Preventing and fighting illicit trafficking of cultural goods

The grant opportunity titled HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-07, focuses on preventing and combating the illicit trafficking of cultural goods and is part of the Horizon Europe initiative. The call opens on 12 May 2026 and closes on 23 September 2026. It is classified as a single-stage Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a total budget of €5 million and a potential funding range of €4.5 million to €5 million for the expected project. Only one project is anticipated to be awarded this funding.

Eligible applicants must form a consortium that includes at least three security practitioner organizations from different EU Member States or Associated Countries, and at least two scientific research institutions focused on illicit trafficking in cultural heritage. Other participant types can be from fields such as non-governmental organizations, cultural and creative industries, and civil society organizations. Notably, legal entities from non-associated third countries can also participate under specific provisions.

This grant emphasizes the importance of cross-border cooperation in addressing cultural heritage crimes, especially in conflict and crisis areas. The project aims to strengthen capabilities within law enforcement agencies and tailor training materials for diverse user groups. The focus is on building sustainable governance frameworks that ensure ongoing collaboration and support, with proposals expected to integrate existing tools and platforms while ensuring long-term operational readiness.

Funding will be distributed in the form of a lump sum grant, which allows beneficiaries to distribute a maximum of 15% towards financial support for third parties involved in relevant activities, capped at €60,000 per entity. The application process is straightforward, requiring a single submission, which must include a detailed budget and adhere to a 33-page limit for the proposal.

Success rates are not explicitly provided, but competitive indicators suggest a low success probability due to the stringent consortium requirements. While co-funding is not mandated, proposals are expected to demonstrate long-term sustainability.

Overall, this funding opportunity aims to foster collaborations among law enforcement stakeholders, enhance cultural heritage protection capabilities, and establish comprehensive training ecosystems. The focus on leveraging advanced technologies and improving data governance positions this grant as a strategic investment in addressing sophisticated trafficking networks of cultural goods across Europe.

This is a Horizon Europe call, specifically HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-07, focused on preventing and fighting illicit trafficking of cultural goods. It falls under the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society 2026 call (HORIZON-CL2-2026-01). The action type is a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA), utilizing a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] model grant agreement.

The call is forthcoming with a single-stage deadline model. The planned opening date is 12 May 2026, and the deadline for submission is 23 September 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of projects funded under this topic include:

Increased evidence collection and intelligence gathering.
Effective cross-border and cross-domain cooperation.
Uptake by Law Enforcement Authorities (LEA) and experts of consolidated tools and platforms within their operational systems and methodologies.
Capacity building and a consolidated training ecosystem with validated, actionable, interactive training materials tailored to different user groups across EU Member States and beyond.
Enhanced capabilities for European Union law enforcement, judiciary, and other competent authorities in addressing crimes related to cultural heritage.
Actionable solutions to the threat to cultural heritage trafficking by illicit excavations.
A robust and long-term sustainable support framework and plan for cooperation in preventing and fighting illicit trafficking of cultural goods.

The scope of the call addresses the serious crime of trafficking in cultural goods, which poses significant threats to cultural heritage, especially in conflict and crisis areas. This illicit trade includes illegal import, export, and transfer of ownership of valuable cultural items, theft, looting, assets laundering, and forgery. The call emphasizes the need for advanced analytics, including machine learning and AI, to curate, process, and share large volumes of dynamic, interoperable, and high-quality data, transforming it into meaningful intelligence.

Proposals should focus on:

Developing a cohesive ecosystem among LEAs, with integrations and operational interfaces between existing tools and systems.
Fostering the utilization of systems by LEAs and pushing them forward to market readiness.
Strengthening collaboration between stakeholders by providing effective tools and actionable, standardized training materials.
Improving data quality, robust data governance, and data interoperability across stakeholders and borders.
Providing support to evidence collection through analysis and interpolation of different information sources, including open source and geospatial intelligence.

Proposals should design and consolidate the solution space, tools, and training ecosystem to demonstrate real uptake and adoption, reflecting the priorities of diverse stakeholders. Cooperation with CEPOL is expected for police authorities’ training-related aspects.

Proposals should build on achievements of related previous projects and create synergies with projects and European research infrastructures, such as Horizon Europe Cluster 2 and Cluster 3, ERC, ISF, Creative Europe, UCPM, and E-RIHS. Synergies with the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage (ECCCH) and the Europol Innovation Lab are encouraged.

Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties, such as Police Authorities, NGOs/CSOs, cultural and creative industries, and research groups, up to 15% of the EU funding, with a maximum of EUR 60 000 per third party.

Funded proposals are expected to develop a long-term sustainable governance and cooperation framework, including a detailed roadmap and validated business model to ensure functionality after the project ends. The research scope should include under-studied regions, conflict zones, and areas under environmental disasters.

The admissibility conditions include proposal page limits (33 pages for Part B of the CSA application) and submission of a detailed budget table.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries may participate under specific provisions.

Other eligible conditions include restrictions for the protection of European communication networks. The topic requires the involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least three security practitioner organizations and at least two scientific research institutions working on illicit trafficking in Cultural Heritage.

Some activities may involve classified information (EUCI and SEN). Projects using satellite data must use 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 processes are detailed in Annexes D and F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Application form templates and evaluation form templates are available in the Submission System. Guidance is provided in the HE Programme Guide and related documents.

The total budget and indicative number of grants for various topics under the Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society 2026 call are listed, including topics related to Democracy, Heritage, and Transformation. For example, HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-07 has a budget of EUR 5 000 000 and aims to award 1 grant.

This funding opportunity aims to combat the illicit trafficking of cultural goods by fostering collaboration between law enforcement, researchers, and other stakeholders. It seeks to develop and implement effective tools, training programs, and sustainable governance frameworks to protect cultural heritage across Europe and beyond. The emphasis is on using advanced technologies, improving data quality, and building capacity within law enforcement agencies to address this complex and specialized criminal market. Ultimately, the goal is to increase evidence collection, enhance cross-border cooperation, and provide actionable solutions to safeguard cultural heritage for future generations.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types for this opportunity include security practitioner organizations or agencies, defined as those actively engaged in security operations such as law enforcement, customs, environmental crime management, smuggling and trafficking fighting, counter-terrorism, border and maritime surveillance, public safety, and fundamental rights. Additionally, scientific research institutions working on illicit trafficking in the specific field of Cultural Heritage are eligible. Non-Governmental Organizations/Civil Society Organizations, cultural and creative industries, research groups and communities of practitioners in the field of Cultural Heritage are also mentioned as entities that can receive Financial Support to Third Parties.

Funding Type: The funding type for this opportunity is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Coordination and Support Action (HORIZON-CSA) under the Horizon Europe Programme. The eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum. Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties up to 15% of the EU funding. The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants.

Consortium Requirement: This opportunity requires a consortium. The consortium must include at least three security practitioner organizations or agencies established in at least three different EU Member States or Associated Countries, and at least two scientific research institutions working on illicit trafficking in the specific field of Cultural Heritage.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. Legal entities established in non-associated third countries may exceptionally participate in this Coordination and Support Action as a beneficiary or affiliated entity and are exceptionally eligible for Union funding.

Target Sector: This program targets the following sectors: security, cybersecurity, culture, cultural heritage, law enforcement, customs, environmental crime management, smuggling and trafficking fighting, counter-terrorism, border and maritime surveillance, public safety, fundamental rights, cultural and creative industries, research, innovation, advanced analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, data governance, open source intelligence, geospatial intelligence, training, and cataloguing.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity mentions Ukraine explicitly, in the context of the Recommendation on Safeguarding Cultural Heritage in Ukraine. The opportunity also refers to EU Member States and Associated Countries generally.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on consolidation, development, and implementation of sustainable frameworks, tools, and training ecosystems. It aims to build upon existing expertise and developments, pushing systems forward to market readiness level and ensuring long-term engagement beyond the funding duration.

Funding Amount: The budget for the topic HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-07 is EUR 5,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 1, with contributions ranging from EUR 4,500,000 to EUR 5,000,000.

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant. They may also provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants, up to 15% of the EU funding, with a maximum of EUR 60,000 per third party.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for the topic HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-07 is 1.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL2-2026-01-HERITAGE-07, focuses on preventing and fighting illicit trafficking of cultural goods. It aims to consolidate tools, platforms, and training ecosystems to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement and other stakeholders in addressing crimes related to cultural heritage. The call encourages projects that build upon existing expertise, foster collaboration, improve data quality, and support evidence collection. Eligible applicants include security practitioner organizations, scientific research institutions, and other relevant entities from EU Member States, Associated Countries, and exceptionally, non-associated third countries. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, with the possibility of providing financial support to third parties. The projects are expected to develop sustainable governance frameworks and contribute to increased evidence collection, capacity building, and actionable solutions to combat cultural heritage trafficking. The indicative budget for this specific topic is EUR 5,000,000, with one grant expected to be awarded.