Enhancing physical protection of critical infrastructures

Expected outcomes

• Projects may contribute to some of the expected outcomes; say which ones and why.
• For each outcome (EO1 to EO4), 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.

• “Physical protection of critical infrastructure should keep up its advancement to match risks and hazards stemming from malicious use of new and emerging technologies, and evolving operational environment, as well as improve its safety and security measures against knowns and emerging threats.”
• “Following this approach entities providing essential services should reduce their vulnerability, among others, to threats from improvised explosive devices, ramming attacks, sabotage, uncooperative and hostile unmanned platforms including swarm robotics, penetration of access points by unauthorised individuals and vehicles, unauthorised access to hazardous material storage, removal of critical components, or deterioration of critical…”
• “Proposals submitted under this topic should identify and analyse possible new challenges for the physical security of the critical entities and develop adequate tools, recommendations, manuals and training programmes for relevant operators and authorities.”
• “Where relevant for their scope proposals should utilise the nature-based solutions and respect principles of biodiversity.”
• “Furthermore, solutions should take into account interdependencies in the context of supply chains and their impact on physical protection.”
• “Coordination among the successful proposals from this topic and projects funded under HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-INFRA-01: Open topic for improved preparedness for, response to and recovery from large-scale disruptions of critical infrastructures and HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-INFRA-02: Open topic for role of the human factor for resilience of European critical entities, should be envisaged in order to avoid duplication, share resources and exploit…”
• “In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content should be addressed only if relevant in relation to the objectives of the research effort.”

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 6–7 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 conditions apply: This topic requires involvement as beneficiaries of at least 3 relevant practitioners from EU Member States or Associated Countries. Depending on the specific proposal submitted, these practitioners should represent one or several of the following portfolios:…”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “authority responsible for critical infrastructure resilience,”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “civil protection authority,”
• Other Eligible Conditions: “law enforcement or private companies providing security for critical infrastructure.”
• 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

• The gender dimension is named in the topic. Show how sex and gender analysis enters the research content, not only team balance.
• 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.