AIRISE Open Call 5

The AIRISE Open Call 5 is a Horizon Europe initiative designed to support European SMEs and mid-caps in creating AI applications that enhance sustainability in manufacturing. Eligible applicants include small and medium-sized enterprises and larger mid-cap companies located in the EU or associated countries. The funding type is cascade funding, where a total budget of €800,000 is available for various projects. Individual funding amounts for each project are unspecified and may vary based on the project's needs.

The target sectors are manufacturing and artificial intelligence with a strong focus on sustainability and cleantech. Applicants are encouraged to develop projects that reduce waste, lower energy consumption, enhance process agility, and improve human-machine interactions in manufacturing environments. The project stages supported range from initial concept development to real-world testing.

The call follows a single-stage application process, open until July 16, 2025. It does not require a consortium, allowing individual applications from eligible companies. Support includes non-financial services such as technical mentoring and access to testing infrastructure, rather than direct financial payouts. There is no co-funding requirement specified.

The primary goals of the AI applications must align with improving sustainability, reducing waste, increasing resilience in manufacturing processes, and making jobs more attractive through better technology integration. Applications must be submitted through the AIRISE project website, emphasizing a commitment to fostering innovative solutions that focus on environmental and operational sustainability within the manufacturing sector.

The AIRISE Open Call 5 is a funding opportunity aimed at supporting European SMEs and midcaps in developing AI applications to enhance the sustainability of their manufacturing lines. The AIRISE project facilitates "experiments" designed to assist these companies in realizing their ideas for integrating artificial intelligence into their manufacturing shop floors. This support encompasses services across all development stages, from initial concept to conducting tests under realistic manufacturing conditions.

The anticipated AI applications must address at least one of the following objectives:

1.  Improve the sustainability of processes and products, significantly reduce or reuse waste, and lower the energy and carbon footprint.

2.  Make industrial processes more agile, secure, and resilient to future changes.

3.  Make manufacturing jobs more attractive for humans, regardless of age, gender, or social and cultural background, through better human-machine interfaces and more intuitive interaction with digital tools.

Key Details:

Opening Date: 08 May 2025

Deadline: 16 July 2025, 17:00 (Brussels time)

Deadline Model: Single-stage

Total Funding Available: 800,000.00 EUR

Project Acronym: AIRISE

Full Name of the EU Funded Project: Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing for Sustainable Applications at SMEs

Grant Agreement Number: 101092312

Topic: HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-06 - ICT Innovation for Manufacturing Sustainability in SMEs (I4MS2) (Made in Europe Partnership) (IA)

Applications must be submitted through the AIRISE project website: airise.eu/calls

The AIRISE Open Call 5 presents a funding opportunity for European SMEs and midcaps to develop and implement AI solutions that promote sustainability, agility, and human-centric approaches within their manufacturing processes. The call provides comprehensive support, including resources and services, to guide companies through the entire development lifecycle of their AI applications. The focus is on projects that can demonstrate a positive impact on environmental sustainability, operational resilience, and the attractiveness of manufacturing jobs.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are European SMEs and midcaps.

Funding Type: The funding type is grant, specifically cascade funding.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. However, the focus on supporting individual SMEs and midcaps suggests that single applicants are likely eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is focused on European SMEs and midcaps, implying that the beneficiaries should be based in the EU or associated countries.

Target Sector: The target sector is manufacturing, with a focus on integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) for sustainability. This includes areas such as improving the sustainability of processes and products, reducing waste, lowering the energy and carbon footprint, making industrial processes more agile and secure, and making manufacturing jobs more attractive through better human-machine interfaces.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on European SMEs and midcaps, implying the EU member states and potentially associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stage ranges from idea to running tests under realistic manufacturing conditions, suggesting support for development, validation, and demonstration phases.

Funding Amount: The total funding available is €800,000. The funding range for individual projects is not specified, but it will likely be a portion of this total amount.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with applications to be submitted through the AIRISE project website.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive both money (through cascade funding) and non-monetary services, supporting all development steps from idea to testing.

Application Stages: The deadline model is single-stage, indicating that there is one application stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

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

Summary:

The AIRISE Open Call 5 is a funding opportunity under the HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-06 topic, aimed at supporting European SMEs and midcaps in developing and implementing AI applications to enhance the sustainability of their manufacturing processes. The project, titled "Artificial Intelligence in Manufacturing for Sustainable Applications at SMEs," provides cascade funding and services to support projects from the initial idea phase through testing under realistic manufacturing conditions. The call focuses on AI applications that improve sustainability, enhance agility and resilience, and make manufacturing jobs more attractive. The total funding available is €800,000, and applications must be submitted through the AIRISE project website by the deadline of July 16, 2025. The call operates on a single-stage application process. The AIRISE project aims to conduct experiments to support European SMEs and mid-caps to develop their idea of using artificial intelligence on their manufacturing shop floor. The AIRISE project provides support through services across all development steps from the idea to running tests under realistic manufacturing conditions. The anticipated AI application must address at least one of the following objectives: improve the sustainability of processes and products, significantly reduce or reuse waste and must lower the energy and carbon footprint, make industrial processes more agile, secure and resilient to future changes, make manufacturing jobs more attractive for humans, regardless of age, gender or social and cultural background, through better human-machine interfaces and more intuitive interaction with digital tools.