After the deadline of April 10th, a total of 40 FPPs were received for SMART’s 8th Call. These proposals involve the participation of 194 partners from 22 different countries, with a combined budget of €79.6 million.
The projects prominently feature contributions from a diverse array of countries, leading with the United Kingdom, which accounts for 26.04% of the total budget. Following is Switzerland, contributing 13.86%, and Türkiye with 11.64%. Not far behind, Germany provides 8.96% of the funds, and Slovenia contributes 6.04%. Additional notable participants include Republic of Korea, which allocates 5.35% of the budget, Portugal with 4.47%, Finland with 3,55%, Czech Republic with 2.74% and Canada, which rounds out the group with a contribution of 2.69%. This distribution underscores the broad international cooperation and financial commitment across the world to the success of these projects.
Industrial companies, both large corporations and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), represent nearly 70% of the total budget, while research and technology organizations (RTOs) and universities make up the remaining 30%.
Currently, SMART Experts and National Funding Agencies (NFAs) are evaluating the proposals. The selected projects will be awarded the SMART label by June 21st. This label will provide these innovative SMART projects with the opportunity to negotiate funding with their respective public authorities.
In conclusion, the 7th Call of SMART has successfully attracted a significant number of proposals, indicative of strong global interest and collaborative effort in the advanced manufacturing sector. These projects, supported by substantial financial commitments, are poised to contribute meaningfully to the field, with a focus on medium to long-term research and development goals.
