Standardisation

The Standardisation topic ISF-2026-TF2 under the Internal Security Fund supports standardisation activities to strengthen digital investigations and lawful access to digital evidence. The call opened on 15 September 2026 with a single-stage electronic deadline of 15 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time; the topic budget and maximum EU contribution per project are €1,500,000, one project is expected and project duration is up to 24 months. Eligible applicants are legal entities able to work with law enforcement and judicial authorities, including public bodies, research organisations, national standardisation bodies, technology providers and non-profit organisations, with coordinators required to be non-profit/public and third-country participation limited and conditional. Proposals must deliver concrete standards, increase practitioner participation in standardisation processes, provide training and expert advice, and demonstrate sustainable EU-level uptake by law enforcement and judicial authorities.

What it funds

Focus

Grants to support standardisation activities that strengthen digital investigations and lawful access to data. Funded actions should analyse standardisation needs, support participation of security practitioners in standards processes, design training, provide expertise/studies, pool Member State resources, and propose sustainable EU-level standardisation mechanisms (areas include 6G and internet communications, digital forensics, vehicle forensics and AI).

Funding range:Maximum EU contribution per project up to €1,500,000; project duration typically up to 24 months ¹.

Who can apply

Main beneficiaries:law enforcement and judicial authorities in EU Member States and third countries with an operational agreement with Europol. Eligible applicants are legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries; coordinators must be non-profit public or similar entities (profit-making entities and international organisations cannot act as coordinators). Consortia should ensure practitioner participation across multiple Member States (topic requests participation of practitioners from at least five Member States).

Eligibility highlights

1. 1Applicants: legal entities registered in eligible countries (EU Member States; third-country participation only under specific rules).
2. 2Coordinator: non-profit public or equivalent body (profit entities cannot coordinate).
3. 3Consortium: single applicant allowed for this topic but must ensure participation of practitioners from at least five Member States; consortium options with multiple beneficiaries are encouraged.
4. 4Project duration: up to 24 months; financial and operational capacity checks apply.

Practical details

Call opening 15 Sep 2026; single-stage deadline 15 Dec 2026 (17:00 Brussels time). Submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Applications must follow the call document, templates and admissibility rules (page limits, annexes, Participant Register/PIC validation).

Proposals will be evaluated on Relevance, Quality and Impact; apply via the Portal and consult the call document and annexes for full eligibility, admissibility and cost rules EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call documentation, eligibility rules, templates and submission are on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: ec.europa.eu

Call title and programme

Digital Investigations and Standardisation (Internal Security Fund)

This call topic ISF-2026-TF2 is part of the Internal Security Fund (ISF) Thematic Facility call ISF-2026-TF2-AG-CYBER. It targets standardisation activities to support digital investigations and lawful access to digital evidence across the EU. The topic aims to structure and enhance security practitioners contribution to standardisation processes, raise awareness, build synergies among stakeholders and nurture a sustainable EU approach for standardisation in digital investigations. Proposals should lead to concrete standards supporting law enforcement and the judiciary and deliver operationally relevant outcomes.

Call web reference and primary documentation:Full topic page, call document and annexes available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Standardisation Topic Page ¹

Important dates, budget and expected number of awards

Opening date:15 September 2026. Submission deadline: 15 December 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Deadline model: single-stage electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal submission system. Indicative timetable: evaluation December 2026 — March 2027, information on results April 2027, grant signature May 2027. Maximum project duration: 24 months.

1. 1Total call budget (both topics combined) indicated: €6 500 000 (call-level figure).
2. 2Topic budget for Standardisation (ISF-2026-TF2-AG-STANDARD): €1 500 000.
3. 3Expected number of grants under Standardisation: 1 project (the call document indicates one project expected under topic STANDARD).

Scope, objectives and expected impact (detailed)

Expected impact:Projects should achieve one or more of the following outcomes: structure and enhance security practitioners contribution in standardisation processes, increase awareness and build synergies amongst relevant stakeholders, nurture a sustainable EU approach for standardisation in the field of digital investigations. The project should lead to the delivery of concrete standards to support law enforcement and/or the judiciary.

Objectives:(1) develop capacity and expertise of law enforcement and judicial authorities for lawful access to data using solutions compatible with EU rules; (2) contribute to implementation of EU law; (3) foster cross-border cooperation between law enforcement/judicial authorities and private entities to develop standardised data formats and communication protocols to request and process digital evidence.

Scope and recommended focus areas:Provide an analysis of areas where standardisation for security is needed; plan and implement relevant standardisation activities to enhance operational capacity of law enforcement/judicial authorities in priority areas (notably 6G and Internet-based communication, digital forensics including vehicle forensics, and Artificial Intelligence); raise awareness and support active participation of security practitioners in standardisation technical processes; pool Member State resources to ensure effective participation in standardisation bodies; design, develop and deliver training (in cooperation with the European Cybercrime Training and Education Group ECTEG when relevant) to increase effectiveness of practitioners taking part in standards work; provide expert studies and advice; reflect on sustainable mechanisms for an EU approach to standardisation for digital investigations; identify where EU legislative initiatives would benefit from further standardisation.

Priority technological and thematic areas mentioned:6G and Internet-based communications, digital forensics (mobile/computer/cloud/IoT including automotive forensics), vehicles forensics, Artificial Intelligence, data formats and communication protocols for digital evidence exchange, interoperability, and lawful access-related standards.

Eligibility and who should apply

Main beneficiaries:law enforcement and/or judicial authorities in EU Member States and third countries that have an operational agreement with Europol. Proposals are invited to involve a broad set of expertise covering operational security needs, technology and standardisation, including national authorities, academia, technology providers and national standardisation bodies.

1. 1Eligible applicant types (detailed): legal entities (public bodies, non-profit bodies, research organisations, universities, national standardisation bodies, technology providers, non-profit associations, international organisations in certain roles). Profit-making entities may participate as beneficiaries except they cannot act as coordinators for this topic. Natural persons are not eligible except for self-employed sole traders with legal personality.
2. 2Consortium requirement for this topic: at least a single applicant (mono-beneficiary possible) from one participating EU Member State ensuring the participation of practitioners from at least 5 EU Member States in the project; however a consortium composed of applicants from at least 2 different participating EU Member States is preferred and encouraged.
3. 3Geographic eligibility: applicants must be established in eligible countries described in the call document: EU Member States participating in ISF (Denmark excluded) and third countries having an operational agreement with Europol can participate only exceptionally as co-beneficiaries and only as part of a consortium that includes entities established in EU Member States. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register (PIC) and will be validated by the REA validation service.

Specific restrictions and requirements:coordinators cannot be profit-making entities, international organisations or entities established in non-EU countries. Financial support to third parties is generally not allowed for this call (unless explicitly indicated; for this call it is not allowed). Proposals must respect ethical and security requirements and safeguard fundamental rights.

Funding model, amounts and cost rules

Form of support:ISF Action Grant — budget-based, mixed actual cost grant. Funding rate: standard funding rate stated in Model Grant Agreement for ISF actions — call documentation indicates reimbursement at 90% for eligible costs in the Model Grant Agreement (the call text states the grant will reimburse eligible costs at the funding rate fixed in the Grant Agreement and provides 90% as the standard funding rate for this instrument). Maximum EU grant amount per project for this topic: must not exceed €1 500 000 (Standardisation). Maximum and minimum amounts for the parallel Digital Investigations topic are different (€1 000 000 to 2 500 000). Total call budget for 2026 indicated: €6 200 000 in some portal pages and €6 500 000 in the call document; topic-level budget for STANDARD is €1 500 000 ¹.

1. 1Eligible cost categories: Personnel (employees, seconded staff, SME owners and natural person beneficiaries, volunteers where applicable), Subcontracting, Purchase costs (travel and subsistence via unit costs per Commission decision or actual costs where allowed, equipment via depreciation or full-cost for specific listed equipment in the call if authorised), Other goods/works/services, Indirect costs (flat-rate 7% of eligible direct costs A-D, except volunteers and exempt categories).
2. 2Budget rules and templates: Part A (administrative forms) and Part B (technical description) application form (AMIF/ISF/BMVI standard templates) must be used; Part B limited to maximum 50 pages (excluding annexes). Mandatory annex: list of previous projects (last 4 years) as a separate annex; other annexes and templates available in the Submission System.

Funding amounts and expected grants:Topic budget for Standardisation: €1 500 000. Maximum EU contribution requested per project under this topic: €1 500 000. Expected number of grants under this topic: 1. Total call budget across both topics: EUR approx. 6 200 000—6 500 000 (portal pages show minor inconsistencies between 6 200 000 and 6 500 000) ¹.

Application and evaluation process

Application method:open single-stage call; proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission Service using the provided Part A and Part B templates and required annexes. Paper submissions are not accepted. Submission sessions open on the topic page in the Portal. Applicants must confirm mandate for all participants and complete Participant Register validation as required.

1. 1Evaluation procedure: two-step evaluation process in practice: (1) pre-selection based on Relevance award criterion only, (2) full evaluation of shortlisted proposals against the full set of award criteria (Relevance, Quality, Impact). The call is single-stage for submission but evaluation involves two assessment phases.
2. 2Award criteria and thresholds: Relevance (30 points) — individual threshold 21/30; Quality (50 points); Impact (20 points); overall threshold: 70/100. Scoring used for ranking and selection; tie-break rules based on Relevance, then Impact, then Quality, then strategic portfolio considerations.

Indicative timetable:opening 15/09/2026; deadline 15/12/2026 17:00 CET; evaluation Dec 2026—Mar 2027; results April 2027; grant agreement signature May 2027. Applicants should consult the Topic page regularly for updates and use the Topic Q&A for clarifications.

Scoring, success rate and number of stages to award

1. 1Number of evaluation stages to obtain the grant: 2 (pre-selection on Relevance, full evaluation on Relevance/Quality/Impact).
2. 2Success rates: not published. The call document indicates 1 project expected to be funded under this Standardisation topic. Given the available budget and expected number of grants, competition is likely strong; actual success rate depends on number and quality of submissions and cannot be precisely estimated from available information.
3. 3Indicative selection and reserve list: shortlisted proposals passing thresholds will be invited to grant preparation; other proposals may be put on a reserve list or rejected.

Co-funding, payments and financial capacity

Co-funding requirement:the grant is based on eligible costs and reimburses up to the funding rate (90% indicated in the Model Grant Agreement for ISF actions). Applicants must demonstrate stable and sufficient financial and operational capacity to implement the project. A financial capacity check may be performed during grant preparation for beneficiaries requesting amounts above thresholds or non-public entities. Prefinancing is normally paid after grant signature; prefinancing guarantees may be requested depending on assessment of financial capacity. Final grant amount may be reduced if obligations are not met; grants must not produce profit (no-profit rule).

Application templates, structure and mandatory annexes

Application templates and forms:use the AMIF/ISF/BMVI standard Application Form (Part A and Part B) available in the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. Part A is completed online; Part B is downloaded, completed (technical description), re-uploaded as PDF. Part B page limit: 50 pages (excluding annexes). Minimum font and layout rules apply (Arial 9, A4, margins).

1. 1Part A (Administrative Forms): coordinator and beneficiary identification, budget summary, declarations.
2. 2Part B (Technical Description): project summary; sections covering Relevance (background, needs analysis, complementarity), Quality (concept and methodology, consortium set-up, teams, management, risk management), Impact (communication, dissemination, sustainability), Workplan and Work Packages (detailed tasks, deliverables, milestones, timetable, staff effort), Budget justification (staff effort, subcontracting, equipment), Ethics and Security.
3. 3Part C (project KPIs): to be completed online in the Portal.
4. 4Mandatory annexes to upload in the Submission System: list of previous projects (last 4 years) as a separate mandatory annex; other supporting documents as requested in the call (legal entity validation documents, if requested during grant preparation). CVs and annual activity reports are often not applicable for this call as stated in call documentation templates.

Important annex specifics: the list of previous projects must be provided as a separate annex using the dedicated table from the Part B template; failure to upload this annex renders the proposal inadmissible.

Evaluation and award practicalities

Admissibility:proposals must be submitted before the deadline via the Portal, must comply with page limits and format and include all requested annexes. Eligibility checks include country eligibility, consortium composition and type of applicants. Financial and operational capacity will be reviewed; public bodies and certain thresholds are exempt from some checks. Security and ethics scrutiny may apply for projects handling classified information or sensitive topics. Projects must comply with EU values and fundamental rights, and results should be made available to law enforcement at little or no cost where relevant (use of Europol tools repository and sandbox for testing is considered an asset).

Detailed categorisation answers (structured)

Below are direct, structured answers to the categorisation questions requested, based on the call documentation and portal content.

• Eligible Applicant Types: law enforcement authorities and judicial authorities (primary beneficiaries); public bodies, universities and research institutes, national standardisation bodies, technology providers, non-profit organisations, SMEs and large enterprises may participate as beneficiaries (profit-making entities may participate but cannot be coordinators for this topic), affiliated entities, associated partners, international organisations in certain roles. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders with legal personality. Third-country entities are allowed only if their country has an operational agreement with Europol and they participate as co-beneficiaries within a consortium that includes at least one EU Member State beneficiary.
• Funding Type: Grant (ISF Project Grants / ISF Action Grant Budget-Based).
• Consortium Requirement: single-applicant allowed for topic STANDARD (mono-beneficiary) provided the project ensures participation of practitioners from at least five EU Member States; recommended and preferred is a consortium (multiple applicants) from at least two different participating EU Member States. For the parallel Digital Investigations topic, a minimum of two applicants from two Member States is mandatory.
• Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): EU Member States participating in ISF (all EU MS except Denmark) plus third countries having operational agreements with Europol (but third-country entities may only be co-beneficiaries as part of a consortium including at least one EU Member State).
• Target Sector: security / cybercrime / digital investigations / standardisation; cross-cutting technology focus on ICT, telecoms (6G), digital forensics, vehicle forensics, artificial intelligence, interoperability and standards for lawful access and digital evidence exchange.
• Mentioned Countries: The call text explicitly references EU Member States collectively. Denmark is excluded from ISF participation by protocol. It also allows participation by third countries that have operational agreements with Europol (specific third countries not enumerated in the topic text). The geographic region is therefore EU (plus specified third countries with Europol agreements).
• Project Stage: maturity expected is beyond idea/feasibility: projects should deliver concrete standards and implementation-ready outputs; suitable stages include analysis, development, validation and demonstration with strong operational integration (no preparatory scoping studies only).
• Funding Amount: topic STANDARD maximum EU grant per project: €1 500 000. Total topic budget for STANDARD: €1 500 000. Total call budget across both topics approx. €6 200 000—6 500 000. Expected number of grants for STANDARD: 1.
• Application Type: open call — single-stage electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (apply using ISF Project Grants models).
• Nature of Support: financial monetary support in the form of an EU grant (budget-based, reimbursing eligible costs; unit costs, flat-rates and actual costs according to Model Grant Agreement rules).
• Application Stages: evaluation has two assessment steps: pre-selection on Relevance, then full evaluation on Relevance, Quality and Impact. Submission itself is single-stage (one proposal submission).
• Success Rates: not specified. The call document indicates one award is expected for STANDARD; therefore success is highly competitive and depends on the number of submissions. No numerical success rate is published.
• Co-funding Requirement: implicit co-funding expectation: grant reimburses eligible costs at the funding rate (Model Grant Agreement indicates up to 90% funding rate for ISF projects). Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity and may need to contribute the remainder of costs from own or third-party resources. No fixed mandatory co-financing percentage is stated beyond the funding rate mechanism.

Application form structure and templates guidance

Use the AMIF/ISF/BMVI Application Form templates available in the Submission System. Part A is administrative and filled online; Part B is the technical narrative to be downloaded and re-uploaded as PDF. Part B template sections and guidance exactly as per portal templates must be followed. Part B maximum 50 pages excluding annexes. Key required content and structure in Part B (standard template sections):

1. 1Project summary (abstract) — concise description for non-specialists.
2. 21. Relevance — background, needs analysis, specific objectives, complementarity with EU activities and added value, which EU strategic documents and legislative context are supported.
3. 32. Quality — concept and methodology, consortium set-up and division of roles, project teams and expertise, management and decision-making, quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation, cost effectiveness and financial management, risk management.
4. 43. Impact — short- and long-term impact, dissemination and communication strategy, visibility of EU funding, sustainability and replicability.
5. 54. Workplan — detailed work packages, tasks, milestones and deliverables, staff effort per WP, subcontracting justification (subcontracting expected to be limited and must be justified), equipment, timetable (month-by-month up to 24 months).
6. 65. Ethics and security sections — full ethics self-assessment where relevant; security handling for classified information including possible facility security clearance requirements.
7. 7Annexes — mandatory list of previous projects (last 4 years) as separate annex using the provided table; legal entity validation documents will be requested during grant preparation; CVs and activity reports are indicated as not applicable for this call in the call templates but follow call requirements.

Other application form rules and observations:do not include CVs or letters of support in Part B unless explicitly requested. The portal warns when non-eligible third-country entities are included, but this warning does not in itself block submission where their participation complies with the call conditions (e.g. operational agreement with Europol and consortium composition rules). Use unit costs for travel/accommodation/subsistence as required by Commission decisions for HOME Funds (unit costs apply in most cases) and consult the Annotated Grant Agreement section 6.2.C.1 for details.

Security, ethics and data handling

Projects must comply with high ethical standards and EU values. Projects handling EU classified information will require additional security scrutiny and may require facility security clearance, personnel security clearances and secure handling arrangements; certain classification levels cannot be funded. Projects must respect data protection rules (GDPR and EU institution data rules) and may be subject to special ethics reviews. The call text notes that projects involving EUCI cannot be funded at the highest classification levels and have specific handling and subcontracting restrictions.

How the project results should be shared and sustainability

Tools and standards produced should be made available for LEA use across the EU, ideally via Europol Tools Repository and tested using the Europol sandbox where relevant. Projects should plan for ownership transfer to LEAs, sustainability and maintenance after project end, use existing communities of experts and align with Europol/EC3, EACTDA, ECTEG and other EU initiatives. Use of existing EU guidance on licensing, interoperability and usability is an asset.

Summary and practical advice

This ISF topic funds an operationally focused project that must produce concrete standardisation outputs to support digital investigations across the EU. Eligible applicants include law enforcement and judicial authorities as well as a broad set of stakeholders; third-country involvement is restricted and conditional. The Standardisation topic has a maximum grant of €1 500 000 and expects to fund one project. Single-stage application via the Funding & Tenders Portal is required using standard AMIF/ISF/BMVI templates; evaluation involves a relevance pre-selection followed by full evaluation on relevance, quality and impact with an overall pass threshold of 70/100. Applicants should demonstrate operational need, link to EU policy/legislation, provide a credible technical roadmap to create standards and demonstrate sustainability and uptake by LEAs. Prepare mandatory annexes carefully (notably the list of previous projects) and ensure Participant Register validation before submission. Contact HOME-ISF@ec.europa.eu for help related to this call. For submission technical issues use the IT Helpdesk.

Footnotes

1. 1Call topic and full call documentation, including call document, application form templates and Model Grant Agreement, are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: ec.europa.eu

The Standardisation topic under the Digital Investigations and Standardisation call, reference ISF-2026-TF2, is an Internal Security Fund call for proposals using the ISF Project Grants action type and the ISF Action Grant Budget-Based model grant agreement. The topic was open for submission from 15 September 2026 and uses a single-stage procedure with a deadline of 15 December 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

The topic is intended to support standardisation work that strengthens digital investigations, improves the contribution of security practitioners to standardisation processes, and builds a more sustainable EU approach in this area.[3][7]

What the Funding Is About

The call seeks projects that improve the operational and strategic position of law enforcement and judicial authorities in standardisation processes relevant to digital investigations. It also aims to increase awareness, build synergies among stakeholders, and support an EU level standardisation approach that can be sustained beyond a single project cycle.

• Analyse where standardisation for security is needed.
• Support relevant standardisation activities for law enforcement and judicial authorities.
• Raise awareness and increase participation of security practitioners.
• Pool resources across Member States to enable effective participation.
• Design and deliver training, studies and expert advice, including cooperation with the European Cybercrime Training and Education Group where relevant.
• Reflect on sustainable mechanisms for an EU approach to standardisation for digital investigations.
• Identify areas where EU legislative initiatives would benefit from further standardisation.

Who Can Apply

The public extract does not name the exact applicant categories, but the topic is clearly aimed at actors capable of working with law enforcement and judicial authorities, as well as standardisation stakeholders and private entities involved in cross border cooperation. Eligible countries, other eligibility rules, and any consortium requirements are set out in section 6 of the call document.

Applicants should also review the financial and operational capacity requirements and exclusion criteria in section 7 before submitting.

Budget and Grant Conditions

The portal extract does not provide the project duration, minimum or maximum contribution per project, or the cofinancing rate. Those details should be checked in the call document, especially sections 4, 9 and 10, and in the model grant agreement.

Evaluation, Submission and Required Documents

Submission is through the Funding and Tenders Portal electronic submission system. The call document and application form templates are listed on the topic page, including the standard application form for AMIF, ISF and BMVI calls and the relevant model grant agreement.

• Proposal page limit and layout are defined in section 5 and Part B of the application form.
• Evaluation and award processes are described in section 8 and the Online Manual.
• Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in section 9.
• Indicative evaluation and grant agreement timing is described in section 4.
• Legal and financial set up is described in section 10.

Practical Takeaways for Applicants

• Build a strong evidence based analysis of standardisation gaps in digital investigations.
• Prioritise the named areas of interest, especially 6G, internet based communication, digital forensics, vehicle forensics and artificial intelligence.
• Show how the project will improve practitioner participation in standardisation bodies and processes.
• Include a credible plan for training, expertise support, and stakeholder coordination.
• Demonstrate how the work will lead to a sustainable EU approach rather than a one off activity.
• Make the cross border and EU law implementation value of the proposal explicit.

Support and Contact

For topic specific questions, the portal lists HOME-ISF@ec.europa.eu as the contact point. Technical submission questions are handled through the portal helpdesk and the online manual.