FORTIS Open Call #1: Boosting Development of the FORTIS Solution.

The FORTIS Open Call #1 is a funding opportunity within the EU's Horizon Europe program, specifically focusing on advancing human-robot interaction technologies. This initiative aims to encourage multidisciplinary consortia of 2-3 entities, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), mid-caps, and research technology organizations (RTOs) to submit proposals addressing various critical topics surrounding human-robot interaction. Key focus areas include activity recognition, long-term memory systems for personalized adaptation, enhancing robotic intelligibility through audio and visual communication, and multimodal perception.

Submissions for this open call begin on November 17, 2025, and close on January 21, 2026, at 16:00 Brussels time. The total funding available is €2,000,000, with individual projects eligible for a maximum of €250,000 each and a cap of €200,000 per participating entity. The call intends to fund up to 8 projects, reflecting a highly competitive environment likely to yield a success rate below 10% or between 10 and 39%, given the anticipated number of applications.

Geographically, the eligibility likely extends across EU member states and associated countries, although specific detailed criteria should be checked in the official documentation. The application process is online, requiring applicants to answer all mandatory questions through the F6S platform, ensuring widespread access while maintaining rigorous submission standards.

The chance to participate not only offers funding but also inclusivity in a larger mature project ecosystem that aims to tackle important societal challenges related to declining employment rates in sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and construction—situating human-robot interaction technologies at the forefront of innovation and practical application.

The FORTIS Open Call #1 is an EU funding opportunity designed to boost the development of the FORTIS solution. The call aims to attract and engage systems actors and innovators, including universities, researchers, mid-caps, SMEs, and start-ups, who are developing services that can benefit and speed up the uptake of technology. The outcome of this open call will contribute to the development, integration, and validation of solutions within the FORTIS project.

The opening date for submissions is November 17, 2025, and the deadline for submission is January 21, 2026, at 16:00 (Brussels time). The call follows a single-stage submission model. The expected duration of participation is 10 months. The total funding available is 2,000,000.00 EUR.

The project acronym is FORTIS, and the full name of the EU-funded project is Multi-Modal and Multi-Aspect Holistic Human-Robot Interaction. The grant agreement number is 101135707. The topic is HORIZON-CL4-2023-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01-02 - Industrial leadership in AI, Data and Robotics – advanced human robot interaction (AI Data and Robotics Partnership) (IA).

Multidisciplinary consortia of 2-3 entities, specifically SMEs, Mid-caps, and RTOs, are invited to submit proposals for technology solutions that demonstrate fulfilling the requirements of one of the FORTIS topics. Up to 8 projects will be funded, with a total contribution of up to EUR 250,000 per project and a maximum contribution of up to EUR 200,000.00 per entity. Non-industry partners cannot exceed 30% of the total project budget.

Applicants are required to apply online and answer all mandatory questions at https://www.f6s.com/fortis-open-call-1/apply. All information and documents are available at https://fortis-project.eu/open-call-1/. The FORTIS consortium will primarily provide information to applicants via the FORTIS project website, ensuring accessibility for all potential applicants. No binding information will be provided via other means such as telephone or email.

Applicants must submit their proposals to one of the following FORTIS topics or subtopics:

Topic 1: Activity Recognition
1.1 Human Activity Recognition Using Non-wearable sensors
1.2 Human Activity Recognition Using Wearable Sensors

Topic 2: Long-term memory
2.1 Memory Consolidation and Forgetting Mechanisms
2.2 Lifelong and Continual Learning for Personalized Adaptation

Topic 3: Enhancing Robotic Intelligibility Through Directional Audio and Visual Effects
3.1 Spatialized and Adaptive Audio for Robot Communication
3.2 Visual Cues for Enhanced Intelligibility

Topic 4: Multimodality semantic segmentation/perception

Additional information can be found at the following links:
FORTIS project: https://fortis-project.eu/
FORTIS Open Call #1: https://fortis-project.eu/open-call-1/
Application portal: https://www.f6s.com/fortis-open-call-1/apply
Online Q&A and discussion forum: https://www.f6s.com/fortis-open-call-1/discuss

For platform issues during the application process, contact the F6S support team at support@f6s.com. For other support, contact opencall@fortis-project.eu.

In summary, the FORTIS Open Call #1 is a funding opportunity for consortia of SMEs, mid-caps, and RTOs to develop technology solutions in the area of human-robot interaction. The call is focused on specific topics such as activity recognition, long-term memory, enhancing robotic intelligibility, and multimodality semantic segmentation/perception. The goal is to integrate and validate these solutions within the broader FORTIS project, ultimately speeding up the adoption of these technologies. The application process is online, and detailed information is available on the FORTIS project website.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are SMEs, Mid-caps, and RTOs (Research and Technology Organizations). The call also aims to attract universities and researchers, and start-ups.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically cascade funding within the FORTIS project.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of 2-3 entities is required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but given the context of EU funding and the Horizon Europe program, it is likely that eligibility extends to EU member states and associated countries. Further details should be checked in the official call documentation.

Target Sector: The target sector is AI, Data and Robotics, specifically focusing on advanced human-robot interaction. The call falls under the broader scope of Industrial leadership in AI, Data and Robotics. Specific topics include activity recognition, long-term memory, enhancing robotic intelligibility, and multimodality semantic segmentation/perception.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned. The opportunity is within the EU framework.

Project Stage: The project stage is development, integration, and validation of solutions. The call aims to contribute to the development, integration, and validation of solutions within the FORTIS project.

Funding Amount: The total contribution is up to EUR 250,000 per project, with a maximum contribution of up to EUR 200,000 per entity. The total funding available for the call is EUR 2,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

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

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

Success Rates: Up to 8 projects will be funded out of all applications received. Without knowing the number of applications, the success rate cannot be determined but it is likely to be below 10% or between 10 and 39%.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly mentioned as a requirement, but it is noted that non-industry partners cannot exceed 30% of the total project budget, which may imply a need for industry partners to contribute a significant portion.

Summary:

The FORTIS Open Call #1 is a funding opportunity within the Horizon Europe program, specifically targeting the area of AI, Data, and Robotics with a focus on advanced human-robot interaction. The call invites multidisciplinary consortia of 2-3 entities, including SMEs, Mid-caps, and RTOs, to submit proposals for technology solutions that address one of the FORTIS topics. These topics include activity recognition using wearable and non-wearable sensors, long-term memory with a focus on memory consolidation and lifelong learning, enhancing robotic intelligibility through directional audio and visual effects, and multimodality semantic segmentation/perception.

The goal of the open call is to attract innovators and system actors, including universities, researchers, start-ups, and mid-caps, who are developing services that can accelerate the adoption of technology in the field of human-robot interaction. The selected projects will contribute to the development, integration, and validation of solutions within the broader FORTIS project.

The funding available is up to EUR 250,000 per project, with a maximum of EUR 200,000 per entity. A total of EUR 2,000,000 is available, and up to 8 projects will be funded. The application process is a single-stage open call, with a deadline of January 21, 2026. Applications must be submitted online through the F6S platform. The expected duration of participation is 10 months. Non-industry partners cannot exceed 30% of the total project budget. The opening date for the call is November 17, 2025.