GenAI4EU: Generative AI for Virtual Worlds: Advanced technologies for better performance and hyper personalised and immersive experience (IA) (AI/Data/Robotics & Virtual Worlds Partnerships)

The GenAI4EU grant is a Horizon Europe Innovation Action aimed at advancing generative AI for hyper-personalized and immersive virtual worlds. It has a total budget of 20 million EUR, with funding expected to range from 4 million to 5 million EUR per project. This grant targets several sectors, including artificial intelligence, virtual worlds, robotics, and digital technologies.

Eligible applicants include legal entities from EU Member States, associated countries like Iceland and Norway, as well as Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. However, entities directly controlled by non-eligible countries may be restricted unless guarantees are provided.

The project should focus on two main areas: creating realistic and innovative virtual environments using generative AI, and developing smart digital assistants for safe navigation within these worlds. Proposals are expected to generate personalized user experiences and enhance accessibility, including features for individuals with disabilities and capabilities for language translation.

The application process is a single-stage submission with a planned opening date of June 10, 2025, and a deadline of October 2, 2025. The projects are expected to last approximately 36 months, and there is a co-funding requirement, typically covering up to 70% of eligible costs, implying that applicants should budget for at least 30% of project costs.

Overall, this grant seeks to position Europe at the forefront of AI and VR technologies, encouraging collaboration among various stakeholders and fostering an inclusive approach to digital innovation.

The EU funding opportunity is titled GenAI4EU: Generative AI for Virtual Worlds: Advanced technologies for better performance and hyper personalised and immersive experience (IA) (AI/Data/Robotics & Virtual Worlds Partnerships). It falls under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) program, specifically the DIGITAL CNECT (HORIZON-CL4-2025-03) call. The action type is HORIZON-IA (Innovation Actions) with a HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG] Model Grant Agreement. The deadline model is single-stage, with a planned opening date of June 10, 2025, and a deadline of October 2, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of the projects funded under this opportunity is to contribute to at least one of the following: Realistic, creative, and innovative characters, user-tailored artifacts, and Virtual Worlds for better immersion and significantly improved user experience; and Smart digital assistants and 3D chatbots for safe and inclusive navigation.

The scope of the funding opportunity is focused on Generative AI, at the edge and integrated in devices, to bring better performance, a more personalized and a more immersive experience for an inclusive and wider adoption of Virtual Worlds. It aims to leverage small and frugal AI models to enable faster inference, contributing to lower latency while improving security and privacy by processing data closer to the user, preserving EU Values. The projects should also develop smart digital assistants to accompany users throughout their journey within Virtual Worlds, bringing new innovative communication modalities, advancing collaborative intelligence and decision-making AI capabilities.

Innovation actions proposals are expected to address two main areas:

1. Generative AI Realistic and innovative Virtual Worlds for a better immersion: Proposals should use Generative AI to build on the users’ expectations to create either safe and inclusive virtual spaces, realistic environments, or creative and beyond reality ones. They should develop dynamic Storytelling and scenarios to enable creative content that is personalized leading to unique experiences for the users or shared with other users. They should also use AI to enable generation of personalized avatars aiming to provide seamless and more realistic immersive interaction.

2. Generative AI Smart digital assistance for a safe and inclusive navigation in Virtual Worlds: Proposals should develop smart people-centered and accessible digital assistants and 3D chatbots (AI-enhanced communicating 3D avatars), to for example, enhance training and education, remove language barriers or language disorders through instant translation, including sign languages, remove barriers to persons with disabilities, offer sentiment analysis and behavioral decision support systems, enable users to adapt to various interlocutors from various cultures, languages and backgrounds, contributing to navigate in inclusive and safe Virtual Worlds, while offering users new adapted learning modalities. When relevant, proposals can capitalize on latest developments in generative AI, to bring step change in explainable collaborative intelligence and decision-making capabilities by dedicated specific research.

The EU considers that proposals with an overall duration of typically 36 months would allow these outcomes to be addressed appropriately, but other durations are not precluded.

Proposals should involve the effective contribution of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) disciplines and SSH experts, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

This topic is implemented as a joint effort between the co-programmed European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and the co-programmed European Partnership on AI, data and robotics (ADRA), and all proposals are expected to allocate tasks for cohesion activities with both partnerships, including the CSA HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-17: Specific support for the Virtual Worlds Partnership and the Web 4.0 initiative and the CSA HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-18: GenAI4EU central Hub.

When possible, proposals should build on and reuse public results from relevant previous funded actions. Communicable results should be shared with the European R&D community through the AI-on-demand platform, and if necessary, other relevant digital resource platforms to bolster the European AI, Data, and Robotics ecosystem by disseminating results and best practices.

Proposals should also build on or seek collaboration with existing projects and develop synergies and complementarities with other relevant International, European, national or regional initiatives.

The general conditions include:

1. Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout are described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes. The proposal page limits and layout are described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

2. Eligible Countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.

3. Other Eligible Conditions: Participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway and the following additional associated countries: Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Entities established in an eligible country but directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country may not participate unless they can demonstrate that their participation would not negatively impact the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5a. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes.

5b. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes.

6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants are described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes.

Specific conditions are described in the specific topic of the Work Programme.

Application and evaluation forms and model grant agreement (MGA) information:

Application form templates: The application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System. A standard application form (HE RIA, IA) is provided.

Evaluation form templates: Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA) will be used with necessary adaptations.

Guidance: HE Programme Guide is available.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA): HE MGA is available.

Call-specific instructions: Ownership Control Declaration is required.

Additional documents include: HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 1. General Introduction, HE Main Work Programme 2025 – 7. Digital, Industry and Space, 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, 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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview for various topics under the call DIGITAL - CNECT (HORIZON-CL4-2025-03) includes:

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-08 - HORIZON-RIA: 75,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-09 - HORIZON-CSA: 2,500,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, contribution 1,800,000 to 2,500,000 EUR, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-10 - HORIZON-CSA: 2,500,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, contribution 1,800,000 to 2,500,000 EUR, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-11 - HORIZON-RIA: 10,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-12 - HORIZON-CSA: 2,100,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, contribution 1,900,000 to 2,100,000 EUR, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-13 - HORIZON-IA: 45,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, contribution 7,000,000 to 9,000,000 EUR, indicative 6 grants.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-01 - HORIZON-CSA: 4,500,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-02 - HORIZON-RIA: 10,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-03 - HORIZON-RIA: 8,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, contribution 2,500,000 to 2,700,000 EUR, indicative 3 grants.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-04 - HORIZON-CSA: 2,500,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07 - HORIZON-RIA: 85,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, contribution 40,000,000 to 45,000,000 EUR, indicative 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-08 - HORIZON-CSA: 1,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-09 - HORIZON-RIA: 45,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 3 grants.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-14 - HORIZON-RIA: 43,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, contribution 5,000,000 to 6,000,000 EUR, indicative 7 grants.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-15 - HORIZON-IA: 20,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, contribution 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 EUR, indicative 5 grants.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-16 - HORIZON-RIA: 14,500,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, contribution 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 EUR, indicative 9 grants.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-17 - HORIZON-CSA: 2,500,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-18 - HORIZON-CSA: 3,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-19 - HORIZON-CSA: 3,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 1 grant.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-MATERIALS-46 - HORIZON-RIA: 10,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 2 grants.

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-MATERIALS-47 - HORIZON-RIA: 15,000,000 EUR, single-stage, opening June 10, 2025, deadline October 2, 2025, indicative 3 grants.

There are partner search announcements available, and LEARs, Account Administrators, or self-registrants can publish partner requests.

The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

This Horizon Europe funding opportunity aims to advance the development and integration of Generative AI within Virtual Worlds. It seeks to create more realistic, personalized, and immersive experiences for users while also ensuring safety and inclusivity. The focus is on leveraging AI to enhance training, education, and accessibility within these virtual environments, fostering collaboration and innovation in AI, data, and robotics. Eligible organizations from Member States, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are encouraged to apply, forming partnerships and allocating tasks for cohesion activities with both the European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and the European Partnership on AI, data and robotics (ADRA). The goal is to bolster the European AI, Data, and Robotics ecosystem by sharing results and best practices, ultimately contributing to a more advanced, user-friendly, and secure digital future.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway and the following additional associated countries: Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. However, entities directly or indirectly controlled by a non-eligible country or entity may be restricted unless guarantees are provided. The specific types of legal entities (e.g., SME, large enterprise, university) are not explicitly mentioned, but the call is open to any legal entity meeting the eligibility criteria.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Innovation Action (HORIZON-IA).

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the scope and nature of Innovation Actions, a consortium is highly probable, though not explicitly mandated. Partner search announcements are available, suggesting that collaboration is encouraged.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: Generative AI, Virtual Worlds, Artificial Intelligence, Data, Robotics, Digital Technologies, Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH).

Mentioned Countries: Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, plus EU Member States.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is innovation actions, which implies a stage of development, validation, and demonstration, moving towards commercialization and scale-up.

Funding Amount: The funding amount is variable, with a total budget of 20,000,000 EUR for the HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-15 topic and an indicative grant amount ranging from 4,000,000 to 5,000,000 EUR per project.

Application Type: The application type is a single-stage call.

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

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly mentioned, but Horizon Europe Innovation Actions typically fund up to 70% of eligible costs, implying a co-funding requirement of at least 30%.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-HUMAN-15, focuses on "GenAI4EU: Generative AI for Virtual Worlds: Advanced technologies for better performance and hyper personalised and immersive experience." It is an Innovation Action (IA) with a budget of 20,000,000 EUR and aims to fund approximately 5 projects, each receiving between 4,000,000 and 5,000,000 EUR. The call seeks proposals that leverage Generative AI to enhance Virtual Worlds, focusing on realistic and innovative virtual environments and smart digital assistance for safe and inclusive navigation.

Eligible applicants are legal entities from EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, with certain restrictions on entities controlled by non-eligible countries. Projects should involve Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) expertise and align with the co-programmed European Partnership for Virtual Worlds and the co-programmed European Partnership on AI, data and robotics (ADRA). The call emphasizes building on previous funded actions, sharing results, and collaborating with other relevant initiatives. The application process is single-stage, with a planned opening date of June 10, 2025, and a deadline of October 2, 2025. The expected project duration is around 36 months.