Demand-led innovation in security

¿De qué trata esta convocatoria?

The topic funds a pre-commercial procurement action in which public buyers jointly commission competing prototypes of innovative civil security solutions. Projects are expected to reach technology readiness level 6-8.

¿Qué financia esta convocatoria?

Scope

Experience shows that pre-commercial procurement (PCP) opens the market for start-ups and lets the public sector tackle societal challenges more effectively, so public procurers should use it more strategically. Applicants are invited to submit PCP actions to buy research and development services and innovative civil security technology solutions. Proposals should show interest from a wider community of potential buyers, beyond the direct beneficiaries, who share similar needs and are open to jointly adopting solutions once they are proven mature and operationally viable.

What proposals should include

• An analysis of the state of the art and market landscape, aligning research with identified needs and presenting technical alternatives, built on earlier coordination and support action projects on pre-commercial procurement of security technologies.
• Clear evidence that justifies and de-risks the PCP, showing the challenge is significant and that a consolidated group of practitioners and procurers with shared requirements is committed to the process.
• Cooperation with policymakers to strengthen national policy frameworks and mobilise additional national budgets for PCP and innovation procurement, and commitment to exploit results after the project.
• Open market consultations in at least three EU Member States; prior consultations from earlier projects should be used if they ensured procurement viability and remain relevant.
• A statement from procurers of whether they will buy successful solutions within the PCP, launch a follow-up procurement, adopt solutions without procuring them, or provide financial or regulatory incentives for others to adopt them. These four cases allow a fast-track PCP, with two phases instead of three. In the first case a budget to purchase at least one solution should be foreseen; in the second a deliverable preparing the follow-up procurement; in the first and third enough time to deploy and validate solutions; and in the fourth financial support to third parties of up to €100,000 may fund incentives for final end users outside the consortium, for example citizens.
• Where no commitment exists yet, a deliverable outlining activities to prepare follow-up deployment or procurement.
• Compliance with the principles of the EU public procurement directive.

Implementation

A short preparation stage to finalise tender documents and define verification and validation methods; a call for tenders for research and development services leading to at least two prototypes from two providers validated in a real operational environment; competitive development with design, integration and technical verification, and real-environment validation phases, assessed on technical merit, feasibility and commercial potential; and consolidation of results into a strategy for uptake, including technical specifications, standardisation needs, joint cross-border procurement schemes and synergies with other funds. The tender process follows the specific conditions for PCP actions in the Horizon Europe work programme. Applicants should maximise visibility of the results among EU public buyers and are encouraged to liaise with other civil security communities. Activities are expected to reach technology readiness level 6-8 by the end of the project.

Expected outcomes

Contributions to some or all of: an identified community of EU civil security practitioners with shared needs, supported by an industrial base of SMEs and start-ups that can access the procurement market; first customer references from procurers for their suppliers; a tested EU capacity to produce prototypes that meet diverse user needs regardless of gender, age and ability; and a clearer view of the EU market for innovative civil security systems and the options for uptake.

¿Cuándo termina el plazo?

5 de noviembre de 2026

5 November 2026.