euROBIN: €600k to test and validate AI-based and Robotics solutions

The euROBIN project is looking for projects for its first open call of the Technology Exchange Programme through which it will fund up to 10 projects with an endowment of up to €60,000. The 1st Open Call will close next 10th of May at 17:00 (CEST).

About the euROBIN Project

euROBIN is the Network of Excellence that brings together European expertise on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). It will establish a unified pan-European platform for research and development. For the first time, a large number of distinguished research labs across Europe are jointly researching AI-Based Robotics. Goals include both significant scientific advances on core questions of AI-based robotics as well as strengthening the scientific robotics community in Europe by providing an integrative community platform. The network is open to the entire robotics community and provides mechanisms of cascade funding to double its number of members over the next years.

The total euROBIN budget of cascade funding (Financial Support to Third Parties- FSTP) is € 2 280 000 of which € 1 560 000 will be distributed under 3 Open Calls for the ‘Technology Exchange Programme’ and € 720 000 will be distributed under 2 Open Calls for the ‘Collaborative Projects’.

As mentioned, the project follows a cascade funding scheme (take a look at our last publication about How Cascade Funding Works and discover all the benefits for your organisation). We also have a free-subscription newsletter to be up to date with all the calls opening.

euROBIN 1st Open Call Details

The exact amount of financial support to be granted to each selected third-party project under the 1st Open Call of the Technology Exchange Programme is up to € 60 000. Participants will have the possibility to integrate and test their code, method or hardware in some of the most advanced robotic platforms in Europe to address significant research challenges thanks to the cascade funding mechanism that will support their work.

Researchers from organisations such as research groups and institutions, or companies of any size (which will be the formal entities receiving the grant) will join some of the euROBIN core teams, integrating and evaluating the developed solutions of the robots at the hosting labs. Two euROBIN partners will typically act as host institutions for the stays, providing access and support to the euROBIN robot platforms.

WHO CAN APPLY?

euROBIN is looking for a single (individual) applicant (not consortia) who is:

a Company of any size registered before the 28th of February 2023.
a Research Organisation.
an Academia Research Institution registered before the 28th of February 2023.

Proposals should be submitted exclusively by the aforementioned applicants who will delegate a group of researchers/PhD students (that are endorsed by the organisation they belong to/work at) to work in a laboratory.

The entities have to be registered in:

The Member States of the European Union and its Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT); or
Associated Countries (AC) to Horizon Europe.

ACTIVITIES TO BE FUNDED

The activity that qualifies for financial support under the 1st Open Call for the Technology Exchange Programme is to build transferable tech solutions to be included in the EuroCore repository shared and disseminated by and with the euROBIN Consortia Partners. Particularly, it is expected that participants contribute to the design, development, and validation of:

Perception methods for the realization of complex manipulation tasks, or for the navigation in either domestic environments or in outdoor urban scenarios;
Software modules that extend the range of functionalities of robots to conduct daily life tasks and facilitate interaction with human users;
Novel mechanisms that improve the dexterity and reliability of robots, or novel robot platforms whose features and capabilities may be of particular interest in some application domains;
Simulation tools combined with advanced Artificial Intelligence techniques that have the potential to speed up the development of general robot skills.

WHERE TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

The euROBIN application form is available on FundingBox Platform, which is the unique entry point for all application submissions to the euROBIN Open Call. Applications must be submitted in English and before the official deadline: 10th of May 2023, 17:00 (CEST).

Applicants can submit several applications, but only one proposal per entity will be funded and in the event that more than one proposal from the same entity is going to be among the selected projects, only the one that scores the most points will be funded.

FUNDING AND PAYMENTS

For the sake of simplicity and transparency, the financial support will be paid against specific Deliverables and upon achievement of certain milestones or KPIs defined in your Individual Follow Up Plan and in the SubGrant Agreement.

USEFUL INFORMATION AND ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

For further questions and clarifications, you may check and address the following ways:

Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
Guidelines for applicants [Link]
Challenges [Link]
Sub-grant Agreement template [Link]

How can SPLORO support your organisation with cascade funding grants?

We want to help you make these type of calls more accessible for your organisation. That is why we have designed a series of services to maximise your opportunities of receiving cascade funding grants:

Identification and analysis of funding opportunities: our team monitors all open calls and make a first check on the eligibility of your organization.
Proposals writing and submission management: we support you to land that idea that you have in mind and adapt it to the requirements of the call. In addition, we carry out the management and upload on the different platforms of all the necessary documentation to ensure that your project is eligible for the call.
Access to international network: if you have not identified a partner yet, or simply don’t know who to start this adventure with, in consortium projects we take care of finding the partner for your project.
Project management support: our service does not end with uploading the documentation, we help you throughout the full life cycle of the project, providing you management support and ensuring that you receive 100% of the grant you have won.

If you want to discover all the Cascade Funding opportunities we have created a dedicated webpage that maps out all available calls. We invite you to check it out and see what is on offer! We also have a free-subscription newsletter to be up to date with all the calls opening.

If you need assistance in the proposal writing preparation, finding the right partners for the call or even having a double-check on what you are currently preparing, do not hesitate to contact us

If you are, on the other hand, managing a cascade grant and want us to promote your call and do a review of this nature, feel free to contact, we can definitely address the topic and help with dissemination within our networks.