Submarine Cable Repair Capacities - Works
Connecting Europe Facility · Grant topic
Summary
Not an R&D call a Polish company can use, by Scindu's rule.
Funds deployment of submarine cable repair modules for public or publicly owned bodies, including publicly owned companies, at specified EU facilities.
- Who can apply
- Companies can lead: SME, large company, public body.
- Amount
- €20M per projectTotal budget €40,000,000
- Deadline
- 25 Nov 2026 01:00 CETin 32 days
- Status
- Openopened 23 Jun 2026
Machine-classified from the call text; check eligibility at the source.
Description
Expected Impact:
The expected benefits of the supported project:
• Provide quick response to emergency situations identified by the relevant Regional Cable Hub or other entity declaring the emergency situation (Key Performance Indicator).
• Provide quick average estimated time-to-repair for cable systems in the targeted EU sea basins with at least one landing point in an EU territory (Key Performance Indicator).
• Increase operational repair capacity in the main European sea basins (Key Performance Indicator).
• Strengthen the resilience of cable systems in the main European sea basins.
• Ensure digital sovereignty and strategic autonomy of the EU in the main European sea basins.
Objective:
This call aims to enhance emergency response capacities and the resilience of backbone networks’ infrastructures by supporting the development and deployment of adaptable repair modules for swift emergency repair operations, enabling quick response to incidents that could severely impact the Union or its Member States.
The goal of the EU is to fund modules covering the main sea basins of the Union, the objective being to develop adaptable repair modules that can be deployed on existing vessels, as well as the necessary related operational capabilities.
The modules are expected to be rapidly operational in order to re-establish the service of submarine cables (through repair or substitution) in emergency situations, i.e. where the cut or the failure of the cable can cause a severe damage to one or more Member States, and the service disruption cannot be fixed timely by commercial services. Applicants will have to work in coordination with the authorities declaring the emergency situation, which are expected to be the future Regional Cable Hubs4.
The modules would be hosted in ports or shipyards with the capacity to install them on board of ships within a maximum of 3 days from the arrival of the vessel at the port/shipyard, following a request by the Regional Surveillance Hub envisaged in the Action Plan on Cable Security.
Scope:
This call funds modular equipment for the repair of telecom submarine cables, and targets public entities with an emergency response mandate such as entities active in the civil protection, national emergency response agencies, coastguards and military navies. Each Member State will confirm the nature of the applicant in the mandatory Letter of Support.
Beneficiaries can subcontract the activities covered by this call for proposals as well as the operation of the modules for repair intervention to third parties, including publicly or privately owned entities without an emergency response mandate. However, the modules can only be used to respond to emergency situations declared by the competent authority.
The pre-configured vessels are flat deck vessels that should be able to receive the modules with minor adaptation and operational preparation, and without regulatory or technical barriers. Therefore, the proposals should demonstrate the adaptability, portability and scalability of the solution put forward.
To make sure that the modular equipment will be ready for intervention, applicants should identify at least three vessels that are or will be pre-configured for receiving the modules. Costs for pre-configuration of the vessels can be included in the proposal provided that they comply with the eligibility conditions of this call.
Applicants should explain in detail in their proposal how the vessels are already pre-configured or how they plan to carry out the above-mentioned pre-configuration, and how many pre-configured vessels will be made available. For vessels owned by third parties, applicants should provide details on lease or service level agreement guaranteeing the availability of these vessels to receive the modules over their economic lifespan (at least 10 years).
Proposals should also demonstrate solid implementation plans, including the definition of compatible specifications for the vessels and the different types of modules, project’s phasing (design, production-level deployment, operation), governance, allocation policies, financial aspects, as well as the rationale for the choice of the storage and installation locations. To this purpose, it is crucial that the proposals clearly demonstrate effective, reliable and efficient coordination with all relevant stakeholders, especially the entity declaring the emergency situation which is expected to be the future Regional Cable Hubs. The solidity of the plan will be taken into account when assessing the maturity of the proposal.
Proposals should demonstrate how they contribute to CPEI Area 8 (“Multipurpose vessel(s) and modular equipment stock”) from the CPEI list published in February 2026, and in particular to one or more of the CPEI criteria b, c, d and e of Point 26, and CPEI criteria a, b and c of Point 27 of Commission Recommendation (EU) 2024/779.
Proposals must provide repair modules to increase repair capacity for all subsea cable systems, serving EU Member States in the main European sea basins following the current repair agreements when relevant.
Please consult the call document for more information on the scope, including digital security requirements.
Who can apply, in detail
- Applicant types
- SME, Large company, Public body
- Purpose
- Deployment and investment
- R&D relevance
- 1 of 3
- Poland eligible
- Yes
- Country limit
- EU Member States; facilities must be in EU Mediterranean or Atlantic coastal territory or an EU Outermost Region; control restrictions apply.
- Region
- Any
- Consortium
- Unclear
- Readiness level (TRL)
- —
- Topics
- Submarine cable repair
- Emergency repair modules
- Backbone network resilience
- Maritime infrastructure
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
- The call targets public entities with an emergency-response mandate, including civil-protection entities, national emergency-response agencies, coastguards and military navies. Each Member State must confirm the applicant’s nature in the Letter of Support.
- Applicant restriction
- Entities must not be directly or indirectly controlled by a country outside the call’s eligible set unless an applicable exceptional guarantee route is accepted. “Control” includes decisive influence de jure or de facto through intermediaries, including but not limited to ownership over 50%.
The call states exceptional security guarantees for specified non-EU-controlled and third-country cases; the exception must not be treated as automatic eligibility.
- Applicant restriction
- Applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must be legal entities that are public or publicly owned bodies.
- Applicant restriction
- Entities from CEF-associated or non-associated third countries may exceptionally be eligible for projects of common interest if the granting authority considers their participation essential and the entity provides security guarantees approved under its national law.
Exceptional route only; it is not general eligibility for non-EU participants.
- Applicant restriction
- Natural persons are not eligible, except self-employed persons/sole traders whose company has no separate legal personality.
- Applicant restriction
- An EU-established legal entity that is not EU-controlled may participate only on the condition that it provides a security guarantee approved by its EU Member State of establishment.
- Application restriction
- A detailed budget table per work package is a mandatory proposal annex.
- Application restriction
- All proposals must include security declarations from participating entities receiving funding for deployment of equipment and technologies; funded network technologies, equipment, software and services must comply with the call’s applicable security conditions.
- Application restriction
- A Letter of Support/Member State agreement is mandatory from all Member States benefitting from the project; it must confirm the applicants’ public status and whether they are entrusted with an emergency-response mandate.
The exact public template captured from the linked URL is dated 01.09.2021 and only contains a generic Yes/No agreement-to-submit statement. The current v2.0 call fiche says the submission-system template must also confirm applicant public status and emergency mandate; the currently active submission-system form was not accessible for comparison.
- Applications closed
- No
Provider snapshot captured 2026-10-23T12:32:51.895891Z. This records SEDIA Open status and its submission-session notice, not a direct test of completing a Portal submission.
- Eligible geography
- Participation in any capacity (beneficiary, affiliated entity, associated partner, subcontractor or FSTP recipient) is limited to entities from eligible countries; action activities, including subcontracted work, must take place in eligible or target countries.
- Eligible geography
- The call’s security restriction narrows the eligible-country list to EU Member States, notwithstanding the broader base CEF programme list of associated countries.
This call-specific country limit applies to participants and activity locations, subject to the separately stated exceptional-funding/security-guarantee rule.
- Eligible geography
- Modules must be hosted in shipyards or other facilities within EU territory bordering the Mediterranean or Atlantic sea basin, or in an EU Outermost Region.
- Eligible project scope
- Develop and deploy adaptable modular equipment for rapid emergency repair or substitution of telecom submarine cables where a severe cable failure threatens one or more Member States and commercial services cannot repair the disruption in time.
- Eligible project scope
- Proposals must provide repair modules to increase repair capacity for all subsea cable systems serving EU Member States in the main European sea basins, following current repair agreements when relevant; modules must repair cables in the Atlantic or Mediterranean and take account of Outermost Regions’ connectivity needs.
- Other condition
- For average personnel cost unit amounts, the MGA requires recorded actual costs excluding ineligible/double-counted costs; relevant reasonable estimated elements must be objectively verifiable, and the beneficiary must consistently apply usual objective cost-accounting practices.
- Other condition
- Five criteria each have a maximum of 5 points: Priority and urgency, Maturity, Quality, Impact, and Catalytic effect. Each has a minimum score of 3/5 and the overall minimum is 15/25.
Applicants must meet all criterion thresholds and the overall threshold to remain in consideration for funding.
- Other condition
- The call opened on 23 June 2026.
- Other condition
- The call states no specific eligibility conditions concerning consortium composition.
- Other condition
- Security declarations must address strictest cybersecurity requirements imposed by applicable national law and EU cybersecurity guidance; where multiple eligible countries’ laws apply, the strictest applies.
The call applies the 5G toolbox where applicable, other EU guidance and EU Cable Toolbox scenarios/mitigations to the extent specified by the call.
- Other condition
- For A.2/A.3, direct-contract and secondment personnel costs are based on costs actually incurred and must not be significantly different from the beneficiary’s employment-contract costs for similar work; the arrangement must otherwise meet the call and MGA assignment/work/result conditions.
This is a personnel cost eligibility rule, not permission to treat purchased services as staff or to assert a specific job or rate.
- Other condition
- An extension is possible if duly justified and made through a Grant Agreement amendment.
- Other condition
- Repair modules may be used only in emergency situations declared by the competent authority; the call expects coordination with that authority and future Regional Cable Hubs.
- Other condition
- Employee personnel costs must be assigned to the action, limited to salary/social-security/tax/remuneration costs arising under national law or employment terms, and calculated on actual incurred costs. The CEF MGA permits daily-rate calculation using annual personnel costs divided by 215 and identifiable/verifiable day-equivalents.
This describes the grant’s cost calculation; it is not a published wage amount or compensation entitlement.
- Other condition
- The available call budget is expected to be sufficient to fund at least one proposal per sea basin.
- Other condition
- Applicants should identify at least three vessels that are or will be pre-configured to receive the modules.
Minimum number of identified vessels per proposal; this is not a headcount or staffing requirement.
- Other condition
- A repair module must be capable of being installed aboard a ship within a maximum of three days after the vessel arrives at the port or shipyard following a Regional Cable Hub request.
- Other condition
- Proposals should specify compatible vessel/module specifications, project phases, governance, module allocation policies, financial aspects, storage/installation location rationale, and effective coordination with stakeholders including the emergency-declaring entity.
- Other condition
- Grants may not produce a profit during the project; for-profit organisations must declare revenues and any profit is deducted from the final grant amount.
- Other condition
- The call permits module hosting in EU Outermost Regions while the D.4 “Works in outermost regions” budget category is marked not eligible. The call documents do not clarify which construction or preparation costs in an Outermost Region fall under that exclusion.
Keep the location allowance and cost-category exclusion as separate source claims; do not conclude that every action cost in an Outermost Region is eligible or that every such cost is excluded.
- Other condition
- Security declaration content and commitments are evaluated and must remain valid through the project lifetime; noncompliant actions may be suspended, terminated or reduced.
- Other condition
- Security declarations must confirm that CEF-funded action results remain with beneficiaries during the action and for ten years after completion, and address relevant third-country jurisdiction/influence for the project and at least ten years after completion.
- Other condition
- For third-party-owned vessels, provide lease or service-level-agreement details guaranteeing vessel availability to receive modules over the economic lifespan of the modules, at least 10 years.
- Other condition
- Pre-configured vessels should be flat-deck vessels able to receive the modules with minor adaptation and operational preparation and without regulatory or technical barriers; proposals should demonstrate adaptability, portability and scalability.
- Expected project duration, maximum
- 24 months
Normal expected duration ceiling; extensions are possible if duly justified and approved through an amendment. Do not treat this as an absolute maximum.
Amounts and costs
- Indicative budget
- €40,000,000
Topic budget as stated in the portal's budget table. Lump-sum and per-project limits are in the call conditions.
- Call allocation
- €40,000,000
The call document allows an increase only if total additional budget cumulatively allocated to the topic across all calls of the work programme remains below 20% of the multiannual plan budget; it expects the pool to be sufficient for at least one proposal per sea basin, not a guaranteed award.
- Eligible cost
- Average personnel costs (unit cost according to usual cost accounting practices) are allowed for this call.
This is an accounting method, not a salary rate or per-person grant ceiling. It remains subject to the CEF MGA eligibility rules and consistent, objective cost-accounting practices.
- Eligible cost
- Call budget categories: A personnel (A.1 employees; A.2 natural persons under direct contract; A.3 seconded persons; A.4 SME owners/natural-person beneficiaries), B subcontracting, C purchases (travel/subsistence, equipment, other goods/works/services), D other (FSTP, studies, synergetic elements, works in outermost regions), E indirect costs.
These are the topic-selected categories; individual eligibility is further restricted by the following call-specific conditions.
- Eligible cost
- The grant is an actual-cost grant with unit-cost and flat-rate elements; it reimburses only eligible costs actually incurred, while unit costs/flat rates use Grant Agreement methods.
- Eligible cost
- Equipment costs use full-cost funding under this call.
- Eligible cost
- Free in-kind contributions are allowed but are cost-neutral and cannot be declared as cost.
- Eligible cost
- Initial training and certification for the beneficiary’s personnel is an eligible preparatory activity, including training/certification of the emergency repair team on module operation and jointing systems.
This permits training/certification costs; it does not prescribe role names, required staff numbers, qualifications, salary, or pay rates.
- Eligible cost
- Non-exhaustive eligible activity list includes design, construction and purchase of repair modules and their spares/repeaters/jointing and diagnostic tools; cable-handling systems such as tanks, engines, tensioners and sheaves; and launch/recovery systems such as cranes, A-frames, ROV or plow systems.
Illustrative eligible action equipment list, not a closed catalogue of every eligible purchase. General and call-specific cost rules still apply.
- Eligible cost
- SME owner and natural-person beneficiary unit costs are allowed for this call.
Applies to the MGA’s SME owners/natural person beneficiaries without salary under A.4; no amount is published in the call.
- Eligible cost
- Beneficiaries may subcontract activities covered by the call and module operation for repair interventions to third parties, including public or private entities without an emergency-response mandate.
The repair-module use restriction remains: intervention must respond to an emergency declared by the competent authority. This is a permitted service/contract route, not a required payroll role.
- Eligible cost
- Subcontracted work must be performed in eligible countries or target countries.
- Eligible cost
- Travel and subsistence unit-cost reimbursement is not selected; only actual costs are allowed.
- Eligible cost
- Preparatory works can include pre-configuring existing vessels: layout/design for equipment and personnel workspace, support points for fastening, and loading/docking procedures.
- Eligible cost limit
- 0 percent of eligible direct costs in categories A-D
Call-specific flat-rate is zero; the stated base excludes volunteer costs if any. Do not import the 7% default from another EU call/MGA.
- Eligible cost limit
- 10 percent of total eligible costs; stated in the same bullet as construction/purchase of module storage facility and related cable spare parts
The call places the “up to 10% of eligible costs” phrase at the end of the storage-facility/related-cable-spare-parts bullet. The wording does not clearly allocate the cap between storage, spare parts, or their combined line; preserve this scope ambiguity and do not generalize the cap to all project costs.
- Funding intensity
- 50 percent of total eligible project costs
Maximum EU co-funding rate; this is separate from the EUR 40 million call-wide allocation and the around EUR 20 million expected requested grant amount per project.
- Ineligible cost
- Facility rental fees, notably for storing modules/equipment or installing modules on vessels, are not eligible.
- Ineligible cost
- Operating and maintenance costs of the modules are not eligible under CEF; proposals must explain how these costs will be covered over the modules’ economic lifespan.
- Ineligible cost
- Financial support to third parties is not allowed; studies, synergetic elements and works in outermost regions are marked not eligible as budget categories.
- Ineligible cost
- Land purchase costs are ineligible.
- Ineligible cost
- VAT is not eligible under this call.
- Expected contribution per project
- €20,000,000
Indicative amount only; the grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested. This is neither a minimum nor a maximum grant amount.
Personnel and services
Other role
Staff cost the grant can fund
This is a potentially fundable personnel cost category, not an advertised job, required named position, hiring entitlement, headcount, salary amount, or pay rate. A.4 is an unpaid owner/natural-person unit cost, not salary. The call specifies initial training/certification of an emergency repair team but no required team size, employment mix or rates.
Source documents
Call facts
- Opens
- 23 Jun 2026
- Deadline model
- Single-stage
- Programme
- Connecting Europe Facility · 2021 - 2027
- Call
- CEF-DIG-2026-CABLE-REPAIR-CAPACITIES · Submarine Cable Repair Capacities
- Types of action
- CEF Infrastructure Projects
- Source
- ec.europa.eu
- Checked
- 23 Oct 2026
- Portal updated
- 30 Sept 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.