Robust and trustworthy GenerativeAI for Robotics and industrial automation (RIA) (AI/Data/Robotics & Made in Europe Partnerships)

The funding opportunity is HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07, titled "Robust and trustworthy Generative AI for Robotics and industrial automation (RIA) (AI/Data/Robotics & Made in Europe Partnerships)." This is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) under the Horizon Europe Programme, specifically designated to the call DIGITAL - CNECT. The application considers a single-stage submission process, with a planned opening date on June 10, 2025, and a deadline on October 2, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The total budget allocated for this opportunity is €85 million, with contributions expected to range between €40 million and €45 million, and an indicative number of two grants is anticipated.

The focus is split into two types of projects, Type A and Type B. Type A emphasizes Generative AI for Robotics specifically in industrial automation, aiming to develop advanced foundation models for robotics that enhance learning, adaptability, and reliability within real-time physical environments. Type B projects concentrate on how trustworthy and robust generative AI can augment manufacturing, highlighting advancements in productivity, sustainability, and efficient processes.

Proposals in Type A must be aimed at creating models that enable robots to learn from real-world experiences and dynamic scenarios, while Type B projects should address enhancing production processes through advanced digital technologies and automation tools that improve certification, compliance, and resilience in manufacturing.

Both types of projects are expected to allocate up to €30 million for the foundation model development, with at least €10 million specifically for fine-tuning phases. Each use case may allocate up to €2 million through financial support to third parties (FSTP), particularly benefiting SMEs, startups, or smaller consortia collaborating with key user industries and AI developers.

Eligible applicants include legal entities from EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, South Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the UK. A consortium of various partners, including major players from the manufacturing industry, is required to drive both research and validation processes. The initiative is part of broader European collaborations on AI, Data, and Robotics, aiming to enhance Europe's global competitiveness in these sectors.

Overall, the call emphasizes projects that align with European values and principles, including ethical AI deployment and interoperability, while promoting productivity enhancements across strategic sectors by integrating generative AI within the manufacturing domain.

The funding opportunity is HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07, titled "Robust and trustworthy GenerativeAI for Robotics and industrial automation (RIA) (AI/Data/Robotics & Made in Europe Partnerships)". It is a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) under the Horizon Europe (HORIZON) Programme, specifically call DIGITAL - CNECT (HORIZON-CL4-2025-03). The Model Grant Agreement type is HORIZON Action Grant Budget-Based [HORIZON-AG]. The deadline model is single-stage. The planned opening date is 10 June 2025, and the deadline date is 02 October 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The total budget is EUR 85,000,000, with individual contributions ranging from EUR 40,000,000 to EUR 45,000,000, and an indicative number of 2 grants.

The expected outcomes are split into two types, A and B. Type A, under the GenAI4EU initiative, focuses on Generative AI for Robotics in industrial automation. Project results should contribute to the development of advanced foundation models for robotics, fostering increased autonomy and generalization capabilities, enabling robots to dynamically learn and comprehend their physical surroundings in real-time, and ensuring adaptability and reliability across diverse and complex scenarios. Validation of the model should occur through fine-tuning and downstream application to address industrial automation use-cases. Type B focuses on trustworthy and robust generative AI for improved manufacturing. Project results should further advance foundation models and reliable industrial solutions, contributing to increased productivity through high-quality, flexible, and resource-efficient industrial automation, significantly improved facilitation of product and process certification and compliance assessment, as well as reliability, efficiency, and sustainability of manufacturing processes, and significantly facilitated installation, commissioning, and decommissioning of production facilities through tools that enable faster industrialization of factory automation well beyond the pilot phase, while reducing the need for manual on-site interventions. Applicants must justify their selection by the expected business dimension of their use cases, while ensuring a critical mass of resources in the project to ensure significant outcomes.

The scope includes proposals integrating Generative AI in robotics and industrial automation, expected to substantially contribute to productivity gains in sectors like engineering, automotive, and food production. All proposals must demonstrate their expected impact on the competitiveness of the selected application sector. The budget will be split in a balanced way between area Type A and Type B. Proposals aiming for Type A outcomes should adhere to the Type A scope, while proposals aiming for Type B outcomes should follow the Type B scope.

Type A Scope details the need for generative AI to enable robots to learn from experiences, simulate realistic environments for training, and enhance planning, decision making, and control while considering physical constraints. This includes integrating 'Human-in-the-loop' mechanisms. Training data should come from the real world or from physical aware simulations of the real world and encompass diverse individual characteristics to mitigate potential bias and discriminations. Research activities should explore the training methodologies for these foundation models, emphasizing their ability to process multimodal data and derive actionable insights to inform robotic decision-making processes.

Type B Scope focuses on enhancing productivity and providing a competitive advantage to EU industry in the transition towards more sustainable, zero-carbon production. Proposals should address at least one of the following use-cases: robustness and trustworthiness of digital technologies and data management at industry-grade quality; enhanced product and process qualification/certification and compliance assessment; automation of manufacturing processes to achieve higher reliability, efficiency and sustainability; and automated tools for fast and large-scale deployment and reconfiguration of production assets and for rapid innovation cycles. Proposals should accomplish these objectives through the integration of applications exhibiting advanced developments of generative AI models specifically designed for manufacturing, development and integration of digital production systems capable of significantly increasing productivity, and development of deployment tools to automate the management of production lines.

For both Type A and Type B projects, proposals should allocate up to EUR 30 million towards the development of the foundation model. Each project is anticipated to focus on up to six use cases. A minimum of EUR 10 million of the proposal budget must be allocated via FSTP for the fine-tuning phase. FSTP may be foreseen for up to EUR 2 million per use case. Proposed projects should aim to develop models that align with European values and principles and regulation, including the AI Act.

Eligible countries are described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes. 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. A minimum of EUR 10 million of the EU funding requested by the proposal must be allocated to financial support to third parties.

The application form templates and evaluation form templates are available in the Submission System. Additional documents include the 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 total budget allocated to this topic is EUR 85,000,000, and it is expected that approximately two grants will be awarded, with individual contributions ranging from EUR 40,000,000 to EUR 45,000,000.

This funding opportunity aims to advance the development and deployment of trustworthy and robust generative AI in robotics and industrial automation, aligning with European values and regulations. It encourages projects that can demonstrate significant productivity gains and enhance the competitiveness of European industries through the integration of AI, data, and robotics. The call is structured around two main types of projects: those focused on advancing foundation models for robotics (Type A) and those focused on improving manufacturing processes through generative AI (Type B). Both types emphasize the importance of collaboration with industry players, data sharing, and the ethical considerations surrounding AI development and deployment. A significant portion of the budget is dedicated to financial support for third parties, fostering innovation and the creation of impactful industry-driven use cases.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity is open to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Specific conditions apply to entities controlled by non-eligible countries. Major manufacturing industry players should be well integrated in the consortium. User industry providing their data and use-case, or to a small consortium complementing such user industry company with one or two additional partners, such as AI developer/integrator.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a HORIZON Research and Innovation Action (HORIZON-RIA) and HORIZON Innovation Actions (HORIZON-IA) and HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions (HORIZON-CSA). Beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties (FSTP) in the form of grants.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity requires a consortium of multiple applicants. The research will be driven by impactful scenarios defined by major manufacturing industry players who should be well integrated in the consortium.

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: digital, industry, space, AI, data, robotics, manufacturing, engineering, automotive, food production, industrial automation, cybersecurity. The focus is on generative AI for robotics and industrial automation, aiming to improve productivity, flexibility, resilience, and sustainability in the manufacturing sector.

Mentioned Countries: Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. European Union member states are also eligible.

Project Stage: The project stage encompasses research, development, validation, and demonstration, with an emphasis on transitioning from pilot phases to industrial implementation. The fine-tuning phase aims to create Generative AI applications tailored to impactful industry-driven use cases.

Funding Amount: The funding ranges are variable. For both Type A and Type B projects, proposals should allocate up to EUR 30 million towards the development of the foundation model. A minimum of EUR 10 million of the proposal budget must be allocated via FSTP for the fine-tuning phase. FSTP may be foreseen for up to EUR 2 million per use case. The total budget for the HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07 topic is EUR 85 million.

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 grants. Beneficiaries must provide financial support to third parties (FSTP). The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants.

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

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for the HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07 topic is 2.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding requirements are not explicitly mentioned.

Summary:

This Horizon Europe call, HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DIGITAL-EMERGING-07, focuses on "Robust and trustworthy Generative AI for Robotics and industrial automation" and aims to foster the development and integration of generative AI in robotics and industrial automation to enhance productivity, flexibility, and sustainability within the European manufacturing sector. The call is structured around two main types of projects: Type A, which concentrates on Generative AI for Robotics in industrial automation, and Type B, which focuses on trustworthy and robust generative AI for improved manufacturing.

Type A projects are expected to develop advanced foundation models for robotics, enabling robots to dynamically learn and adapt to their physical surroundings in real-time. This includes enhancing robots' autonomy, generalization capabilities, and ability to handle diverse and complex scenarios. The projects should also validate these models through fine-tuning and downstream applications in industrial automation use-cases.

Type B projects aim to advance foundation models and reliable industrial solutions, leading to increased productivity through high-quality, flexible, and resource-efficient industrial automation. These projects should also improve product and process certification, compliance assessment, and the reliability, efficiency, and sustainability of manufacturing processes. Additionally, they should facilitate the installation, commissioning, and decommissioning of production facilities through automated tools.

Both Type A and Type B projects are expected to allocate up to EUR 30 million towards the development of foundation models and a minimum of EUR 10 million for the fine-tuning phase, which aims to create Generative AI applications tailored to impactful industry-driven use cases. Financial support to third parties (FSTP) may be foreseen for up to EUR 2 million per use case, supporting single companies (including SMEs/Start-ups) or small consortia that include user industries and AI developers/integrators.

The call emphasizes the importance of aligning AI models with European values and principles, including the AI Act, and encourages collaboration with existing projects and initiatives. It also highlights the need for interoperability for data sharing and the use of high-performance computing facilities such as EuroHPC for pretraining.

Eligible applicants include legal entities established in EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The call requires a consortium of partners, including major manufacturing industry players, to drive the research and validation process.

The total budget for this topic is EUR 85 million, and the application process involves a single-stage submission with a deadline of October 2, 2025. This initiative is part of the broader European Partnerships on AI, Data, and Robotics (ADRA) and Made in Europe, aiming to bolster the European AI, Data, and Robotics ecosystem and enhance the competitiveness of Europe’s strategic sectors and industries.