Integrated Surveillance mechanism: Regional Cable hubs

Di cosa tratta questo bando?

The call funds one pilot project to test how private-sector situational data can help Regional Cable Hubs protect submarine cables. Proposals must come from a consortium of at least two Member States represented by competent public authorities; participants must be established in EU Member States or EEA countries.

Cosa finanzia questo bando?

Scope

This pilot project examines how situational data held by private actors, such as cable telemetry, sensor feeds, satellite and maritime surveillance data and underwater-drone outputs, could support Regional Cable Hubs under the EU Action Plan on Cable Security. Such data is subject to complex and varied governance conditions across cable systems, operators and sea basins, so there is little clarity on how it could be accessed, combined and used. The work combines analysis, interaction with private actors and small-scale pilots in non-operational settings. Proposals are encouraged to build on related Union initiatives and on entities involved in setting up the hubs.

Activities

• Map the landscape of private situational data relevant to cable security: sources, types, technical characteristics (such as real-time use, proprietary formats, latency and frequency), ownership, confidentiality, availability, usage and the legal, contractual and security constraints on access.
• Assess the feasibility of accessing and integrating such data into a Regional Cable Hub, covering commercial, organisational, regulatory and security conditions and technical needs such as data ingestion, authentication and security controls.
• Analyse interoperability and data fusion across providers, data sources and sea basins, including common data models, taxonomies or ontologies and fusion layers that stay future-proof as sensors change.
• Assess the quality and limits of the situational awareness produced, in terms of spatial precision, timeliness, coverage, reliability and confidence.
• Design and run pilots or proofs of concept, for example with sample or synthetic data or sandbox integrations with selected providers.
• Produce a consolidated assessment of feasible partnership models between hubs and private data holders, with the requirements for each, their impact on situational awareness, and gaps where EU-level guidance, standardisation or support may be needed.

Expected outcomes

• A consolidated reference on private situational data relevant to cable security, including sensitivity, typical use and the constraints on access by Regional Cable Hubs.
• Conclusions on interoperability and data fusion challenges and feasible solutions applicable across providers and sea basins.
• A proof-of-concept demonstration of how selected private data can be accessed, integrated and processed in a hub-type environment, with evidence on precision, timeliness, coverage and reliability.
• A concise set of partnership models, such as service-based, data-sharing or hybrid arrangements, with an assessment of impact and recommendations for EU follow-up.

Cosa ci si aspetta dalle proposte?

• Proposals should describe complementarities with projects supported by other EU funding programmes.

Quando scade il bando?

19 novembre 2026 (14 giorni)

8 October 2026, 17:00:00 CEST (Brussels). Proposals are submitted electronically through the Funding and Tenders Portal. Evaluation is planned for October and November 2026, with results in November and December 2026.