AUTOASSESS Open Call #2 for Tech Innovators

AUTOASSESS Open Call #2 is a Horizon Europe cascade funding opportunity to support startups and SMEs developing autonomous inspection technologies for GNSS-denied and confined maritime spaces. The call offers a total envelope of €1,350,000 with up to €150,000 per project, funding rates of 100 percent for startups and 70 percent for SMEs, and will fund approximately nine projects. Eligible applicants must be established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated countries and submit a single-stage application via the F6S platform by 5 May 2026 at 17:00 CET. Selected projects start 1 July 2026, run for nine months in three stages with milestone-based payments, and must align with one of the specified technical challenges or the open challenge.

What it funds

Scope and aim

Grants to develop autonomous robotic technologies and tools for safe inspection of GNSS-denied, confined maritime spaces (e.g., ballast tanks, cargo holds, engine rooms). Focus areas include NDT end-effectors, AR remote supervision, autonomous monitoring, digital twins, corrosion detection, drone-optimised NDT sensors, mission execution frameworks and other related innovations.

Total & per-project funding:€1,350,000 total; up to nine projects funded; maximum €150,000 per project. Funding rate: startups 100% of eligible costs, SMEs 70% of eligible costs ¹.

Who can apply:Startups and SMEs established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated countries. Applications accepted from single legal entities or consortia of up to two partners. Applicants must register and submit via the F6S portal Apply on F6S.

1. 1Opening date: 2 March 2026
2. 2Deadline: 5 May 2026, 17:00 (Brussels time)
3. 3Project duration: 9 months, start 1 July 2026
4. 4Number of projects: 9 (selected via remote evaluation)

Evaluation criteria:Technology concept, Ambition & scalability, Implementation, Team skills. Minimum score thresholds apply; selection ensures each challenge is represented. Applicants must follow the Guide for Applicants and required templates.

Full call details, guidance and challenge descriptions available on the project site and application portal AUTOASSESS Open Call #2 details and the F6S application page.

Footnotes

1. 1Guide for Applicants and funding rules (startup vs SME rates) available at the call pages: AUTOASSESS call page and F6S application.

AUTOASSESS Open Call #2 for Tech Innovators is a cascade funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe project Autonomous aerial inspection of GNSS-denied and confined critical infrastructures (Grant Agreement 101120732) that will fund nine projects delivering innovative technologies for safe, autonomous inspection of maritime vessels and offshore assets in GNSS-denied, confined, and hazardous environments. The call targets startup and SME solutions in robotics, AI, NDT, sensing, AR, digital twins, and mission execution for structural integrity assessment of ships and marine infrastructure.

Official sources:EU Funding and Tenders Portal call page: AUTOASSESS OC#2 on EU Portal. Project site and guidance: AUTOASSESS Open Call #2 page. Application portal: Apply on F6S.

Key dates:Opening date: 2 March 2026. Deadline: 5 May 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time. Expected project start: 1 July 2026. Duration of participation: 9 months.

Budget and awards:Total funding available: €1,350,000. Number of projects to be funded: 9. Maximum funding per project: up to €150,000. Funding rates: startups 100 percent, SMEs 70 percent.

Submission model:Single-stage submission and remote evaluation via F6S. Administrative eligibility check followed by internal remote evaluation.

Challenge Topics and Technical Objectives

Applicants must align their proposal to one of seven specific challenges or an open challenge as defined by AUTOASSESS. Solutions are expected to integrate with the project ecosystem and end-user requirements for maritime classification-grade inspection and decision support.

• NDT contact-based inspection, aerial physical interaction, soft optical tactile sensors: Develop and integrate an NDT end-effector equipped with a soft optical tactile sensor into the fully actuated miniThex aerial platform; deliver a GenoM-compatible software stack to use sensor data as feedback for stable contact; perform experimental validation.
• Remote ship inspections and AR-enabled expert collaboration: Establish a fully functional system that enables remote expert supervision of onboard inspections through real-time AR interfaces and robotic platforms; enhance accuracy, enable guidance without physical presence, prioritize tasks using operational and historical risk data, validate procedures on operational vessels with preference for independently arranged access, and ensure compliance with regulatory and classification requirements.
• Autonomous ship monitoring in engine rooms: Design a framework for continuous autonomous patrolling and early anomaly detection in engine rooms; integrate thermal, acoustic, vibration, and gas sensors; develop data correlation and analysis for predictive maintenance; define safety, regulatory, and operational requirements aligned with SOLAS and ISM Code; prepare validation methodologies and performance metrics for objective assessment on operational vessels.
• Digital twins for maritime applications: Build a digital twin consolidating FEM or CAD data, prior UTM records, historical inspection documentation, and live robotic measurements to identify inspection hotspots; integrate visual, thermal, and ultrasonic modalities; interpret outputs using class-approved maritime engineering expertise to reflect actual structural degradation.
• Integrated visual and ultrasonic assessment with expert knowledge: Create a unifying structural assessment framework combining long-term visual and thickness measurements with human expert knowledge; generate detailed condition maps, identify high-risk zones through operational knowledge, and validate against historical and real-world data; produce classification-compliant reporting and actionable repair specifications.
• Lightweight dual-mode ACFM or ECT NDT payload for UAVs: Design, prototype, and validate a field-ready, USB-C powered, dual-mode ACFM or ECT NDT instrument and sensor payload targeting approximately 200 g for drone-optimized versions; demonstrate NDT performance suitable for aerial deployment.
• Vendor-agnostic mission execution framework for cargo holds and ballast tanks: Implement and demonstrate a robust mission execution framework for UAS-based inspections; execute plans from the AUTOASSESS UI-DSS; fully integrate with the project cloud backend and industrial digital twin; support deployment in real industrial scenarios; provide a high-TRL operator interface for full control and situational awareness meeting regulatory and safety requirements.
• Open challenge aligned with AUTOASSESS: Proposer-defined objectives within domains such as autonomous robotic inspection, autonomous navigation in GNSS-denied confined spaces, domain adaptive and probabilistic deep learning, digital twin integration, historical defect evolution, and decision support, provided alignment with challenge context and additional requirements is justified.

Eligibility, Funding, and Participation

Who can apply:Single legal entities or consortia of up to two partners. Applicant type must be startup or SME. Applicants must be established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated countries, subject to country eligibility conditions in the Guide for Applicants.

Funding type and rate:Cascade funding in the form of sub-grants under the Financial Support to Third Parties mechanism. Startups are funded at 100 percent of eligible costs. SMEs are funded at 70 percent of eligible costs.

Project implementation and payments:Projects run for 9 months in three stages with performance-based payments upon acceptance of stage reports: Stage 1 Plan for 1 month, 40 percent of the grant; Stage 2 Develop and Integrate for 6 months, 40 percent of the grant; Stage 3 Assess for 2 months, 20 percent of the grant. Monitoring and technical support are provided to all sub-grantees.

Submission, Evaluation, and Selection

Application process:Applicants register and submit through F6S. Required components include administrative information, selection of the targeted challenge, and a technical proposal following the provided template. Submission is single-stage.

Evaluation steps and criteria:All applications undergo an administrative eligibility check. Remote evaluation is conducted by internal evaluators. Proposals are scored on four criteria from 0 to 5 with a minimum threshold of 3 per criterion: Technology Concept, Ambition and Scalability Potential, Implementation, and Team Skills and Expertise. Selection rules ensure that each defined challenge receives at least one project.

Number of projects and award size:Nine projects will be selected for funding, each up to €150,000 depending on scope and compliance with funding rates for startups and SMEs.

Support Provided

• Financial support up to €150,000 per project, subject to funding rate by applicant type.
• Mentorship and training by domain experts relevant to the selected challenge.
• Access to infrastructure aligned with challenge requirements and project integration.
• Promotion and visibility through success stories and community channels.
• Co-creation and integration with AUTOASSESS use cases to accelerate market readiness.

Administrative and Template Documents

Applicants must follow the Guide for Applicants and use the provided templates. The application requires administrative information, challenge selection, and a technical proposal according to the official template.

• Annex 3 Sub-grant Agreement Template for consultation.
• Annex 4 Declaration of Honour for consultation.
• Annex 5 Consortium Declaration of Honour for consultation.
• Annex 6 SME Declaration for consultation.

How to access templates and guidance:Templates and the Guide for Applicants are available via the project page: AUTOASSESS Open Call #2 page. Application submission and form fields are available via F6S: Apply on F6S.

Categorization and Structured Answers

Eligible Applicant Types:Startup and SME only. Single legal entities or a consortium of up to two partners composed of startups and or SMEs.

Funding Type:Grant provided as cascade funding through Financial Support to Third Parties under Horizon Europe.

Consortium Requirement:Single applicant or micro-consortium of up to two entities. Larger consortia are not eligible.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Applicants must be established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated countries, subject to conditions in the Guide for Applicants.

Target Sector:Maritime inspection and safety; robotics and autonomous systems; AI and data analytics; computer vision and deep learning; non-destructive testing; sensing and sensor fusion including thermal, acoustic, vibration, gas; augmented reality and remote operations; digital twins and FE or CAD based vessel modeling; predictive maintenance and structural integrity assessment; mission execution software and operator interfaces.

Mentioned Countries:No specific countries are named. Geographic scope is EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated countries.

Project Stage:Development, integration, and validation or demonstration. Projects must progress from planning to development and integration and then to assessment with experimental validation or operational demonstrations where feasible.

Funding Amount:Up to €150,000 per project. Total envelope €1,350,000 for nine projects. Funding rate is 100 percent for startups and 70 percent for SMEs.

Application Type:Open call with single-stage submission via the F6S platform.

Nature of Support:Financial support in the form of grants, plus non-financial support including mentorship, training, access to infrastructure, and visibility.

Application Stages:One submission and evaluation stage. After award, implementation proceeds in three contractual stages for payment purposes.

Success Rates:Not specified. The call plans to fund nine projects; no numerical success rate or expected number of applications is provided.

Co-funding Requirement:Startups receive 100 percent funding with no co-funding requirement. SMEs receive 70 percent funding and must co-fund the remaining 30 percent of eligible costs.

Operational and Regulatory Alignment

• Solutions must enable safe, accurate, and repeatable inspections in confined, GNSS-denied maritime environments such as ballast tanks, cargo holds, and engine rooms.
• Where applicable, align with maritime safety and regulatory frameworks including SOLAS and the ISM Code, and ensure outputs meet classification and reporting requirements.
• Preference for validation and demonstrations on operational vessels when feasible, with applicants encouraged to arrange vessel access independently where possible.
• Integrations should interface with project components including the UI-DSS, cloud backend, industrial digital twin, and GenoM-based frameworks where specified.

Evaluation Criteria Details

How to Apply

1. 1Review the Guide for Applicants and challenge descriptions on the AUTOASSESS website.
2. 2Create or access an F6S account and register for the call.
3. 3Complete administrative details and indicate the challenge targeted by your proposal.
4. 4Prepare and upload the technical proposal using the provided template.
5. 5Attach required declarations and confirmations as per Annexes.
6. 6Submit by 5 May 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

Information sessions:A second information webinar is scheduled for 2 April at 11:00 CET. A recording of the first webinar is available via the project page.

Implementation Stages and Payments

Contacts and Useful Links

• EU Funding and Tenders Portal entry: AUTOASSESS OC#2 on EU Portal
• Project call page, guidance, and annexes: AUTOASSESS Open Call #2 page
• Application portal: Apply on F6S

Comprehensive Summary

AUTOASSESS Open Call #2 for Tech Innovators is a Horizon Europe cascade funding scheme that invites startups and SMEs from EU Member States and Horizon Europe Associated countries to deliver high impact technologies for autonomous maritime inspection in GNSS-denied, confined spaces. The program funds up to nine projects with grants of up to €150,000 each, with 100 percent funding for startups and 70 percent for SMEs. Proposals must align with defined challenges covering aerial contact NDT with soft tactile sensing, AR-enabled remote inspection, autonomous engine room monitoring with multi-sensor fusion, maritime digital twins, integrated visual and ultrasonic assessment with expert knowledge, lightweight ACFM or ECT payloads for UAVs, mission execution frameworks integrated with UI-DSS and digital twins, or an open challenge aligned with AUTOASSESS objectives. Applicants submit a single-stage proposal via F6S including administrative data, challenge selection, and a technical proposal using the official template. Evaluation by internal experts scores Technology Concept, Ambition and Scalability Potential, Implementation, and Team Skills and Expertise, with minimum thresholds and rules to ensure coverage across challenges. Successful sub-grantees implement a 9-month plan across Plan, Develop and Integrate, and Assess stages with milestone-based payments of 40 percent, 40 percent, and 20 percent, while receiving mentorship, training, infrastructure access, and visibility. Solutions must advance safe, accurate, and repeatable inspections that meet maritime regulatory and classification expectations, integrate with project systems such as GenoM-based control, UI-DSS, cloud backend, and digital twin, and target validation on operational vessels when feasible. This opportunity aims to accelerate deployment-ready innovations that remove human workers from hazardous confined areas, improve inspection quality, and strengthen the maritime safety and asset integrity ecosystem.

Funding Opportunity Overview

AUTOASSESS Open Call #2 for Tech Innovators is a cascade funding opportunity under Horizon Europe designed to support innovative technology solutions for autonomous inspection of marine structures. The call seeks to remove human workers from dangerous confined spaces such as ballast tanks and cargo holds of vessels by developing autonomous robotic inspection systems that exceed human capabilities while ensuring accurate, repeatable, and rapid vessel inspections. The initiative operates through a Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) mechanism to promote collaborative co-creation with external technology providers.

Call Status and Timeline:The call opened on 2 March 2026 and closes on 5 May 2026 at 17:00 CET. Selected projects will commence activities on 1 July 2026 and run for nine months until April 2027.

Funding Details

Total Budget:€1,350,000 total funding available for the call.

Per-Project Funding:Up to €150,000 per project. Approximately nine projects will be funded.

Funding Rates:Startups receive 100% funding of eligible costs. SMEs receive 70% funding of eligible costs.

Payment Structure:Payments are made in lump sums at the end of each project stage: Stage 1 (40%), Stage 2 (40%), and Stage 3 (20%). Payments are contingent on milestone achievements and submission of stage reports.

Project Duration and Implementation

Selected projects will implement activities over nine months divided into three distinct stages. Stage 1 (Plan) runs for one month and represents 40% of the grant. Stage 2 (Develop and Integrate) spans six months and represents 40% of the grant. Stage 3 (Assess) lasts two months and represents 20% of the grant. All sub-grantees receive monitoring and technical support throughout implementation.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants:Startups and SMEs applying individually or in consortia of up to two entities. Both consortium partners must be startups or SMEs. Startups must have been incorporated for less than ten years (established after 1 January 2015) and must have an innovation-focused business model.

Geographical Eligibility:Applicants must be established in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated countries. Specific country eligibility conditions may apply; applicants should consult the Guide for Applicants for detailed requirements.

Registration Requirement:Applicants must register on the F6S platform to submit proposals. A valid PIC (Participant Identification Code) number is required.

Technical Challenges and Topics

The call includes eight challenge areas, seven predefined and one open challenge. Applicants must align their proposal with one of these challenges. The predefined challenges address specific technical needs identified by the AUTOASSESS consortium and end-users.

Challenge 1: NDT Contact-Based Inspection:Development and integration of an NDT end-effector tool equipped with soft optical tactile sensors for stable contact maintenance in aerial physical interaction. Includes mechanical design, software stack development compatible with GenoM-based frameworks, and experimental validation.

Challenge 2: Remote Ship Inspections:Establishment of a fully functional system enabling remote expert supervision through real-time augmented reality interfaces and robotic platforms. Goals include improving inspection accuracy, enabling expert guidance without physical presence, prioritizing inspection tasks using operational and historical risk data, and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Challenge 3: Autonomous Ship Monitoring:Design and specification of an autonomous monitoring framework for continuous patrolling and early anomaly detection in ship engine rooms. Includes definition of patrol concepts, integration of thermal, acoustic, vibration, and gas sensing modalities, data correlation methodologies, and alignment with SOLAS and ISM Code requirements.

Challenge 4: Digital Twins for Maritime Applications:Development of a digital twin representing vessel structural condition by consolidating archival FEM/CAD data, prior ultrasonic testing records, historical inspection documentation, and live robotic measurements. Enables identification of inspection hotspots for prioritized robotic inspection.

Challenge 5: Structural Assessment Framework:Integration of human expert knowledge in a unifying structural assessment framework combining long-term visual and thickness measurements. Generates detailed condition maps, identifies high-risk zones using operational knowledge, and validates methodology against historical data and real-world vessel conditions.

Challenge 6: Miniaturized NDT Instruments:Design, prototyping, and validation of a field-ready, USB-C powered, dual-mode ACFM/ECT NDT instrument and sensor payload targeting approximately 200 grams for drone-optimized versions.

Challenge 7: Mission Execution Framework:Design, implementation, and demonstration of a robust, vendor-agnostic mission execution framework for reliable UAS-based inspection missions. Framework must execute mission plans from the AUTOASSESS UI-DSS, integrate with the project's cloud backend and industrial digital twin, and support deployment in real industrial inspection scenarios.

Challenge 8: Open Challenge:Applicants may propose innovative solutions beyond predefined challenges in areas such as autonomous robotic inspection, autonomous navigation in GNSS-denied confined spaces, domain adaptive and probabilistic deep learning, digital twins, historical defect evolution, decision support, or other areas related to AUTOASSESS and justifiable within the project framework. Applicants must convince evaluators of the high value and alignment with AUTOASSESS vision.

Application Process

Submission Platform:All applications must be submitted exclusively through the F6S platform at [[f6s.com. Applicants must register on F6S to access the application system.

Required Documentation:Applicants must complete an administrative form providing relevant information about the applicant entity, indicate the selected challenge, and upload a technical proposal following the mandatory proposal template. Supporting documents include the Sub-grant Agreement Template, Declaration of Honour, Consortium Declaration of Honour (if applicable), and SME Declaration (if applicable).

Application Submission:After completing the administrative form and uploading the proposal template, applicants submit their application through F6S. The system identifies the deadline as 5 May 2026 at 17:00 CET. Applicants who identify errors after submission may request the application to be reopened for corrections if still within a few days of the deadline.

Evaluation and Selection Process

Evaluation Stages:All applications undergo an initial administrative eligibility check to verify compliance with formal requirements, legal entity status, startup or SME classification, country eligibility, and terms and conditions acceptance. Applications passing administrative checks proceed to remote evaluation by internal evaluators.

Evaluation Criteria:Four evaluation criteria are applied, each scored on a scale of 0-5 with a minimum threshold of 3 points required. ¹

1. 1Technology Concept: Alignment with AUTOASSESS project vision and selected challenge, novelty of the proposed solution, and how the proposal addresses identified technical needs.
2. 2Ambition and Scalability Potential: Contribution to broader AUTOASSESS impact, contribution to industry transformation, and demonstrated ambition to leverage funding and commercialize the solution beyond the project.
3. 3Implementation: Feasibility of the proposed approach, realistic timeline and resource allocation, and clarity of deliverables and milestones.
4. 4Team Skills and Expertise: Relevant experience and qualifications of team members, demonstrated capability to execute the proposed project, and access to necessary resources and infrastructure.

Selection Rules:Specific selection rules ensure that each challenge receives at least one funded project. Approximately nine projects will be selected for funding from the total pool of applications.

Benefits and Support for Selected Projects

Selected projects receive comprehensive support beyond financial funding. Participants benefit from expert mentorship and guidance aligned with challenge requirements, training opportunities, and access to infrastructure necessary for project implementation. Projects receive promotion through success stories and other AUTOASSESS channels, increasing visibility within the AUTOASSESS community and broader maritime technology sector. Selected projects contribute to real impact on demonstrators and end-user entities, with opportunities for validation on operational vessels where feasible.

Key Project Information

Project Acronym:AUTOASSESS

Full Project Name:Autonomous aerial inspection of GNSS-denied and confined critical infrastructures

Grant Agreement Number:101120732

Horizon Europe Cluster:HORIZON-CL4 - Increased robotics capabilities demonstrated in key sectors (AI, Data and Robotics Partnership) (IA)

Important Dates and Deadlines

Additional Resources and Support

The AUTOASSESS project provides comprehensive guidance to applicants. The official project website at [[autoassess.eu contains detailed information about all challenges, requirements, and application procedures. A Guide for Applicants document provides additional eligibility details, specific country conditions, and comprehensive guidance on proposal development. Two information webinars are organized to support applicants: the first webinar on 12 March 2026 provided general project overview and open call framework information, while the second webinar on 2 April 2026 focuses specifically on challenge details with challenge owners available to answer questions. Recordings of webinars are available for those unable to attend live sessions. Applicants with questions can contact the AUTOASSESS team at admin@autoassess.eu.

Strategic Context and Innovation Approach

AUTOASSESS represents a strategic initiative to address critical safety challenges in maritime inspection. Current inspection practices require human surveyors to work in extremely dangerous confined spaces such as ballast tanks and cargo holds, which are GNSS-denied environments with low or no light, slippery surfaces, and potentially low or no oxygen and toxic gases. The project seeks to replace human workers with autonomous robotic systems that exceed human capabilities while providing accurate, repeatable, and rapid inspections. The open call mechanism reflects AUTOASSESS commitment to collaborative innovation, leveraging the entire value chain including external technology providers to identify and develop the best solutions regardless of origin. This approach ensures that innovative solutions are market-ready before project completion and that external stakeholders contribute meaningfully to the project's objectives.

Footnotes

1. 1Evaluators assess each criterion independently. A proposal must achieve a minimum score of 3 points on each criterion to be considered for funding. The evaluation emphasizes not only technical merit but also the applicant's ambition to commercialize solutions and contribute to broader industry transformation in maritime inspection and autonomous robotics.