The Detection and Characterisation of Threats or Illegal/Smuggled Goods in Cargo topic (HORIZON-CL3-2027-01-BM-03), under the Horizon Europe Civil Security for Society 2027 call, supports research and innovation actions to enhance security across air, maritime, land, postal, and rail transport. Projects funded under this topic aim to develop solutions for detecting, characterising, and tracking dangerous, regulated, or illicit goods while improving the agility and interoperability of customs authorities.

Overview

Global trade volumes create opportunities for organised crime and terrorist organisations to conceal threats within legal commercial cargo. Customs authorities must balance the need for efficient trade flows with robust security controls. This topic addresses security challenges in cargo and supply chains, focusing on accidental or intentional explosions, fires, noxious chemicals, material degradation, and autonomous threats. Projects should develop solutions usable at crucial points in the supply chain and demonstrate integration across the entire process from load to delivery.

Research Areas and Activities

Proposals must address one of two explicitly selected options:

• Option a: Security of cargo
• Option b: Detection of smuggled and trafficked goods/materials in cargo

Detection capabilities should target one or more types of dangerous, illicit, or illegal goods or materials, including but not limited to explosive or incendiary devices; illicit drugs and precursors; illegally traded species covered by CITES; cultural property; contraband; trafficked weapons; CBRN-E materials; F-gases; and cross-border trafficking modi operandi.

Technologies that may be explored include smart active defuse systems, sensors, artificial intelligence, tracking and tracing systems, distributed ledger technologies, non-intrusive inspection, automated threat recognition systems, and screening and scanning systems. Activities are expected to achieve Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4-5 by the end of the project.

Eligibility

This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of at least two customs authorities from at least two different EU Member States or Associated Countries. Applicants must fill in the “Information about security practitioners” table in the application form with all requested information, following the template provided in the submission IT tool.

If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation, or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS. Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. Activities involving classified background or producing security-sensitive results (EUCI and SEN) are subject to related provisions in the General Annexes.

Funding and Benefits

This is a Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) with a lump sum grant model. The total budget for this topic is €14,000,000, with an indicative contribution of around €3,500,000 per project. The indicative number of grants is 4.

Beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties in the form of grants. The maximum amount to be granted to each third party is EUR 100,000. This support aims to facilitate effective collaboration and coordination with additional relevant national customs authorities, including testing and validation activities within the projects.

Application Process

The call uses a single-stage deadline model. Proposals are submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Applications must demonstrate how the project integrates the perspective of the whole supply chain and aligns with existing interoperability standards, cybersecurity considerations, and EU technological sovereignty. A mid-term deliverable consisting of an assessment of the project’s mid-term outcomes, performed by the involved practitioners, should be planned.

To ensure a balanced portfolio, grants will be awarded to applications not only in order of ranking but at least also to one proposal that is the highest ranked within each of the two options (Option a and Option b), provided all thresholds are attained.

Deadline and Timeline

• Planned opening date: 05 May 2027
• Deadline date: 04 November 2027, 17:00:00 Brussels time