EU Opens €3.94M Subsea Cable Security Pilot

European Commission Tenders Portal
July 14, 2026

The European Commission has opened a €3.94 million pilot project aimed at strengthening the security of Europe’s submarine cable infrastructure through improved access to private-sector situational data.

The call, titled “Integrated Surveillance Mechanism: Regional Cable Hubs,” will examine how information held by cable operators, satellite providers, maritime surveillance organizations and other private entities could support the Regional Cable Hubs being established under the EU Action Plan on Cable Security.

Funded activities may include mapping available data sources, assessing legal and commercial barriers to data sharing, and studying the technical requirements for integrating information from multiple providers and sea basins. Relevant sources could include cable telemetry, sensor feeds, satellite and maritime surveillance data, underwater-drone outputs and other emerging monitoring technologies.

The selected project will also be expected to develop small-scale pilots or proof-of-concept demonstrations. These tests may use sample or synthetic datasets and sandbox integrations to evaluate data access, interoperability, fusion and the quality of the resulting situational awareness.

Expected outcomes include a consolidated reference describing private data relevant to submarine cable security, practical approaches for combining information from different sources, and partnership models through which Regional Cable Hubs could access or use privately held data. The project should also identify where additional EU guidance, standardization or support measures may be required.

The Commission expects to fund one project. EU co-financing is limited to 50% of eligible costs, meaning applicants will need to provide the remaining project funding. The action is expected to run for approximately 18 months, with activities provisionally beginning in March or April 2027.

Eligible applicants include public and private legal entities established in EU Member States or the European Economic Area. Applications must be submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by October 8, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CEST.

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