ENVELOPE 2nd Open Call

The ENVELOPE 2nd Open Call is a funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting large industry, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), universities, and research institutes to conduct trials and validation of beyond 5G (B5G) technologies for connected and automated mobility (CAM) services. The total budget for this call is €1,350,000. The grants are structured as fixed lump sums, with a maximum of €300,000 available for each sub-project and €60,000 for individual beneficiaries.

Consortia are required for this opportunity, composed of up to five legal entities, with at least 50% being industrial participants (either SMEs or large industry). Eligible applicants must be established in EU Member States, their Overseas Countries and Territories, or Horizon Europe associated countries. Notably, ENVELOPE consortium partners and their affiliates are excluded from applying, and previous participants in the ENVELOPE Open Call 1 are also ineligible.

The project aims to validate network exposure and programmability, facilitating the development and deployment of 5G-enabled CAM services. Proposals should involve real-world trials at three European trial sites, focusing on the technical implementation and benefits of using existing ENVELOPE standards-compliant APIs or creating new ones.

The application process has two stages: first, a mandatory feasibility check from November 10 to December 3, 2025, where applicants submit a project summary, followed by a full proposal submission from December 4, 2025, to February 4, 2026. The expected duration for selected projects is six months, starting May 1, 2026.

While co-funding is not explicitly required, demonstrating sustainability and impact in proposals may strengthen competitiveness. The funding aims to support approximately four to five projects, encouraging concrete business plans and viable solutions. The call emphasizes the use of the ENVELOPE experimental facility for all projects.

Overall, the ENVELOPE 2nd Open Call is designed to foster innovative applications in mobility through rigorous validation of enhanced connectivity and network capabilities, contributing to the broader 5G ecosystem.

The ENVELOPE 2nd Open Call is a funding opportunity within the Horizon Europe program, specifically under the topic HORIZON-JU-SNS-2023-STREAM-D-01-01 - SNS Large Scale Trials and Pilots (LST&Ps) with Verticals – Focused Topic. The call aims to foster beyond 5G (B5G) trials that validate network exposure and programmability to accelerate the development and deployment of 5G-enabled Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM) services and beyond.

The opening date for submissions is December 4, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is February 4, 2026, at 17:00 (Brussels time). The expected duration of participation for selected projects is 6 months. The total funding available for this call is 1,350,000.00 €. The project acronym is ENVELOPE, and the full name of the EU-funded project is "Evaluation and validation of connected mobility in real open systems beyond 5GS". The grant agreement number is 101139048.

The call employs a single-stage deadline model. Selected projects are expected to start on May 1, 2025.

Eligibility criteria specify that the rules for participation and funding are subject to the General Annexes to Horizon Europe for the Work Programme 2023-2025. A compulsory requirement is the use of the ENVELOPE Experimental facility by all experimenters. Eligible third parties include SMEs, large industries, Research Institutes, and Universities. Consortia must have a maximum of 5 beneficiaries, with at least 50% being industrial partners (SMEs or large industry). All organizations must be established in any of the EU Member States and their Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

A feasibility check is a preliminary step in the ENVELOPE Open Calls process, running from November 10 to December 3, 2025. This check ensures that proposed projects align with the goals and resources of the ENVELOPE Open Calls. Applicants must submit a short project summary and information about targeted features and required resources to helpdesk@lists.envelope-project.eu using the template provided on the ENVELOPE website (https://envelope-project.eu/open-call-2/) by December 3, 2025. If the project passes the feasibility check, applicants can proceed with submitting a full proposal.

Submissions must be made through the ENVELOPE open call management platform (https://envelope-project.eu/open-calls/application-form/). The mandatory proposal template, available on the project website at https://envelope-project.eu/open-call-2/, must be used.

Independent experts, not part of the ENVELOPE consortium, will evaluate the proposals based on criteria similar to Horizon Europe. The evaluation process includes rating and ranking, with special attention to identifying and addressing potential conflicts of interest. The evaluation, final ranking, decision on funding, and notifications to proposers will be completed by the end of March 2025, at the latest.

The call invites large industry, SMEs, Universities, and Research Institutes to conduct B5G trials. These trials should validate network exposure and programmability as accelerators for developing and deploying 5G-enabled CAM services. The experimentation environment includes a series of northbound standards-compliant APIs (LF CAMARA, ETSI MEC) and corresponding technical enablers implemented in three European trial sites. This setup allows applicants to realize the interaction of their applications with the B5G network, test in the field, and validate the associated benefits, avoiding direct interaction with the B5G core.

Proposals should focus on the impact of the project following completion and implementation. Proposals with concrete business plans leading to mature solutions will be prioritized.

Important conditions include that ENVELOPE partners, their affiliates, and employees cannot be involved in the grantees’ projects, nor can board members. Applications for sub-projects previously funded by an SNS JU project Open Call will be rejected, and applicants must not have participated in a sub-project funded in ENVELOPE Open Call 1.

Grants will not be awarded in cases of bankruptcy, non-compliance with social security or tax obligations, or commission of grave professional misconduct.

Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, legal commitments cannot be signed with Hungarian public interest trusts established under Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply, but if the Council measures are not lifted, they are not eligible to participate in any funded role. In such cases, co-applicants will be invited to remove or replace the entity or change its status to an associated partner.

Funding support is provided as a fixed lump sum per sub-project. The maximum funding per beneficiary is €60,000, and the maximum funding per sub-project is €300,000.

The OC projects must either: make use of at least 1 API and technology enabler developed by the ENVELOPE Consortium; or design, develop, integrate, and validate a new standards-compliant API/technical enabler, extending the functionality of the ENVELOPE platform. In both cases, the project must demonstrate the associated benefits in development, deployment, and performance of a novel CAM vertical service.

Through this action, projects must demonstrate the associated benefits in development, deployment, and performance of a novel vertical service; and/or enhance the impact of the ENVELOPE platform by contributing to the range of use cases that can be supported and the ecosystem that can be created.

In summary, the ENVELOPE 2nd Open Call is seeking proposals for projects that will leverage and enhance the ENVELOPE platform to develop and validate innovative CAM services using B5G network capabilities. The call encourages experimentation with network exposure and programmability through standardized APIs and technical enablers. Successful projects will demonstrate tangible benefits in the development, deployment, and performance of novel CAM services, contributing to the broader 5G ecosystem and beyond. The funding is targeted towards consortia of SMEs, large industries, research institutes, and universities, with a focus on industrial participation. A feasibility check is required before full proposal submission.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are large industry, SMEs, universities, and research institutes. Beneficiaries must be consortia composed of up to 5 legal entities, with a minimum of 50% of them being SMEs and/or large industry. Participants will be acting as technology providers and/or application providers for use case implementation.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically cascade funding, provided as a fixed lump sum per sub-project.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required, with a maximum of 5 beneficiaries.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes EU Member States and their Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT), or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.

Target Sector: The target sector is focused on beyond 5G (B5G) trials, network exposure and programmability, 5G-enabled CAM (Connected, Autonomous, and Mobile) services, and related technologies. This includes areas within ICT, transport, and potentially other sectors that can benefit from enhanced connectivity and mobile services.

Mentioned Countries: EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT), Horizon Europe Associated Countries, and Hungary (with specific restrictions).

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on trials, validation, and demonstration of B5G technologies and their application in CAM services. This suggests a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) ranging from validation to demonstration. The call prioritizes proposals with concrete business plans leading to mature solutions.

Funding Amount: The maximum funding per beneficiary is €60,000, and the maximum funding per sub-project (consortium) is €300,000. The total funding available for this call is €1,350,000.

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 fixed lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process involves a feasibility check as a preliminary step, followed by a single-stage full proposal submission. Therefore, there are two stages: feasibility check and full proposal submission.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

The ENVELOPE 2nd Open Call is a funding opportunity under the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting large industry, SMEs, universities, and research institutes to conduct trials and validation of beyond 5G (B5G) technologies for connected mobility and CAM services. The call aims to validate network exposure and programmability using northbound standards-compliant APIs (LF CAMARA, ETSI MEC) implemented in three European trial sites.

The call requires applicants to form consortia of up to 5 entities, with at least 50% industrial participation (SMEs or large industry). The geographic eligibility is limited to EU Member States, their Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT), and Horizon Europe Associated Countries. A maximum of €300,000 is available per sub-project, with a maximum of €60,000 per beneficiary, provided as a fixed lump sum. The total funding available for this call is €1,350,000.

The application process involves a preliminary feasibility check, where applicants submit a short project summary, followed by a single-stage full proposal submission. The call opens on December 4, 2025, and closes on February 4, 2026. Selected projects are expected to start on May 1, 2025, and have an expected duration of 6 months.

The ENVELOPE project seeks to foster the development and deployment of 5G-enabled CAM services by providing an experimentation environment for applicants to interact with the B5G network, test in the field, and validate associated benefits. Proposals should focus on the impact of the project and demonstrate concrete business plans leading to mature solutions. The projects must utilize at least one API and technology enabler developed by the ENVELOPE Consortium, or design, develop, integrate, and validate a new standards-compliant API/technical enabler, extending the functionality of the ENVELOPE platform. The projects must demonstrate the associated benefits in the development, deployment, and performance of a novel (CAM) vertical service.