Topic updates

11 December 2025
A total of 153 proposals have been submitted in response to the Destination - Better protect the EU and its citizens against Crime and Terrorism. The number of proposals for each topic is shown below including the indicative budget of the topics for 2025:

- HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-02: 56 proposals (indicative budget: 12.00 M€) Indicative number of projects expected to be funded: 4

The evaluation of the proposals started in December 2025 and will be closed by mid-February 2026. Applicants will be informed on the outcome of the evaluations by the end of March 2026.

08 July 2025
Guidance for applicants - Clarifications on the topic related additional eligibility conditions

General information:

With reference to the topic related additional eligibility conditions, please note that it is full responsibility of the applicants to explain and justify how each project beneficiary fulfil the additional eligibility conditions. We invite you to fill in the Annex “Information about security practitioners” in the application form with all the requested information, by using the template provided in the submission IT tool.

Clarifications on the type of practitioners:

Civil Society Organisation, CSO (or Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO): In the context of the Work Programme, a civil society organisation is typically an entity whose members serve the general interest through a democratic process, and which plays the role of mediator between public authorities and citizens. Typically, a civil society organisation includes all forms of social actions carried out by individuals or groups who are neither connected to nor managed by state authorities.

Open topic on prevention, detection and deterrence of various forms of crime and terrorism through an enhanced understanding of the related societal issues

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-02

Type of grant: Call for proposals

General information

Programme:

Call: Civil Security for Society (HORIZON-CL3-2025-01)

Type of action: HORIZON-RIA HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Type of MGA: HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]

Status: Forthcoming

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned Opening Date: 12 June 2025

Deadline dates: 12 November 2025 17:00 (Brussels time)

Topic description

Expected Outcome:

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

• Improved, modern, uniform and validated tools, skills or methodologies as well as innovative training curricula for security practitioners (Police Authorities, Non-Governmental Organisations, Civil Society Organisations) in Europe, to prevent, detect and deter criminal or terrorist offences, taking into account all applicable legislation and fundamental rights;
• Enhanced understanding of the cultural and societal aspects of crime or terrorism/radicalisation, as well as on the key challenges related to combating them;
• Evidence-based support to policymakers on shaping and tuning of regulation related to crime or terrorism/radicalisation;
• Enhanced perception by citizens that Europe is an area of freedom, security and justice, fully respecting privacy and human rights, thanks to, e.g., innovative awareness-raising campaigns explaining to citizens the key and evolving mechanisms of crime or terrorism/radicalisation, and how to protect against them.

Scope:

Under the open topic, proposals are welcome to address new, upcoming or unforeseen challenges and/or creative or disruptive solutions for improving the prevention, detection and deterrence of various forms of crime or terrorism/radicalisation through an enhanced understanding of the related societal issues. These challenges and/or solutions should not be covered by topics of Horizon Europe Calls Fighting Crime and Terrorism 2023-2024. If they relate to some of the topics covered by Horizon Europe Calls Fighting Crime and Terrorism 2021-2022, the proposals should convincingly explain how they will build on and not duplicate them. The same applies regarding Horizon Europe projects under the calls HORIZON-CL2-2022-DEMOCRACY-01-05: Evolution of political extremism, and HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-05: Gender-roles in extremist movements.

Proposals are expected to address one of the following options:

Option a: societal issues related to crime;

Option b: societal issues related to terrorism and radicalisation.

Adapted to the nature, scope and type of proposed projects, proposals should also convincingly explain how they will plan and/or carry out demonstration, testing or validation of developed tools and solutions. Furthermore, proposals should outline the plans to develop possible future uptake and upscaling at national and EU level for possible next steps once the project is finalised. Proposals should also consider, build on if appropriate and not duplicate previous research, including but not limited to research by other Framework Programmes’ projects.

Coordination among the successful proposals from this topic should be envisaged to avoid duplication and to exploit complementarities as well as opportunities for increased impact.

The proposals funded under this topic that concern issues which are within the mandate of Europol^[1] are expected to engage with the Europol Innovation Lab during the lifetime of the project, including validating the outcomes, with the aim of facilitating future uptake of innovations for the law enforcement community. Similarly, if the proposals concern drug-related issues, they are expected to engage with the EU Drugs Agency during the lifetime of the project, including validating the outcomes.

If the funded proposal concerns radicalisation, the consortium is encouraged to liaise with the EU Knowledge Hub on prevention of radicalisation with the aim of facilitating the streamlining of their priorities and the dissemination of their results.

To ensure the active involvement of and timely feedback from relevant security practitioners, i.e., Police Authorities and Non-Governmental Organisations / Civil Society Organisations, proposals should plan a mid-term deliverable consisting in the assessment of the project’s mid-term outcomes, performed by the practitioners involved in the project.

Activities proposed within this topic should address both technological and societal dimensions of the tackled challenge in a balanced way. This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related innovation activities.

Proposals should plan their activities opting for the Financial Support to Third Parties in order to provide financial support to practitioners (Police Authorities and/or Non-Governmental Organisations/Civil Society Organisations) for expanding the proposed work in terms of additional user groups, complementary assessments, technology- or methodology-testing activities. From 5% up to 20% of the EU funding requested by the proposal may be allocated to the purpose of financial support to third parties.

Proposals must clearly describe the objectives and the expected results to be obtained, including the elements listed in the application template. Proposals are also expected to describe the methods and processes relevant to comply with the general eligibility conditions for financial support to third parties set out in General Annex B and to demonstrate effectiveness (impact).

[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32016R0794 (Annex I)

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The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.

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