The SMART programme announces the completion of its 9th Call for Project Outline (PO) phase, marking a significant step forward in fostering collaborative innovation within the advanced manufacturing sector. This cycle saw the impressive receipt of 38 proposals, highlighting increasing global interest in the SMART initiative across the EUREKA network.
This year’s call attracted contributions from 184 partners spanning 22 EUREKA member countries, demonstrating extensive international involvement and a broad spectrum of expertise. Türkiye led in submissions with 17 proposals, followed by Germany and Spain with 11 each. These contributions underscored the active participation from these countries and were instrumental in amassing a total proposed budget of 88.5 million euros.
The range of proposals spans multiple sectors related to advanced manufacturing, reflecting the programme’s dedication to tackling key industry challenges. Innovations in robotics, additive manufacturing, material sciences, and sustainable manufacturing practices were prominent, showcasing the varied technological advancements pursued within the EUREKA countries.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) predominantly drove participation, accounting for 50.99% of the partners involved, followed by large-industry players at 18.18%, universities at 15.81%, and research institutes at 15.02%. This distribution highlights SMEs’ crucial role in spearheading innovation, supported robustly by contributions from larger industrial entities, academic circles, and research organisations, each bringing distinct skills to enhance advanced manufacturing research and development.
On 25th February, the SMART Technical Committee and public authorities convened to review the proposals submitted. Out of the initial 38, 36 proposals have been invited to advance to the Full Project Proposal (FPP) phase with a revised budget of 84.06 million euros, indicating the projects’ significant potential to positively impact the advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
The FPP is a crucial document in SMART’s evaluation procedure. It is utilized for the assessment and labeling of new projects and serves as the foundation for the reporting and monitoring procedure. For more information on the Call process and to download the FPP submission template, visit the SMART website or download FPP template. The deadline for FPP submissions is set for 27th April 2025.
The SMART programme remains committed to promoting extensive global collaboration aimed at achieving medium to long-term objectives in advanced manufacturing research and development.
Upcoming Events:
- GLOBAL INNOVATION SUMMIT 2025: 6th April, Basel, Switzerland
- PO PROPOSERS’ DAY 2026: 8th October, Viena, Austria. The registration platform will open soon.
