Horizon Europe European Union
Neutral-Atom Platform Technologies
This action aims to establish European leadership in neutral-atom quantum simulation and digital quantum computing by delivering: • Fully programmable industry-ready quan…
Horizon Europe · European Union
Open grounds for future pre-commercial procurement of innovative security technologies
Opens 5 May 2027
The EU's Horizon Europe programme expects to make 2 awards of €1 million each, from a total budget of €2 million. Applications close on 4 Nov 2027 (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time). Organisations in EU member states and Horizon Europe associated countries such as Türkiye can usually take part; the topic conditions control.
- Deadline
- 4 Nov 2027 (in 354 days)
- Opens
- 5 May 2027
- Grant amount
- €1 million per project
- Total budget
- €2 million
- Funding rate
- 100% of eligible costs Standard rule for this programme; the call can differ.
- Total budget
- €2 million
- Expected awards
- 2
- Type of action
- HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions · HORIZON Lump Sum Grant
- Likely applicant types
- Companies, SMEs / start-ups, Non-profits, Universities & research, Public bodies From source categories or programme rules; the call decides.
- Funder
- Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- Reference
- HORIZON-CL3-2027-01-SSRI-02
- Call
- HORIZON-CL3-2027-01
- Last checked
- 14 Nov 2026
Expected outcome
Project results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following expected outcomes:
• Establish a consolidated group of potential buyers with shared needs and requirements, committed to carrying out a pre-commercial procurement (PCP) action for future joint procurement of innovative solutions;
• Evidence for Future PCP Action: Provide clear evidence justifying the necessity of a PCP action to complete the maturation cycle of certain technologies and compare different alternatives;
• Increased capacity of EU public procurers to align requirements with industry and future products and to attract innovation and innovators from security and other sectors through common validation strategies, rapid innovation, experimentation and pre-commercial procurement.
Scope
End-users and public procurers from several countries are invited to submit proposals for a preparatory action that should build the grounds for a future pre-commercial procurement (PCP) action. Both this preparatory action and the future PCP action are open to proposals oriented to the acquisition of research and development (R&D) services for the development of innovative technologies, systems, tools or techniques under the priorities laid down in this Work Programme.
In preparing the grounds for a possible future PCP action, the outputs of this Coordination and Support Action (CSA) should take into consideration:
• The policy priorities described in this Work Programme Part for the security areas mentioned above;
• The EU Directive for public procurement and in particular with the provisions related to PCP;
• The specific provisions and funding rates of PCP actions and the specific requirements for innovation procurement (PCP/PPI) supported by Horizon Europe grants, as stated in the General Annex H of the Horizon Europe Work Programme;
Read the full text
• The guidance for attracting innovators and innovation, as explained in the European Commission Guidance on Innovation Procurement C(2021) 4320, in particular those measures oriented to reduce the barriers to high-tech start-ups and innovative SMEs.
During the course of the project, the applicants are expected to deliver clear evidence on a number of aspects in order to justify and de-risk a possible follow-up PCP action, including:
• That the challenge is pertinent and that indeed a PCP action is required to complete the maturation cycle of certain technologies and to compare different alternatives;
• That there is a consolidated group of potential buyers with common needs and requirements which are committed to carry out a PCP action in order to be able to take an informed decision on a future joint procurement of innovative solutions;
• That there is a quantifiable and identifiable community of potential buyers (including and beyond those proposed as beneficiaries in the proposal) who would share to a wide extent the common needs and requirements defined and who could be interested in exploring further joint-uptake of solutions similar to those developed under the PCP, should these prove to be technologically mature and operationally relevant by the end of the project;
• That the state of the art and the market (including research) has been explored and mapped, and that there are different technical alternatives to address the proposed challenge;
• That a future PCP tendering process is clear, that a draft planning has been proposed and that the supporting documentation and administrative procedures will be ready on due time in order to launch the call for the acquisition of R&D services according to the PCP rules;
• That the technology developments to be conducted in the future PCP can be done in compliance with European societal values, fundamental rights and applicable legislation, including in the area…
Who can apply
A single organisation from an EU Member State or associated country can apply (Horizon Europe standard rule).
Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.
Topics
Demand driven innovation End-users Entrepreneurship Industrial innovation policy Innovative procurement Market analysis Market-creating innovation Mission Capabilities Public sector innovation Related to industrial policy SME support Secure Societies Security Technological innovation Technology commercialisation Technology development EU public procurers PCP attract innovation and innovators innovative security technologies
Timing
Single-stage call. Next deadline 2027-11-04. The portal states the exact cut-off time (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time).
How to apply
- Read the full topic on the Funding & Tenders Portal: expected outcome, scope, type of action and the topic conditions, including any country restrictions.
- Register each participating organisation in the Funding & Tenders Portal to get a PIC.
- This topic is for a single applicant: no consortium is needed (check the topic conditions for who qualifies).
- Prepare Part A (administrative forms and budget, completed in the portal) and Part B (the technical description on the official template for this type of action).
- Submit in the portal before the cut-off time on the deadline day. Late submissions are not accepted.
From the call text
- Who can apply
- Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
- Company stage
- Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
- Single applicant or consortium
- Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.
- Where applicants must be based
- Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.
- Where to apply
- Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route.
Where these facts come from
| Fact | Value | How we know | Taken from the source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | 4 November 2027 “Single-stage call. Next deadline 2027-11-04. The portal states the exact cut-off time (EU calls usually close at 17:00 Brussels time).” | official data field | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Amount per applicant | Unknown — not stated in the source we hold | unknown | — |
| Total budget | €2 million | official data field | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Funding rate | 100% of eligible costs | programme standard rule | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Who can apply | A single organisation from an EU Member State or associated country can apply (Horizon Europe standard rule). | programme standard rule | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Where to apply | Read the topic conditions on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, consortium requirements, budget and the application route. | read from the official text | 15 Nov 2026 |
Official sources
Facts on this page come from the funder’s official data, taken on 14 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.
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