Open Call: Regional Cable Protection and Monitoring Hubs

Deadline: 14-Jan-2027

The European Commission is supporting the establishment and enhancement of Regional Cable Hubs to strengthen the security, resilience, surveillance, and incident response capabilities surrounding undersea cables across EU sea basins. The initiative forms part of the EU Action Plan on Cable Security, recognizing undersea cables as critical infrastructure for global connectivity and power supply. Through the creation or strengthening of Regional Cable Hubs, the programme aims to improve threat detection, operational security, information sharing, and cooperation between national authorities and private-sector stakeholders. A total of €5 million is available under the call, with approximately €2.5 million allocated per project. Funding can support preparatory activities, operational costs, infrastructure, tools, services, and capacity enhancements required to improve cable threat detection and resilience.

About the Regional Cable Hubs Initiative

The Regional Cable Hubs initiative is designed to establish central points for coordinating information relevant to the security of strategic undersea cables. These hubs will help participating authorities and stakeholders: - Pool data and information related to cable security. - Improve detection of threats and incidents. - Rapidly disseminate relevant threat information. - Strengthen operational security. - Improve cooperation between Member States. - Coordinate surveillance and protection solutions. - Develop stronger resilience against incidents affecting undersea cables. The initiative is intended to bring together relevant capabilities and stakeholders around shared regional approaches to undersea cable security. Why Undersea Cable Security Matters Undersea cables are critical infrastructure supporting global connectivity and power supply. Damage, disruption, or threats affecting strategic cables can have consequences that extend beyond individual countries. The Regional Cable Hubs initiative therefore focuses on strengthening the ability of authorities and relevant stakeholders to detect threats, share information, coordinate responses, and improve resilience. By developing regional cooperation mechanisms, the initiative aims to enhance security across EU sea basins rather than relying solely on individual national approaches. Regional Cooperation and Information Sharing A key function of Regional Cable Hubs will be to facilitate cooperation and information sharing between Member States. The hubs are expected to serve as central coordination points where relevant information can be pooled and rapidly shared with national authorities and private entities. This approach can help improve awareness of emerging threats and support faster detection of incidents affecting strategic undersea cables. Integration of Surveillance and Protection Solutions The programme supports the integration of surveillance and protection solutions into Regional Cable Hubs. This will allow participating authorities and stakeholders to bring together relevant systems and capabilities to improve monitoring and protection of undersea cable infrastructure. The hubs are also expected to progressively incorporate defence capacities to help respond to incidents affecting strategic cables. Use of Existing European Systems Regional Cable Hubs are expected to leverage existing European systems and capabilities rather than operating in isolation. The initiative specifically identifies systems including: - Integrated Maritime Systems - Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) - EU Copernicus Space Programme - MARSUR Using existing systems can help Regional Cable Hubs build on established European information, surveillance, and cooperation capabilities. Cooperation With Cable Operators and Stakeholders The programme also emphasizes cooperation between public authorities and cable operators and other relevant stakeholders. Regional Cable Hubs are expected to establish secure frameworks that allow appropriate collaboration and information sharing with cable operators and other entities involved in undersea cable infrastructure. This public-private cooperation is important because cable operators possess operational information and infrastructure knowledge that can contribute to threat detection, incident awareness, and resilience planning. Progressive Integration of Defence Capacities The initiative is designed to progressively include defence capacities within Regional Cable Hubs. The objective is to strengthen the ability of participating systems and authorities to respond to incidents affecting strategic undersea cables. This creates a broader security framework combining information sharing, surveillance, protection, detection, resilience, and response capabilities. Funding Available A total of €5,000,000 is available under the call. Approximately €2,500,000 is allocated per project. Funding may cover activities and resources necessary to establish or strengthen Regional Cable Hubs. What Can the Funding Support?

Eligible funding areas include:

- Preparatory activities - Operational costs - Infrastructure acquisition - Tools - Services - Capacity enhancements for threat detection - Measures supporting cable resilience The funding is therefore intended to support both the establishment of Regional Cable Hubs and the enhancement of their operational capabilities. Threat Detection and Resilience A major focus of the programme is strengthening the capacity to detect threats affecting undersea cable infrastructure. Funding can support capacity enhancements that improve the ability of Regional Cable Hubs to identify potential incidents and support the dissemination of relevant threat information. The initiative also seeks to improve overall resilience so that strategic undersea cable systems can better withstand and respond to incidents. Who Can Apply? Eligible applicants must be legal entities established in eligible countries.

Applicants may be:

- Public bod