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Advanced border surveillance and situational awareness

Horizon Europe · Grant topic

HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-BM-01

Summary

A Polish company can use this call for R&D.

Funds innovative border surveillance and situational awareness technologies for consortia involving at least two border or coast guard authorities.

Who can apply
Companies can lead: SME, large company, startup, research org, university, NGO, public body.
Amount
€6M per projectTotal budget €12,000,000
Deadline
05 Nov 2026 01:00 CETin 12 days
Status
Openopened 6 May 2026
Open on the portalRegister to keep this call

Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.

Description

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following expected outcomes:

• Improved detection, localization, characterization and, when applicable, neutralisation, of unmanned vehicles alone or in swarms, involved in trafficking or smuggling activities across external borders, while complying with legal and ethical guidelines;

• Improved border situational awareness, especially in the context of large-scale movements of people across borders, including from potential instrumentalisation of irregular migration, conflicts, social, economic, environmental and climate stress;

• Better safeguard and promotion of fundamental rights thanks to enhanced situational awareness;

• Reliable, redundant detection and reaction capacities without putting staff and society at risk.

Scope:

Capabilities for situational awareness and surveillance of land and sea borders need improvement, in consideration of potential future challenges that may require updated capabilities. These challenges may include potential future large-scale movements of people across external borders, resulting from future attempts to instrumentalisation of irregular migration, but also from conflicts, social, economic, environmental and climate stress in the European neighbourhood; as well as increasing availability and capability of unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles with increased payload capacity and range that make it easier to transport goods and, possibly, persons, including in connection will illicit or illegal activities such as trafficking of goods and smuggling of people across external EU borders. These challenges will be particularly relevant in regions close to the European neighbourhood.

This may be particularly relevant for unsupervised and difficult-to-control land and sea borders of the Union and the Schengen area.

Research funded under this topic should develop solutions that, through better awareness, improve efficiency and reaction time of detection, search, rescue, and recovery operations near land and sea borders, in diverse geographical and meteorological conditions, taking into account the different and diverse needs. Research funded under this topic can also promote cross-border cooperation at European regional level around innovative border management solutions demonstration testbeds.

Actions funded under this topic should develop solutions that go beyond state-of-the-art in clearly demonstrable ways, including measurable improvements in detection range, accuracy, response time, automation, and system resilience.

Improved border surveillance and situational awareness must better safeguard and promote fundamental rights and EU values, with a particular regard to human rights, using an inclusive approach that addresses diverse needs. Solutions should also provide reliable and redundant capacities, while ensuring the safety of staff, users, and persons who may be victim of illicit activities across external borders.

The EBCG Capability Roadmap recognises that future capabilities that help detect cross-border irregularities and cases requiring Search and Rescue activities are essential. Solutions should be modular and scalable to cater to the regional and challenges specificities.

Compatibility and integration with the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) is essential, and compatibility and/or exploitation of other European information-sharing environments, like the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE), would be an additional asset.

Proposals should demonstrate that the proposed equipment and technologies contribute to cost reduction and energy efficiency of border surveillance and situational awareness operations.

Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to address the priorities of the European Border and Coast Guard (ECBG) and of its Agency (Frontex). This should start from the definition of requirements and the design phase, including alignment with the EBCG Capability Roadmap and on the engagement with the Agency during the project implementation. At the proposal preparation stage, Frontex will not provide guidance on or otherwise be involved in the preparation of project proposals. However, proposals should consider and anticipate that Frontex may observe pilots and demonstrations during project implementation to facilitate the future uptake of innovations within the border and coast guard community.

To ensure active involvement and timely feedback from relevant security practitioners, proposals should include a mid-term deliverable consisting of an assessment of the project’s mid-term outcomes, conducted by the practitioners involved in the project.

Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

Who can apply, in detail
Applicant types
SME, Large company, Startup, Research org, University, NGO, Public body
Purpose
Research and innovation
R&D relevance
3 of 3
Poland eligible
Yes
Country limit
Mandatory border or coast guard partners from at least two EU Member States or Associated Countries.
Region
Any
Consortium
Required
Readiness level (TRL)
6-7
Topics
  • Border surveillance
  • Situational awareness
  • Unmanned vehicle detection
  • Maritime security

Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source. 23 Oct 2026

Conditions7

Typed facts extracted from the source documents by Scindu's grant-data review. Each value keeps its own conditions. Unknown means unstated, not zero or unlimited.

Applicant type
The topic refers applicants to General Annex B. Unless a specific topic condition provides otherwise, a consortium must include three independent legal-entity beneficiaries established in different countries: at least one in an EU Member State and two others in different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Affiliated entities do not count toward that minimum. This is the general default; topic-specific exceptions and full applicant eligibility remain to be checked.
Eligible project scope
Type of Action: Innovation Actions.
Other condition
The General Annexes state that for lump-sum and unit grants, the funding rate is already applied in the methodology used to fix the amounts and is not shown in the grant agreement. The action-type maximum rate below is therefore a general Horizon Europe ceiling, not an additional calculation to apply to this topic’s fixed lump-sum amount.
Other condition
Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.
Partner requirement
This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Border or Coast Guard Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated countries.
Technology readiness level at end, maximum
7 TRL

Expected technology readiness level by project end; this describes project outcomes, not applicant eligibility or a hiring condition.

Technology readiness level at end, minimum
6 TRL

Expected technology readiness level by project end; this describes project outcomes, not applicant eligibility or a hiring condition.

Amounts and costs8
Indicative budget
€12,000,000

Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.

Eligible cost
The topic specifically adopts a Horizon Europe lump-sum grant. The applicable Lump Sum MGA treats the grant as a contribution for completion of work packages; eligibility depends on the amounts in Annex 2 and proper completion/implementation (or results achieved) during the action period. This is not reimbursement of each beneficiary’s actual payroll or service invoices, and does not establish a salary entitlement.
Eligible cost
For project-based Horizon Europe lump sums, the 2026 Commission guidance requires realistic estimates per cost category, beneficiary/affiliated entity and work package. Personnel-cost estimates are permitted only for cost items that would qualify under the corresponding actual-cost eligibility rules, and must follow normal practice, be reasonable, and be necessary and in line with proposed activities. These are inputs for the fixed lump-sum estimate; actual payroll is not separately reimbursed or reported as a claim under the lump-sum grant.
Eligible cost
For the applicable lump-sum model, the contribution is set out in the grant agreement Annex 2 and broken down by participant and work package; payment eligibility is tied to work-package completion and proper implementation or achieved results during the action period, as stated in the agreement. Actual underlying payroll or subcontract cost is not reimbursed invoice-by-invoice under this form.
Funding intensity, maximumnon-profit legal entity beneficiary
100 percent of eligible costs per beneficiary

General Annex allows a rate of up to 100% for non-profit legal entities in Innovation Actions. The rate is fixed in the grant agreement and for this topic’s lump-sum form is already applied in the amount methodology; this does not add a second payment rate.

Funding intensity, maximumfor-profit legal entity beneficiary
70 percent of eligible costs per beneficiary

General Annex maximum for Innovation Actions is 70% for beneficiaries other than non-profit legal entities. The rate is fixed in the grant agreement and for this topic’s lump-sum form is already applied in the amount methodology; this does not add a second payment rate.

Expected project funding, up to
€6,000,000

Indicative expected EU contribution per project stated as around EUR 6 million; this is an estimate, not a minimum, maximum, or binding per-project cap. Applicants may request a different amount.

Expected project funding, from
€6,000,000

Indicative expected EU contribution per project stated as around EUR 6 million; this is an estimate, not a minimum, maximum, or binding per-project cap. Applicants may request a different amount.

Topic allocation
€12,000,000

Indicative total topic allocation stated as an amount in EUR million in the call overview; it is distinct from the expected EU contribution per project. Allocation scope: per topic.

Personnel and services4

  • Other role

    Staff cost the grant can fund

    Natural persons working under a direct contract other than an employment contract may be included as personnel cost estimates only when assigned to the action, working under conditions similar to an employee, and the result belongs to the beneficiary (unless otherwise agreed). The estimate follows actual-cost eligibility; no role or pay rate is specified.

  • Other role

    Staff cost the grant can fund

    Costs for employees under an employment contract or equivalent appointing act and assigned to the action; any estimated amount is only a budget input subject to the call’s lump-sum methodology and applicable actual-cost eligibility rules. This is not a prescribed job, required hire, headcount or salary rate.

  • Other role

    Staff cost the grant can fund

    Seconded-person personnel cost estimates are conditional on assignment to the action, employee-like working conditions and ownership of the work result by the beneficiary (unless otherwise agreed), and must correspond to actual costs and not differ significantly from comparable employee tasks. This cost category does not prescribe a job or salary.

  • Other role

    Staff cost the grant can fund

    The work of an SME owner or natural person beneficiary who receives no salary may be declared as personnel costs only if general eligibility conditions are met and the amount is calculated as a unit cost under Annex 2a. No hourly/monthly amount is asserted here.

Source documents5
Call facts
Opens
6 May 2026
Deadline model
Single-stage
Programme
Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
Call
HORIZON-CL3-2026-01 · Civil Security for Society 2026
Types of action
HORIZON Innovation Actions
Keywords
  • border surveillance
  • borders
  • capabilities
  • detection
  • fundamental rights
  • irregular migration
  • situational awareness
  • smuggling
  • unmanned vehicles
Source
ec.europa.eu
Checked
24 Oct 2026
Portal updated
23 Oct 2026
Review status
Partial review
Reviewed
23 Oct 2026

This is a summary of the source page, not the official text. Eligibility, conditions and the submission system are at the source.