Accelerating uptake through open proposals for advanced SME innovation
Civil Security for Society 2027 · HORIZON-IA · TRL 6–8 · Needs partners
What this call funds
This call funds projects that help small and medium-sized companies bring mature security technologies (like fraud detection, border security tools, or disaster monitoring systems) to market. It supports collaboration between SMEs, research organizations, and end-users to test and refine solutions with real security buyers, and to overcome common barriers like accessing finance and new markets. Projects should focus on advanced, near-market technology rather than early-stage research.
defence security · cybersecurity · sme scaleup · deep tech · environmental monitoring
Who wins this
A consortium led by an SME (or with strong SME participation) working on a near-market security technology, partnered with research organisations and at least one end-user in areas like crime prevention, disaster resilience, infrastructure protection, or border management.
Could you win this call?
We read your site to see what you build.
The call in detail
- Indicative grant size
- €1.5M
- Funding model
- Lump sum — paid per completed work package, no financial reporting of actual costs
- Submission
- Single-stage submission (full proposal at once)
- Type of action
- HORIZON Innovation Actions
- Partners
- Required. The call asks for a consortium — at least 3 partners, from 2 countries.
- Eligible applicants
- SME, research organisation, end-user organisation, large enterprise (limited)
- Also required
- Consortia must have 3-7 partners including at least 2 SMEs from 2 different Member States and at least 1 end-user organisation; non-SME industries and RTOs limited to 15% of budget while at least 50% must go to SMEs; entities controlled by China are not eligible; projects must not exceed 2 years duration; costs are funded as lump sums.
- Sectors
- Cybersecurity · Defence
- Eligible countries (45)
- Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, United Kingdom, IL, TR, UA, RS, MK, ME, AL, BA, XK, GE, AM, MD, TN, NZ
Read the full conditions from the official call ›
General conditions 1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. 2. Eligible Countries 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. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide. 3. Other Eligible Conditions In line with the “ restriction on control in innovation actions in critical technology areas ” delineated in General Annex B of the General Annexes, entities established in an eligible country but which are directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to participate in the action. Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks. The following additional eligibility conditions apply: Consortia must include, as beneficiaries: - A minimum of three (3) to a maximum of seven (7) partners. - At least 2 SMEs[[See Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as the User Guide for SME definition.]] from 2 different Member States. - At least 1 end-user organisation in the areas addressed by the proposal, namely one of the following options: Option A "Fighting Organised Crime and Terrorism’’ Option B ‘"Disaster-Resilient Society’’ Option C "Resilient Infrastructure’’ and Option D ‘"Border Management’’. Participation of non-SME industries and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs) is not excluded, but it must be limited to 15% of the proposed budget. At least 50% of the proposed budget must be allocated to SMEs. 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). described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes. 5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds Eligible proposals submitted under this topic and exceeding all the evaluation thresholds will be awarded a STEP Seal [ https://strategic-technologies.europa.eu/about/step-seal_en ]. are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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 described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes. 6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants The granting authority may, up to 4 years after the end of the action, object to a transfer of ownership or to the exclusive licensing of results, as set out in the specific provision of Annex 5. 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) [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf ]]. described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes. Specific conditions described in the topic conditions
Who has won calls like this
Organisations that most often win this call family · 24 past winners