EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for “Open topic on efficient border surveillance and maritime security” (HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-BM-01)

1. Single Market Access

• 450 + million citizens, 24 languages and >€16 trillion GDP give instant critical mass for any security technology vendor.

• Harmonised public-procurement directives (2014/24/EU) let solutions validated in the project be procured by all 27 Member States without re-certification.

• Dual-use potential: maritime/autonomous sensing solutions can later pivot to commercial logistics, offshore renewables, fisheries control and tourist-cruise security, multiplying revenue streams within the single market.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration

• Mandatory participation of ≥2 Border/Coast Guard Authorities from ≥2 countries institutionalises a “living lab” across varied geographies (Atlantic, Baltic, Med, Black Sea + land borders).

• Access to Frontex’s European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) community of practice (CBGNet, ETIAS, OPV network) accelerates TRL maturation through joint trials, patrols and data-sharing.

• Leverages EU infrastructures (Galileo SAR service, Copernicus Marine, EMSA SafeSeaNet) that no single Member State could replicate alone.

3. EU Policy Alignment

• Directly underpins the Pact on Migration & Asylum (2020), the EU Maritime Security Strategy (revised 2023) and the new Schengen Border Code proposal.

• Enables Green Deal goals by embedding low-energy autonomous platforms, reducing patrol-vessel fuel burn.

• Advances Digital Europe targets through cloud/edge, AI and cybersecurity capacity-building in security authorities.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation

• EU Blue Economy and drone/UTM regulations (EASA 2023/2035) give a common certification path for autonomous surface/aircraft developed in the project.

• GDPR & forthcoming AI Act provide a single privacy-ethics framework—compliance once, deploy everywhere, boosting time-to-market and investor confidence.

5. Innovation Ecosystem Access

• Tap into 3 000+ maritime and security R&I entities already active in CORDIS; connect with European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) focused on AI, IoT & cybersecurity.

• Synergies with NATO DIANA test centres and the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EDIS) for dual-use spin-offs.

• Fast-track to standardisation via CEN/CENELEC TC 432 (maritime ICT) and ETSI ISG for autonomous systems.

6. Funding Synergies

• Blend Horizon lump-sum with:

– European Defence Fund (EDF) “Maritime Unmanned Systems” calls for higher TRL after 2027.

– Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) for satellite connectivity & 5G corridors at border hotspots.

– EMFAF (European Maritime, Fisheries & Aquaculture Fund) for green propulsion retrofits of patrol fleets using the project’s outputs.

– Internal Security Fund (ISF) for immediate deployment by national authorities.

• Facilitates cumulative funding under the Seal of Excellence if the proposal scores high but is not retained.

7. Scale & Impact Potential

• Plug-and-play, modular architecture requested by the topic supports rapid replication from Greek islands to Finnish archipelago, ensuring EU-wide situational awareness continuity.

• Interoperability with EUROSUR 2.0 and Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) means immediate operational impact once piloted.

• Demonstrable contribution to achieving the 2028 EBCG Capability Roadmap milestones—strengthens uptake probability and long-term sustainability.

8. Unique EU-Level Strategic Value

1. Collective deterrence: integrated surveillance grid reduces ‘weak-link’ vulnerabilities exploited by traffickers across national seams.

2. Cost-sharing: high-capex assets (e.g., HALE drones, satellite bandwidth) become affordable when amortised across EU fleet.

3. Data sovereignty: EU-owned Galileo/Copernicus data lowers dependency on foreign GNSS/EO services, aligning with Open Strategic Autonomy.

9. Actionable Opportunities for Applicants

• Form a consortium that couples technology SMEs with at least two operational authorities AND an ethics/legal partner to score on Excellence & Implementation.

• Secure letters of support from Frontex Situational Centre or EMSA for privileged access to live data streams—strongly valued under Impact criteria.

• Embed environmental KPIs (CO₂ per surveillance hour) and gender KPIs (share of female operators trained) to align with evaluation expectations.

• Plan open APIs compliant with EU Data Spaces Act, positioning the solution for future monetisation via cross-sectoral data marketplaces.

---

By leveraging the EU’s integrated market, harmonised rules, transnational practitioner network and layered funding landscape, projects under this topic can achieve a scope, speed and societal impact that no single-country initiative could match.