Hi-tech capacities for crisis response and recovery after a natural-technological (NaTech) disaster (HORIZON-CL3-2024-DRS-01-04)

Eligibility

Applications from Canadian researchers and innovators will be reviewed as fully-fledged members of consortia in Horizon Europe Pillar 2 calls. While Canadians can participate in all Horizon Europe calls that are open to international partners, as an associated country, Canadians can access a broader range of research opportunities in Pillar 2. 

1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes

Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System

2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes

A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Summary

Expected Outcome:

Projects’ results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following outcomes:

• Development of a holistic vision of crisis management after telluric (e.g. volcanic, seismic, tsunami, landslide) or extreme climate events (e.g. floods, storms, storm surges, fires, droughts) producing impacts on critical assets (e.g. infrastructures, industries) and creation of new management framework for handling NaTech crises;
• Enhanced existing crisis management tools to develop a common platform (shared among public and private operators) allowing cross-border exchanges and decision-making, while respecting legal frameworks and responsibilities;
• Demonstrated operational protocols and development of standard operating procedures able to respond to NaTech crises in cross-border configurations, including comprehensive risk modelling of worst-case scenarios taking into account cascading effects and future impacts of climate change, and taking into consideration spatial information and data;
• Improvement of our understanding and capabilities to identify and mitigate risks associated with interdependencies across infrastructures and other human (social and economic) systems.

Scope:

The confluence of incidents in recent years has brought renewed concerns over our systemic resilience to external shocks arising from natural-technological (NaTech) disasters. This is particularly acute in the event of disruption in the transport, power, water supply and communication sectors in highly populated and industrialised areas, or when such events raise the likelihood of cascading effects with severe impacts on communities and the economy that are hard or impossible to predict. The main focus on NaTech risks lies on a thorough understanding of the vulnerability of industrial sites and critical infrastructure, and the potential impact natural hazards can have on such technological resources. This entails the identification of both physical (safety of building facilities and structures) and operational vulnerabilities, often addressing multi-hazard conditions. Innovative methods are required for analysing worst-case scenarios, and informing decision-makers about the crosscutting and shared responses to different crises given available resources.

Research involving multiple fields of expertise, including spatial information (to be specified), is also required to improve hi-tech capacities for operational response systems to better cope with natural and/or technological disasters occurring in Europe (and in overseas territories) in an integrated manner. This will rely on a knowledge sharing among natural and technological risks communities to develop a holistic vision for an integrated operational crisis management of NaTech disasters.

This topic is part of a coordination initiative between ESA and the EC on Earth System Science. Under the EC-ESA Earth System Science Initiative both institutions aim at coordinating efforts to support complementary collaborative projects, funded on the EC side through Horizon Europe and on the ESA side through the ESA FutureEO programme. Proposals should include a work package, means and resources for coordination with complementary projects funded under the ESA FutureEO initiative.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research/innovation activities.

In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged. The action should take due consideration to EU policies, in particular the SevesoIII and CER Directives, and ensure close synergies with international conventions such as the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents (TEIA) / Implementation of natural hazard-triggered technological accident principles, and the Sendai Framework for Action.

Specific Topic Conditions:

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5-7 by the end of the project – see General  Annex B.

Topic destination:

Disaster-Resilient Society for Europe (2023/24)

Proposals involving earth observation are encouraged to primarily make use of Copernicus data, services and technologies.

Proposals are encouraged also to coordinate with ESA relevant activities, especially those undertaken under the Science for Society element of the FutureEO programme (https://eo4society.esa.int). Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway to contributing to the following expected impact of the Horizon Europe Strategic Plan 2021-2024:

“Losses from natural, accidental and human-made disasters are reduced through enhanced disaster risk reduction based on preventive actions, better societal preparedness and resilience and improved disaster risk management in a systemic way.”

More specifically, proposals should contribute to the achievement of one or more of the following impacts:

• Enhanced exploitation of the latest scientific results (e.g., from research programmes and institutions) and integrated technologies (e.g. Earth observation, in situ data collection, advanced modelling, AI) into enhanced understanding of high-impact hazards and complex compound and cascade events and improved prevention, preparedness to mitigation, response, and recovery tools;
• Enhanced understanding and improved knowledge and situational awareness of disaster-related risks by citizens, empowered to act and consider innovative solutions, thus raising the resilience of European society;
• More efficient cross-sectoral, cross-disciplines (including SSH), cross-border coordination of the disaster risk management cycle and governance (from scientific research to prevention, preparedness to mitigation, response, and recovery, including knowledge transfer and awareness of innovative solutions) from international to local levels;
• Enhanced collaboration, interactions and cross-discipline dialogue and networking between the scientific community, research institutions and programmes (e.g., HE, ESA scientific activities, national science programmes, FutureEarth RIS-KAN) and first and second responders through dedicated networking and collaboration actions fostering a faster transfer of results from science into practice;
• Support of harmonised and/or standardised and interoperability of guidelines / protocols / tools / technologies in the area of crisis management, natural disasters and CBRN-E;
• Strengthened capacities of first responders in all operational phases related to any kind of natural and human-made disasters so that they can better prepare their operations, have access to enhanced situational awareness, have means to respond to events in a faster, safer and more efficient way, and may more effectively proceed with victim identification, triage and care;
• Improved impact forecasting capability and scenario building for enhanced stress testing of critical entities and adaption of protection and resilience-enhancing activity accordingly;
• Improved ability to rescue and manage the first phases of emergencies that take into account extreme climatic events and/or geological hazards that may threaten urban areas (e.g. interface fires, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruption etc.).

All proposals of projects under this Destination should be complementary and not overlap with relevant actions funded by other EU instruments, including the European Defence Fund and its precursors (the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and the Preparatory Action on Defence research (PADR)), while maintaining a focus on civilian applications only.

Where possible and relevant, synergy-building and clustering initiatives with successful proposals in the same area should be considered, including the organisation of international conferences in close coordination with the Community for European Research and Innovation for Security (CERIS) activities and/or other international events.

Overhead

The budget categories and cost eligibility rules are fixed in the grant agreement, including indirect costs at a 25% flat-rate of the total eligible direct costs (excluding eligible direct costs for subcontracting, financial support to third parties and any unit costs or lump sums which include indirect costs).

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

Call documents:

Standard application form — call-specific application form is available in the Submission System

Standard application form (HE RIA, IA)

Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations

Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)

MGA

HE General MGA v1.0

Call-specific instructions

Ownership control assessment declaration

Additional documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space

HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 13. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide

HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764

EU Financial Regulation

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions