Open calls are light, quick and user-friendly application schemes for Application Experiments to allow experimentation and testing with new ICT technologies. Each of them has a prompt start date to offer financial and knowledge-based support to manufacturing SMEs and mid-caps, allowing them to conduct small pilot projects to test Industry 4.0 technologies and assess the impact of scaling them up within their companies and offer inspiration to other companies. Each Innovation Action defines the launching and closing dates for applicants to submit their proposals. These applications are no more than 10 pages in length and are designed in a user-friendly way to make the funding application process as swift as possible.
I4MS Open Calls are an attractive mechanism for SMEs and mid-caps because:
- Only a short and specific proposal is needed.
- Short project durations of approx. 6 months with immediate results.
- Offer between 50% and 100% of equity-free funding to SMEs, mid-caps, and DIHs.
- The funding is organized and provided through the intermediary role of the Innovation Action, which makes the evaluation process much quicker and effective.
So far, 327 AEs have already been launched by September 2019 selected via Open Calls. Whenever Phase 4 finalises, the number of experiments will be near 550. These experiments will constitute an invaluable pool of Best Practices on how manufacturing companies can approach digital transformation of their processes. Find today’s I4MS funding opportunities here:
