Open Topic on Better Customs and Supply Chain Security

Deadline: 12 November 2025

The European Commission is now accepting submissions for the Better Customs and Supply Chain Security topic.

Scope

Under this topic, proposals are welcome to address new, upcoming or unforeseen challenges and/or creative or disruptive solutions for improving capabilities of practitioners for the security of customs and the supply chain. Contexts and scenarios in Europe’s border regions that may in the future be impacted by geopolitical instabilities, tensions from outside the EU or impact on the environment, and need sustained and improved surveillance and reaction capabilities, could be particularly considered. If they relate to some of the topics covered by Horizon Europe Calls Effective Management of EU External Borders 2021-2022 or 2023-2024, the proposals should convincingly explain how they will build on and not duplicate them.
Proposals may also address capabilities related to possible future detection of threats in the flow of goods and/or in the supply chain in a flexible, rapid, relocatable way. Detection capabilities could target one or more type(s) of dangerous, illicit and/or illegal goods or materials, including illicit drugs and their precursors, illegally traded species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) considering the European Deforestation Free Products Regulation, contraband, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRN-E) threats and/or various modi operandi related to cross-border trafficking, including involving cargo.
Projects should integrate aspects of:
- perspectives of safeguarding and promoting human rights, developing solutions that contribute to those safeguarding and promotion;
- inputs from human rights, law and ethical perspectives, as well as the consideration and views of individuals and society, as appropriate; proposals can engage with citizens and civil society for wider input and support;
- aspects of cybersecurity of the technology proposed, and the protection of communication systems and networks involved in the solutions, if and as relevant.

Funding Information

Budget (EUR) – Year 2025: 9 000 000
Contributions: around 3000000

Expected Outcomes

Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcome(s):
- Improved customs and supply chain security though better prevention, detection, deterrence, anti-tampering and/or fight of illegal activities involving flows of goods across EU external borders and through the supply chain, and/or through better interoperability, minimising disruption to trade flows.

Eligibility Criteria

Entities eligible to participate:
- Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from nonassociated 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.
To become a beneficiary, legal entities must be eligible for funding.
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:
  - Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States:
  - Aruba (NL), Bonaire (NL), Curação (NL), French Polynesia (FR), French Southern and Antarctic Territories (FR), Greenland (DK), New Caledonia (FR), Saba (NL), Saint Barthélemy (FR), Sint Eustatius (NL), Sint Maarten (NL), St. Pierre and Miquelon (FR), Wallis and Futuna Islands (FR).
- countries associated to Horizon Europe;
  - Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Faroe Islands, Georgia, Iceland, Israel, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Tunisia, Türkiye, Ukraine, United Kingdom.