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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The core objective of this grant is to advance soft robotics by exploiting novel materials, design methods, and control techniques, leading to inherently safe and versatile robotic systems. It aims to foster applications in various industries, including healthcare, maintenance, manufacturing, and transportation.

Target recipient type: Organizations capable of innovation, development, and market exploitation in the fields of soft robotics, AI, and materials science.
Target recipient size: No explicit size restrictions, but applicants must demonstrate significant capacity for innovation and large-scale project implementation.
SECTOR-SPECIFIC
Geographic scope: European Union and Associated Countries, with expected impact across Europe's digital and industrial landscape.
Key filtering criteria: Expertise in soft robotics, AI, and novel materials; ability to develop and demonstrate solutions with at least three distinct demonstrators from different sectors; commitment to strategic EU priorities in digital autonomy.
Grant frequency: This specific topic is part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, which features annual calls.

Financial Structure

Total budget for this specific topic (HORIZON-CL4-2025-04-DIGITAL-EMERGING-05) is €20,000,000 for the year 2025.
Minimum grant amount per project: €10,000,000.
Maximum grant amount per project: €10,000,000.
Currency: EUR.
Number of expected grants: 2.
Eligible and ineligible costs, as well as financial reporting and audit requirements, are described in Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Rules for legal entity validation, LEAR appointment, and financial capacity assessment are outlined in the 'Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment' document.
The funding rate for Innovation Actions in Horizon Europe is typically 70% for for-profit entities and 100% for non-profit entities, though not explicitly stated for this specific topic in the provided text.

Eligibility Requirements

Organization Type & Legal Status

Eligible organizations are defined in Annex B of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. This typically includes: research organizations, universities, public bodies, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and larger enterprises.
Applicants must meet general financial and operational capacity criteria as detailed in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Geographic Location

Eligible countries are listed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. This primarily includes EU Member States and Associated Countries. The following EU Member States are eligible:
AT (Austria)
BE (Belgium)
BG (Bulgaria)
HR (Croatia)
CY (Cyprus)
CZ (Czechia)
DK (Denmark)
EE (Estonia)
FI (Finland)
FR (France)
DE (Germany)
GR (Greece)
HU (Hungary)
IE (Ireland)
IT (Italy)
LV (Latvia)
LT (Lithuania)
LU (Luxembourg)
MT (Malta)
NL (Netherlands)
PL (Poland)
PT (Portugal)
RO (Romania)
SK (Slovakia)
SI (Slovenia)
ES (Spain)
SE (Sweden)

Technical & Operational

Proposals must include at least three different demonstrators from different sectors that clearly show the advantage of soft robotics in chosen application scenarios.
Applicants must incorporate mechanisms for assessing and demonstrating progress, including qualitative and quantitative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), benchmarking, and progress monitoring.
Projects are expected to build on and reuse public results from relevant previous funded actions when possible.
All proposals must allocate tasks for cohesion activities with the co-programmed European Partnership on AI, data, and robotics (ADRA).
Proposals should build on or seek collaboration with existing projects and develop synergies with other relevant international, European, national, or regional initiatives.

Exclusions

Participation is subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as further described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Process

The submission system is available via the Electronic Submission Service on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
The specific application form for this call is available in the Submission System, with detailed layout and content requirements in Part B of the Application Form.
The submission procedure is 'single-stage'.
The application deadline is 2025-10-02 00:00:00+00.
An indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is provided in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Required Documentation

Proposal page limits and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes.
Applicants will use standard application form templates for Horizon Europe Innovation Actions (HE IA).

Support

Comprehensive guidance is available through the Online Manual, Horizon Europe Programme Guide, and the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ.
Direct assistance can be sought from the Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs) in EU and associated countries, and Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) for businesses, especially SMEs.
Technical support for the Funding & Tenders Portal is available via the IT Helpdesk.
Guidance on intellectual property issues is provided by the European IPR Helpdesk.
Advice on standardisation in project proposals is available from CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk and ETSI Research Helpdesk.
A 'Partner Search' tool is available on the portal to help find suitable collaborators.

Post-Award & Reporting

The legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes and in the specific topic of the Work Programme.
Standard evaluation form templates for Horizon Europe Innovation Actions (HE IA) will be used with necessary adaptations.
Communicable results are expected to be shared with the European R&D community, specifically through the AI-on-demand platform, and potentially other relevant digital resource platforms to strengthen the European AI, Data, and Robotics ecosystem.

Evaluation Criteria

Award Criteria

The specific award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are detailed in Annex D of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. (These details are not provided in the topic description itself).

Project Quality & Innovation

Proposals will be assessed on their focus to exploit novel materials, design methods, and control techniques for soft robotics.
Expected to cover one or more of the following areas: exploitation of novel materials suited for robotic systems (main structure, manipulators, end effectors, passive/active materials), design methods for non-rigid structures and accurate sensing/positioning where fixed links are not involved, and control methods for structures built from novel/soft materials or emulating rigid structures using soft materials.
Projects must aim to develop and disseminate general purpose tools and systems, with results not limited to the chosen demonstration scenarios.

Impact

Expected outcomes include increased exploitation of soft robotics, enabling the creation of inherently safe and versatile robotic systems.
Demonstrated applications in various industries, such as healthcare, maintenance, manufacturing, and transportation, are key.
Contribution to Europe's strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies.
Alignment with and support for the EU's Apply AI Strategy and the GenAI4EU initiative.
Addressing future needs in microelectronics, including performance, size, cost, energy efficiency, environmental impact, and new materials.
Contributing to the integration of circularity and life-cycle assessment.

Implementation

Evaluation will consider the quality and clarity of mechanisms for assessing and demonstrating progress, including qualitative and quantitative KPIs, benchmarking, and progress monitoring.
Proposals that demonstrate building on and reusing public results from relevant previous funded actions will be viewed favorably.
The extent and quality of planned collaboration with the ADRA partnership and synergies with other relevant initiatives will be assessed.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must adhere to general Horizon Europe regulatory compliance requirements.
They are specifically subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Ethical & Data Standards

Proposals should integrate principles of 'preserving privacy' in their technical solutions, as highlighted in the Destination 4 description.
Ethical considerations pertinent to advanced robotics and AI applications are implied, consistent with Horizon Europe guidelines.

Intellectual Property & Technology

Intellectual property policies for grants are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.
The grant encourages the development of game-changing physical characteristics, functional or cognitive capabilities, acute perception, autonomy, and safe interaction in robotic systems.
Expected to advance capabilities in areas like novel materials, compliant designs, non-rigid structures, smart materials, and soft electronics.

Risk Management

A key focus is on creating inherently safe and versatile robotic systems, particularly for human-robot interaction across various scenarios.

Unique Aspects & Strategic Alignment

This grant is an Innovation Action, emphasizing the transition of research outcomes to higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) and market exploitation.
It explicitly implements and expects cohesion activities with the co-programmed European Partnership on AI, data, and robotics (ADRA).
The topic contributes directly to the broader objective of 'Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies' for Europe.
It is integral to the EU's comprehensive approach to achieving leadership in AI, aligning with the Apply AI Strategy and supporting the GenAI4EU initiative.
Projects are expected to overcome the limitations of rigid robotic systems, fostering adaptability and safety in human-robot environments.
There's an emphasis on energy efficiency and the integration of circularity and life-cycle assessment, particularly concerning microelectronics.
Knowledge dissemination is a key requirement, with results to be shared via the AI-on-demand platform and other digital resource platforms.

Grant Details