Demand-led innovation in security

¿De qué trata esta convocatoria?

The topic funds a pre-commercial procurement action through which public buyers commission the development and validation of innovative civil security technologies. It is aimed at groups of civil security practitioners and public procurers, and opens the market to SMEs and startups as suppliers.

¿Qué financia esta convocatoria?

Scope

The topic funds a pre-commercial procurement (PCP) action in which public procurers jointly buy research and development services and innovative civil security technology solutions. Proposals should build on earlier Horizon Europe coordination actions that prepared the ground for PCP in security.

What proposals should show

• Interest from a wider community of potential buyers beyond the beneficiaries, willing to adopt mature solutions jointly.
• An analysis of the state of the art and the market, with a range of technical alternatives.
• Clear evidence that the challenge needs a PCP action, and a consolidated group of practitioners and procurers committed to it.
• Cooperation with policymakers to strengthen national policy frameworks and mobilise national budgets for innovation procurement.
• Open market consultations completed in at least three EU Member States.

Project stages

• A short preparation stage to finalise the tender documents and the validation procedures for prototypes.
• A call for tenders leading to competitive development of at least 2 prototypes from 2 different providers, through design, integration and verification, and validation in a real operational environment.
• Consolidation of results and a strategy for uptake, including technical specifications, standardisation needs and joint cross-border procurement.

Deployment commitments

Procurers should state whether they will buy solutions within the PCP, launch a follow-up procurement, adopt solutions without procurement, or offer incentives for others to adopt them. In these cases a fast-track PCP (for example 2 instead of 3 phases) is possible. Where end-users outside the consortium, such as citizens, are given incentives to adopt solutions, financial support to third parties of up to €100,000 may be used.

Technology readiness

Activities are expected to reach TRL 6-8 by the end of the project.

¿Cuándo termina el plazo?

4 de noviembre de 2027 (363 días)

4 November 2027 (single-stage submission).