioners and SMEs. This includes critical infrastructure operators, authorities responsible for infrastructure resilience, civil protection authorities, law enforcement, private companies delivering security for critical infrastructure, and SMEs as solution providers. The call also mentions the need for involvement of at least 3 relevant practitioners from different EU Member States or Associated Countries as beneficiaries.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. The call also mentions pre-commercial procurement (HORIZON-PCP) for one specific topic. Furthermore, beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The call specifies the need for involvement as beneficiaries of at least 3 relevant practitioners 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. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may also be eligible if they have specific provisions for funding participation in Horizon Europe projects.

Target Sector: The program targets the Civil Security for Society sector, with a focus on increasing the resilience of critical infrastructure. This includes addressing challenges related to natural hazards, intentional and accidental harmful human actions, and cyberattacks.

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

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity includes demonstration, testing, and validation of developed tools and solutions. The call also emphasizes the need for plans for future uptake and upscaling at regional, national, and/or EU level, suggesting a focus on projects that are beyond the initial research phase and closer to implementation and commercialization.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call. The indicative grant amounts range from EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 18,000,000. Additionally, beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties, with a maximum amount of EUR 200,000 to be granted to each third party.

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. They will also be required to provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, allowing for an estimation of the potential success rate based on the expected number of applications.

Co-funding Requirement: The information regarding co-funding requirements is not explicitly stated in the provided text.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, under the Civil Security for Society program, aims to enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure against various threats, including natural hazards, cyberattacks, and intentional human actions. The call is structured around several topics, each with a specific budget and expected number of grants. Eligible applicants include critical infrastructure operators, authorities, civil protection agencies, law enforcement, private security companies, and SMEs from EU Member States and Associated Countries, with potential participation from non-EU/non-associated countries under specific conditions. Projects should focus on developing and demonstrating innovative solutions, tools, and methodologies for monitoring, risk assessment, crisis management, and post-incident investigation. A key requirement is the involvement of relevant security practitioners and the provision of financial support to third parties, particularly SMEs, to expand the impact and scope of the proposed work. The call emphasizes coordination among successful projects to avoid duplication and maximize complementarities, ultimately contributing to a more secure and resilient European society. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline of November 12, 2025.