Accessible and available travel facilitation
Open
Status as published by the data source.
Expected Outcome:
Project results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following expected outcomes:
• Improved trusted, secure, and easier automated seamless facilitation for travel, border crossing through border crossing points (BCPs), and/or visa procedures with an integrated approach, minimized risk for bias, and accessible for all travellers minimising digital divides;
• Facilitated solutions with same approach adaptable by all European border control staff, in all conditions and border control points (BCPs);
• Reduced workload and improved safety, user experience and performance of practitioners’ staff involved in border management. Scope:
Facilitation of travel and border crossings at border crossing points (BCPs) across the external EU borders went, and is further going, through developments thanks to updated procedures and regulatory frameworks and to innovative European technologies. From automated border control (ABC) gates to “no-gate” solutions and “seamless travel”, and with systems like the Entry-Exit System (EES), the Electronic Travel and Information Authorisation System (ETIAS), and the development of digital travel credentials and digital identity more in general, Europe has one of the most advanced, secure and facilitated border check systems in the world.
Travel facilitation schemes are still not as fair, inclusive and accessible as they should be. There are several technical exceptions that for example make difficult for families, other groups of people travelling together, people with disabilities and/or reduced mobility, or with relatively lower digital skills, to smoothly use travel and border crossing facilitation solutions. This is a capability gap of travel facilitation systems that has an impact on both a fair accessibility and availability for travellers, and on performance and efficiency of the systems themselves. Travel facilitation systems should ensure both security and easy passenger flow, while remaining accessible to all travellers.
On the other hand, both technical systems and procedures may have differences depending on the context or the BCP of application. This may be a limit for the performance and user experience of European integrated border management, especially in a perspective of a larger help to national members of the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) from the Standing Corps of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (EBCGA).
According to the EBCG Capability Roadmap, legal border crossings should be as swift and simple as possible, while at the same time allowing a smooth crossing of bona fide persons, and of the goods carried with them.
Innovation actions funded under this topic will develop and test solutions for advanced seamless travel and border crossing and/or visa procedures, protecting and promoting fundamental rights, minimising the risk for bias and being accessible for all travellers, with no or minimised limitations depending on age, sex, gender, disability, physical or digital abilities. To minimise potential for discrimination or physical or digital divide regarding travel facilitation schemes, solutions should be inclusive and accessible.
Furthermore, solutions should be tested for use with the same approach by all European border control staff in all conditions and BCPs.
The proposed solutions can include innovative technologies, innovative processes, innovative knowledge and/or a combination thereof. Solutions should include automated decision support systems suggesting to the end-users (border checks operators) which procedure, technology or database can be used without infringing rights of travellers. Solutions should also integrate and, if appropriate, further develop, biometric matching that minimises data shared (for example limiting to matching scores) to improve data protection.
Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to address the priorities of the European Border and Coast Guard and of its Agency (Frontex) and of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA). This should start from the definition of requirements and the design phase of their work, including basing on the EBCG Capability Roadmap; and on the engagement with the Agencies during the implementation of the project. At the stage of proposal preparation, Frontex and eu-LISA will not provide any guidance on, or otherwise be involved in the preparation of, project proposals. Proposals should consider and foresee that Frontex and eu-LISA may observe pilots and demonstrations when the project will be implemented, with the aim of facilitating future uptake of innovations for the border, customs and coast guard community.
To ensure the active involvement of and timely feedback from relevant security practitioners, proposals should plan a mid-term deliverable consisting in the assessment of the project’s mid-term outcomes, performed by the practitioners involved in the project.
Depending on the particular scope of the proposal, participation of Customs Authorities is welcome.
Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 6-7 by the end of the project – see General Annex B.
- Status
- Open
- Deadline
- (time not stated)
- Opens
- Published
- Total budget
- €8,000,000
- Grant range
- €4,000,000 – €4,000,000
- Country
- European Union (EU-wide)
- Programme
- Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- Official page
- Open at the source portal
Other calls under Horizon Europe (HORIZON)
- PV based electrification of the economy: Designing & optimising PV systems supporting industrial electrification and promoting participation in electricity markets (EUPI-PV Partnership)
- Advanced TSO control rooms to enhance grid observability, stability and resilience
- Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADSM) for more efficient and flexible distribution grids
- Community of practice - Data-Driven Decision-Making in Energy
- Industrial processes and equipment for innovative, reliable and scalable tandem technologies (EUPI-PV Partnership)
- Integrated Approaches for Retrofitting Infrastructures with Innovative Energy Storage Technologies
- Demonstration of hydropower technologies for efficient and forward-looking refurbishment of existing hydropower plants
- Delivery of industrial CCUS clusters – Societal Readiness pilot
All calls under this programme
Similar opportunities
- Trusted, secure, quality future digital travel credentials
- Advanced border surveillance and situational awareness
- Integrated risk-based border control that mitigates public security risk, reduces false positives and strengthens privacy
- Advanced user-friendly, compatible, secure identity and travel document management
- Capabilities for border surveillance and situational awareness
- Interoperability of systems and equipment at tactical level; between equipment and databases; and/or between databases of threats and materials
Where this came from
- Source document
- https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/data/topicDetails/horizon-cl3-2026-01-bm-02.json
- Document fingerprint
0a84cd83fc1e8192(SHA-256, first 16 hex characters)- Retrieved
- First recorded here
What has changed
- url first recorded as https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/opportunities/topic-details/horizon-cl3-2026-01-bm-02 on
- currency first recorded as EUR on
- amount_max first recorded as 4000000.00 on
- amount_min first recorded as 4000000.00 on
- budget_total first recorded as 8000000.00 on
- deadline first recorded as 2026-11-05 on
- opens_on first recorded as 2026-05-06 on
- published_on first recorded as 2025-12-12 on
- status_basis first recorded as source_status on
- status first recorded as open on
- title first recorded as Accessible and available travel facilitation on
Data source
© European Union, 2026. Source: EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU — CC BY 4.0.
Retrieved from the source on .
The source last updated this document on Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:11:37 GMT.
Personal data of natural persons has been dissociated by quiescence.eu.
This service is not affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by the data publishers.