Demand-led innovation in security
European call for forward-looking innovation procurement in the field of Civil Security: Development and testing of innovative technologies by public procurers in the EU. Submission possible until 05.11.2026.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
Promotion of pre-commercial procurement (PCP) by public procurers in the EU for the development, testing, and validation of innovative security solutions and strengthening the European innovation market in the field of Civil Security.
Eligible expenses
- PCP contract costs for R&D services
- Subcontractor costs
- Personnel expenses
Non-eligible expenses
- Costs for large-scale production
- Investments in infrastructure
- Ongoing administrative costs
Eligible to apply
- Public Institutions
- Companies
- Founders
- Non-profit Organizations
Funding requirements
- Formation of a consortium consisting of at least three procurers from three different EU Member States or associated countries
- Open market consultation prior to tendering
- Use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS in EO data projects
Documents required for application
- Tender documents
- Market consultation report
- Capacity certificates of the procurers
Evaluation criteria
- Innovative content of the procurement strategy
- Market relevance of the requirements definition
- Quality of the consortium structure
Description
Demand-led Innovation in Security (HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-SSRI-02) promotes pre-commercial procurement (PCP) of innovative technologies in the field of civil security by public procurers from at least three EU Member States or associated countries. Within a consortium of at least three independent procurers – of which at least two are separate legal entities – market consultations are conducted and a joint PCP tendering process is developed. Based on Copernicus and Galileo/EGNOS data, the participants analyze the state of the art, define functional requirements, and address alternative solution approaches. The call opens access to the European security market for start-ups, SMEs, and research institutions and enables a multi-phase development, validation, and evaluation of prototypes under real operational conditions. The EU funding rate is 100%, with a maximum grant of €5.83 million; project duration 36 months; submission deadline 05.11.2026 (17:00 CET).
The program aims to transfer technological innovations into real applications and make them scalable across Europe. Through coordinated procurement, it strengthens the innovation base and creates synergies between security actors, public administrations, and industry partners. In the first project phase, market consultations and tender documents are prepared and pre-published by the lead procurer; this is followed by three phases of competitive R&D services with progressive selection of the best offers. The outcome consists of validated prototypes and a strategy for possible follow-up procurement. Participation requires the formation of a cross-sectoral consortium and the use of EO data. The results will lead to recommendations on standardization, regulatory frameworks, and a sustainable model for continued innovation procurement in the civil security sector.