Integrating Methods, Awareness & Gamified Interventions for Next-gen prevention of youth crimEcore
IMAGINE · Horizon Europe grant · 2026-09-01–2029-08-31
EC contribution
Total cost
Beneficiaries
About the data
Source: CORDIS (official EU open data), Horizon Europe. Framework HORIZON · call HORIZON-CL3-2025-01 · scheme HORIZON-RIA · topic HORIZON-CL3-2025-01-FCT-02. CORDIS record →
Objective
IMAGINE shifts Europe’s approach to preventing and countering youth crime from reactive responses to proactive, evidence-based and rights-compliant action. It fuses social sciences and technology within a co-creative methodology involving LEAs, CSOs, schools and youth services. It will design and validate an AI-enabled Gamification & Digital Storytelling (GDS) toolsuite, integrating purpose-built serious games and interactive learning experiences, that safely mirrors real-world recruitment, social grooming and escalation across online and offline settings. These experiences strengthen empathy, self-regulation, bias awareness, de-escalation and multi-agency cooperation, while ensuring strict child-safeguarding, privacy-by-design and fundamental-rights protections.IMAGINE will run pilots in three EU countries, blending mixed-methods evaluation with privacy-preserving telemetry to identify what works, for whom and under which conditions. Evidence will feed uniform practitioner curricula, train-the-trainer packages and actionable policy options on counter-recruitment, early intervention, restorative approaches and multi-agency governance. To extend reach and accelerate uptake, IMAGINE includes cascade funding: 5-10 third-party LEAs/NGOs/CSOs will receive sub-grants to test and validate innovative approaches in diverse local contexts, enabling complementary validations and seeding replication beyond core sites.By translating empirical insight into practical, scalable tools and guidance, IMAGINE empowers practitioners, educators and youth to recognise and resist harmful dynamics early, and to rehearse safe responses in controlled environments. It also reinforces trust between institutions and communities by aligning training and awareness with European rights frameworks. The result is a clear pathway from innovation to impact, strengthening preparedness and delivering measurable gains in the early prevention and diversion of young people from crime across the EU.
Beneficiaries (13)
| Organisation | Country | Role | EC contribution | SME |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FONDAZIONE BRUNO KESSLER | IT | coordinator | €570,000 | |
| F6S NETWORK IRELAND LIMITED | IE | participant | €565,000 | Yes |
| UNIVERSITY OF NORTHUMBRIA AT NEWCASTLE | UK | participant | €272,860 | |
| SAHER (EUROPE) OU | EE | participant | €243,562 | |
| ALDA - ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA DEMOCRATIE LOCALE | FR | participant | €230,250 | |
| EUROPEAN INSTITUTE FOUNDATION | BG | participant | €198,288 | |
| ETICAS RESEARCH AND CONSULTING SL | ES | participant | €182,500 | Yes |
| ZONE DE POLICE BRUXELLES IXELLES | BE | participant | €169,375 | |
| Ministerio da Justica | PT | participant | €165,250 | |
| HOCHSCHULE FUR DEN OFFENTLICHEN DIENST IN BAYERN | DE | participant | €151,000 | |
| YOUTH FOR EXCHANGE AND UNDERSTANDING INTERNATIONAL AISBL | BE | participant | €100,969 | |
| SERVICIUL DE PROTECTIE SI PAZA | RO | participant | €95,625 | |
| UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO | IT | participant | €55,180 |
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