Open topic on better customs and supply chain security

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal has announced a call under Horizon Europe focused on improving customs and supply chain security. This initiative, titled "Open topic on better customs and supply chain security," is part of the Civil Security for Society program. It invites proposals for Horizon Innovation Actions aimed at enhancing preventative measures and detection capabilities to combat illegal activities involving goods transported across EU borders.

Eligible applicants include research institutions, universities, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises, and specifically, customs authorities, police authorities, and border agencies. Importantly, the application must include at least two customs authorities from different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

The funding mechanism for this program involves lump sum grants, with an overall budget of 9 million EUR dedicated to this topic. This single-stage application process has a submission deadline set for November 12, 2025, with the anticipated opening date on June 12, 2025. The program is expected to award approximately three grants, each falling within a funding range likely between 1 million and 5 million EUR based on similar past programs.

Proposals are encouraged to address new and unforeseen challenges while offering innovative and effective solutions that could enhance capabilities in customs and supply chain security. The program places a strong emphasis on the necessity to operate within the contexts of geopolitical instabilities and requires proposals to integrate human rights and ethical considerations. Projects can focus on a variety of threats, such as illicit drugs, human trafficking, contraband, and environmental issues.

Moreover, the call encourages financial support to be allocated for third-party collaborations during the project, with each third party eligible for a maximum grant of up to 100,000 EUR. Proposals must comply with conditions established in Horizon Europe’s General Annexes and demonstrate effectiveness in their outlined methods and results.

The initiative aims not just to develop detection capabilities but also to ensure operational autonomy and environmental sustainability within the projects proposed. The detailed guidelines for application include instructions on submitting proposals, evaluation criteria, and admissibility requirements. Overall, this grant opportunity seeks to foster collaboration and innovation across multiple stakeholders within the EU, focusing on practical solutions to enhance the security of customs and supply chains.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal presents a Horizon Europe call focused on Civil Security for Society, specifically addressing the topic of "Open topic on better customs and supply chain security" with the topic ID HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-BM-03. This call seeks proposals for Horizon Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) aimed at improving customs and supply chain security. The budget for this topic is 9,000,000 EUR, and it is a single-stage application process with an expected opening date of 12 June 2025 and a deadline of 12 November 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels time. The call anticipates awarding around 3 grants.

The expected outcome of projects funded under this topic is improved customs and supply chain security through better prevention, detection, deterrence, anti-tampering, and/or fighting of illegal activities involving flows of goods across EU external borders and through the supply chain. This also includes better interoperability while minimizing disruption to trade flows.

The scope of the call encourages proposals that address new, upcoming, or unforeseen challenges and/or creative or disruptive solutions for improving the capabilities of practitioners in customs and supply chain security. It highlights the importance of considering contexts and scenarios in Europe’s border regions that may be impacted by geopolitical instabilities, tensions, or environmental factors, requiring sustained and improved surveillance and reaction capabilities. Proposals should convincingly explain how they build upon and do not duplicate topics covered by Horizon Europe Calls Effective Management of EU External Borders 2021-2022 or 2023-2024.

Projects can address capabilities related to the future detection of threats in the flow of goods and/or in the supply chain in a flexible, rapid, and relocatable way. Detection capabilities could target one or more types of dangerous, illicit, and/or illegal goods or materials, including: illicit drugs and their precursors, illegally traded species covered by CITES considering the European Deforestation Free Products Regulation, contraband, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRN-E) threats, and/or various modi operandi related to cross-border trafficking, including involving cargo.

Projects should integrate aspects of safeguarding and promoting human rights, inputs from human rights, law, and ethical perspectives, engagement with citizens and civil society, and cybersecurity of the proposed technology, including the protection of communication systems and networks.

Proposals that include solutions and/or methods that would contribute to a lower environmental impact and footprint, better cost-efficiency, better energy-efficiency, and/or better operational autonomy of the capabilities and solutions are encouraged. Participation of Police Authorities, Border and/or Coast Guards is welcome, depending on the scope of the proposal.

To ensure active involvement and timely feedback from 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 in the project. The integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed if relevant to the objectives of the research effort.

Proposals should plan activities that include financial support to third parties, specifically additional practitioners (authorities with competences of Customs), to engage during the project for additional piloting, testing, and/or validation of technologies or methods. From 5% up to 20% of the EU funding requested may be allocated to this purpose. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 100 000. Proposals must describe the objectives and expected results, methods, and processes to comply with the general eligibility conditions for financial support to third parties set out in General Annex B, and demonstrate effectiveness (impact).

General conditions for admissibility, eligible countries, and other eligibility criteria are detailed in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (Annex A, B, and E). Proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. There are restrictions for the protection of European communication networks. The call requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Customs Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Applicants must fill in the table “Information about security practitioners” in the application form. 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.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. Evaluation and award criteria, submission and evaluation processes, and the indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement are described in Annex D and F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

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. Beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 100 000 per third party. Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes provides further details.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreements are available in the Submission System. Additional documents include the 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, the 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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

Partner search announcements can be viewed and edited by LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants after logging into the Portal. The submission system is planned to open on 12 June 2025.

This Horizon Europe call aims to bolster customs and supply chain security by funding innovative projects that address emerging challenges, improve detection capabilities, and foster collaboration among customs authorities and other relevant practitioners. The call encourages solutions that are not only effective in preventing and combating illicit activities but also environmentally sustainable, cost-efficient, and respectful of human rights and ethical considerations. By providing financial support to third parties for piloting and validation, the call seeks to ensure that the developed solutions are practical and relevant to the needs of customs authorities across the EU.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly defined in the provided text. However, based on the context of Horizon Europe and the call for Civil Security for Society, eligible applicants could include: research institutes, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations capable of conducting research and innovation activities in the field of civil security. The explicit mention of Customs Authorities, Police Authorities, Border and/or Coast Guards suggests that governmental and law enforcement agencies are also eligible and indeed required.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA). There is also a HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP) action.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. Specifically, it mandates the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Customs Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries to the Horizon Europe program. 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.

Target Sector: The program targets the civil security sector, with a specific focus on improving customs and supply chain security. This includes prevention, detection, deterrence, anti-tampering, and fighting illegal activities related to the flow of goods across EU external borders and through the supply chain. It also encompasses interoperability, cybersecurity, human rights, law, ethics, environmental impact, cost-efficiency, and energy-efficiency.

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

Project Stage: The project stage is variable, encompassing both research and innovation actions (RIA) and innovation actions (IA), as well as pre-commercial procurement (PCP). This suggests that the opportunity supports projects from the development and validation stage through to demonstration and potentially early commercialization or deployment.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 18,000,000. The indicative number of grants also varies per topic. Additionally, beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 100,000 per 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 a lump sum grant. They are also required to provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement from the applicant. However, Horizon Europe grants typically fund a percentage of the total eligible costs, implying that applicants may need to cover the remaining costs through other sources.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under the Civil Security for Society program, aims to improve customs and supply chain security within the EU. It welcomes proposals that address new challenges and offer creative solutions for enhancing the capabilities of practitioners in this field. The scope includes detection of dangerous goods, addressing geopolitical and environmental impacts on border regions, and integrating human rights and cybersecurity considerations. Projects should involve Customs Authorities from at least two different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Funding is provided as lump sum grants, with a portion of the funds to be allocated as grants to third parties for piloting, testing, and validation activities. The call supports both research and innovation actions, as well as pre-commercial procurement, indicating a broad range of project maturity levels are eligible. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline in November 2025.