Missing persons: prevention and investigation

¿De qué trata esta convocatoria?

The topic funds skills, tools and training that help police and civil society prevent disappearances and solve cold and new missing persons cases, with respect for privacy. Projects are expected to reach technology readiness level 6-8.

¿Qué financia esta convocatoria?

Scope

People go missing in many circumstances, including voluntary disappearance, abduction, mental health crises, conflict, migration, geopolitical instability and natural disasters. Children, victims of trafficking and exploitation, people with disabilities and people with cognitive impairments face a greater risk. The topic seeks to modernise European approaches to prevention and to investigation of cold and new cases through innovative societal and technological solutions.

What proposals should address

• Modernised skills, training curricula and methods for police authorities and civil society or non-governmental organisations working with people in vulnerable situations and children, including awareness campaigns accessible to people with disabilities and sensitive to Europe's multicultural dimension.
• Investigation tools for cold cases that combine modern forensic science, including biometrics and digital forensics, with criminology, for example tools that use old DNA or accurate facial ageing, and privacy-preserving data sharing between practitioners.
• For new cases, better cross-border cooperation, modern training that improves dialogue with families using a gender-sensitive and intersectional approach where relevant, and tools such as fast, reliable cross-matching of DNA samples between new and cold cases.

If a proposal concerns forensics, the consortium should include forensic institutes. Projects are expected to say how they would engage with the Europol Innovation Lab, including to validate outcomes, and to cooperate with CEPOL on police training provided that agency opts out of applying for funding. Proposals should plan a mid-term deliverable assessing outcomes, performed by the practitioners involved, address the applicable considerations in the introduction to the Fighting Crime and Terrorism destination, and coordinate with other successful proposals. Activities are expected to reach technology readiness level 6-8 by the end of the project.

Expected outcomes

Contributions to some or all of: better skills, tools and curricula to prevent people going missing; better investigation tools for cold cases; modern training and improved cross-border cooperation for new cases; and enriched common European approaches that combine technology, socio-psychological knowledge and field experience while respecting privacy, data protection and the anonymity of victims.

¿Cuándo termina el plazo?

5 de noviembre de 2026

5 November 2026.