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Shaping Europe’s digital future
Call for proposals | Publication

New opportunities for SMEs to go digital

The EU initiatives Smart Anything Everywhere (SAE) and ICT Innovation for Manufacturing SMEs (I4MS) have opened calls for experiments where Small and medium-sized enterprises can implement and test digital innovations in collaboration with Digital Innovation Hubs, Research and Technology Organisations and academic institutions.

SAE and I4MS are two of the key European initiatives helping to build a European network of Digital Innovation Hubs that can help to boost digital transformation of industry across sectors. In 2017, both initiatives launched new innovation actions that are now calling for applications to carry out innovation experiments. These will enable technology transfer from research and technology institutions to industry – notably to SMEs and mid-caps – ultimately helping companies to accomplish their digital transformation and develop new products and services.

Open calls in SAE

  • FED4SAE: Up to €60K funding, technical and business coaching is available to support European companies to develop smart applications in the fields of cyber-physical and embedded systems.  The Application Experiments (AEs) are based on collaboration with at least one existing industrial/advanced platform and networking partner, which will provide technology access as well as expertise, know-how, coaching, design support and technology transfer. Innovation management partners will also support in the entry into the market by linking applicants to suppliers, well-connected business infrastructures and existing regional Digital Innovation Hubs. Deadline: 6 February 2018.
  • TETRAMAX: The 1st open call for Bilateral Technology Transfer Experiments (TTX) will offer an average funding of €35.000 to support partnerships between one academic and one industry actor from different EU or associated countries. The focus is on Cyber‐Physical Systems (CPS) and Internet of Things (IOT) solutions for Customized Low‐Energy Computing. These experiments will connect SMEs and mid‐caps with international academics, resulting in low‐risk industrial adoption of novel computing technologies and the development of tnew products and processes. Deadline: 28 February 2018.
  • SmartEEs: Up to €165K per experiment will be provided to help innovative companies to access new markets and grow their businesses through the integration of flexible electronics technologies into advanced products and services. The selected companies will get customised support through a complete set of services from technology to business connections and access to funding beyond SmartEEs acceleration support. 

Open calls in I4MS

  • HORSE: With the aim to bring a leap forward in the manufacturing industry, HORSE has developed a new flexible model of smart factory involving collaboration of humans, robots, AGVs and machinery to realise industrial tasks in an efficient manner. Having already conducted pilot experiments, a new call is now open to validate suitability and transferability in manufacturing companies, in collaboration with a consortium of partners that offers complementary competences. The experiments are also expected to extend the framework by providing new functionalities or integrating new robots and other machinery. Up to €200,000 are available per proposal.  Deadline 28 February 2018.
  • ReconCell: Under this Innovation Action a flexible robotic work-cell has been developed to allow very short, self-adaptable and affordable changeovers in a production line. A call is now open for organisations who want to participate in robot assembly experiments with this reconfigurable work-cell. Up to €85.000 will be allocated for supporting the participation in each experiment. Deadline 1 March 2018.

More opportunities will become available in 2018. You can check I4MS and SAE webpages to stay up to date with their latest calls and also visit the EU Participant Portal for all the details on funding to third parties.