Call for Proposals: Interoperability for Border & Maritime Surveillance and Situational Awareness

Deadline: 20-Nov-24

The European Commission (EC) seeks proposals to enhance interoperability in border and maritime surveillance, as well as situational awareness.

Scope

• Authorities performing surveillance of maritime borders and maritime wide areas use a range of technologies, and receive a range of information, to monitor wide areas, detect threats or crises, and respond to them. However, these inputs are not always merged into common command-and-control (C2) systems that can inform rapid decision-making.
• The proposed solution(s) should allow improved interoperability (at both back-end and front-end levels), independently of the supplier of the equipment, and ideally interchangeability that enables exchange of information among authorities that use different systems. Compatibility and integration with other information sharing environments, including the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) is essential in order to support the cross-sectoral and cross-border exchange of information.
• The proposed solution(s) can include the design of open architecture C2 systems, including open standards for APIs and bias-free data models.
• The proposed solution(s) should enable simultaneous connection of different sensors (or of different data, or of different assets, depending by the module) by different suppliers, the flexible tasking and monitoring of surveillance assets like RPAS, and the visualization and manipulation of the data in a single user interface in a seamless way. This will support practitioners to exploit their technology stack in an agnostic way.
• The proposed solution(s) should allow for seamless connectivity between C2 systems from different authorities, and at different coordination levels; include cybersecurity measures and information access segregation capabilities; include concepts of operation, standard operating procedures and common lexicon for joint operations using interoperable systems through the proposed solution(s).
• While the project will mainly focus on enabling capabilities through interoperability and interchangeability, proposals that in the process aim at advancing certain technological components, and integrating them into the solution, are welcome.
• Assuming the project delivers on its goals, EU and Member States authorities should plan to take up the results of the research when compatible with applicable legislation using the financial support of the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI).
• Improving energy efficiency and environmental impact aspects of new security technologies for this capability (e.g. low environmental footprint, low emissions, circular economy aspects and/or self-sustained equipment) would be desirable.
• Examples of technologies and approaches that can be explored by the research projects include (non-prescriptive and non-exhaustive): open architecture; user interface and experience; artificial intelligence; UxV; wide-area and long-endurance RPAS and integrated, wide-area RPAS cooperative tasking and management; remote sensors (such as LIDAR or FMCW) on UxVs; vessels-as-sensors; advanced mesh connectivity; automated analysis of abnormal or non-cooperative vessels’ behaviour; Virtual and Augmented Reality; standardized mission data models for RPAS tasking and monitoring, ; and/or over-the-horizon detection technologies.
• Research projects should consider, build on (if appropriate) and not duplicate previous research, including but not limited to research by other relevant EU Framework Programmes projects on security research. Proposals should also clearly demonstrate how they aim to complement and avoid overlaps with actions undertaken in the European Defence Fund and its precursors (the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and the Preparatory Action on Defence research (PADR)), based on the information publicly available and while maintaining a focus on civilian applications only.
• Proposals should delineate the plans for further development to subsequent TRLs as well as uptake (industrialisation, commercialisation, acquisition and/or deployment) at national and EU level, should the research deliver on its goals.
• Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to address the priorities of the European Border and Coast Guard and of its Agency (Frontex). This should start from the definition of requirements and the design phase of their work, including basing on the EBCG Capability Roadmap when available; and on the engagement with the Agency during the implementation of the project. This perspective should be considered and planned when drafting proposals. Proposals should foresee that Frontex will observe projects’ pilots and demonstrations, with the aim of facilitating future uptake of innovations for the border and coast guard community.
• Synergies within civil security can be an asset, for example with Disaster-Resilient Society and Fighting Crime and Terrorism.

Funding Information

• The check will normally be done for the coordinator if the requested grant amount is equal to or greater than EUR 500 000, except for:
  • public bodies (entities established as a public body under national law, including local, regional or national authorities) or international organisations; and
  • cases where the individual requested grant amount is not more than EUR 60 000 (low-value grant).

Expected Outcomes

• Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
  • Increased border surveillance capability, better performing and more cost-efficient, with data and fundamental rights protection by design;
  • Improved surveillance and situational awareness of sea borders, but also of maritime infrastructures as harbours and commercial and civilian maritime security, including in key areas such as the Arctic;
  • Improved multi-level, multi-authority and cross-border (among Member States and Associated Countries practitioners) collaboration thanks to better interoperability of sensing, analysis and C2 systems.

Eligible Activities

• Projects must focus exclusively on civil applications and must not:
  • aim at human cloning for reproductive purposes;
  • intend to modify the genetic heritage of human beings which could make such changes heritable (except for research relating to cancer treatment of the gonads, which may be financed);
  • intend to create human embryos solely for the purpose of research, or for the purpose of stem cell procurement, including by means of somatic cell nuclear transfer.
• Projects must, moreover, comply with EU policy interests and priorities (environment, social, security, industrial policy, etc.).
• The following activities are generally eligible for grants under Horizon Europe:
  • Research and innovation actions (RIA) — Activities that aim primarily to establish new knowledge or to explore the feasibility of a new or improved technology, product, process, service or solution. This may include basic and applied research, technology development and integration, testing, demonstration and validation of a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment.
  • Innovation actions (IA) — Activities that aim directly to produce plans and arrangements or designs for new, altered or improved products, processes or services. These activities may include prototyping, testing, demonstrating, piloting, large-scale product validation and market replication.
  • Coordination and support actions (CSA) — Activities that contribute to the objectives of Horizon Europe. This excludes research and innovation (R&I) activities, except those carried out under the ‘Widening participation and spreading excellence’ component of the programme (part of ‘Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area’). Also eligible are bottom-up coordination actions which promote cooperation between legal entities from Member States and Associated Countries to strengthen the European Research Area, and which receive no EU co-funding for research activities.
  • Programme co-fund actions (CoFund) — A programme of activities established or implemented by legal entities managing or funding R&I programmes, other than EU funding bodies. Such a programme of activities may support: networking and coordination; research; innovation; pilot actions; innovation and market deployment; training and mobility; awareness raising and communication; and dissemination and exploitation. It may also provide any relevant financial support, such as grants, prizes and procurement, as well as Horizon Europe blended finance or a combination thereof. The actions may be implemented by the beneficiaries directly or by providing financial support to third parties.
  • Innovation and market deployment actions (IMDA) — Activities that embed an innovation action and other activities necessary to deploy an innovation on the market. This includes the scaling-up of companies and Horizon Europe blended finance.
  • Training and mobility actions (TMA) — Activities that aim to improve the skills, knowledge and career prospects of researchers, based on mobility between countries and, if relevant, between sectors or disciplines.
  • Pre-commercial procurement actions (PCP) — Activities that aim to help a transnational buyers’ group to strengthen the public procurement of research, development, validation and, possibly, the first deployment of new solutions that can significantly improve quality and efficiency in areas of public interest, while opening market opportunities for industry and researchers active in Europe. Eligible activities include the preparation, management and follow-up, under the coordination of a lead procurer, of one joint PCP and additional activities to embed the PCP into a wider set of demand-side activities.
  • Public procurement of innovative solutions actions (PPI) — Activities that aim to strengthen the ability of a transnational buyers’ group to deploy innovative solutions early by overcoming the fragmentation of demand for such solutions and sharing the risks and costs of acting as early adopters, while opening market opportunities for industry. Eligible activities include preparing and implementing, under the coordination of a lead procurer, one joint or several coordinated PPI by the buyers’ group and additional activities to embed the PPI into a wider set of demand-side activities.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States: Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe: Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
• Specific cases: 
  • Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities are eligible for funding if they are established in one of the countries listed above, or in a country identified in the specific call/topic conditions.
  • Associated partners — Entities not eligible for funding (and therefore not able to participate as beneficiaries) may participate as associated partners, unless specified otherwise in the specific call/topic conditions.
  • Coordination and Support Actions – To be eligible to participate as beneficiaries (or affiliated entities) in ‘Coordination and support’ actions, legal entities must be established in a Member State or Associated Country, unless the specific call/topic conditions provide otherwise (in which case the general rules for eligibility for funding apply). Legal entities established in a non-associated third country may, however, participate in ‘Coordination and support’ actions as associated partners, unless this is explicitly excluded by the specific call/topic conditions.
  • EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law may also be eligible to receive funding, unless their basic act states otherwise.
  • International organisations — International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.

For more information, visit EC.