The second call of the MIND4MACHINES project sponsored by the Horizon 2020 Programme is open. The project is designed to fund cross-sectoral and cross-border collaboration between SMEs and start-ups in the development of ICT technologies for manufacturing, support the digitisation of the entire value chain (by relying on IoT, Big Data, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cybersecurity, etc.), and accelerate the market entry of solutions to support smart, sustainable, climate-neutral manufacturing systems, all of the foregoing being part of the European Green Deal.

MIND4MACHINES – THE SECOND CALL

The call funds the development, testing, validation and market adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies by increasing the Technology Readiness Level (TRL), or maturity of solutions used in the delivery of innovative goods, services and processes. The specific objectives of the call are:

• Digitising information and integrating systems at all stages of product development and use (including logistics and procurement);
• Integrating autonomous systems into the production environment;
• Promoting excellence by eliminating defects in processes and products;
• Producing efficiently using all resources;
• Enabling production servitisation;
• Facilitating mass customisation by allowing each product to be unique and tailored;
• Enabling more agile and flexible approaches in line with Industry 4.0 and Logistics 4.0;
• Making the use of energy and resources more efficient by developing sustainable networks.

RECIPIENTS AND FUNDING

Call 2023 is intended for SMEs and start-ups from the European Union or associated countries by providing a € 1,620,800 budget to develop at least 18 (sub)projects broken down into 2 categories based on the TRL (Technology Readiness Level) of the proposed solutions. Specifically:

• Innovation support – Testing and validation of Industry 4.0 solutions (TRL 5-7), with a € 1,080,000 budget and a duration of 9 months. Individual SMEs can receive up to € 60,000 in the form of lump sum, while industrial partners may be allocated up to 20% of the proposed project budget.
• Go-to-market support – Demonstration and scalability of innovative solutions (TRL 8-9), with a € 540,800 budget and a duration of 6 months. Individual SMEs can receive up to € 30,000 in the form of lump sum, while business partners may be allocated up to 20% of the proposed project budget.

Digitisation projects must be submitted individually by an SME (or start-up) or by a partnership of multiple SMEs providing technology for complex solutions, with one (or more) business partner. Cross-border partnerships are strongly encouraged.

DEADLINE AND FURTHER INFORMATION

The deadline of the call is set for 19 April 2023, 05:00 pm CET (Brussels time).

More information about the project and the call for tenders is available on the MIND4MACHINES website, which can also be viewed at the following link