SUPPORT TO THE EUROPEAN FRMCS DEPLOYMENT GROUP

The EU grant opportunity titled "Support to the European FRMCS Deployment Group" aims to facilitate the transition from the outdated GSM-R railway communication system to the newly developed Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS). This initiative seeks to address the critical need for modern telecommunications infrastructure in Europe's railways, harnessing 5G technology to enhance communication capabilities essential for ensuring safety and operational efficiency.

This call for proposals falls under the Horizon Europe framework, specifically categorized as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a total indicative budget of €700,000. The funding type is classified as a Horizon Lump Sum Grant, meaning that the total eligible costs are fixed and do not reimburse actual expenses incurred. The grant is open to a wide variety of applicants, including private members of EU-Rail, railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, and relevant telecom stakeholders. A consortium of multiple partners is required, emphasizing the need for collective expertise to ensure effective proposal development and execution.

The project will support the activities of the European FRMCS Deployment Group, ensuring organized planning, execution, and monitoring of deployment strategies across Europe. The successful consortium will undertake several key activities including establishing a Programme Management Office to synchronize all deployment efforts, conducting capacity mapping to identify readiness gaps, and facilitating stakeholder management among various industry players. The project aims to develop cost analyses, deployment guidelines, and innovative technical support initiatives to expedite the transition to FRMCS.

The geographical eligibility primarily includes EU Member States and associated countries, with potential provisions for non-EU participants. The call highlights the urgent need for coordinated efforts as the existing GSM-R system is expected to become obsolete by 2030, necessitating a full migration to FRMCS by 2035. The funding mechanism aims to ensure substantial in-kind contributions from private members of EU-Rail, required to exceed the funding request by a specific multiplier, indicative of the project's extensive financial and operational commitments.

The application process is single-stage, with a planned opening date of October 30, 2025, and a submission deadline set for February 11, 2026. The selected project will operate over a proposed duration of 24 months, intending to mitigate the logistical and technical challenges posed by the migration of communication systems across a vast rail network involving coordinated efforts from various stakeholders.

Overall, this initiative is pivotal for advancing the future of European rail telecommunications, emphasizing not only infrastructural upgrades but also enhancing safety, interoperability, and technological integration across the rail sector.

This is a call for proposals under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the EU-RAIL Joint Undertaking (JU). The topic is HORIZON-JU-ER-2025-EXPLR-04, titled "SUPPORT TO THE EUROPEAN FRMCS DEPLOYMENT GROUP." It falls under the category of HORIZON JU Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-JU-CSA) and utilizes a HORIZON Lump Sum Grant [HORIZON-AG-LS] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The call adopts a single-stage submission model with a planned opening date of October 30, 2025, and a deadline of February 11, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The total indicative budget for this topic is 0.7 million EUR, and it is expected that one project will be funded.

The expected outcome of this call is to facilitate the smooth deployment of innovations and architectures related to the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) by providing support to the European FRMCS Deployment Group. This group, which includes a dedicated FRMCS Deployment Subgroup, focuses on FRMCS deployment activities, leveraging insights from sector plans, activities, and EU-Rail test and demonstration initiatives.

The current railway telecommunications system, GSM-R, is based on 3GPP 2G technology and is becoming obsolete. Manufacturers have indicated that GSM-R networks, components, and technical support will be phased out from 2030. The railway sector is developing a new telecommunications system that is mission-critical for safe railway operations. This new system will support current functionalities and introduce new capabilities essential for future applications, utilizing 5G-based technology.

The coordination and supporting action of the project stemming from this topic shall provide support for the activities of the European FRMCS Deployment Group, ensuring well-organized planning, effective execution, and continuous monitoring of all actions related to deployment. More specifically, support the EU-RAIL FRMCS deployment subgroup on the analysis of infrastructure, rolling stock, industry and workshop capacity for deployment, definition of solutions for acceleration and simplification of authorisation, delivery of cost analyses, CBA and risk assessments, development of a toolbox with migration scenarios, delivery of analyses of cross-border connection interfaces and public-private mobile networks interfaces, and alignment with other major rail upcoming investments.

The scope of the coordination and supporting actions includes:

Programme Management Office (PMO) Functions: Setting up and operating a central coordination function to oversee timelines, dependencies, and progress across planning of FRMCS future deployment activities.

Capacity Mapping & Planning Analysis: Developing and distributing sector-wide surveys to gather data on deployment plans, readiness, and capacity, and analyzing responses to identify gaps and challenges.

Independent Cost and Time Driver Study: Conducting a study to assess cost structures and investment drivers relevant to FRMCS implementation, conducting relevant Cost Business Analyses, and analyzing factors that determine the required rollout timeline.

Stakeholder Management: Facilitating cooperation among rail and telecom stakeholders, as well as with relevant associations.

Communication & Dissemination: Supporting targeted communications for the FRMCS Deployment Group and organizing outreach and engagement with the broader sector.

Deployment Guidelines Toolbox: Supporting the development of practical guidelines and migration scenarios to support railway undertakings and infrastructure managers in their transition to FRMCS.

Expertise & Technical Support: Providing subject-matter expertise on key domains including System authorisation, Cybersecurity, RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and Safety).

European Deployment Dashboard: Supporting the establishment and maintenance of an online dashboard to report on deployment readiness and progress and track national initiatives.

Knowledge Sharing and Acceleration: Gathering and sharing test results, best practices, and lessons learned and promoting early implementation and innovation in FRMCS assets.

Risk & Deviation Management: Supporting the development of frameworks for identifying, reporting, and mitigating risks and deviations across the deployment chain.

Develop market readiness: Support the identification of measures needed to be address by the market for ensure a swift FRMCS deployment.

The coordination and supporting actions will support measures aimed at ensuring that the future FRMCS deployment will progress smoothly, consistently, and efficiently across Europe, aligning sector-wide objectives, addressing operational and financial risks, and laying the foundation for the future of digital railway telecommunications.

The action to be funded shall foresee strong interaction with and support to the EU-RAIL High-Level and its FRMCS Deployment Subgroup, the projects included in the Flagship Area 2, and the EU-RAIL System Pillar.

The integration of the gender dimension in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

The proposal page limit for a full Coordination and Support Action application is set to 70 pages.

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.

Applicant Private Members of the EU-Rail part of consortia responding to this topic should provide in-kind contributions to additional activities to be declared via the template model available on the F&T portal. The amount of total in-kind contributions should be no less than 1.26352 times the funding request.

The indicative project duration is 24 months.

Applicants should ensure that their proposals and consortium reflect the aggregated expertise to perform the activities and achieve the objectives set by the topic, leveraging from the knowledge of the rail sector considering the R&I contribution and vision from the EU-Rail Master Plan and Multi-Annual Work Plan.

The call specifies several application and evaluation forms, model grant agreements, and additional documents for guidance.

This funding opportunity aims to support the European railway sector's transition to a modern, efficient, and safe telecommunications system based on 5G technology. It seeks to coordinate and support the deployment of FRMCS across Europe, addressing challenges related to infrastructure, technology, and stakeholder collaboration. The project will establish a framework for risk management, knowledge sharing, and market readiness, ensuring a smooth and consistent transition from the current GSM-R system to the future FRMCS. The call is structured as a Coordination and Support Action, indicating a focus on facilitating collaboration, providing expertise, and developing guidelines rather than direct research or innovation activities.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is open to a variety of applicants, including private members of EU-Rail, railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, rail and telecom stakeholders, relevant associations, and potentially other entities eligible under Horizon Europe. Expertise from the rail sector is specifically mentioned as a desired capability.

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

Consortium Requirement: The call anticipates that applicants will form consortia, as evidenced by the repeated emphasis on the need for proposals and consortia to reflect aggregated expertise.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The primary geographic focus is Europe, as the actions are intended to ensure smooth, consistent, and efficient FRMCS deployment across Europe. The eligibility extends to non-EU/non-Associated Countries that have made specific provisions for funding participants in Horizon Europe projects, as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector: The program targets the railway sector, specifically focusing on the deployment of the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) and the transition from the current GSM-R system. It also involves the telecommunications sector due to the integration of 5G technology. The relevant sectors include transport, ICT, telecommunications, and innovation.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are explicitly mentioned, but the geographic scope is Europe, including EU member states and associated countries, as well as potentially non-EU/non-associated countries with specific funding provisions.

Project Stage: The project stage is primarily focused on deployment and implementation, specifically supporting the activities of the European FRMCS Deployment Group. This includes activities related to planning, execution, monitoring, and developing tools and guidelines for the transition to FRMCS.

Funding Amount: The total indicative budget for the topic is 0.7 million EUR. There is an indication of multiple grants being awarded across different HORIZON-JU-ER-2025 topics, with individual grant amounts varying.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call, as indicated by the "Deadline model: single-stage" designation.

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, meaning applicants submit a full proposal by the deadline.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly stated, but the indicative number of grants for the HORIZON-JU-ER-2025-EXPLR-04 topic is 1.

Co-funding Requirement: Private Members of EU-Rail part of consortia are expected to provide in-kind contributions to additional activities, with the total in-kind contributions being no less than 1.26352 times the funding request.

Summary: This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-JU-ER-2025-EXPLR-04, aims to support the European FRMCS Deployment Group in facilitating the smooth transition from the current GSM-R railway telecommunications system to the new 5G-based FRMCS. The call seeks proposals for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) with a total budget of 0.7 million EUR. The selected project will provide essential support to the FRMCS Deployment Group, including program management, capacity mapping, cost analysis, stakeholder management, communication, development of deployment guidelines, technical expertise, and risk management. The call is open to a wide range of applicants, including railway undertakings, infrastructure managers, telecom stakeholders, and research institutions, with a focus on European-level coordination and implementation. The application process is a single-stage submission, and successful applicants will receive a lump sum grant to carry out the proposed activities over an indicative project duration of 24 months. Private Members of EU-Rail are expected to provide in-kind contributions to the project. The initiative is crucial for ensuring the future of digital railway telecommunications in Europe, addressing the obsolescence of the current system and paving the way for advanced applications and enhanced safety.