Topic updates

02 October 2025
PROPOSAL NUMBERS

Call HORIZON-CL4-2025-03 has closed on 02.10.2025.

440 proposals have been submitted.

The breakdown per topic is:

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-12: 3

Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in January 2026.

11 June 2025
Please note that due to a technical issue, during the first days of publication of this call, the topic page did not display the description of the corresponding destination. This problem is now solved.

In addition to the information published in the topic page, you can always find a full description of the Destination 3 ("Developing an agile and secure single market and infrastructure for data-services and trustworthy artificial intelligence services") that are relevant for the call in the Work Programme 2025 part for "Digital, Industry and Space". Please select from the work programme the destination relevant to your topic and take into account the description and expected impacts of that destination for the preparation of your proposal.

Preparing the Advancement of the state of the art of submarine cable infrastructures (CSA)

TOPIC ID: HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-12

Type of grant: Call for proposals

General information

Programme:

Call: DIGITAL - CNECT (HORIZON-CL4-2025-03)

Type of action: HORIZON-CSA HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

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

Status: Forthcoming

Deadline model: single-stage

Planned Opening Date: 10 June 2025

Deadline dates: 02 October 2025 17:00 (Brussels time)

Topic description

Expected Outcome:

Defining specific R&I roadmap at EU level to enhance the cooperation between the EU authorities and other stakeholders and establish leadership in all relevant submarine cable technology domains (EU research roadmap on submarine cables infrastructures, i.e. including any infrastructure related to its construction, operation, maintenance and repair). This CSA should be prepared, managed and coordinated by the key stakeholders in this field, including industry, research and academic stakeholders.

Τhe project should take into consideration the overarching challenges of:

• Reinforcing European leadership and cooperation in submarine cable connectivity, with European capabilities and best practices shaping future connectivity standards, promoting their secondary use (e.g. for a pre-warning system of natural hazard) as well as synergies and collaboration with CEF-Digital backbone projects;
• A digital and green transition towards low carbon footprint of connectivity platforms through principles of the circular economy, including reduction of pollution, regenerating natural systems etc. while targeting long-term sustainability, resilience and security of submarine cable networks;
• Ensuring resilience for the most demanding cases requiring a very high grade of quality of service (QoS) and performances, and
• Risk evaluation, preparedness and prevention against any future natural or man-made damage or deliberate sabotage.

Against this background, the objectives of the target support actions are outlined below:

• Analysis and definition of the expected critical hardware and software components of future submarine cable infrastructure systems, and indication on where Europe should seize opportunities and strengthen its capabilities, taking into account the characteristics and architectures, including components, security, and operations of future submarine connectivity infrastructures;
• Definition of the main required R&I work and assessment of associated research investment needs related to the identified domains;
• Definition of an appropriate industry roadmap (SRIA), in close partnership with relevant EU actors both from industry and academia, indicating research & innovation actions to be undertaken in priority, their scope, and a timetable showing the main milestones and targets. The project could envisage organising thematic workshops to consult all interested communities. The results of this action will feed into the work of relevant groups working on submarine cable infrastructures, such as the European Submarine Cable Expert Group, the NIS 2 Coordination Group or the CER Group.

Scope:

• Enabling technologies applicable to submarine connectivity infrastructures and systems, including its secondary use for pre-warning systems against natural hazards, are increasingly important to ensure Europe’s strategic autonomy as well as economic security. Achieving such goals requires that Europe remains at the technological edge not only with regards to the cable technology itself but also all the other critical elements composing the submarine cable infrastructure such as repeaters, landings stations, operational control centres, underwater acoustic sensor networks (UASN) or cable communications cybersecurity.
• While some of the necessary research is indirectly conducted through mainstream research activities in generic technologies (e.g., optical communications or network management software), more specific research is needed to address the particular needs and advancement of submarine cable infrastructures and systems. However, the specific research needs still need to be identified, which supports the need to develop a specific roadmap and SRIA for research and innovation in submarine cable technologies. Such research efforts may address some of the following (non-exhaustive) domains: Multi-core fibre (MCF) technology, Digital Signal Processing, repeater systems, intelligent sensing, advanced Digital Acoustic Sensing (DAS), strain and temperature sensing, oceanographic sensors for continuous, real-time trans-oceanic measurements (monitor water body), logical layer and cable network management systems, underwater robotics to improve the construction, maintenance and repair of submarine cable infrastructures, and other innovations, such as wireless sensor networks (WSN) to monitor permanently submarine cable infrastructure and to detect possible threats.

Projects are expected to develop synergies and ensure complementarities with projects under CEF Digital, the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) and the Smart Networks and Services (SNS) Joint Undertaking.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

Start submission

The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

Get support

Please read carefully all provisions below before the preparation of your application.

Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.

Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.

Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.

Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.

National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’).

Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding.

IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.

European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.

CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal.

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.

Partner Search help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.