EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities under HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-SSRI-01

Grant Snapshot

• Instrument: Horizon EU Coordination & Support Action (CSA)

• Purpose: Professionalise National Contact Points (NCPs) for Cluster 3, link them with national security-innovation communities, and integrate these inputs into the EU security R&I landscape via CERIS.

• Duration: ~3 years (2026-2029, assuming GA in Q2-2026)

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1. Single Market Access (450 + million citizens / 24 languages)

Why it matters: Civil-security & cybersecurity solutions face strong home-market biases; fragmented demand hampers scale-up. A coordinated NCP network lowers entry barriers and gives innovators a pan-European “launchpad”.

Opportunities:

- Centralised NCP help-desk in every MS/AC gives local SMEs & practitioners a direct multilingual pathway to EU calls, procurement portals (TED, eCertis) and cross-border end-users.

- Mapping of national capability gaps → publication on a common EU marketplace (via CERIS) = matchmaking between 450 M consumers & 27+ national buyer groups (law-enforcement, civil-protection, health-security, municipalities).

- Facilitation of EU-wide pilots or Pre-Commercial Procurements (PCP) that require minimum three Member States—an inherent Single-Market growth channel.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration & Knowledge Exchange

- Brokering tools, SEREN5 legacy databases and new “widening country” fast-track sessions allow R&I actors from BG, HR, RO, EL, MT, etc. to partner with FR/DE/NL security clusters → reduces R&I imbalances.

- Shared “living repository” of best practices for proposal writing, IPR, ethics, dual-use export controls, making every applicant more competitive.

- Joint training curricula for NCPs (mentoring of newcomers) standardise quality across Europe, fulfilling Minimum Standards & Guiding Principles (Annex IV).

3. Alignment with Flagship EU Policies

- EU Digital Decade / Cybersecurity Strategy: Action showcases national cyber communities, feeds evidence into NIS2, Cyber Resilience Act and ECCE.

- EU Green Deal & Climate Resilience: Disaster-resilience sub-communities channel findings into the Climate Adaptation Mission; security solutions with low-carbon footprints receive additional visibility.

- Strategic Compass & Security Union Strategy: Aggregated national capability needs inform EU capability development, avoiding duplication.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits

- Early alignment of national R&I agendas with EU certification schemes (EUCC, EU5G) → smoother market entry.

- Standardised ethical & GDPR-compliance templates disseminated by NCPs avoid divergent national interpretations that slow pilots.

- Joint feedback loop to DG-HOME & DG-CNECT steers future framework conditions (e.g., AI Act security carve-outs).

5. Access to Europe’s Innovation Ecosystem

- Direct bridges to over 3 000 Horizon Europe beneficiaries in Cluster 3 plus EIT Digital, JRC, and the eight EDIHs specialising in security/cyber.

- Co-location of brokerage events with major EU security fairs (Milipol, EUROSATORY) maximises TRL-to-market pathways.

- Liaison with National Coordination Centres (Reg. 2021/887) integrates the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre funding streams.

6. Funding Synergies & Leveraging Other Instruments

1. EU Home Affairs Funds (ISF, BMVI, AMIF): Promote uptake of research outputs via shared-management envelopes in Member States.

2. ERDF / Interreg: Map regional smart-specialisation security priorities → funnel R&I pilots into cohesion instruments.

3. Digital Europe Programme (DEP): Link NCPs to DEP cyber calls (capacity building, SOCs) to avoid double funding and increase scale.

4. EIC Transition & Accelerator: Identify high-TRL security tech within HE projects and coach them for EIC equity/blended finance.

5. Up to €60 000 cascade funding per third party (Annex G) for mini-projects, enabling rapid proof-of-concepts in widening regions.

7. EU-Wide Scale & Impact Potential

- A single CSA can reach 40 + countries (27 MS + HE Associated) with one coordinated methodology—a cost-efficient multiplier.

- By reducing proposal error rates and improving quality, success rates in Cluster 3 could rise by 5-10 percentage points, saving millions in resubmission costs EU-wide.

- Consolidated stakeholder evidence feeds directly into WP 2028-29 drafting, shaping €1 billion+ future budgets toward real capability gaps.

8. Strategic Value vs. National-Level Efforts

| Dimension | National Approach | EU-Scale CSA Advantage |

|-----------|------------------|-------------------------|

| Market Size | ≤ 5–80 M citizens | 450 M citizens; procurement aggregation |

| Expertise Pool | Local universities | EU centres-of-excellence, JRC, EDA |

| Funding | Single ministry | Synergies with 10+ EU funds |

| Standards Influence | Limited | Direct seat via CERIS & policy feedback |

| Sustainability | Project-by-project | Self-standing communities + common portal |

9. Actionable Recommendations for Applicants

1. Build a balanced consortium: Include at least 20 NCPs; 30-40 % from widening countries; pair each newcomer with a mentor.

2. Create a federated digital platform: Use open-source components (EOSC/OP bearing) to host capability gap register, matchmaking, and e-learning—ensure multilingual UI.

3. Schedule high-impact events: 2 annual EU Security R&I Weeks, rotating among widening countries, co-located with CERIS thematic events.

4. Design a sustainability blueprint: Subscription-based national community model + sponsorship from industry associations (ECSO, ASIS Europe) for post-CSA continuation.

5. Integrate cascade funding: Run three competitive calls (€20k-€60k) to finance micro-brokerage missions, proof-of-concepts or proposal-writing bootcamps.

6. KPIs & Monitoring: Track metrics such as proposal success rate increase per country, number of capability gaps logged, matchmaking deals closed, uptake cases funded by Home-Affairs/ERDF.

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Bottom Line: Operating at EU level transforms fragmented national security R&I efforts into a coherent, high-impact ecosystem. The CSA offers unparalleled access to the Single Market, policy influence, and multi-funding leverage—advantages that no single Member State initiative could match.