Deadline: 23-Nov-22
The European Commission (EC) is pleased to announce a call for proposals for Effective fight against illicit drugs production and trafficking.
In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if the consortium deems it relevant in relation to the objectives of the research effort.
Activities proposed within this topic should address both societal and technological dimensions of drug trafficking and drug production in a balanced way, taking care of the applicable legislation and fundamental rights. As the organised crime groups involved are practically fully interconnected, the international dimension should be analysed as well, hence both Police and Border Guards Authorities should be involved in the consortia, in order to tackle effectively all aspects of this crime, such as cross-border drugs smuggling.
Drug trafficking and drug production are the most profitable criminal activity of organised crime groups active in Europe. According to the 2019 EU Drug Markets Report, the total value of the retail market for illicit drugs in the EU was estimated at EUR 30 billion. There is a need for a comprehensive complete intelligence picture of this type of crime.
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 (lowvalue grant).
Expected Outcomes
Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
- Improved and complete intelligence picture of security practitioners and policy-makers on drug production and trafficking, such as modus operandi, both offline and online, including the whole chain of trade, cross-border dimension, new trends, prevention of illicit drug market, new drugs, internet, including darknet, monitoring of drugs, financial flows of the related profits, etc.;
- European Police and Border Guards Authorities benefit from better, modern and validated tools (including the lawful court-proof collection of crime evidence) and training materials to tackle criminal activities related to drugs, such as monitoring of internet, including darknet;
- Enhanced ability of security practitioners to identify organised criminal groups involved in drug production and trafficking at an early stage;
- Enhanced ability of security practitioners and policy-makers to prevent the emergence of organised crime networks related to drugs, and respond to the threat of existing organisations, while respecting fundamental rights;
- Improved monitoring of dual-use chemicals used to drugs production;
- European Police and Border Guards Authorities benefit from improved strategies of cooperation in fighting drug trafficking and dismantling related criminal networks;
- Security policy makers are better supported in analysing the features of the drug trade and the business models underlying it, and the policy regulation related to the fight against drug production and trafficking is enhanced.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions;
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States;
- eligible non-EU countries:
- countries associated to Horizon Europe;
- low- and middle-income countries.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3Nr7VlP