Development of Innovative Tools, Processes, Equipment and Technologies through Responses to Disasters and Emergencies for Search and Rescue in Hazardous Conditions - European Commission
Funds research and development of advanced technologies—like robotics, AI, and smart gear—to improve emergency medical and search and rescue operations in hazardous disaster environments.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: November 5, 2026: Full application submission deadline (single-stage) — 17:00:00 Brussels time
Funding Amounts: ~€8,000,000 total budget | ~€4,000,000 per project | 2 grants expected | Lump sum funding
Summary: Funds the development and deployment of advanced technologies to enhance search and rescue operations in hazardous disaster environments.
Key Information: Requires at least 2 practitioner organisations and 2 medical emergency authorities from at least 3 EU/Associated countries as beneficiaries.
Description
This European Commission opportunity, under Horizon Europe (HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-DRS-03), supports the development, testing, and validation of innovative tools, equipment, and technologies to improve the capabilities of emergency responders in complex and hazardous disaster environments. Projects are expected to leverage advances in robotics, autonomous systems, smart protective gear, remote sensing, AI, and communication technologies. The goal is to boost the efficiency, safety, and effectiveness of emergency medical response and search and rescue operations, especially in high-risk scenarios such as wildfires, earthquakes, and mass-casualty events.
Proposals must address challenges such as autonomous navigation, AI-driven decision-making, real-time situational awareness, and integration with disaster management command-and-control systems. User-driven, inclusive design, interoperability, and practical deployment through field exercises are required. Ethical, legal, and social implications—including data privacy, cybersecurity, public acceptance, and regulatory compliance—must be considered. Projects should align with EU disaster response policies, contribute to strengthening Europe’s disaster response capacity, and provide a roadmap for technology uptake by relevant stakeholders.
