Research & Innovation - Participant Portal

Topic Description

The challenge is to be able to develop and manufacture smart objects and systems that closely integrate sensors, actuators, innovative MEMS, processing power, embedded memory and communication capabilities, all optimising the use of supply power. This will require technology breakthroughs notably in integration, miniaturisation with additional functionalities and mastering complexity. This will result in highly reliable, resilient and resource efficient digital and heterogeneous smart objects and systems that could easily be made interoperable within systems of systems. As dependency on these smart objects and systems increases, reliability and security will become critical differentiating factors as well as low power consumption, energy harvesting and the capability to operate under various and harsh conditions.

a. Research and Innovation Actions

The aim is to make technological breakthroughs and their validation in laboratory environments of the next generations of miniaturised smart integrated systems, including micro-nano-bio systems (MNBS). Proposals are expected to address the integration of new or most advanced technologies such as micro and nano-electronic, micro-and nano-electro-mechanical, micro-fluidic, magnetic, photonics, bio-chemical and microwave and related materials in miniaturised and highly reliable multi-functional smart integrated systems.

Proposals will address industrial-relevant technological developments, modelling and validation that will enable solutions in particular for health and well-being, automotive, food, telecommunication, safety and security, environmental monitoring, manufacturing or energy. Ethical issues will be paid due attention when considering the enabled solutions. The target is TRL 2 to 4, tackling hard technology challenges with results ready for full scale deployment in the next 5 years.

The work will complement the ECSEL JU support that focuses on higher TRLs.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 and 4 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

b. Coordination and Support Actions

The objective is to complement R&I activities by structuring industrial cooperation and facilitating end-user adoption for the next generations of miniaturised smart objects and systems. Proposals should include one or more of the following actions:

• Understand the emerging needs of end users and changing requirements for customer acceptance, including public procurers needs for MNBS solutions. The variety of users' needs and customers, induced by age, gender and other factors, will be taken into account.
• Support the industrial smart systems integration stakeholder community by translating industry needs into Strategic Research and Innovation Agendas, and defining measures for standardisation, regulation, policy initiatives, harmonisation and skills development
• Communicate and demonstrate the benefits and potential of miniaturised smart systems integration to users, public procurers, investors, regulators…
• Strengthen the networking and cooperation between the industrial smart systems integration stakeholder community in Europe and support to international collaboration
• Foster cooperation and clustering between projects and monitor technology advances and developments in the field

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 0.5 and 1 million would allow this area to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Proposals should address one or more of the following impact criteria and provide metrics to measure and monitor success.

a. Research and Innovation Actions

• Availability of new generations of miniaturised smart systems with significant improvements in performance (including in terms of size, cost and affordability, reliability and robustness, low power consumption and energy autonomy and user acceptability);
• Reinforced industrial technology leadership in next generation smart systems with high market potential;
• Business growth and increase competitiveness by strengthening cooperation along the value chain;
• Increased industrial investment in smart system integration technologies;
• Strengthening Europe's position in the manufacturing of miniaturised smart systems;
• Provide innovative solutions for addressing societal needs and expectations in particular for the health and well-being, safety and security and environment.

b. Coordination and Support Actions

• Strengthened cooperation between the multi-disciplinarily miniaturised smart systems research and innovation stakeholders;
• Better connected smart systems technology developers and users community in selected sectors;
• Strengthened smart systems integration ecosystems and better addressing public procurers needs.

Gender
International cooperation
Open Innovation

Topic conditions and documents

Please read carefully all provisions below before the preparation of your application.
 

1. List of countries and applicable rules for funding: described in part A of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme.
   Note also that a number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon 2020 projects (follow the links to China, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan).
   
    
2. Eligibility and admissibility conditions: described in part B and C of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme
   
   
   Proposal page limits and layout: Please refer to Part B of the standard proposal template.
   
    
3. Evaluation
   
   3.1  Evaluation criteria and procedure, scoring and threshold: described in part H of the General Annexes of the General Work Programme
   
   3.2 Submission and evaluation process: Guide to the submission and evaluation process
   
         
4. Indicative timetable for evaluation and grant agreement:
   
   Information on the outcome of single-stage evaluation: maximum 5 months from the deadline for submission.
   Signature of grant agreements: maximum 8 months from the deadline for submission.
   
    
5. Provisions, proposal templates and evaluation forms for the type(s) of action(s) under this topic:
   
   Research and Innovation Action:
   
   Specific provisions and funding rates
   Standard proposal template
   Standard evaluation form
   H2020 General MGA -Multi-Beneficiary
   Annotated Grant Agreement
   
   
   Coordination and Support Action:
   
   Specific provisions and funding rates
   Standard proposal template
   Standard evaluation form
   H2020 General MGA -Multi-Beneficiary
   Annotated Grant Agreement
   
    
6. Additional provisions:
   
   Horizon 2020 budget flexibility
   
   Classified information
   
   Technology readiness levels (TRL) – where a topic description refers to TRL, these definitions apply.
   
    
7. Open access must be granted to all scientific publications resulting from Horizon 2020 actions, and proposals must refer to measures envisaged. Where relevant, proposals should also provide information on how the participants will manage the research data generated and/or collected during the project, such as details on what types of data the project will generate, whether and how this data will be exploited or made accessible for verification and re-use, and how it will be curated and preserved.
   
   This topic participates per default in the open access to research data pilot which aims to improve and maximise access to and re-use of research data generated by projects:
   
   • The pilot applies to the data needed to validate the results presented in scientific publications. Additionally, projects can choose to make other data available for open access and need to describe their approach in a Data Management Plan (to be provided within six months after the project start).
   
   • Note that the evaluation phase proposals will not be evaluated more favourably because they are part of the Pilot, and will not be penalised for opting out of the Pilot.
   
   • Projects can at any stage opt-out of the pilot.
   
   The legal requirements for projects participating in this pilot are in the article 29.3 of the Model Grant Agreement.
   Further information on the Open Research Data Pilot is made available in the H2020 Online Manual.
   
    
8. Additional documents:
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Introduction
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Introduction to Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies (LEITs)
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Information and communication technologies (ICT)
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: Dissemination, Exploitation and Evaluation
   H2020 Work Programme 2016-17: General Annexes
   Legal basis: Horizon 2020 - Regulation of Establishment
   Legal basis: Horizon 2020 Rules for Participation
   Legal basis: Horizon 2020 Specific Programme
    

Additional documents