Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

• Improved capabilities for risk and faulty events identification in infrastructure networks and smart cities through real-time analysis (including big data) by public and private actors via secured and trusted platforms and interconnected systems where the collaboration follows clear legal and political frameworks;
• Tools and processes for facilitating stakeholders efforts to identify, analyse, assess and continuously monitor risks and boost adaptive capacity to unexpected events risks in advance by allowing for the analysis of various data sources (e.g. audio, video, social media, web-content, spatial information, sensor or machine generated data);
• Fast and continuous real-time identification, classification and tracking of hazardous agents, contaminants or anomalies in infrastructure networks and supply-chains;
• Interoperable interfaces and improved collaboration between infrastructure operation detection and response systems, national/EU risk management/coordination centres and first responder equipment in order to allow for remote on-scene operations considering citizen knowledge;
• Increased cyber-resilience of industrial xG networks and cloud data covering specific infrastructure domains
• Improved ability to map in real-time the source(s) of risk factors that could endanger the networked infrastructure supported by Earth Observation and geolocation data. If the analysis includes processing of personal data, it should consider including a risk assessment or privacy impact of individuals and society.

Today’s society is more interconnected than ever before. Telecommunication networks, transport networks, aviation, energy, water grids, finance are the backbone of today’s society. Due to their exceptional complexity and size, infrastructure networks pose a specific challenge when it comes to identifying different risks, either cyber or physical. Especially in the cyber-domain, many intrusions or attacks remain unnoticed or are detected relatively late. Technological developments in areas like machine learning for analytics, user interfaces as well as storage applications have the potential to improve related capabilities.

Modern urban environments and interconnected infrastructures create constantly big amounts of data. In addition, other sources can be exploited to support the identification and analysis of risks to infrastructures. Therefore, research on enhanced risk anticipation through real-time data analysis has the potential to lead to useful tools to enhance preparedness (contingency plans, scenario-based exercises, allocation of resources, etc.).

Resilience of smart cities is marked by a set of specific requirements taking into account most notably aspects from the integration considering user centred approaches as well as social and ethical aspects of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), AI/ Machine Learning approaches for real-time data analytics, ensuring transparency, sufficient knowledge and their operational challenges in this area.

While the availability of larger amounts of data from different sources offers potential to improve the identification of possible risks to infrastructures, it also increases the demand for fast and resilient analytical tools. There is a need to filter information to identify data that is relevant as an indicator for risks and - given the large number of different forms of cyber-attacks or intrusions - also a need to prioritise and decide according to the degree of danger they present. This implies the need for matching data in the appropriate context and verifying the source with a view of ensuring that only relevant data is analysed, thus avoiding false results. Faster identification and localisation of hazardous agents and contaminants inside the infrastructure networks is a key to allow for quick response, inform and involve citizens and residents as well as avoid large-scale damage of any incident. Such identification capabilities can be deployed as part of the infrastructure and integrate with the systems public authorities use to make sure information is available as soon as possible. Furthermore, it is crucial to develop methods for better cooperation between different actors to ensure a common understanding and interpretation of data and to provide interactive tools for exchange and visualisation for decision support. Cooperation between different public and private actors is essential in this regard.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related innovation activities.

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5-6 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.

General conditions

1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System

2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

The following exceptions apply: subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks.

If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).

The following additional eligibility criteria apply:

This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 3 infrastructure operators, which could include civil protection authorities, at national level from at least 3 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. For these participants, applicants must fill in the table “Information about security practitioners” in the application form with all the requested information, following the template provided in the submission IT tool.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes

5. Evaluation and award:

• Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes

• Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual

• Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes

Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) – and in actions under the Research and Training Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (2021-2025). [[This decision is available on the Funding and Tenders Portal, in the reference documents section for Horizon Europe, under ‘Simplified costs decisions’ or through this link: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/horizon/guidance/ls-decision_he_en.pdf]].

Specific conditions

7. Specific conditions: described in the [specific topic of the Work Programme]

Documents

Call documents:

Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System

Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)

Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations

Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)

MGA

Lump Sum MGA v1.0

Call-specific instructions 

Detailed budget table (HE LS)

Guidance: "Lump sums - what do I need to know?"

Additional documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 6. Civil Security for Society

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 13. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide

HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764

EU Financial Regulation

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.

Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.

Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – find the answers to most frequently asked questions on submission of proposals, evaluation and grant management.

Research Enquiry Service – ask questions about any aspect of European research in general and the EU Research Framework Programmes in particular.

National Contact Points (NCPs) – get guidance, practical information and assistance on participation in Horizon Europe. There are also NCPs in many non-EU and non-associated countries (‘third-countries’).

Enterprise Europe Network – contact your EEN national contact for advice to businesses with special focus on SMEs. The support includes guidance on the EU research funding.

IT Helpdesk – contact the Funding & Tenders Portal IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc.

European IPR Helpdesk assists you on intellectual property issues.

CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk – the European Standards Organisations advise you how to tackle standardisation in your project proposal.  

The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.

Partner Search Services help you find a partner organisation for your proposal.

Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impact of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2021-2024:“[…] resilience and autonomy of physical and digital infrastructures are enhanced and vital societal functions are ensured, thanks to more powerful prevention, preparedness and response, a better understanding of related human, societal and technological aspects, and the development of cutting-edge capabilities for […] infrastructure operators […]”

More specifically, proposals should contribute to the achievement of one or more of the following impacts:

• Ensured resilience of large-scale interconnected systems infrastructures and the entities that operate them in in case of complex attacks, pandemics, natural and human-made disasters, or the impacts of climate change;
• Upgraded systems for resilience of the operators and the protection of critical infrastructure to enable rapid, effective, safe and secure response and without substantial human intervention to complex threats and challenges, and better assess risks ensuring resilience and open strategic autonomy of European infrastructures;
• Resilient and secure smart cities are protected using the knowledge derived from the protection of critical infrastructures and systems that are characterised by growing complexity.

The capabilities built by research and innovation in this Destination would clearly be relevant to be better prepared for potential future challenges to European internal security and crises as the ones in Ukraine in 2022.

Where possible and relevant, synergy-building and clustering initiatives with successful proposals in the same area should be considered, including the organisation of international conferences in close coordination with the Community for European Research and Innovation for Security (CERIS) activities and/or other international events.