UCP Knowledge Network: Applied knowledge for action
FSX PROFOUND - Photo credit Andras Preda

Knowledge for Action in Prevention & Preparedness

A new flagship activity of the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network, this call for proposals aims at identifying and co-financing projects seeking to strengthen cooperation among EU Member States and Participating States on disaster prevention, preparedness and full-scale field exercises in pursuit of the of the Union Disaster Resilience Goals.

The complexity and interdependency of risks the EU faces shows the importance of identifying vulnerabilities in critical sectors, anticipating hazards and threats and reinforcing collective action to better prevent and prepare for disasters.

The Knowledge for Action in Prevention and Preparedness (KAPP) call for proposals aims to identify projects strengthening cooperation among Member and Participating States on disaster prevention and preparedness, as well as providing a testing environment and a learning opportunity for all actors involved in civil protection assistance interventions, through full-scale field exercises. It also supports the implementation of the Union disaster resilience goals.

The KAPP call merges three previously separate calls: “Prevention and Preparedness”, “Knowledge Network Partnership” and the “Full-Scale Exercises”. With the merger, the overall objectives are more clearly visible across the different call topics and the application process has been streamlined. The network and community dimension has been extended as a core element of all three call topics, which now include:

As a matter of prevention and preparedness activities Spanish forest fire authorities burn highly flammable vegetation at times of low forest fire danger

Topic 1: Prevention

Prevention topic aims to contribute to strengthening the cooperation among the UCPM countries and between the UCPM and third countries for the prevention of natural and human-induced disasters.
A group following a training session in a classroom

Topic 2: Preparedness

Preparedness topic aims to increase the preparedness of the UCPM and its stakeholders by providing funding for institutional preparedness and individual capacity strengthening initiatives.
Search and rescue team in action during a full scale exercise in Slovenia

Topic 3: Full-scale exercises

Full-scale exercises topic aims to improve disaster preparedness and response by providing a testing environment and a learning opportunity for all actors involved in civil protection assistance interventions.

Access the recording and presentation from the "KAPP call for proposals Information day" here. 

Who can apply?

The call is open for applications of consortia formed by legal entities (public or private bodies) established in one of the eligible countries. For all call topics, this includes:

  • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
  • Participating States in the UCPM: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Türkiye.

In addition, for Topic 1 (Prevention) and Topic 2 (Preparedness), the following countries are eligible for funding:

  • Instrument for Pre-Accession (IPA) beneficiary countries not participating in the UCPM: Kosovo.
  • European Neighbourhood Policy countries: East (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) and South (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia).

Proposals must be submitted by a consortium consisting of at least three beneficiaries from a minimum of three different eligible states.

The project coordinator must be an entity from a UCPM Member/Participating State.

For more information, refer to Section 6. Eligibility and Section 7. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion of the KAPP call documents.

How to apply?

  • Proposals must be submitted via the Commission's Funding & Tender Opportunities portal within the deadline specified in the call document (4 May 2023, 17:00 CET).
  • Proposals (including annexes and supporting documents) must be submitted using the forms provided inside the Submission System (NOT the documents available on the Topic page of the portal or on the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network platform — they are only for information).
  • Proposals must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents.

More details on the application process are available in Section 5. Admissibility of the KAPP call documents.

Additional guidance is available on how to submit a proposal using the application tool. This video tutorial features the steps to register your organisation and to get prepared for submitting a proposal. 

You can also find useful the following documents:

Timeline

  1. 28 February 2023

    Funding & Tender Opportunities portal opens for submissions

    The Funding & Tender Opportunities portal opens for submissions, applicants have from now until the submission deadline to submit proposals.

  2. 10 March 2023, 10:00-12:00 CET

    KAPP call Information Day

    Commission presents the KAPP call during a public information session, providing additional context, requirements, as well as other valuable information.

  3. 4 May 2023, 17:00 CET

    Submission deadline

    All proposals must be submitted in full on the Funding & Tender Opportunities portal to be considered eligible for the evaluation process.

  4. May - July 2023

    Evaluation phase

    Proposals are evaluated and scored in accordance with the relevant award criteria, as outlined in the call document.

  5. July 2023 (tentative)

    Invitation of selected project proposals to the grant agreement phase

    Projects that have been selected for funding will be notified and invited to sign a Grant Agreement. Projects that have been rejected will also be notified at this stage.

  6. 1 January 2024

    Launch of implementation phase

    All projects selected for funding under this call are expected to start their activities in January 2024.

National contact points

In case of doubt of who to contact in your respective national civil protection system to facilitate Letter of Support to your project proposal, please consult the information available on ECHO website.

Questions?

We are here to help.

Contact the KAPP team

The information provided by the KAPP Team on UCPKN Platform pages is for general informational purposes only. All information on these pages in regards to the KAPP call is provided in good faith, however we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information on the pages related to the KAPP call. The official call documents available on the Funding & Tenders Portal Page provide all of the official information for potential applicants.