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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

Grant Purpose and Target

Core objective: Develop Generative AI technologies for Virtual Worlds to enhance performance, personalization, and immersive user experience.
Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Legal entities with expertise in AI, Virtual Worlds, and related fields. Not explicitly restricted by size, but encourages participation from start-ups and smaller companies.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC
Geographic scope and any location requirements: Projects must be based in EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on Generative AI applications for Virtual Worlds. Projects must include effective contributions from Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and experts. Collaboration with the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and the European Partnership on AI, Data and Robotics (ADRA) is expected.
Grant frequency and program context: Part of the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025, specifically 'Digital, Industry and Space'. This is a specific call within that program.

Financial Structure

Total budget allocated for this specific topic (HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-15) in 2025 is 20,000,000.0 EUR.
Minimum grant amount per project is 4,000,000.0 EUR.
Maximum grant amount per project is 5,000,000.0 EUR.
The currency for all financial amounts is EUR.
The typical duration for projects under this grant is 36 months.
Funding rate: Not specified for this specific topic. For Horizon Europe Innovation Actions, the general rule is typically 70% of eligible costs for for-profit entities and 100% for non-profit entities.
Eligible and ineligible costs, co-financing requirements, payment schedules, financial reporting, and audit requirements are detailed in Annex G of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes, which are not provided here.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type & Legal Status

Legal entities established in an EU Member State (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), Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom.
Entities directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity may not participate unless they provide guarantees, positively assessed by their eligible country of establishment, demonstrating no negative impact on the Union's strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security.
Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment (or entities fully or partially owned/controlled by such suppliers) cannot submit these guarantees.

Geographic Location

Must be established in one of the eligible countries listed above.

Financial & Operational Capacity

Applicants must demonstrate sufficient financial and operational capacity to carry out the proposed action, as detailed in Annex C of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes (general conditions, not specifically provided here).

Partnership

Proposals are expected to be submitted by a consortium. They must allocate tasks for cohesion activities with both the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and the European Partnership on AI, Data and Robotics (ADRA), including specific Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs).
Effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and SSH experts is a mandatory requirement for the proposal team.

Exclusion Criteria

Entities failing to meet the legal establishment and control requirements (e.g., control by non-eligible countries without approved guarantees, or high-risk mobile network suppliers) are excluded.

Application Process

Application Submission

Application deadline: 2025-10-02 00:00:00+0000.
The submission window opened on 2025-06-10.
The submission process is single-stage.
Required documentation includes the standard application form for Horizon Europe Innovation Actions (HE IA), which is available through the Submission System.
Applications must be submitted via the Funding & Tenders Portal online system.

Project Implementation & Reporting

Projects typically have a duration of 36 months, though other durations may be accepted.
Communicable project results are expected to be shared with the European R&D community, specifically through platforms like the AI-on-demand platform, and potentially other relevant digital resource platforms.
Progress tracking mechanisms and reporting obligations are governed by the general Horizon Europe rules, detailed in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Application Assistance & Support

Comprehensive guidance is available through the 'Online Manual' and the 'Horizon Europe Programme Guide'.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to submission, evaluation, and grant management are provided on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
For specific questions, applicants can contact the 'Research Enquiry Service'.
'National Contact Points (NCPs)' offer guidance and practical information in participating countries.
The 'Enterprise Europe Network' (EEN) provides advice to businesses, especially SMEs, on EU research funding.
Technical support for portal access and submission issues is available via the 'IT Helpdesk'.
Assistance with intellectual property issues is offered by the 'European IPR Helpdesk'.
'CEN-CENELEC Research Helpdesk' and 'ETSI Research Helpdesk' can advise on standardisation aspects in project proposals.
The 'European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment' outlines principles for researchers, employers, and funders.
A 'Partner Search' tool is available on the portal to help find collaborating organizations.

Evaluation Criteria

Expected Outcomes & Impact

Contribution to creating realistic, creative, and innovative characters, user-tailored artefacts, and Virtual Worlds for better immersion and significantly improved user experience.
Development of smart digital assistants and 3D chatbots that enable safe and inclusive navigation within Virtual Worlds.
Projects are expected to contribute to the Union's strategic autonomy and security by avoiding technological dependency on non-EU sources.
Proposals must clearly demonstrate how they will achieve meaningful and significant societal impact through the effective integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and expertise.
The project's alignment with and contribution to the GenAI4EU initiative and the broader Apply AI strategy will be assessed.
Projects should contribute to establishing Europe's industrial leadership in Virtual Worlds technology.
Adherence to principles of trustworthy AI ('compliant by design' with the AI Act), including addressing accuracy, robustness, transparency, efficiency, and actively eliminating biases in data entry.

Quality of Proposal

The quality of proposed Generative AI applications for building safe and inclusive virtual spaces, creating realistic or creative environments, and enabling dynamic storytelling and personalized user experiences.
The innovative aspects of the proposed smart, people-centered, and accessible digital assistants and 3D chatbots (AI-enhanced communicating 3D avatars), particularly their ability to enhance training/education, remove language barriers (including sign languages), provide accessibility for persons with disabilities, offer sentiment analysis, and support behavioral decision-making.
The extent to which proposals capitalize on the latest developments in Generative AI to achieve a step-change in explainable collaborative intelligence and decision-making capabilities.

Implementation Quality

The coherence, feasibility, and efficiency of the proposed project plan, including the planned tasks for cohesion activities and collaboration with both the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and ADRA.
The plan for sharing communicable results with the European R&D community through platforms like the AI-on-demand platform and other relevant digital resource platforms.
The demonstrated synergies and complementarities with relevant international, European, national, or regional initiatives and the reuse of public results from previously funded actions.

Compliance & Special Requirements

Regulatory Compliance

Projects must ensure that Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions are 'compliant by design' with the upcoming AI Act.
Adherence to all general conditions outlined in the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes is mandatory (e.g., specific rules for page limits, eligible countries, financial/operational capacity, evaluation, and legal/financial setup).

Ethical & Social Standards

Proposals must prioritize a human-centric approach, ensuring technologies are trustworthy, safe, reliable, and inherently free from gender, racial, and other social biases.
The effective contribution and integration of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and experts are required to enhance the societal impact of the research activities.
Projects are expected to uphold and integrate European values throughout their design and implementation.

Intellectual Property & Data Protection

Ownership of intellectual property (IP) and results generated from the action must remain within the recipient organization during and after project completion.
IP and results must not be subject to control or restrictions by non-eligible countries or entities, nor can access to them be granted from outside eligible countries without explicit approval from the eligible country of establishment.
Measures must be in place to prevent non-eligible countries or entities from accessing sensitive information related to the action.
Data processing should ideally occur closer to the user (e.g., at the edge) to improve security and privacy, aligning with EU values.

Security & Strategic Autonomy

Projects are critical for safeguarding the Union's strategic assets, interests, autonomy, and security, specifically by avoiding technological dependency on non-EU sources.
Where appropriate, employees or other individuals involved in the action may require a national security clearance issued by an eligible country.

Special Considerations

This specific topic represents a joint effort between the co-programmed European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and the co-programmed European Partnership on AI, Data and Robotics (ADRA). Applicants are required to allocate dedicated tasks within their proposals for cohesion activities with both partnerships.
Proposals are encouraged to build upon and reuse public results from relevant previously funded actions, fostering continuity and efficiency within the European R&D community.
Developing synergies and complementarities with other relevant international, European, national, or regional initiatives is highly encouraged.

Grant Details