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HORIZON EUROPE TOPIC · Cluster 3 · Civil Security for Society

Open Topic on advanced protective gear optimized for CBRN-E (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) environments and new generation of smart protective equipment for disaster responders

HORIZON-CL3-2027-01-DRS-01 — the expected outcomes as checkable statements, what evaluators look for in this topic, and the conditions that shape the proposal.

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ForthcomingIA · lump sumDeadline 4 November 2027around EUR 3.84 million per project

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TopicHORIZON-CL3-2027-01-DRS-01
StatusForthcoming
CallHORIZON-CL3-2027-01 — Civil Security for Society 2027
DestinationDisaster-Resilient Society for Europe (2026-27)
Type of actionInnovation Actions · lump sum
Opening5 May 2027
Deadline4 November 2027
Budgetaround EUR 3.84 million per project · 2 projects expected · EUR 7.67 million in total
TRL at the endTRL 7–8
Part B page limit45 pages (standard application form; check your call)
TemplateWork Programme 2026–2027 application form

Expected outcomes

Projects may contribute to some of the expected outcomes; say which ones and why. The topic says: “Project results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following expected outcomes:”

  1. EO1 Developed of advanced protective gear specifically designed for optimal performance in Chemical or Biological or Radiological, and Nuclear or Explosives (CBRN-E) environments.
  2. EO2 Created innovative smart protective equipment for disaster responders, incorporating advanced technologies to enhance safety and operational efficiency.
  3. EO3 Improvement of protective solutions to ensure the safety and effectiveness of disaster responders operating in hazardous and high-risk environments.

Expected impacts named in the destination

The wider, long-term effects the destination seeks. Your outcomes feed them; they are not project deliverables.

  1. EI1 enhancing efforts to prevent and prepare for new threats, especially those linked to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) security.
  2. EI2 continuing to address risks to security from climate change impact / step up work on climate resilience and preparedness.
  3. EI3 supporting medical countermeasures against public health threats.
  4. EI4 Enhanced citizen and regional and/or local authorities' involvement in research actions, and in operational measures that may result from research, with focus on risk awareness and enhanced disaster prevention and preparedness, adapted to all types of disability (sensorial, physical, intellectual), including youth awareness raising and education.
  5. EI5 Improved disaster risk governance (from prevention, preparedness to mitigation, response, deployment of countermeasures and recovery, using updated risk assessment methods and decision criteria, and including knowledge transfer and awareness of innovative solutions) from international to regional and/or local levels.
  6. EI6 Strengthened capacities of disaster management systems for preventing, preparing for and responding to natural and human-made disasters in the spirit of Decision No 1313/2013/EU including development of new prevention or preparedness technologies, infrastructures or assets as well as in support of field operations with validation of tools and technologies used in disaster responses including emergencies, and demonstration of their interoperability.
  7. EI7 Challenges related to inclusion of the general public, regional and/or local communities and voluntary organisations as active partners in order to: Empower citizens to act and help them to improve their disaster risk awareness and own resilience to crises, including accountability for regional and/or local administrative decisions on residual risks, youth awareness raising and education; Provide all actors involved in the management of natural disasters, human-made emergency situations, and humanitarian crises with timely and accurate geo-spatial information derived from satellite remote sensing and completed by available in situ or open data sources in all phases of the emergency…
  8. EI8 Challenges regarding the reinforcement of disaster risk governance and the consideration of knowledge and innovative solutions in order to: Improve operational management of crises at different levels (prevention, preparedness, response, recovery) and scales (international to regional and/or local), Reinforce the uptake and transfer of knowledge to risk managers, first and second responders and decision-makers; Strengthen resilience and enhancing protection strategies for emergency services and healthcare workers in case of disasters; Reinforce civil defence capability, looking at all facets of crisis and disaster management, alongside community resilience building; Enhance preparedness…
  9. EI9 Challenges related to wildlife- and domestic animals protection against disasters.
  10. EI10 Challenges related to the validation and usability of tools and technologies, including the demonstration of their interoperability, in the context of strengthened cross-sectorial disaster management capacities as to: Enhance risk awareness, preparedness and communication about foreseeable impacts of disasters; Deploy innovative solutions in emergency situations including trusted communication channels (considering the upcoming proposal for a European Critical Communication System), emergency medical response, including triage of victims, pre-hospital and clinical services, medical countermeasures, support equipment (e.g. detectors), as well as protection of first responders; Coordinate…
  11. EI11 a clear strategy from international to regional and/or local on how the overall society will adapt to the evolving disaster risks based on the subsidiarity principle (from the citizen level to international decision-making)
  12. EI12 the involvement of different disaster risk management stakeholders and regional and/or local authorities in research, development and validation of methods and tools.

What evaluators will look for in this topic

Expected outcomes

  • Projects may contribute to some of the expected outcomes; say which ones and why.
  • For each outcome (EO1 to EO3), name who will use or adopt your results (a specific group, not “industry” or “society”), how they get them, and the indicator that shows the change, with baseline, target and date.
  • Use the topic's own words for each outcome, so the evaluator can tick it off.

What the scope asks for

Evaluators check the proposal against these sentences of the scope. Answer each one visibly, in the call's own words.

  • “Projects should focus on the use of innovative materials, technologies, and design features that enhance the protective capabilities of gear used in high-risk, hazardous environments, ensuring the safety and well-being of disaster responders with an inclusive and user-centric approach.”
  • “Projects should conduct a stakeholder or market analysis and a roadmap or plan for uptake of the developed methodologies, findings, and technologies to the industry, the research and innovation community, and/or the relevant authorities.”
  • “The current response capacities of the European Civil Protection Pool and the rescEU strategic reserve should be taken into account in the roadmap to ensure needs-based approach.”
  • “Proposals should build upon existing research outputs, specifically under other Horizon Europe Cluster 4, and technologies to create smart, adaptive protective solutions that respond dynamically to evolving threats in CBRN-E scenarios.”
  • “The new gear should meet rigorous safety standards while improving the comfort, mobility, and usability of responders, enabling better performance and faster decision-making in demanding environments.”
  • “Proposals should focus on providing comprehensive solutions that combine robust protection, operational support, and data-driven insights, ensuring a holistic approach to safety.”

Conditions that shape the proposal

  • Part B, sections 1–3: 45 pages (standard application form). Text beyond the limit is not read; tables and figures count.
  • Lump sum: the budget is fixed per work package and paid when each work package is completed. Every work package needs activities and deliverables an evaluator can verify, and the effort must match the money.
  • TRL: the topic expects TRL 7–8 by the end of the project. State where you start and the evidence for it.
  • Innovation action: evaluators expect a plausible path to commercialisation and named first users or customers.
  • Other Eligible Conditions: “In line with the “ restriction on control in innovation actions in critical technology areas ” delineated in General Annex B of the General Annexes, entities established in an eligible country but which are directly or indirectly controlled by China or by a legal entity established in China are not eligible to…”
  • Other Eligible Conditions: “The following additional eligibility criteria apply: This topic requires the active involvement, as beneficiaries, of: at least 2 Training Centres[[Training centres are national, regional or local infrastructures, generally ruled by governments or professional organisations, aiming at training practitioners (first…”
  • Other Eligible Conditions: “at least 2 practitioners involved in training, validation and testing of CBRN-E tools and technologies from at least 2 EU Member States or Associated Countries.”
  • Other Eligible Conditions: “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.”

Impact pathway and traps

  • Users or citizens are part of the scope. Show how they take part in the design and testing, not only that they are informed.
  • The topic expects cooperation with other projects or initiatives. Reserve effort and budget for it in the work plan.
  • Keep outputs, outcomes and impacts apart: what you deliver, what changes when others use it, and the long-term effect.
  • For each destination impact you claim, show which of your outcomes feeds it. Destination impacts are long-term effects, not project deliverables.
  • Name the barriers outside the project (regulation, markets, user behaviour) that could block uptake, and what you will do if they do.
  • Section 2.3 (the summary canvas) is optional on this call; the old split into scientific, economic and societal impact is no longer required.
The scope, as published

This topic aims to advance the development of protective gear specifically designed for optimal performance in specificities of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRN-E) environments, along with the creation of a new generation of smart protective equipment for disaster responders. Projects should focus on the use of innovative materials, technologies, and design features that enhance the protective capabilities of gear used in high-risk, hazardous environments, ensuring the safety and well-being of disaster responders with an inclusive and user-centric approach. The integration of advanced technologies will be crucial to enhancing the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the equipment. Projects should conduct a stakeholder or market analysis and a roadmap or plan for uptake of the developed methodologies, findings, and technologies to the industry, the research and innovation community, and/or the relevant authorities. The current response capacities of the European Civil Protection Pool and the rescEU strategic reserve should be taken into account in the roadmap to ensure needs-based approach. Proposals should build upon existing research outputs, specifically under other Horizon Europe Cluster 4, and technologies to create smart, adaptive protective solutions that respond dynamically to evolving threats in CBRN-E scenarios. This includes the incorporation of features similar to automated hazard detection, environmental monitoring, and advanced communication systems to provide real-time situational awareness. The new gear should meet rigorous safety standards while improving the comfort, mobility, and usability of responders, enabling better performance and faster decision-making in demanding environments. Proposals should focus on providing comprehensive solutions that combine robust protection, operational support, and data-driven insights, ensuring a holistic approach to safety. Collaboration between research institutions, manufacturers, and end-users will be essential to ensure that the resulting products meet the practical requirements of practitioners in the field. The Preparedness Union Strategy is a key document in this regard. Analysing the capacity gaps of the UCPM as well as finding synergies with the rescEU strategic reserve and projects from operational grants, such as the Knowledge for Action in Prevention & Preparedness (KAPP), is recommended.

Technology readiness, as published

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7-8 by the end of the project – see General Annex B. https://civil-protection-knowledge-network.europa.eu/media/ecpp-capacities-brochure https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/what/civil-protection/resceu_en https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52025DC0286 Knowledge for Action in Prevention and Preparedness (KAPP) -…

Other topics in HORIZON-CL3-2027-01

Source and attribution

Topic text from the official topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, retrieved 19 October 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU (CC BY 4.0). Changes: the expected outcomes and impacts are split into numbered statements, long passages are shortened, and the evaluator checklist is GrantWise's own commentary. Your call and the Work Programme always win; check them before you submit. GrantWise is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the European Commission.