Apply for Science for Peace and Security Programme

Deadline: 16-Jun-23

The Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme is currently accepting proposals for Multi-Year Projects and Events (Advanced Research Workshops, Advanced Training Courses and Advanced Study Institutes).

Through the SPS Programme, NATO has demonstrated its longstanding commitment to science, innovation and practical cooperation with partners. The SPS Programme offers funding, expert advice and support to tailor-made, civil security-relevant activities that respond to NATO’s strategic objectives. Participation in the SPS Programme enables experts and scientists to develop innovative solutions to today’s security challenges, and to build partnerships with their peers in NATO and partner nations.

This call for proposals welcomes applications for Multi-Year Projects and Events (Advanced Research Workshops, Advanced Training Courses and Advanced Study Institutes).

Proposals for Multi-Year Projects should research and develop innovative solutions and demonstrators. They should also demonstrate a solid and long-term approach, indicating clearly the expected maturity (Technology Readiness Level) to be reached, and how additional actors (e.g. industrial partners, programmes, national funding, end users, etc.) will be involved in further developing and exploiting the results of the SPS-supported activity after its conclusion. Proposals should also include plans for the demonstration of the achieved results (prototypes, simulators, demonstrators, etc.) to key stakeholders. Proposed activities that rely on data should outline a data exploitation plan for the collection of existing data or for the creation of new datasets.

The NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme enhances civil science and technology to address emerging security challenges and their impact on international security. It connects scientists, experts and officials from NATO and partner nations to work together to address these challenges, by supporting security-relevant activities in the form of four established grant mechanisms, which are:

• Multi-Year research and development Projects (MYP)
• Events, in the following formats:
• Advanced Research Workshops (ARW)
• Advanced Training Courses (ATC)
• Advanced Study Institutes (ASI)

Key Priorities

• The priority areas for the SPS Programme focus on contemporary security challenges, and are based on NATO’s Strategic Concept agreed by Allies at the November 2010 Lisbon Summit, and on the Strategic Objectives of NATO’s Partner Relations agreed in Berlin in April 2011.
• Facilitate mutually beneficial cooperation on issues of common interest, including international efforts to meet emerging security challenges
• Counter-Terrorism
  • Methods for the protection of critical infrastructure, supplies and personnel;
  • Human factors in the defence against terrorism;
  • Detection technologies against the terrorist threat of explosive devices and other illicit activities;
  • Risk management, best practices and technologies in response to terrorism.
• Energy Security
  • Innovative energy solutions for the military; Battlefield energy solutions; Renewable energy solutions with military applications;
  • Energy infrastructure security;
  • Maritime aspects of energy security;
  • Technological aspects of energy security.
• Cyber Defence
  • Critical infrastructure protection, including sharing of best practices, capacity building and policies;
  • Support in developing cyber defence capabilities, including new technologies and support to the construction of information technology infrastructure;
  • Cyber defence situation awareness.
• Defence against Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Agents
  • Methods and technology to protect against, diagnose effects of, detect, decontaminate, destruct, dispose and contain CBRN agents;
  • Risk management and recovery strategies and technologies;
  • Medical countermeasures against CBRN agents.
• Environmental Security
  • Security issues arising from key environmental and resource constraints, including health risks, climate change, water scarcity and increasing energy needs, which have the potential to significantly affect NATO’s planning and operations;
  • Disaster forecasting and prevention of natural catastrophes;
  • Defence-related environmental issues.
• Enhance support for NATO-led operations and missions
  • Provision of civilian support through SPS Key Priorities;
  • Provision of access to information through internet connectivity as in the SILK-Afghanistan Programme;
  • Cultural and social aspects in military operations and missions;
  • Enhancing cooperation with other international actors.
• Enhance awareness of security developments including through early warning, with a view to preventing crises
  • Security-related Advanced Technology
    • Emerging technologies including nanotechnology, optical technology, micro satellites, metallurgy and the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) platforms.
  • Border and Port Security
    • Border and port security technology;
    • Cross-border communication systems and data fusion;
    • Expert advice and assessments of border security needs and best practices.
  • Mine and Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) Detection and Clearance
    • Development and provision of advanced technologies, methodologies and best practices;
    • Solutions to counter improvised explosive devices (IED).
  • Human and Social Aspects of Security related to NATO’s Strategic Objectives
• Any project clearly linked to a threat to security not otherwise defined in these priorities may also be considered for funding under the SPS Programme

Such proposals will be examined for links to NATO’s Strategic Objectives (e.g. in the field of hybrid challenges).

Eligible Countries 

• Individuals from the following countries are eligible to participate in activities supported by the SPS Programme: NATO member countries: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, the Republic of North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye, United Kingdom, United States of America.
• Eligible NATO partner nations: Algeria, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Egypt, Georgia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Malta, Mauritania, the Republic of Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Qatar, Serbia, Sweden (the Invitee), Switzerland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan.

Eligibility Criteria

• To be eligible for funding, applications submitted to the SPS Programme must meet all of the following conditions:
  • Contribute towards NATO’s strategic objectives and have a clear link to security; address at least one of the SPS Key Priorities;
  • Be developed jointly by scientists or experts from at least one NATO and one eligible partner nation.
  • Each activity must include a scientist or expert taking on the role of NATO country CoDirector. This person must be national of, resident and employed in a NATO member country;
  • Each activity must include a scientist or expert taking on the role of Partner country Co-Director. This person must be a national of, resident and employed in an eligible partner nation;
  • Additional co-directors from either NATO or eligible NATO partner nations may be included.
  • Be developed and implemented by co-directors employed by government, academic, or other non-profit institutions. For-profit private companies are not eligible for SPS funding;
  • Include realistic plans and budgets;
  • Be developed and managed in alignment with rules and regulations outlined in the SPS handbooks.

For more information, visit SPS.