Targeted innovative capabilities for the resilience of critical entities to natural and human-induced disasters, including hybrid scenarios
Horizon Europe · Grant topic
Summary
A Polish company can use this call for R&D.
Funds advanced technologies and operational tools improving critical service providers’ disaster resilience, through international consortia involving at least three practitioners.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, startup, research org, university, NGO, public body.
- Amount
- €4.5M per projectTotal budget €9,000,000
- Deadline
- 05 Nov 2026 01:00 CETin 12 days
- Status
- Openopened 6 May 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Outcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
• Improved understanding of systemic vulnerabilities of critical entities including physical, digital, operational, and cross-sectoral dimensions, in the face of compound natural and human-made disaster risks;
• Verification of existing measures countering potential NaTech risks;
• Demonstration of advanced technological solutions that enhance the ability of public and private providers of critical services to prepare for, respond to, and recover from complex, multi-hazard scenarios, including cascading or hybrid NaTech events;
• Deployment of common platforms and operational tools for dynamic risk assessment, decision support, between public authorities, first responders, and critical infrastructure operators during disruptive events;
• Strengthened multi-level and cross-border cooperation frameworks for integrated emergency and continuity management, ensuring seamless coordination across sectors, governance levels, and jurisdictions.
Scope:
Recent compound and cascading disasters have demonstrated the urgent need to reinforce the resilience of critical entities against a wide spectrum of hazards, including both human-induced incidents, natural events such as floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and storms, and natural hazard triggered technological (NaTech) accidents, including hybrid scenarios. The vulnerability of key infrastructures is exacerbated by their growing interdependencies and the systemic propagation of risks across sectors and borders. In this context, ensuring the monitoring, protection and continuity of essential services has become fundamental to preserving and enhancing societal resilience.
This topic aims to support the development and demonstration of targeted high-tech capabilities that address specific preparedness, operational, and recovery gaps in the resilience of critical entities[1] under multi-hazard and NaTech conditions. It calls for moving beyond generic resilience frameworks toward sector-specific, interoperable, and modular technological and governance solutions that can be deployed and tested in realistic operational settings.
Proposals should be grounded in existing risk assessments and draw on lessons learned from recent disruptive events. They are expected to deliver measurable improvements in both technological and organisational resilience through the identification and prioritisation of critical capability gaps, especially where cascading and cross-sectoral risks are likely to arise. In parallel, adaptive continuity planning and decision-making tools should be designed to enhance situational awareness, support dynamic response coordination, and maintain service continuity in fast-evolving crisis scenarios.
Proposals should also demonstrate cross-border, multi-actor coordination mechanisms through simulations or testing in real operational environments, involving public authorities, emergency responders, and critical service operators or representative environments where critical infrastructure is particularly exposed to multi-hazard risks.
International cooperation is encouraged, particularly in regions with cross-border infrastructure or shared vulnerabilities. Actions should take due account of the relevant EU legal and policy frameworks and are expected to address all applicable considerations expressed in the Introductions of the Resilient Infrastructure and Disaster-Resilient Society for Europe Destinations.
Coordination among the successful proposals from this topic and projects funded under HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-INFRA-01: Open topic for improved preparedness for, response to and recovery from large-scale disruptions of critical infrastructures and HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-INFRA-02: Open topic for role of the human factor for resilience of European critical entities, and HORIZON-CL3-2024-DRS-01-04: Hi-tech capacities for crisis response and recovery after a natural-technological (NaTech) disaster should be envisaged in order to avoid duplication, share resources and exploit complementarities and opportunities for increased impact.
Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
[1] Including, but not limited to, infrastructures addressed by the revised EU Maritime Security Strategy (JOIN/2023/8) and the European Port Strategy.
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, Startup, Research org, University, NGO, Public body
- Purpose
- Research and innovation
- R&D relevance
- 3 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- International consortium including an EU Member State; EU or Associated Country practitioners required; entities controlled by China or China-established entities excluded.
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Required
- Readiness level (TRL)
- 6-7
- Topics
- Critical infrastructure resilience
- Multi-hazard risks
- Hybrid threats
- Dynamic risk assessment
- Emergency management
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source. 23 Oct 2026
Conditions
Typed facts extracted from the source documents by Scindu's grant-data review. Each value keeps its own conditions. Unknown means unstated, not zero or unlimited.
- Applicant restriction
- entities established in an eligible country but which are directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to participate in the action.
- Applicant type
- Eligibility follows General Annex B. Unless a topic exception applies, a consortium needs three independent legal-entity beneficiaries from different countries, including one EU Member State and two others from different EU Member States or Associated Countries; affiliated entities do not count toward that minimum. Topic-specific partner, procurement and national eligibility rules apply in addition.
- Eligible project scope
- Type of Action: Innovation Actions.
- Other condition
- The General Annexes state that for lump-sum and unit grants, the funding rate is already applied in the methodology used to fix the amounts and is not shown in the grant agreement. The action-type maximum rate below is therefore a general Horizon Europe ceiling, not an additional calculation to apply to this topic’s fixed lump-sum amount.
- Partner requirement
- This topic requires involvement as beneficiaries of at least 3 relevant practitioners from EU Member States or Associated Countries.
- Technology readiness level at end, maximum
- 7 TRL
Expected technology readiness level by project end; this describes project outcomes, not applicant eligibility or a hiring condition.
- Technology readiness level at end, minimum
- 6 TRL
Expected technology readiness level by project end; this describes project outcomes, not applicant eligibility or a hiring condition.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €9,000,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Eligible cost
- The topic specifically adopts a Horizon Europe lump-sum grant. The applicable Lump Sum MGA treats the grant as a contribution for completion of work packages; eligibility depends on the amounts in Annex 2 and proper completion/implementation (or results achieved) during the action period. This is not reimbursement of each beneficiary’s actual payroll or service invoices, and does not establish a salary entitlement.
- Eligible cost
- For project-based Horizon Europe lump sums, the 2026 Commission guidance requires realistic estimates per cost category, beneficiary/affiliated entity and work package. Personnel-cost estimates are permitted only for cost items that would qualify under the corresponding actual-cost eligibility rules, and must follow normal practice, be reasonable, and be necessary and in line with proposed activities. These are inputs for the fixed lump-sum estimate; actual payroll is not separately reimbursed or reported as a claim under the lump-sum grant.
- Eligible cost
- For the applicable lump-sum model, the contribution is set out in the grant agreement Annex 2 and broken down by participant and work package; payment eligibility is tied to work-package completion and proper implementation or achieved results during the action period, as stated in the agreement. Actual underlying payroll or subcontract cost is not reimbursed invoice-by-invoice under this form.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 100 percent of eligible costs per beneficiary
General Annex allows a rate of up to 100% for non-profit legal entities in Innovation Actions. The rate is fixed in the grant agreement and for this topic’s lump-sum form is already applied in the amount methodology; this does not add a second payment rate.
- Funding intensity, maximum
- 70 percent of eligible costs per beneficiary
General Annex maximum for Innovation Actions is 70% for beneficiaries other than non-profit legal entities. The rate is fixed in the grant agreement and for this topic’s lump-sum form is already applied in the amount methodology; this does not add a second payment rate.
- Expected project funding, up to
- €4,500,000
Indicative expected EU contribution per project stated as around EUR 4.5 million; this is an estimate, not a minimum, maximum, or binding per-project cap. Applicants may request a different amount.
- Expected project funding, from
- €4,500,000
Indicative expected EU contribution per project stated as around EUR 4.5 million; this is an estimate, not a minimum, maximum, or binding per-project cap. Applicants may request a different amount.
- Topic allocation
- €9,000,000
Indicative total topic allocation stated as an amount in EUR million in the call overview; it is distinct from the expected EU contribution per project. Allocation scope: per topic.
Personnel and services
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Natural persons working under a direct contract other than an employment contract may be included as personnel cost estimates only when assigned to the action, working under conditions similar to an employee, and the result belongs to the beneficiary (unless otherwise agreed). The estimate follows actual-cost eligibility; no role or pay rate is specified.
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Costs for employees under an employment contract or equivalent appointing act and assigned to the action; any estimated amount is only a budget input subject to the call’s lump-sum methodology and applicable actual-cost eligibility rules. This is not a prescribed job, required hire, headcount or salary rate.
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
Seconded-person personnel cost estimates are conditional on assignment to the action, employee-like working conditions and ownership of the work result by the beneficiary (unless otherwise agreed), and must correspond to actual costs and not differ significantly from comparable employee tasks. This cost category does not prescribe a job or salary.
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
The work of an SME owner or natural person beneficiary who receives no salary may be declared as personnel costs only if general eligibility conditions are met and the amount is calculated as a unit cost under Annex 2a. No hourly/monthly amount is asserted here.
Source documents
- Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027, Civil Security for Society, Part 6
- Horizon Europe General Annexes 2026-2027
- EU Grants: Horizon Europe MGA — Multi & Mono, V1.2, 01.06.2026
- EU Grants: How to manage your lump sum grants, V1.5, 01.06.2026
- EU Grants: Programme Lump Sum MGA — Multi & Mono, V1.0, 01.11.2024
Call facts
- Opens
- 6 May 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Horizon Europe · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- HORIZON-CL3-2026-01 · Civil Security for Society 2026
- Types of action
- HORIZON Innovation Actions
- Keywords
- NaTech
- capabilities
- critical entities
- critical infrastructure
- cross-border cooperation
- first responders
- hybrid
- natural and human-induced disaster
- public authorities
- resilience
- risk assessment
- Source
- ec.europa.eu
- Checked
- 23 Oct 2026
- Portal updated
- 23 Oct 2026
- Review status
- Partial review
- Reviewed
- 23 Oct 2026
This is a summary of the source page, not the official text. Eligibility, conditions and the submission system are at the source.