Road Safety and resilience of rural areas

Overview

The Horizon Europe call under the topic HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-09 focuses on "Road Safety and Resilience of Rural Areas." This initiative is part of the larger BATTERIES and MOBILITY program, specifically targeting funding to address the high rate of road fatalities in rural areas. The call's opening date is set for June 4, 2026, with a deadline for submissions on October 8, 2026. A total budget of €12 million is allocated for this topic, with approximately two grants of €6 million each available.

Eligible applicants for this funding include a variety of entities such as universities, research organizations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises, and public authorities. Collaboration with road authorities is particularly encouraged. The funding is delivered in the form of a lump sum grant, which simplifies the administrative process compared to traditional reimbursement-based grants.

The submission process is single-stage, meaning that applications are evaluated in one round without pre-selection phases. The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, with an emphasis on projects that operate across at least three regions. These regions should ideally include locations with higher-than-average rural road fatalities, supporting a comparative analysis across diverse rural settings.

Projects funded under this initiative are expected to implement the Network-Wide Road Safety Assessment (NWRSA) methodology specifically for rural roads. This entails developing innovative enforcement strategies and prevention measures aimed at reducing road fatalities. The focus is also on improving road user behavior and creating tools for local authorities to manage climate-related risks affecting road safety.

The initiative aligns with broader EU goals, such as Vision Zero by 2050, which aims to eliminate road fatalities and serious injuries. It is multifaceted and includes actions to enhance road safety culture, develop cost-effective methodologies for safety assessment, and introduce awareness-raising and incentive mechanisms tailored to rural needs. The application stage and nature of support reflect a commitment to addressing pressing rural transport issues through collaborative, evidence-based methods.

Detail

This is a Horizon Europe (HORIZON) call under the BATTERIES and MOBILITY (HORIZON-CL5-2026-10) program, specifically targeting Road Safety and resilience of rural areas with the topic ID HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-09. It is a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA) with a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage, with a planned opening date of 04 June 2026 and a deadline of 08 October 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The budget for this specific topic is 12,000,000 EUR for the year 2026, and the indicative number of grants is around 2.

The expected outcomes of the projects funded under this topic are: Implementation of the Network-Wide Road Safety Assessment (NWRSA) methodology for secondary rural roads; Innovative and effective enforcement strategies, incentive mechanisms, and measures raising risk awareness for fostering safer behavior; Prevention strategies for reducing road fatalities and serious road traffic injuries on rural roads, along with implementation guidelines and policy measures tailored to stakeholders (regional authorities, police, healthcare professionals, national governments, etc.); and a GIS-based application to assist local and regional authorities in identifying and mapping the impact of extreme weather phenomena and other natural disasters (floods, fires, storms, heavy snowfall, etc.) on the safety and resilience of the road network.

The scope of the research includes addressing the high percentage of EU road fatalities in rural areas by understanding and mitigating safety risks. It emphasizes the role of local and regional authorities in reducing road fatalities and serious injuries. The Road Infrastructure Safety Management (RISM) Directive's concept of NWRSA and proactive road safety assessment are central. The research should support addressing these challenges by undertaking all the following actions in at least three regions covering both primary and secondary rural roads of adequate length to allow for region-level comparisons: Demonstrate the practical applicability of the NWRSA methodology and expand its use to all rural roads for an easy, low-cost, flexible and transparent, yet sufficiently accurate assessment of road infrastructure safety. Identify information gaps and propose methods to leverage available data to supplement the understanding of crash causation and outcomes. Develop prevention strategies and measures to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in rural areas with a focus on high-risk locations and situations and on improving road user behaviour. This includes the development of reliable and easy-to-use methods to provide quantified indications of the actual crash risk associated with and the prevalence of risky behaviours. Based on this, enforcement measures with evidence-based effectiveness in addressing the problems and motivations underlying risky behaviour should be proposed, combining traditional methods with innovative enforcement approaches and new technologies, also taking into account the issue of multi-offenders. These enforcement measures, complemented by suitable awareness raising and nudging measures as well as novel incentive mechanisms to promote safe driving, will form building blocks to design integrated strategies fostering safer behaviour according to the local needs and specificities of rural areas. A gender and disability sensitive and intersectional approach, which intersects with other social factors, could be considered. Crash prevention strategies should also include countermeasures to reduce the effects of health-related risk factors and to guarantee at the same time the mobility of older people and persons with health impairments in rural areas. Develop tools to make knowledge about climate-related risks easily accessible to local authorities and to enable them to take appropriate actions in order to maintain road safety and the resilience of the rural road network and of the infrastructure for road users even in extreme conditions. Projects should select those regions ensuring diversity in terms of road network design, geography and climate conditions, and road safety culture. At least two of those regions should be in countries with higher percentage of fatalities on rural roads than the EU average. The involvement of road authorities is strongly recommended.

General conditions for admissibility, eligible countries, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation and award criteria, submission and evaluation processes, indicative timeline, and legal and financial setup are aligned with the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. 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 (other data and services may additionally be used).

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 – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025).

Application form templates and evaluation form templates are available in the Submission System. Guidance documents include the HE Programme Guide, Lump Sum MGA, call-specific instructions, detailed budget table, and guidance on lump sums. Additional documents include the HE Main Work Programme 2026-2027, 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, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

This funding opportunity aims to improve road safety and resilience in rural areas by implementing and expanding the NWRSA methodology, developing innovative enforcement strategies, and creating tools for local authorities to manage climate-related risks. It seeks to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries, particularly focusing on high-risk locations, road user behavior, and the needs of an aging population and people with disabilities. The research should be conducted in at least three diverse regions, with a strong recommendation for the involvement of road authorities. The overall goal is to support the EU's Vision Zero by 2050 by providing practical, evidence-based solutions for safer and more resilient rural road networks.

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Breakdown

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of Horizon Europe calls, eligible applicants can include universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, local and regional authorities, and other relevant organizations. The involvement of road authorities is strongly recommended. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries are also eligible.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant, under the HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required, but the nature of the projects suggests that a consortium of multiple applicants is likely. The call encourages projects in at least three regions, implying the need for multiple partners. Partner search announcements are available.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic eligibility is for EU member states and associated countries as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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 primary target sector is transport, specifically road safety and resilience of rural areas. This includes elements of climate, environment, and innovation related to road infrastructure and safety management.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity focuses on the EU, with a requirement for projects to cover at least three regions within countries. Non-EU/non-Associated Countries are also mentioned as potentially eligible.

Project Stage: The project stage targets innovation actions (IA) and research and innovation actions (RIA), suggesting projects should be at the development, demonstration, or validation stage, moving towards implementation. Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) are also included.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary by topic, ranging from €4,000,000 to €100,000,000. The indicative number of grants also varies per topic.
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D2-03: €100,000,000 (around 3 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-01: €100,000,000 (around 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-02: €4,000,000 (around 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-03: €13,000,000 (around 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-06: €20,000,000 (around 3 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-07: €4,000,000 (around 1 grant)
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-09: €12,000,000 (around 2 grants)
HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-10: €10,000,000 (around 2 grants)

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 a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly stated, but the indicative number of grants per topic provides some insight. For example, a topic with a budget of €100,000,000 and an indicative number of 1 grant will likely have a lower success rate than a topic with a budget of €20,000,000 and an indicative number of 3 grants, assuming a similar number of applications.

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

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, part of the BATTERIES and MOBILITY program, focuses on enhancing road safety and resilience in rural areas. The call aims to address the high percentage of road fatalities in rural areas by implementing the Network-Wide Road Safety Assessment (NWRSA) methodology, developing innovative enforcement strategies, and creating GIS-based tools for local authorities to manage climate-related risks. Projects should be conducted in at least three diverse regions within the EU, with a strong recommendation for the involvement of road authorities. The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, and the application process is a single-stage open call. The call targets innovation actions, research and innovation actions, and coordination and support actions, indicating a focus on projects that are ready for demonstration and implementation. The indicative budget and number of grants vary by topic, offering opportunities for different types and sizes of projects. The overall goal is to contribute to the EU's Vision Zero by 2050 by reducing road fatalities and serious injuries in rural areas.

Short Summary

Impact
The funding aims to improve road safety and resilience in rural areas by implementing the Network-Wide Road Safety Assessment methodology, developing innovative enforcement strategies, and creating tools for local authorities to manage climate-related risks.
Applicant
Applicants should possess expertise in transport safety, infrastructure management, and climate resilience, with a strong emphasis on collaboration among diverse stakeholders including local authorities, research institutions, and private sector entities.
Developments
The funding will support projects focused on road safety and infrastructure resilience in rural areas, particularly addressing high-risk locations and developing prevention strategies to reduce road fatalities and serious injuries.
Applicant Type
This funding is designed for research organizations, universities, SMEs, large enterprises, public authorities, and other legal entities involved in transport and road safety initiatives.
Consortium
The funding allows for both single applicants and consortia, encouraging collaborative projects involving multiple stakeholders.
Funding Amount
The funding amount is €6,000,000 per project, with a total budget of €12,000,000 allocated for this specific topic, expecting to award 2 grants.
Countries
The funding is relevant for EU member states and associated countries, particularly those with higher percentages of rural road fatalities than the EU average.
Industry
This funding targets the transport and mobility sector, specifically focusing on road safety and resilience in rural areas.

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