Open Call Round 1
Date: 11 September 2026
Deadline: 6 13 November 2026
ANNOUNCEMENT / OPEN CALL NOTICE
1. Call at a Glance
Item | Open Call 1 provision |
|---|---|
Call title | Open Call 1 - Cybersecurity Technology Enhancement for Offshore Wind Energy Operators |
Opening date | 11 September 2026 |
Submission deadline | 13 November 2026 at 17:00 CET |
Submission channel | Official AENAON Open Call submission portal, accessible through the Open Call section of the AENAON website. |
Language | English |
Implementation duration | 8 months |
Indicative implementation period | January-August 2027 |
Indicative Open Call 1 budget | EUR 2,100,000 |
Funding form | Lump-sum sub-grant |
Funding rate | 50% of the eligible sub-project budget |
Maximum support | Up to EUR 60,000 per participating legal entity, cumulatively across both AENAON Open Calls. By way of derogation: Up to EUR 100,000 for offshore wind farm operators and manufacturers, which are considered large critical infrastructures/ operators of essential services; and Up to €150,000 per action -in case of small consortia. |
Contact | open-call@aenaon-project.eu |
Important
The final documents published on the official AENAON Open Call webpage and submission portal are the source of truth for the exact deadline time, eligible countries, submission requirements, templates and contractual conditions.
Eligible Countries
Eligible applicants must be legally established in an EU Member State, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, or in another third country expressly confirmed as fully associated with the Digital Europe Programme for Specific Objective 3 – Cybersecurity and Trust, subject to the conditions of the AENAON Grant Agreement and the applicable Open Call rules.
Applicants established in countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme only for Specific Objectives 1, 2, 4 or 5 are not eligible under this Open Call.
The definitive list of eligible countries is provided in the document ‘AENAON Open Call 1 – List of Eligible Countries’, published as part of the official Open Call package. Applicants are responsible for verifying their country eligibility before submitting an application.
For consortium applications, every participating legal entity must independently satisfy the applicable country-eligibility requirements. If any consortium member is established in an ineligible country, the entire proposal will be declared ineligible at the eligibility-check stage and will not proceed to quality evaluation.
Eligible countries:
• The 27 Member States of the European Union
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Norway
2. Purpose and Scope
AENAON is launching its first competitive Open Call to support external organisations in enriching, integrating, testing and initially validating cybersecurity preparedness capabilities for offshore wind energy operations.
Funded sub-projects are expected to interact with AENAON’s Federated Digital Twin-based Cyber Range Platform, interactive cyber range training programme and/or cybersecurity preparedness support services. Proposals must demonstrate direct operational relevance to offshore wind farms or closely related critical-energy infrastructure environments.
Open Call 1 objectives
• Enhance AENAON cybersecurity technologies, services and platform capabilities through external innovation and validation
• Develop and test offshore-wind-specific cyber-threat, vulnerability, risk and incident-response scenarios
• Validate integration, interoperability and operational readiness in realistic IT/OT or digital-twin environments
• Generate measurable evidence, lessons learned and reusable outputs that support wider adoption and future scaling
Eligible activity types
• A1.1 – Integration of cybersecurity technologies: offshore-wind requirements, threat detection, predictive analytics and OT-security solutions.
• A1.2 – Testing in real-world or operationally relevant pilots: digital-twin simulations, SCADA/OT assessment and penetration-testing validation.
• A1.3 – Compliance and resilience: strategies, methods and content supporting NIS2/CER-related preparedness and resilience.
• A1.4 – Dissemination and communication: targeted knowledge-sharing activities connected to the funded action.
• A1.5 – Collaboration and impact: risk scenarios, penetration tests, stakeholder engagement, training and validation evidence.
3. Who May Apply
Applications may be submitted by a single eligible legal entity or by a small consortium of complementary partners. All members of a consortium must be legal entities established in countries eligible under the final Open Call conditions. If one consortium member is established in an ineligible country, the consortium proposal will be declared ineligible and will not proceed to quality evaluation. Subject to the final country-eligibility list and ownership-and-control requirements, eligible applicant profiles may include:
- Offshore wind energy operators and manufacturers
- Offshore wind supply-chain stakeholders
- SMEs and other technology providers
- Cybersecurity service providers
- Research and innovation organisations
- National Coordination Centres and other relevant critical-infrastructure stakeholders
Not eligible: AENAON Grant Agreement beneficiaries and their affiliated entities may not receive AENAON FSTP funding
4. Funding Conditions
• The indicative budget available for Open Call 1 is EUR 2.1 million
• Financial support is provided as a lump-sum sub-grant covering 50% of the eligible sub-project budget. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to provide the remaining co-funding
• The maximum AENAON support is EUR 60,000. By way of derogation from this ceiling, AENAON may provide support of up to EUR 100,000 per participating legal entity in the case of offshore wind farm operators and manufacturers considered as large critical infrastructures/operators of essential services, and up to EUR 150,000 per action in the case of small consortia. The applicable ceiling per participating legal entity applies cumulatively across Open Call 1 and Open Call 2, irrespective of whether the entity participates as a single applicant, coordinator, or consortium member.
• The final amount is established during contracting through a needs-based and auditable right-sizing process.
• No double funding is permitted for the same activities, costs, outputs or deliverables
• Where the support requested by the next-ranked proposal exceeds the remaining Open Call budget, AENAON may offer funding limited to the remaining available amount. The applicant may accept the reduced amount and submit a proportionately revised scope, work plan, budget, milestones and deliverables, subject to AENAON approval, or withdraw from the contracting process.
Indicative payment structure
Stage | Payment | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
Contracting and onboarding | 30% | Signature of the Sub-Grant Agreement and completion of onboarding requirements |
Mid-term review | 40% | Acceptance of the mid-term report, deliverables and milestone evidence |
Final completion | 30% | Acceptance of final reports, outputs, KPI evidence and validation results |
5. Proposal Requirements
The technical proposal must be prepared using the official AENAON template. The main technical narrative is limited to 10 A4 pages, in accordance with the template instructions.
Proposals should provide:
• A clear offshore-wind cybersecurity challenge, use case and measurable objectives
• A technically credible and innovative approach linked to AENAON tools, services or platform assets
• Expected outcomes, KPIs, dissemination/exploitation plans and ecosystem contribution
• An 8-month work plan with tasks, milestones, deliverables and acceptance evidence
• Governance, team capacity, resource justification, co-funding and risk mitigation
• Ethics, security, data-protection, confidentiality, IPR and responsible-disclosure information
Required proposal package
- Online application form
- Annex 3 – AENAON Technical Proposal Template
- Budget and co-funding justification
- Legal-entity and registration information
- Annex 5 – Declaration of Honour, completed by each participating legal entity
- Annex 6 – Consortium and Partner Declaration(s), where applicable
- Annex 7 – Ownership and Control Declaration, completed by each participating legal entity
- Annex 8 – No Double Funding Declaration, completed by each participating legal entity
- Annex 9 – IPRs Background and Declaration
- Any additional document required by the final Open Call package
6. Evaluation and Selection
Criterion | OC1 weight | Minimum score | Assessment focus |
|---|---|---|---|
Excellence | 30% | 3/5 | Technical and methodological quality, innovation potential and alignment with AENAON objectives |
Impact | 30% | 3/5 | Expected outcomes and benefits, dissemination/exploitation, ecosystem contribution, and inclusive participation |
Implementation | 40% | 3/5 | Work plan, governance, resources, risks, team capacity, monitoring and quality assurance |
Proposals must achieve at least 3/5 for each criterion and an overall weighted score of at least 3.33/5. Proposals passing the thresholds will be ranked by final weighted score and funded in rank order within the available budget. For Open Call 1, ties are resolved first by the Implementation score, then Excellence, then Impact; any remaining tie is decided by the Open Call Coordination Committee on documented strategic-fit grounds.
7. Indicative Open Call 1 Calendar
Phase | Calendar period |
|---|---|
Publication and applicant support | July-August 2026 |
Submission period | 11 September-13 November 2026 |
Admissibility and eligibility checks | Preliminary administrative checks may take place during the submission period; final admissibility and eligibility checks will begin after the submission deadline |
Evaluation and selection | November-December 2026 |
Contracting and onboarding | Following selection, before implementation start |
Implementation and monitoring | January-August 2027 (8 months) |
Assessment and lessons learned | September 2027 |
8. Submission and Applicant Support
Applications must be submitted electronically through the official AENAON Open Call portal. Submissions by email or other channels will not be accepted.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit well before the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted except where AENAON officially confirms a portal-wide technical failure affecting multiple applicants.
Clarifications of general relevance will be consolidated and published so that all applicants have equal access to the same information.
Contact information
Info | Link |
|---|---|
Open Call webpage | https://aenaon-project.eu/info-day-aenaon-project-open-call-round-1/ |
General inquiries | |
Open Call Inquiries |
9. Applicable Documents and Precedence
Applicants must read the complete Open Call package, including the Open Call Overview, Guidelines for Applicants, Technical Proposal Template, declarations and Sub-Grant Agreement template. In the event of inconsistency, the final Open Call Notice and other documents published on the official AENAON Open Call webpage prevail, subject to the AENAON Grant Agreement and applicable EU rules.
Annex Listing
- AENAON Open Call #1 Technical Annex
- Annex #1 - Open Call Overview
- Annex #2 - Guidelines for Applicants
- Annex #3 - Technical Proposal Template
-
Annex #4 - Sub-Grant Agreement - NO DOCUMENT WILL BE ATTACHED HERE
(Available only for the selected Applicants after evaluation) - Annex #5 - Declaration of Honour
- Annex #6 - Consortium and Partners Declarations
- Annex #7 - Ownership and Control Declaration
- Annex #8 - No Double Funding Declaration
- Annex #9 - IPR and Background Declaration
Info Day – Open call round 1
Alternative questions for Q&A session
1. General information
What is the main purpose of AENAON Open Call Round 1?
Open Call 1 supports external organisations in enriching, integrating, testing and initially validating AENAON cybersecurity preparedness capabilities for offshore wind operations and closely related critical-energy infrastructure. Projects should interact with the Federated Digital Twin-based Cyber Range Platform, cyber range training and/or ex-ante cybersecurity preparedness services.
What is the relationship between Open Call 1 and Open Call 2?
Open Call 1 supports external organisations in enriching, integrating, testing and initially validating AENAON cybersecurity preparedness capabilities for offshore wind operations and closely related critical-energy infrastructure. Projects should interact with the Federated Digital Twin-based Cyber Range Platform, cyber range training and/or ex-ante cybersecurity preparedness services.
When is Open Call 1 open?
The submission period runs from 1 September to 31 October 2026. Applicants must follow the exact closing time and submission instructions stated in the final Open Call Notice and portal, and are strongly encouraged to submit before the final day.
Where will clarifications and results be published?
Clarifications of general relevance will be consolidated through the official AENAON Open Call channels. Applicants will be notified through the official process, and final outcome information is expected to be published through the AENAON website and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal after the relevant selection and contracting steps.
2. Scope and eligible activities
What types of activities are eligible?
Clarifications of general relevance will be consolidated through the official AENAON Open Call channels. Applicants will be notified through the official process, and final outcome information is expected to be published through the AENAON website and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal after the relevant selection and contracting steps.
Are the AENAON KPI figures minimum targets for every applicant?
No. The targets of more than 20 risk scenarios, more than 10 penetration tests and more than five industry stakeholders are collective targets across the relevant funded Open Call projects. Each selected sub-project will receive proportionate targets during contract preparation, based on its scope, scale and complexity.
What is outside the scope of the call?
Activities outside the closed list are not eligible. Examples include generic marketing unrelated to project outcomes, unrelated research and development, and capital investments not directly necessary for implementation of the approved sub-project.
Must a proposal use an existing AENAON demonstration site?
No. Applicants may propose a use case based on their own technology, expertise or operational context, provided it is clearly aligned with Open Call 1 and explains how it will use, integrate, test, validate or extend relevant AENAON capabilities. Detailed access arrangements will be confirmed during technical preparation and onboarding where applicable.
3. Funding and payments
What funding is available for Open Call 1?
The indicative Open Call 1 envelope is EUR 2.1 million. Support is provided as a lump-sum sub-grant covering 50% of the eligible sub-project budget. The implementation period is eight months.
How does the EUR 60,000 ceiling apply?
The ceiling applies to each participating legal entity cumulatively across both AENAON Open Calls, regardless of whether the entity participates as a single applicant, lead applicant or consortium partner. Previous AENAON FSTP awards reduce the amount that may be awarded later.
When does the EUR 100,000 ceiling per participating legal entity apply?
The general ceiling for financial support to a third party is EUR 60,000. By way of derogation, the ceiling may be increased to EUR 100,000 per participating legal entity where the applicant is an offshore wind farm operator or manufacturer considered a large critical infrastructure/operator of essential services.The applicable ceiling (€60,000 or €100,000, as relevant) applies cumulatively across Open Call 1 and Open Call 2, irrespective of whether the entity participates as a single applicant, coordinator, or consortium member.
Does the EUR 60,000 ceiling apply for participating consortia as well?
Not necessarily. The EUR 60,000 ceiling applies per participating legal entity, including entities participating as consortium members. By way of derogation, this ceiling may be increased to EUR 100,000 per legal entity for offshore wind farm operators and manufacturers considered as large critical infrastructures/operators of essential services.
In addition, for small consortia, the maximum financial support may reach EUR 150,000 per action, subject to the applicable ceiling for each participating legal entity.
What co-funding is required?
Applicants must provide the share of the eligible sub-project budget not covered by AENAON support. For example, an entity requesting EUR 60,000 in AENAON support would normally need an eligible budget of at least EUR 120,000 and must demonstrate the capacity to provide the remaining share.
How are payments structured?
Payments follow a 30%-40%-30% model: 30% after signature of the Sub-Grant Agreement and completion of onboarding requirements; 40% after acceptance of the mid-term report, deliverables and milestone evidence; and 30% after acceptance of final reports, outputs, KPI evidence and validation results. Payments depend on accepted results and evidence.
What happens if the next-ranked proposal requests more than the remaining budget?
AENAON may offer funding limited to the remaining available amount. The applicant may accept and submit a proportionately revised scope, work plan, budget, milestones and deliverables for AENAON approval, or withdraw from contract preparation.
4. Eligibility and consortium rules
Which countries are eligible?
Eligible applicants must be legally established in one of the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway. Any additional third country is eligible only where it is expressly confirmed as fully associated with the Digital Europe Programme for Specific Objective 3 – Cybersecurity and Trust and is included in the definitive “AENAON Open Call 1 – List of Eligible Countries”. Countries associated only for Specific Objectives 1, 2, 4 or 5 are not eligible.
What happens if one consortium member is established in an ineligible country?
Every participating legal entity must independently satisfy the country-eligibility requirements. If one consortium member is established in an ineligible country, the entire proposal will be declared ineligible and will not proceed to quality evaluation.
Are country eligibility and ownership and control the same test?
No. They are separate checks. An entity may be established in an eligible country and still be subject to an ownership-and-control assessment. Each participating legal entity must complete Annex 7 and provide supporting information where requested.
Can small consortia apply?
Yes. Part A of Annex 6 is completed and signed by the lead applicant. Part B is completed and signed separately by every consortium member, including the lead applicant. Each participating legal entity must also submit its own Annex 5, Annex 7 and Annex 8.
Are AENAON beneficiaries or affiliated entities eligible?
No. Beneficiaries of AENAON Grant Agreement No. 101249723 and their affiliated entities are not eligible for AENAON FSTP funding.
5. Proposal preparation and submission package
What is the page limit for the technical proposal?
The main technical narrative in Annex 3 is limited to 10 A4 pages covering Sections 0-5. The cover page, instruction page, Section 6, Section 7 and separately submitted mandatory annexes are excluded. Pages beyond the permitted limit may be disregarded during evaluation.
What documents must be submitted?
The package includes the online application form, Annex 3 – Technical Proposal Template, budget and co-funding information, legal-entity information, Annex 5 – Declaration of Honour for each participating legal entity, Annex 6 where applicable, Annex 7 for each participating legal entity, Annex 8 for each participating legal entity, Annex 9 – IPR and Background Declaration, and any additional documents required by the final package.
How should confidential or security-sensitive information be handled?
Applicants should not include credentials, detailed vulnerabilities, identifiable infrastructure configurations or other operationally sensitive material unless strictly necessary. Specific sensitive passages should be marked [CONFIDENTIAL] in accordance with the Guidelines. Applicants should identify particular passages or data rather than designating the entire proposal as confidential.
Can applicants modify the official templates?
Applicants should complete the official templates and must not remove mandatory declarations, headings or table structures unless the Open Call documentation expressly permits a modification. Names, budgets, roles and requested support must remain consistent across all forms and annexes.
6. Declarations, double funding and IPR
What is the difference between related funding and double funding?
Related, complementary or parallel public funding is not automatically prohibited. Double funding arises where the same activity, cost, personnel effort, milestone, deliverable, result or output is financed or claimed more than once from public sources. Related funding must be fully disclosed and technically, financially and documentarily separated.
Who completes the No Double Funding Declaration?
Each participating legal entity, including the lead applicant and every consortium partner, must complete and sign Annex 8. The entity must disclose current, pending or planned related public funding and maintain records capable of preventing and detecting duplicate claims.
Who completes the IPR and Background Declaration?
For a consortium proposal, the lead applicant may submit one consolidated Annex 9 covering all participating legal entities, provided each background item, third-party component and restriction is clearly attributed to the relevant entity. Each entity remains responsible for the accuracy of information relating to its own rights, licences and restrictions.
Does Annex 9 transfer ownership or create a licence by itself?
No. Annex 9 records relevant background, third-party materials, rights and restrictions. It does not transfer ownership or create access rights by itself. Any operational rights required for integration, verification, training or demonstration are governed by the Sub-Grant Agreement.
What happens if ownership, funding or IPR information changes?
Applicants and selected recipients must notify AENAON in writing without undue delay of material changes affecting ownership and control, funding overlap, background, licences, third-party rights or other relevant declarations before contract signature or during implementation.
7. Evaluation and selection
How are proposals scored?
Proposals are evaluated under Excellence, Impact and Implementation. For Open Call 1 the weights are 30%, 30% and 40%, respectively. Each criterion must score at least 3 out of 5, and the overall weighted score must be at least 3.33 out of 5.
What is the tie-break order for Open Call 1?
Ties are resolved first by the Implementation score, then Excellence, then Impact. If a tie remains, the Open Call Coordination Committee decides on documented strategic-fit grounds using only information contained in the submitted proposal and assessed under the published criteria.
Does passing the thresholds guarantee funding?
No. Proposals passing the thresholds are ranked and funded in order within the available budget. Other passing proposals may be placed on a reserve list.
Can an applicant challenge the evaluation result?
The redress procedure is limited to procedural deficiencies. It does not reopen the technical judgement of evaluators and does not allow new proposal content to be introduced after submission.
8. Contract preparation, implementation and support
What happens after selection?
Selected applicants complete legal, financial, ownership-and-control and other compliance checks; agree the final scope, milestones, deliverables and acceptance criteria; sign the Sub-Grant Agreement; and complete onboarding.
What monitoring and reporting obligations apply?
Selected applicants complete legal, financial, ownership-and-control and other compliance checks; agree the final scope, milestones, deliverables and acceptance criteria; sign the Sub-Grant Agreement; and complete onboarding.
Will AENAON provide technical support?
Yes. Selected projects may receive onboarding, technical guidance, platform or service access support, integration guidance, coordination support and participation in review or capacity-building sessions. Exact support arrangements and access conditions will be confirmed during contract preparation and onboarding.
Where can applicants ask questions?
Applicants may contact open-call@aenaon-project.eu and should monitor the official AENAON Open Call webpage. Clarifications of general relevance will be consolidated and made available to all applicants on an equal basis.
Registration and participation in the AENAON Open Call Info Day are subject to the AENAON Website Privacy & Cookies Policy, available at: https://aenaon-project.eu/privacy-policy/
Attending this Info Day is a dissemination activity. Registration and participation do not constitute submission of an application to the AENAON Open Call, nor do they create any applicant relationship with the AENAON consortium. If you wish to apply to the Open Call, a separate process and a separate Privacy Notice apply, available at: https://aenaon-project.eu/open-calls/
For this Info Day, WindEurope may process participants’ personal data, including name, email address, organisation, role or job title, country, registration timestamp, attendance information, online meeting metadata, questions submitted during the session, chat messages, and technical connection data generated by the online event platform. These data are processed for registration, event access, participant communications, online event delivery, Q&A management, technical support, attendance documentation, and follow-up communications relating to the Info Day and the AENAON Open Call launch.
The data controller for the personal data processed in connection with this Info Day is WindEurope asbl, established in Rue Belliard 40, 1040 Brussels, Belgium, which organises and runs the Info Day as part of the AENAON dissemination activities.
The online session will be delivered through Microsoft Teams Events and related Microsoft 365 services, and Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd may process registration, attendance, participation, account-related and technical data as provider of the online event platform, in accordance with the applicable Microsoft data protection terms and privacy documentation.
The legal bases for processing are Article 6(1)(b) GDPR, for steps necessary to enable registration and participation at the participant’s request; Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, for the legitimate interest of WindEurope in organising, securing and documenting the Info Day and answering participant questions; and, where applicable, Article 6(1)(c) GDPR, for compliance with project reporting, audit and record-keeping obligations under Grant Agreement No. 101249723.
If the session is recorded, participants will be informed before or at the start of the event. Participants who do not wish to appear in the recording may keep their camera and microphone switched off and may submit questions in writing where this option is available.
Registration and attendance data will generally be retained for up to 12 months after the event, unless longer retention is required for project reporting, audit, legal claims, security incident handling, or obligations under the AENAON Grant Agreement. Aggregated or anonymised statistics may be retained for project reporting purposes.
Questions submitted during the Info Day may be used, in anonymised or non-identifiable form, to prepare FAQs or clarifications for the benefit of all potential Open Call applicants.
For privacy questions or to exercise GDPR rights, participants may contact: dpo@aenaon-project.eu. Participants may also lodge a complaint with the Belgian Data Protection Authority or with the supervisory authority of their country of residence or place of work.
Info Day: AENAON Project Open Call Round 1
Date: 14 July 2026
Info Day: AENAON Project Open Call Round 1
Date: 14 July 2026
Time: 15.00-16.00 CEST
Online
Discover how the AENAON Open Calls can support your project!
AENAON is an EU-funded project that helps offshore wind operators test and relevant stakeholders and strengthen their cybersecurity in a safe and controlled environment.
Through its Open Calls, the project will fund third-party initiatives that contribute to the validation, uptake and wider deployment of AENAON solutions.
During this webinar, we will introduce the AENAON project and present the first Open Call round, which will be published in early July. This round supports the initial validation, integration and testing of AENAON technologies and services in realistic environments.
We will also provide extra time at the end of the session to answer your questions.
AGENDA
- 15:00 – 15:05: Welcome & Introduction
- 15:05 – 15:10: AENAON in a Nutshell
- 15:10 – 15:40: All About Open Call Round 1
- 15:40 – 15:55: Q&A
- 15:55 – 16:00: Closing
Watch Info Day meeting
Info Day – Open call round 1
Alternative questions for Q&A session
1. General information
What is the main purpose of AENAON Open Call Round 1?
Open Call 1 supports external organisations in enriching, integrating, testing and initially validating AENAON cybersecurity preparedness capabilities for offshore wind operations and closely related critical-energy infrastructure. Projects should interact with the Federated Digital Twin-based Cyber Range Platform, cyber range training and/or ex-ante cybersecurity preparedness services.
What is the relationship between Open Call 1 and Open Call 2?
The two rounds are complementary. Open Call 1 focuses on content enrichment, integration, testing and
targeted validation. Open Call 2 will build on the results and lessons learned from the first round and will focus more strongly on scaling, broader validation and ecosystem-level deployment.
When is Open Call 1 open?
The submission period runs from 1 September to 31 October 2026. Applicants must follow the exact closing time and submission instructions stated in the final Open Call Notice and portal, and are strongly encouraged to submit before the final day
Where will clarifications and results be published?
Clarifications of general relevance will be consolidated through the official AENAON Open Call channels.
Applicants will be notified through the official process, and final outcome information is expected to be
published through the AENAON website and the EU Funding & Tenders Portal after the relevant selection
and contracting steps.
2. Scope and eligible activities
What types of activities are eligible?
Eligible activities must fall within the closed Open Call 1 activity list and be directly relevant to offshore wind cybersecurity. They may include integration of cybersecurity technologies, testing in operationally relevant pilots, digital-twin or SCADA/OT validation, penetration-testing validation, compliance and resilience activities, targeted dissemination connected to the funded action, and collaboration or impact activities.
Are the AENAON KPI figures minimum targets for every applicant?
No. The targets of more than 20 risk scenarios, more than 10 penetration tests and more than five industry stakeholders are collective targets across the relevant funded Open Call projects. Each selected sub-project will receive proportionate targets during contract preparation, based on its scope, scale and complexity
What is outside the scope of the call?
Activities outside the closed list are not eligible. Examples include generic marketing unrelated to project outcomes, unrelated research and development, and capital investments not directly necessary for implementation of the approved sub-project.
Must a proposal use an existing AENAON demonstration site?
No. Applicants may propose a use case based on their own technology, expertise or operational context, provided it is clearly aligned with Open Call 1 and explains how it will use, integrate, test, validate or extend AENAON Open Call FAQ – 3 relevant AENAON capabilities. Detailed access arrangements will be confirmed during technical preparation and onboarding where applicable.
3. Funding and payments
What funding is available for Open Call 1?
The indicative Open Call 1 envelope is EUR 2.1 million. Support is provided as a lump-sum sub-grant covering
50% of the eligible sub-project budget. The implementation period is eight months.
How does the EUR 100,000 ceiling apply?
The ceiling applies to each participating legal entity cumulatively across both AENAON Open Calls, regardless of whether the entity participates as a single applicant, lead applicant or consortium partner. Previous AENAON FSTP awards reduce the amount that may be awarded later.
What co-funding is required?
Applicants must provide the share of the eligible sub-project budget not covered by AENAON support. For
example, an entity requesting EUR 100,000 in AENAON support would normally need an eligible budget of at
least EUR 200,000 and must demonstrate the capacity to provide the remaining share.
How are payments structured?
Payments follow a 30%-40%-30% model: 30% after signature of the Sub-Grant Agreement and completion of onboarding requirements; 40% after acceptance of the mid-term report, deliverables and milestone evidence; and 30% after acceptance of final reports, outputs, KPI evidence and validation results. Payments depend on accepted results and evidence
What happens if the next-ranked proposal requests more than the remaining budget?
AENAON may offer funding limited to the remaining available amount. The applicant may accept and submit a proportionately revised scope, work plan, budget, milestones and deliverables for AENAON approval, or withdraw from contract preparation.
4. Eligibility and consortium rules
Which countries are eligible?
Eligible applicants must be legally established in one of the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway. Any additional third country is eligible only where it is expressly confirmed as fully associated with the Digital Europe Programme for Specific Objective 3 – Cybersecurity and Trust and is included in the definitive “AENAON Open Call 1 – List of Eligible Countries”. Countries associated only for Specific Objectives 1, 2, 4 or 5 are not eligible.
What happens if one consortium member is established in an ineligible country?
Every participating legal entity must independently satisfy the country-eligibility requirements. If one consortium member is established in an ineligible country, the entire proposal will be declared ineligible and will not proceed to quality evaluation.
Are country eligibility and ownership and control the same test?
No. They are separate checks. An entity may be established in an eligible country and still be subject to an ownership-and-control assessment. Each participating legal entity must complete Annex 7 and provide supporting information where requested.
Can small consortia apply?
Yes. Part A of Annex 6 is completed and signed by the lead applicant. Part B is completed and signed separately by every consortium member, including the lead applicant. Each participating legal entity must also submit its own Annex 5, Annex 7 and Annex 8.
Are AENAON beneficiaries or affiliated entities eligible?
No. Beneficiaries of AENAON Grant Agreement No. 101249723 and their affiliated entities are not eligible for AENAON FSTP funding.
5. Proposal preparation and submission package
What is the page limit for the technical proposal?
The main technical narrative in Annex 3 is limited to 10 A4 pages covering Sections 0-5. The cover page, instruction page, Section 6, Section 7 and separately submitted mandatory annexes are excluded. Pages beyond the permitted limit may be disregarded during evaluation.
What documents must be submitted?
The package includes the online application form, Annex 3 – Technical Proposal Template, budget and cofunding information, legal-entity information, Annex 5 – Declaration of Honour for each participating legal entity, Annex 6 where applicable, Annex 7 for each participating legal entity, Annex 8 for each participating legal entity, Annex 9 – IPR and Background Declaration, and any additional documents required by the final package.
How should confidential or security-sensitive information be handled?
Applicants should not include credentials, detailed vulnerabilities, identifiable infrastructure configurations or other operationally sensitive material unless strictly necessary. Specific sensitive passages should be marked [CONFIDENTIAL] in accordance with the Guidelines. Applicants should identify particular passages or data rather than designating the entire proposal as confidential.
Can applicants modify the official templates?
Applicants should complete the official templates and must not remove mandatory declarations, headings or table structures unless the Open Call documentation expressly permits a modification. Names, budgets, roles and requested support must remain consistent across all forms and annexes.
6. Declarations, double funding and IPR
What is the difference between related funding and double funding?
Related, complementary or parallel public funding is not automatically prohibited. Double funding arises where the same activity, cost, personnel effort, milestone, deliverable, result or output is financed or claimed more than once from public sources. Related funding must be fully disclosed and technically, financially and documentarily separated.
Who completes the No Double Funding Declaration?
Each participating legal entity, including the lead applicant and every consortium partner, must complete and sign Annex 8. The entity must disclose current, pending or planned related public funding and maintain records capable of preventing and detecting duplicate claims.
Who completes the IPR and Background Declaration?
For a consortium proposal, the lead applicant may submit one consolidated Annex 9 covering all participating legal entities, provided each background item, third-party component and restriction is clearly attributed to the relevant entity. Each entity remains responsible for the accuracy of information relating to its own rights, licences and restrictions.
Does Annex 9 transfer ownership or create a licence by itself?
No. Annex 9 records relevant background, third-party materials, rights and restrictions. It does not transfer ownership or create access rights by itself. Any operational rights required for integration, verification, training or demonstration are governed by the Sub-Grant Agreement.
What happens if ownership, funding or IPR information changes?
Applicants and selected recipients must notify AENAON in writing without undue delay of material changes
affecting ownership and control, funding overlap, background, licences, third-party rights or other relevant
declarations before contract signature or during implementation.
7. Evaluation and selection
How are proposals scored?
Proposals are evaluated under Excellence, Impact and Implementation. For Open Call 1 the weights are 30%, 30% and 40%, respectively. Each criterion must score at least 3 out of 5, and the overall weighted score must be at least 3.33 out of 5.
What is the tie-break order for Open Call 1?
Ties are resolved first by the Implementation score, then Excellence, then Impact. If a tie remains, the Open Call Coordination Committee decides on documented strategic-fit grounds using only information contained in the submitted proposal and assessed under the published criteria.
Does passing the thresholds guarantee funding?
No. Proposals passing the thresholds are ranked and funded in order within the available budget. Other passing proposals may be placed on a reserve list.
Can an applicant challenge the evaluation result?
The redress procedure is limited to procedural deficiencies. It does not reopen the technical judgement of evaluators and does not allow new proposal content to be introduced after submission.
8. Contract preparation, implementation and support
What happens after selection?
Selected applicants complete legal, financial, ownership-and-control and other compliance checks; agree the final scope, milestones, deliverables and acceptance criteria; sign the Sub-Grant Agreement; and complete onboarding.
What monitoring and reporting obligations apply?
Selected projects must submit the agreed reports, deliverables, milestones, KPI evidence and supporting
records. Outputs are subject to technical verification and formal acceptance. Corrective action, payment
suspension or reduction, termination and recovery may apply in cases of non-performance or non-compliance.
Will AENAON provide technical support?
Yes. Selected projects may receive onboarding, technical guidance, platform or service access support, integration guidance, coordination support and participation in review or capacity-building sessions. Exact support arrangements and access conditions will be confirmed during contract preparation and onboarding.
Where can applicants ask questions?
No. Passing the thresholds means the proposal can be considered in the ranking, but funding is allocated in descending order within the available Open Call 1 budget. Threshold-passing proposals may enter the reserve list if budget is not immediately available.
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