Open topic on prevention, detection and deterrence of various forms of crime and terrorism through an enhanced understanding of the related societal issues

The Horizon Europe grant opportunity HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-02 focuses on combatting crime and terrorism through societal insights, targeting a variety of applicant types. Eligible participants include police authorities, civil society organizations (CSOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research institutes, and universities, specifically requiring a consortium with at least one police authority and one CSO/NGO from two different EU or associated countries.

The funding type is categorized as Research and Innovation Action (RIA) with a total indicative budget of EUR 18 million, allowing for individual project funding averaging around EUR 3 million, with possibilities ranging from EUR 1 million to EUR 5 million. The grant is open for single-stage applications with a submission deadline set for November 11, 2025.

The program aims to improve societal resilience against crime and terrorism, focusing on security, cybersecurity, and human rights. Projects should address relevant social issues linked to crime and develop validated tools and methodologies for practitioners, advancing towards a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 5 by the project conclusion. The initiative emphasizes collaboration, balancing societal dimensions with technological development, and includes the potential for financial support to third parties of up to EUR 60,000 per entity.

Succinctly, this call seeks innovative, evidence-based solutions for crime and terrorism prevention, emphasizing practical tools for policymakers and enhancing public perception of security and justice across Europe while respecting fundamental rights. The competitiveness of the application process suggests a success rate estimation between 10 and 39%.

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call under the Civil Security for Society (HORIZON-CL3-2025-01) program, focusing on an open topic related to the prevention, detection, and deterrence of crime and terrorism/radicalisation. The call is for HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) with a budget of 12,000,000 EUR. The planned opening date is 12 June 2025, and the deadline for submission is 12 November 2025, 17:00:00 Brussels time. The call aims to award around 4 grants.

The expected outcomes of the projects should contribute to:
1. Improved, modern, uniform, and validated tools, skills, methodologies, and innovative training curricula for security practitioners (Police Authorities, Non-Governmental Organisations, Civil Society Organisations) in Europe to prevent, detect, and deter criminal or terrorist offenses, while respecting applicable legislation and fundamental rights.
2. Enhanced understanding of the cultural and societal aspects of crime or terrorism/radicalisation, including key challenges in combating them.
3. Evidence-based support for policymakers in shaping and tuning regulations related to crime or terrorism/radicalisation.
4. Enhanced citizen perception of Europe as an area of freedom, security, and justice, fully respecting privacy and human rights, through innovative awareness campaigns explaining the mechanisms of crime or terrorism/radicalisation and how to protect against them.

The scope of the call includes addressing new, upcoming, or unforeseen challenges and/or creative or disruptive solutions for improving the prevention, detection, and deterrence of various forms of crime or terrorism/radicalisation through an enhanced understanding of the related societal issues. Proposals should not duplicate topics covered by Horizon Europe Calls Fighting Crime and Terrorism 2023-2024, and if related to topics from 2021-2022, proposals must convincingly explain how they build upon them. This also applies to Horizon Europe projects under calls HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01-05 and HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-05.

Proposals are expected to address one of the following options:
Option a: societal issues related to crime;
Option b: societal issues related to terrorism and radicalisation.

Projects should convincingly explain how they will plan and/or carry out demonstration, testing, or validation of developed tools and solutions, and outline plans for future uptake and upscaling at national and EU level. Proposals should consider and not duplicate previous research, including research by other Framework Programmes’ projects.

Coordination among successful proposals is encouraged to avoid duplication and exploit complementarities. Proposals addressing issues within Europol's mandate are expected to engage with the Europol Innovation Lab, and those concerning drug-related issues should engage with the EU Drugs Agency. Proposals concerning radicalisation are encouraged to liaise with the EU Knowledge Hub on prevention of radicalisation.

To ensure active involvement and feedback from security practitioners (Police Authorities and Non-Governmental Organisations / Civil Society Organisations), proposals should include a mid-term deliverable consisting of an assessment of the project’s mid-term outcomes performed by the practitioners involved.

Activities should address both technological and societal dimensions of the tackled challenge in a balanced way, requiring the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts and institutions.

Proposals should plan activities opting for Financial Support to Third Parties to practitioners (Police Authorities and/or Non-Governmental Organisations/Civil Society Organisations) for expanding the proposed work. From 5% up to 20% of the EU funding requested may be allocated to this purpose.

Proposals must clearly describe the objectives and expected results, including elements listed in the application template, and describe methods and processes to comply with eligibility conditions for financial support to third parties as set out in General Annex B, demonstrating effectiveness (impact).

The general conditions include:
1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit 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.
2. Eligible Countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries.
3. Other Eligible Conditions: Active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 1 Police Authority and at least 1 Civil Society Organisation (CSO or NGO) 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 data, they must use Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion as described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.
5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds as described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Grants will be awarded to applications ensuring a balanced portfolio, considering ranking and highest rank within each of the two options (Option a and Option b), provided that the applications attain all thresholds.
5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.
5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 60,000 per third party, as 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) information is available in the Submission System.

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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

There are 34 partner search announcements available.

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

This Horizon Europe call aims to foster research and innovation in the field of civil security, specifically targeting the prevention, detection, and deterrence of crime and terrorism. It encourages projects that address societal issues related to crime and radicalisation, develop innovative tools and methodologies for security practitioners, and provide evidence-based support for policymakers. The call emphasizes the importance of collaboration between researchers, law enforcement agencies, civil society organizations, and policymakers to enhance the security and resilience of European societies while upholding fundamental rights and freedoms. The call provides funding for Research and Innovation Actions, Coordination and Support Actions, and Pre-commercial Procurement, with a total budget of 12,000,000 EUR and a planned opening date of 12 June 2025, and a deadline of 12 November 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types include Police Authorities, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). The call is open to a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries. The specific provisions for funding availability for participants from these countries can be found in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Funding Type: The funding type is primarily a grant, specifically a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based. Financial support to third parties is also provided in the form of grants, with a maximum amount of EUR 60,000 per third party. The call includes HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA), HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA), HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) and HORIZON Pre-commercial Procurement (HORIZON-PCP).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. Specifically, it mandates the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 1 Police Authority and at least 1 Civil Society Organisation (CSO) or Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) 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. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries are also eligible, subject to specific provisions outlined in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the civil security sector, focusing on the prevention, detection, and deterrence of crime and terrorism/radicalisation. It also emphasizes the societal dimensions of these challenges, requiring the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Associated Countries, and a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries are mentioned as being eligible, but no specific countries are named.

Project Stage: The project stage encompasses research, development, demonstration, testing, and validation of tools and solutions. It also includes planning for future uptake and upscaling at the national and EU level, suggesting a progression towards commercialization.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the type of action:
HORIZON-IA: Typically between EUR 3,000,000 and EUR 15,000,000, with one instance at EUR 5,000,000 and another at EUR 10,000,000.
HORIZON-RIA: Typically between EUR 7,000,000 and EUR 18,000,000.
HORIZON-CSA: Between EUR 2,000,000 and EUR 5,000,000.
HORIZON-PCP: EUR 5,500,000.
Financial support to third parties: Up to EUR 60,000 per third party, with 5% to 20% of the EU funding allocated for this purpose.

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants. Additionally, they will receive non-monetary services such as access to the Europol Innovation Lab and the EU Drugs Agency for validation of outcomes, and the EU Knowledge Hub on prevention of radicalisation for streamlining priorities and dissemination of results.

Application Stages: The application process consists of a single stage.

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

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, seeks proposals for research and innovation actions, innovation actions, coordination and support actions, and pre-commercial procurement projects aimed at improving the prevention, detection, and deterrence of crime and terrorism/radicalisation. The call is open to consortia including Police Authorities and Civil Society Organisations from EU Member States and Associated Countries, as well as potentially non-EU/non-Associated Countries. Projects should address societal issues related to crime or terrorism/radicalisation, and are expected to demonstrate, test, or validate developed tools and solutions. Funding amounts vary depending on the action type, with grants ranging from EUR 2,000,000 to EUR 18,000,000. A single-stage application process is used, and successful projects are expected to contribute to improved tools, skills, methodologies, and training for security practitioners, enhanced understanding of cultural and societal aspects of crime and terrorism, evidence-based support for policymakers, and an enhanced perception of security and justice among citizens. The call also encourages coordination among successful proposals and engagement with relevant EU agencies and hubs. A significant portion of the funding (5% to 20%) should be allocated to financial support for third parties, with a maximum of EUR 60,000 per third party. The submission deadline is November 12, 2025.