AI-generated digital twins for science

The grant opportunity titled HORIZON-INFRA focuses on the development of AI-generated digital twins for scientific applications under the Horizon Europe program. It is structured to encourage research infrastructures to leverage generative artificial intelligence in advancing methodologies for complex modeling and simulations. Eligible applicants include research institutions and universities, particularly those forming consortia that must include at least one European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Landmark or European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). While small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can participate as collaborators, they are not the primary applicants. The funding mechanism is classified as a Horizon Lump Sum Grant, supporting the research and innovation actions (RIA) within this call. The application process is a single-stage submission, and the expected budget for the grant is €40 million, with each project likely receiving between €8 million and €10 million. The geographic scope includes entities from EU member states and associated countries, adhering to the broader framework of Horizon Europe. This grant targets the ICT sector, particularly the integration of AI in research infrastructures. It is expected that projects will address critical areas such as environmental simulation and climate change contributions. The initiative aligns with broader EU goals to harness digital technologies for societal benefit. Applications are expected to focus on advanced research developments, and the evaluation process typically sees lower success rates, often ranging between 10 to 39%. Notably, no co-funding is required, simplifying the financial commitments for successful applicants. Overall, HORIZON-INFRA aims to enhance European research capabilities by fostering innovation in digital twin technologies, ensuring they meet rigorous standards of trustworthiness and reliability while addressing significant societal challenges through collaborative research efforts and advanced technological applications. The submission deadline for proposals is set for September 18, 2025.

This is a description of a funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically the Research Infrastructures 2025 call (HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01). The focus is on using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create digital twins of complex real-world systems, enhancing European research infrastructures (RIs).

The call includes multiple topics with varying budgets, action types (Research and Innovation Actions RIA and Coordination and Support Actions CSA), and indicative grant numbers. All topics share a common opening date of May 6, 2025, and a deadline of September 18, 2025. Eligible costs will take the form of a lump sum as defined in the Decision of 7 July 2021 authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme.

General Conditions:

Admissibility Conditions:Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes and Part B of the Application Form.

Eligible Countries:Specified in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes, with potential provisions for non-EU/non-Associated Countries as detailed in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Other Eligible Conditions:Subject to restrictions for the protection of European communication networks, as described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion:Defined in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Evaluation and award:Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes. Submission and evaluation processes are in Annex F and the Online Manual. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is also in Annex F.

Legal and financial set-up:Governed by the Decision of 7 July 2021 regarding lump sum contributions, available on the Funding and Tenders Portal. General information is in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific Conditions:

Detailed in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and Evaluation:

Application form templates are available in the Submission System, including standard forms for HE RIA, IA, and HE CSA.

Evaluation form templates will be adapted as necessary, including standard forms for HE RIA, IA, and HE CSA.

Guidance:

HE Programme Guide

Model Grant Agreements (MGA):HE MGA, HE Unit MGA, Lump Sum MGA, Operating Grants MGA, Framework Partnership Agreement FPA

Call-specific instructions

Detailed budget table (HE LS)

Information on financial support to third parties (HE)

Information on clinical studies (HE)

Guidance:"Lump sums - what do I need to know?"

Additional Documents:

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 3. Research Infrastructures

HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 14. General Annexes

HE Programme Guide

HE Framework Programme 2021/695

HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764

EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509

Decision authorising the use of lump sum contributions under the Horizon Europe Programme

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

Budget Overview:

The call includes various topics, each with a specific budget, contribution range, and indicative number of grants. All have the same opening and deadline dates.

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-01:HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: €10,000,000, Contribution: 1,000,000 to €1,500,000, Indicative Grants: 8

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-02:HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: €16,500,000, Contribution: 1,000,000 to €1,500,000, Indicative Grants: 11

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-03:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €30,000,000, Contribution: 3,000,000 to €4,000,000, Indicative Grants: 8

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-04:HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: €3,000,000, Contribution: 1,500,000 to €3,000,000, Indicative Grants: 1

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-DEV-05:HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: €4,500,000, Contribution: 1,000,000 to €1,500,000, Indicative Grants: 3

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-01:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €30,000,000, Contribution: 6,000,000 to €8,000,000, Indicative Grants: 4

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-02:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €16,000,000, Contribution: 5,000,000 to €8,000,000, Indicative Grants: 2

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-03:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €15,000,000, Contribution: 7,500,000 to €15,000,000, Indicative Grants: 2

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-04:HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: €8,000,000, Contribution: 5,000,000 to €8,000,000, Indicative Grants: 1

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-EOSC-05:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €37,500,000, Contribution: 7,500,000 to €10,000,000, Indicative Grants: 4

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-01:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €30,000,000, Contribution: around €10,000,000, Indicative Grants: 3

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-02:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €20,000,000, Contribution: around €5,000,000, Indicative Grants: 4

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-03:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €20,000,000, Contribution: around €10,000,000, Indicative Grants: 2

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-SERV-04:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €20,000,000, Contribution: around €5,000,000, Indicative Grants: 5

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-01:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €25,000,000, Contribution: around €5,000,000, Indicative Grants: 5

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-02:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €45,000,000, Contribution: around €10,000,000, Indicative Grants: 4

HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-03:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €30,000,000, Contribution: 7,000,000 to €10,000,000, Indicative Grants: 4

HORIZON-INFRA:HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions, Budget: €40,000,000, Contribution: 8,000,000 to €10,000,000, Indicative Grants: 4

Partner Search:

Partner search announcements are available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, and users with public profiles can publish partner requests.

Submission:

The submission process is initiated via the Funding & Tenders Portal, selecting the appropriate action type and model grant agreement.

Support:

The Funding & Tenders Portal provides an Online Manual, FAQ, Research Enquiry Service, National Contact Points (NCPs), Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), IT Helpdesk, European IPR Helpdesk, and CEN-CENELEC/ETSI Research Helpdesks.

The HORIZON-INFRA call specifically, titled "AI-generated digital twins for science," aims to foster the innovative use of AI, particularly generative AI, to set up and manage complex modeling and simulation activities across various research infrastructures. Projects should demonstrate the ability to create complex digital twin setups using generative AI, ensure a data-driven approach with applications in at least three different scenarios, enable non-technical decision-makers to translate challenges into impactful simulations, and demonstrate trustworthiness and reliability in AI use. The budget for this topic is €40,000,000, with contributions ranging from 8,000,000 to €10,000,000 per project, and an indicative number of 4 grants.

In summary, this Horizon Europe call seeks to leverage the power of generative AI to revolutionize research methodologies by creating advanced digital twins. It targets key impact sectors and encourages collaboration with existing European AI initiatives and infrastructures. The funding is provided as a lump sum, and the call emphasizes the importance of trustworthiness, reliability, and practical demonstration of the proposed solutions. The overall goal is to enhance the capabilities of European research infrastructures and address pressing societal and economic challenges through innovative AI-driven digital twins.

Eligible Applicant Types:The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated but can be inferred to include entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities, such as universities, research institutes, SMEs, large enterprises, and other organizations. The call is part of Horizon Europe, which typically involves a wide range of eligible entities.

Funding Type:The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA) using a lump sum grant approach.

Consortium Requirement:While not explicitly stated, the nature of Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and the need to address complex challenges suggest that a consortium of multiple applicants is highly encouraged, if not required. Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) may be more amenable to single applicants, but consortia are still possible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):The geographic eligibility includes EU member states and associated countries, with specific provisions for non-EU/non-associated countries as detailed in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

Target Sector:The program targets the following sectors: artificial intelligence (AI), digital twins, research infrastructures, healthcare (including mental health), transportation, agriculture, environment, manufacturing, Clean Industrial Deal, ICT infrastructures, and energy-intensive industrial transition.

Mentioned Countries:No specific countries are mentioned, but the eligibility extends to EU member states, associated countries, and potentially other non-EU/non-associated countries with specific funding provisions.

Project Stage:The expected maturity of the project is at the research, development, and demonstration stages. The call aims to advance the state-of-the-art and demonstrate transformative potential, implying projects beyond the initial idea phase. The proposed solutions should, at least in part, be demonstrated in a relevant environment that can lead to sustainable production and include a cost estimate for the operations.

Funding Amount:The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic within the call, ranging from €1,000,000 to €15,000,000 for Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and from €3,000,000 to €15,000,000 or "around" €5,000,000 to €10,000,000 for Research and Innovation Actions (RIA).

Application Type:The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages:The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates:The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for each topic provides some insight into the potential success rate.

Co-funding Requirement:The need for co-funding is not explicitly mentioned.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, under the Research Infrastructures 2025 work program, focuses on leveraging generative artificial intelligence (AI) to create and enhance digital twins for European research infrastructures. The goal is to foster innovative research methods, improve public services, and drive economic growth across key impact sectors like healthcare, transportation, agriculture, environment, and manufacturing. The call encourages proposals that demonstrate the ability to set up complex modeling and digital twin setups using generative AI, ensure a data-driven approach, enable non-technical decision-makers to translate scenarios into impactful simulations, and demonstrate trustworthiness in the use of AI.

The call includes various topics, each with a specific budget and indicative number of grants, ranging from Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) with budgets of €3,000,000 to €16,500,000 and Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) with budgets of €15,000,000 to €45,000,000. Eligible applicants include a wide range of entities capable of conducting research and innovation activities from EU member states, associated countries, and potentially other non-EU/non-associated countries with specific funding provisions. The application process is a single-stage open call with a deadline of September 18, 2025. Successful projects will receive funding in the form of a lump sum grant. The call aims to advance the state-of-the-art in AI-driven digital twins, establish best practices, and promote the emergence of new applications and use cases across various scientific domains.