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Call key data
Interoperability of systems and equipment at tactical level; between equipment and databases; and/or between databases of threats and materials
Funding Program
Horizon Europe - Cluster 3 - Destination 2: Effective management of EU external borders
Call number
HORIZON-CL3-2023-BM-01-04
deadlines
Opening
29.06.2023
Deadline
23.11.2023 17:00
Funding rate
70% (NPO:100%)
Call budget
€ 6,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 6,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The solution(s) proposed under this topic should define the requirements and way forward to enable and enhance the interoperability of customs control equipment and of data used in different Member States and/or by different authorities at national level, as well as Commission systems.
Call objectives
European customs, as all operators and citizens, also work in our digitalised and interconnected world of equipment, systems, and data. On the one hand, this opens opportunities to harness their capacity to facilitate trade while protecting the security and safety of citizens and benefiting the EU’s economy. On the other hand, the proliferation of equipment, system and data, often from different suppliers and in different versions, may also present challenges in terms of interoperability and an efficient management of flows of goods across the external borders of the Custom Union. Furthermore, the strategy of the “European custom union acting as one” implies that other authorities beyond customs use that same equipment. It also means that equipment, including mobile one, is shared among Member States to increase cooperation and collaboration on checking flows of goods across European borders. Finally, it equally means that standards and technical specifications for customs control equipment are harmonised.
Another challenge for European customs control capabilities is the rapid availability of, and rapidly shared, data references for (new) threats and illicit materials.
All this calls for research and innovation for solutions that prepare and increase the interoperability of customs control equipment and data at “tactical” level, in terms of multi-authority, cross-border, multi-supplier interoperability as well as linkages among Member States and Commission systems, and the more rapid availability and sharing of libraries of reference data for target substances or materials. There is room for innovation to improve access to updated spectra (or other formats or references) of target substances and materials when they appear; easily make them available to customs’ devices; and improve data for libraries.
The solution(s) proposed under this topic should define the requirements and way forward to enable and enhance the interoperability of customs control equipment and of data used in different Member States and/or by different authorities at national level, as well as Commission systems.
The proposed solution(s) should address how to make libraries of data references on target substances and materials more rapidly available and shared with authorities; to update and share them faster and securely; to enable quicker tackling of illegal substances and materials, either innovating current approaches or designing altogether new approaches for reference libraries.
EU customs authorities should take up the results of the research in the framework of the Customs Union “acting as one”, with the support of the Customs Control Equipment Instrument (CCEI). The CCEI will enable not only the possibility to establish harmonisation through common standards and technical specifications but will offer access to actively fund equipment across the Member States to fulfil these common standards.
The proposed solution should include privacy enhancing techniques to allow the sharing of tools without the sharing of data beyond what is strictly necessary. Leaking or compromising personal data should be avoided in the transfer of tools or models.
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): blockchain/DLT, artificial intelligence; spectroscopy, data fusion.
Research projects should consider, build on (if appropriate) and not duplicate previous research, including but not limited to research by other recent EU Framework Programmes projects on security research.
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.
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Expected results
Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:
- Increased interoperability of existing (and foreseeable upcoming) customs control equipment at tactical level, multi-supplier, multi-authority and cross-border;
- More efficient and quicker availability, for EU customs practitioners, of reference data (such as spectra) on threats and dangerous and/or illicit materials;
- Building capabilities for a more harmonised European application of customs controls based on risk management and trade facilitation.
Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan), Belarus (Беларусь), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
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
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
other eligibility criteria
This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least 2 Customs Authorities from at least 2 different EU Member States or Associated Countries. For these participants, applicants must fill in the table “Information about security practitioners” in the application form with all the requested information, following the template provided in the submission IT tool.
If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 50 pages.
Call documents
HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 3HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 3(1701kB)
Contact
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