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Call key data
Boosting generation and diffusion of advanced technologies in SMEs based on a supply chain model
Funding Program
Horizon Europe - Cluster 4 - Destination 2: Increased autonomy in key strategic value chains for resilient industry
Call number
HORIZON-CL4-2023-RESILIENCE-01-42
deadlines
Opening
08.12.2022
Deadline
20.04.2023 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 10,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
between € 2,000,000.00 and € 3,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
Call objectives
All the EU industrial ecosystems should adapt to the post-crisis economic environment, with new consumer and industrial demand, changed competition and new resilience and sustainability objectives. This adaptation will be particularly challenging for SMEs. The economic recovery in Europe, after the COVID-19 pandemic, will only materialise if SMEs are properly supported by adequate actions and policy measures to adapt to changed value-chains and demand.
It is essential for companies to map their supply chain in order to identify critical dependencies and weaknesses in specific industrial ecosystem. There is a need for developing methodology or model that can assist companies in detecting and anticipating disruptions in their supply chains. Such a model would contribute to reduce strategic dependencies on critical products, services or technologies.
Through the adoption of advanced technologies, the manufacturing industry will achieve operational independence. This operational improvement will be of paramount importance in ensuring performance during the next normal. In fact, COVID-19's impact on trade caught many firms unprepared, with negative consequences on supply chains. This event drastically changed the focus from a low-cost country sourcing mantra to a more resilient and simpler network. Implementing new technologies is turning supply chain processes and activities towards less uncertainty and complexity. Technologies like robotics, AI, IoT, blockchain, and edge computing are the key drivers to achieve these goals, together with efficiency benefits and zero-touch production (ZTP) processes, the latter being pushed significantly during the pandemic and becoming a strategic asset for the future of enterprises.
Efficiency is also fostered by AR/VR solutions, which enable experts to provide remote support to on-field operators and provide step-by-step instructions. B2B digital platforms are also a key trend in the manufacturing industry, pushing for a more collaborative relation between colleagues, peers, and employees. This opportunity is deeply connected to Big Data/analytics technology, which allows the user to track and analyse processes, improve operational visibility, and understand improvements and trends. 3D printing has shown its huge potential in creating and modifying manufacturing and healthcare products during the pandemic and is likely to be a key trend in the coming years. Product innovation is also driving the adoption of advanced materials, micro- and nanoelectronics, nanotechnologies, and photonics with the aims of improving products and reducing costs.
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Expected results
- Build a model for each industrial ecosystem to identify disruptions and technological opportunities for the uptake of advanced technologies in a supply chain;
- Alert on current disruptions and identify potential future disruptions;
- Identify potential alternate suppliers of critical advanced technologies;
- Launch one pilot project per each industrial ecosystem focused on building alliances among traditional and tech-savvy SMEs through industrial cluster organisations;
- Explore concrete collaboration opportunities between different type of EU businesses, particularly tech-savvy SMEs and traditional SMEs;
- Increase the adoption of advanced technologies in traditional SMEs, looking at skills shortages among other barriers, and help EU tech-savvy SMEs that developed critical technology applications to expand their market potential in the EU;
- Demonstrate how the adoption of advanced technologies in SMEs can enable them to reduce resource, material and energy consumption, thus contributing to EU climate neutrality objectives.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, International organization, Natural Person, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
No
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Applications may be submitted by one or more legal entities, which may be established in a Member State, Associated Country or, in exceptional cases and if provided for in the specific call conditions, in another third country.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or 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 own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 33 pages.
Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum.
Call documents
HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 4, Destination 2HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 4, Destination 2(791kB)
Contact
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