Deadline Date: November 05, 2026
The European Commission has launched the Advanced Border Surveillance and Situational Awareness funding opportunity under Horizon Europe to strengthen border security capabilities, improve situational awareness, and support innovative solutions for safer and more resilient external borders across the European Union.
The program focuses on improving detection, localization, characterization, and where applicable, neutralisation of unmanned vehicles used in trafficking or smuggling activities across external borders. It also supports enhanced border situational awareness in the context of large-scale population movements caused by irregular migration instrumentalisation, conflicts, social, economic, environmental, and climate-related stress.
The topic recognises that land and sea borders of the European Union and the Schengen area face evolving challenges linked to increasing movements of people and the growing accessibility of unmanned aerial, surface, and underwater vehicles capable of supporting illicit activities. The call seeks advanced technological solutions capable of operating effectively across diverse geographical and meteorological conditions while improving border surveillance efficiency and response times.
Projects funded under this topic are expected to go beyond the current state of the art by delivering measurable improvements in detection range, accuracy, automation, response time, and operational resilience. The initiative particularly encourages innovative approaches that support detection, search, rescue, and recovery operations while ensuring the protection of staff and vulnerable persons potentially affected by illegal activities at borders.
The program also places strong emphasis on the protection of fundamental rights and EU values. Proposed solutions must adopt inclusive approaches that consider diverse operational and societal needs while ensuring safe and ethical deployment of technologies. Solutions should remain modular and scalable to address different regional challenges and border management requirements.
Compatibility with the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) is considered essential, while interoperability with additional European information-sharing environments such as the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) will provide added value. Proposals are also encouraged to demonstrate how their technologies contribute to energy efficiency and cost reduction in border surveillance operations. The total indicative budget for the topic is €12 million, with approximately €6 million expected per project.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) is expected to play an important role during project implementation, particularly in observing pilots and demonstrations to support future innovation uptake across the border and coast guard community. Applicants are encouraged to align project requirements and system designs with the EBCG Capability Roadmap from the earliest stages of proposal development.
The opportunity is open to a wide range of eligible legal entities, including organisations from non-associated third countries and international organisations, provided they meet Horizon Europe participation requirements. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register and obtain a Participant Identification Code (PIC) before grant agreement preparation.
For more information, visit European Commission.
