Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
The education call main objective is the upskilling and reskilling of the European manufacturing workforce.
It is composed of two topics: Sustainable manufacturing for the future and, Digital innovation in manufacturing. The main outcome of the funded activities will be full learning programmes to support the development of skills on the identified topics.
Detailed Call Description
In the context of this call, EIT is looking for education proposals on the following 2 topics:
- Topic 1: Sustainable Manufacturing for the Future. The purpose of this topic is to empower the European manufacturing sector to lead in global sustainability practices, fostering a transformative shift towards green, circular, and net-zero manufacturing. The proposals under this topic are expected to cover skills and competencies in the following areas:
- Renewable Energy Integration: Proposals should focus on equipping the manufacturing workforce with skills tailored towards integrating renewable energy sources into manufacturing operations, encompassing solar, wind, and bioenergy solutions.
- Circular Economy Implementation: Proposals should focus on competencies for designing and managing production processes for resource efficiency, waste reduction and circular flow of materials.
- Net-Zero Strategies: Proposals should focus on skills and competencies that are needed for developing net-zero strategies in manufacturing, focusing on carbon footprint reduction and sustainable resource use (proficiency in optimization techniques, digitalization, and data analytics monitoring).
- Topic 2: Digital Innovation in Manufacturing. This topic aims to empower the manufacturing workforce with the skills and knowledge necessary to harness the power of digital innovation, particularly through the applications of AI, data analytics, and the industrial metaverse. The proposals under this topic are expected to cover skills and competencies in the following areas:
- Industrial Metaverse Implementation: Proposals should focus on strengthening the manufacturing workforce skills and competencies linked to the adoption of immersive solutions, such as XR technologies and digital twins (developing proficiency in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and digital twins to improve safety, efficiency, and collaboration within manufacturing operations).
- AI and Data Analytics in Manufacturing: Proposals should focus on equipping the manufacturing workforce with skills and competencies in Machine Learning (ML) and Reinforcement Learning (RL), emphasizing principles, algorithms, and applications across various domains.
An Open question-and-answer session (Q&A Session) about the present call will take place on 5th of June 2024.
Also, access to Agora, the online community platform, is open to all entities to have access to the most updated information on the call and to help them build up proposal consortia.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The maximum total EIT funding per proposal is €300.000.
The business owner’s involvement and effort in the definition and execution of the commercialisation plan, and the instruction designer and effort in the development of the learning content, which are expected to start from activity kick-off, should be described in the workplan.
The exact number of activities to be funded will depend on the quality of the proposals received and total funding available. Activity proposals submitted to this call are expected to have a minimum co-funding rate (financial contribution other than EIT Manufacturing funding allocation) as follow:
- 12 months: 15 % minimum co-funding rate
Thematic Categories
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness
Eligibility for Participation
- Businesses
- Large Enterprises
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2021/695 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 April 2021 establishing Horizon Europe (OJ L 170 , 12.5.2021, p. 1), along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law, or international law, which has legal personality, and which may, acting in its name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations.
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries at the time of proposal submission:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States.
- the countries associated with Horizon Europe and the low- and middle-income countries
While all EIT Manufacturing partners are eligible to apply for funding, applicants do not need to be EIT Manufacturing partners at the submission stage.
Consortium composition
The consortium must include at least 3 legal entities independent from each other established in countries covered by at least 2 different EIT Manufacturing ICs.
Additionally the following roles shall be clearly covered within the consortium:
- 1 Lead Partner: the organisation in charge of coordinating the consortium through the Activity Leader
- 1 Manufacturing company: the manufacturing company that will not only consume the learning programmes but support in definition and identification of the skills’ development needs. The involvement of SMEs is highly encouraged.
- 1 Business Owner: the organisation responsible for the commercialisation of the learning programmes resulting from the project established as a Legal Entity in a Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country.
All EIT Manufacturing partners are eligible to apply for funding, nevertheless, an entity does not need to be an EIT Manufacturing partner to apply for funding. Additional consortia specific conditions apply and are explained in section 3.4, page 22 of the call guidelines (the call Guidelines can be downloaded from the call announcement page).
Every proposal must contribute KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) according to the minimum target indicated, explained in section 3.5, page 24 of the call guidelines (the call Guidelines can be downloaded from the call announcement page).
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Research and Innovation Foundation
Address: 29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia, P.B. 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22205000
Fax: +357 22205001
Email: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/
Contact Persons:
George Christou
Scientific Officer
Email: gchristou@research.org.cy
Nedi Kaffa
Scientific Officer
Email: nkaffa@research.org.cy
EU Contact Point
All applicants may contact EIT Manufacturing to ask questions and clarify any points on general/technical aspects and call content by contacting support@eitmanufacturing.eu and innovation@eitmanufacturing.eu.