Project results are expected to contribute to some or all of the following expected outcomes:

• Development, testing and integration of issuance, validation and sharing capabilities for possible future types (beyond Type 1) of Digital Travel Credentials (DTC);
• Integration of innovative, on-the-move, biometrics and remote biometric acquisition modalities to support the use of DTCs;
• Improved secure connectivity and interoperability for future DTCs;
• Improved capability of issuance of emergency travel documents and/or emergency DTCs.

Scope:

Issuance, verification and management of digital travel credentials (DTCs) is relevant for border management, immigration and visa management. Furthermore, it could also be relevant to combat illicit activities such as terrorism, crime or frauds. This topic aims at supporting research and innovation that explore, develop and test enhanced capabilities for securely issuing, verify and manage (including sharing) possible future types of digital travel credentials (DTCs) for travel across the external borders of the EU.

The proposed solutions must be compatible with current, planned or foreseeable EU DTCs formats, and with applicable International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) schemes, but they should also push forward to possible further types of DTCs (“Type 2” and “Type 3”).

Additionally, the funded actions should also work on the integration of current and new biometrics, and/or new biometric acquisition modality, in support of DTCs. This includes but does not limit to biometrics such as fingermark, palmprint, palmmark, rolled fingerprint, contactless fingerphotos, and biometric acquisition modalities such as remote and on-the-move, including those modalities developed by previous projects funded by this Destination of Horizon Europe Cluster 3. The project should develop and/or contribute to reference biometric sample quality assessments standards for these biometric modalities included in the DTCs, compatibly with existing relevant tools such as the Open Source Face Image Quality (OFIQ), or improving forward-looking interoperability, for example between contact and contactless fingerprint data.

The funded research project(s) can also address the use case of verification, issuance or re-issuance of (emergency) DTCs in cases of emergencies (including evacuations of EU citizens).

Funded research can additionally address the security of breeder documents, which risk to be “weak links” when they are used to obtain genuine, secure travel credentials.

Proposals submitted under this topic are expected to address the priorities of the European Border and Coast Guard and of its Agency (Frontex) and of the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA). This should start from the definition of requirements and the design phase of their work, including basing on the EBCG Capability Roadmap; and on the engagement with the Agencies during the implementation of the project. At the stage of proposal preparation, Frontex and eu-LISA will not provide any guidance on, or otherwise be involved in the preparation of, project proposals. Proposals should consider and foresee that Frontex and eu-LISA may observe pilots and demonstrations when the project will be implemented, with the aim of facilitating future uptake of innovations for the border and coast guard community.

To ensure the active involvement of and timely feedback from relevant security practitioners, proposals should plan a mid-term deliverable consisting in the assessment of the project’s mid-term outcomes, performed by the practitioners involved in the project.