General conditions

1. Admissibility conditions: 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 eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

The following additional eligibility criteria apply:

This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Customs Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. For these participants, applicants must fill in the table “Information about security practitioners” in the application form with all the requested information, following the template provided in the submission IT tool.

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).

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes

5. Evaluation and award:

• Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes

• Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual

• 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: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes

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]].

Specific conditions

7. Specific conditions: described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]

Documents

Call documents:

Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System

Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)

Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations

Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)

MGA

Lump Sum MGA v1.0

Call-specific instructions:

Template for Security & eligibility conditions in Horizon Europe

Additional documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 6. Civil Security for Society

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 13. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide

HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764

EU Financial Regulation

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

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

• Contributing to development of fully automated customs control checkpoints;
• Enhancing detection capabilities for customs security, while facilitating trade.

European customs need improved capabilities that allow bettering and automatically detecting from traces; interpreting images from scanned cargo; interpreting data; tracking goods; and/or identifying anomalies that support the detection of threats, smuggling or illicit trade eliminating or minimizing disruption to the trade flow. The proposed system should hence advance and/or combine as much as possible the components of detection, tracking and risk-based anticipation.

On detection, the proposed solution(s) could include trustworthy algorithms for recognition that minimise false positives and biases. Proposed research could include, for example, image (shape) recognition and interpretation, and/or a trace detection approach

On tracking, the research can propose and explore, for example, technologies for improved traceability of goods and items that could be illicitly trafficked using non-invasive markings.

On risk-based anticipation, the proposed solution(s) can leverage automated image recognition and interpretation capability coupled with data analytics, such as using advance cargo information in order to anticipate and detect security risks prior to goods’ arrival at the EU external borders.

The research project can test one or more specific use cases, such as (non-exhaustive examples): art; cultural goods; waste and other environmentally risky material, including radioactive ones; valuables; and/or dangerous items either assembled or disassembled.

Improving energy efficiency and environmental impact aspects of new security technologies for this capability (e.g. low environmental footprint, low emissions, circular economy aspects and/or self-sustained equipment) would be desirable.

Examples of technologies and approaches that can be explored by the research projects include (non-prescriptive and non-exhaustive): scanning (vision), detectors/”sniffers” (traces), nanotechnology, blockchain/DLT, artificial intelligence.

Research projects should consider, build on (if appropriate) and not duplicate previous research, including but not limited to research by other recent EU Framework Programmes projects on security research.

Proposals should delineate the plans for further development to subsequent TRLs as well as uptake (industrialisation, commercialisation, acquisition and/or deployment) at national and EU level, should the research deliver on its goals. The results of the research should be taken up by EU customs authorities in the framework of the Customs Union “acting as one”, with the support of the Customs Control Equipment Instrument (CCEI).

The involvement of Police Authorities[1] is encouraged, as well as synergies with relevant topics of the Fighting against Crime and Terrorism Destination.

[1]In the context of this Destination, ‘Police Authorities’ means public authorities explicitly designated by national law, or other entities legally mandated by the competent national authority, for the prevention, detection and/or investigation of terrorist offences or other criminal offences, specifically excluding police academies, forensic institutes, training facilities as well as border and customs authorities.