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VR Health Champions Open Call 2025

Reference

10501COMPETITIVE_CALLen

Overview

The VR Health Champions Open Call 2025 is an EU initiative aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) specializing in extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI), and healthcare innovation, specifically targeting less developed regions within the European Union. This funding opportunity is part of a broader initiative to overcome market barriers and enhance the integration of XR and AI solutions in healthcare.

Eligible applicants must be SMEs as defined by EU standards, and they must collaborate with flagship SMEs such as Lightspace, MEEVA, MedApp, Metaskills, or Virtuleap during project implementation. The grant type is a monetary grant provided through cascade funding, with up to €40,000 available for each selected SME. The total budget for the initiative is €200,000.

Geographically, the initiative focuses on less developed EU regions, ensuring that funds are directed where they are needed most. The target sectors include healthcare, XR technologies, and AI applications, and the projects should aim to achieve milestones in market readiness, regulatory compliance, and prototype validation over a project duration of 4 to 6 months.

The application process is an open call set to close on June 23, 2025. It consists of a single-stage submission, followed by a two-step evaluation process, assessing formal eligibility and quality. A total of five SMEs will be selected to receive funding, although specific success rates are not disclosed. Importantly, there is no co-funding requirement for applicants.

Eligible activities include market research, clinical risk assessment, technical development, and ecosystem building, all aimed at enhancing the involvement of SMEs in VR/AR healthcare solutions. Selected SMEs will work closely with specified flagship SMEs to address defined challenges, with the goal of advancing technology readiness levels and fostering sustainable collaboration and innovation.

This initiative represents a significant opportunity for SMEs in less developed regions to contribute to the field of healthcare through innovative XR and AI technologies, ultimately creating a stronger interregional value chain throughout Europe.

Detail

The VR Health Champions Open Call 2025 is an EU funding opportunity under the I3-2023-INV2a - Interregional Innovation Investments Strand 2a topic. The call aims to support the market entry, clinical integration, or technical advancement of emerging XR and AI healthcare solutions. It is part of the broader VR Health Champions project, a 3-year initiative focused on breaking down barriers in XR healthcare across less developed regions of Central Eastern and Southern Europe and accelerating the development of VR/AR applications. The full name of the EU funded project is We Are Health Champions - Disrupting the European Healthcare Systems with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Applications. The grant agreement number is 101161333.

The opening date for submissions was April 14, 2025, and the deadline for submission is June 23, 2025, at 23:59 (Brussels time). The expected duration of participation is 4-6 months. The total funding available for this call is 200,000 EUR.

The VR Health Champions project focuses on five flagship SMEs: Lightspace, MEEVA, MedApp, Metaskills, and Virtuleap. The project aims to upgrade their Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for VR/AR innovations from TRL 6 to TRL 9. The consortium is seeking SMEs specializing in AR sensors, AI-driven virtual agents, VR market research, XR clinical risk frameworks, or regulatory documentation. The goal is to strategically match these SMEs with the flagship projects through cascade funding to foster cross-sector knowledge exchange and technology transfer.

To be eligible, applicants must be SMEs as defined by the European Commission in EU Recommendation 2003/361/EC. Applicants must provide the relevant SME status confirmation template as part of their application. They must also be legally established in one of the following: a region covered by the VR Health Champions consortium, a less developed region within the European Union (GDP per capita is below 75% of the EU average), or an outermost region of the European Union (Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union).

The estimated available call budget is 200,000 EUR. Each successful applicant SME may receive financial support up to 40,000 EUR. A total of five SMEs, one per challenge, will be selected to receive Financial Support for Third Parties (FSTP). The financial support will be calculated as a maximum 100% of eligible costs, up to 40,000 EUR, but applicants may request a lower grant rate/amount. The approved grant amount will be provided as a lump sum contribution, subject to proper implementation of the action.

Applications must be submitted electronically through the electronic submission form on the VR Health Champions website before the call closure. The application must be submitted in English using the templates and form provided on the website. Proposals must be complete and contain all parts, mandatory annexes, and supporting documents as described in the call text.

The call follows a single-stage submission and a two-step evaluation procedure. The VR Health Champions consortium manages the selection procedure, overseeing and validating the evaluation process to ensure consistency and to check for conflicts of interest, fraud, or double funding.

Proposals will first be reviewed for formal requirements, including admissibility and eligibility. The evaluation will then be conducted by an evaluation committee composed of three independent in-house experts selected based on their expertise and experience. These experts will perform an independent quality evaluation, ensuring they are not involved in the action's implementation and have no conflict of interest. The responsibility for the selection process remains with the consortium.

The top three highest-quality proposals will be invited to participate in a hearing and project selection process. A jury composed of subject matter experts from the consortium members will evaluate the presentations and select the final teams for funding.

The quality evaluation criteria are:

1. Relevance and Experience (25%):
1.1 Relevance of experience to the specific challenge (10 points)
1.2 Relevance, ambition, and effectiveness of the proposed approach in addressing the specific challenge (10 points)
1.3 Qualifications and experience of the proposed team (5 points)

2. Methodology and Work Plan (25%):
2.1 Quality and clarity of the proposed methodology (15 points)
2.2 Objectives and extent to which the proposal matches the challenges and specific objectives of the call (10 points)

3. Feasibility and Risk Management (25%):
3.1 Feasibility within time and budget constraints; justification of budget and cost alignment with market standards (10 points)
3.2 Appropriateness of risk management approach (10 points)
3.3 Efficiency of resource allocation (5 points)

4. Impact and Value Creation (25%):
4.1 Added value compared to alternative approaches (10 points)
4.2 Potential for long-term collaboration (5 points)
4.3 Potential for cross-industry knowledge transfer (10 points)

Applicants are invited to participate in a challenge that supports the market entry, clinical integration, or technical advancement of emerging XR and AI healthcare solutions. Each proposal must address one of the specific challenges defined by the flagship SMEs. Applicants are expected to contribute their specialized expertise in areas such as market research, business strategy, regulatory planning, technical development, or clinical validation to advance the flagship innovation and strengthen the interregional value chain. Projects must be completed within 4–6 months and aim to deliver strategic outcomes, including market readiness, regulatory alignment, commercial partnerships, or prototype validation.

Each applicant SME must identify which specific flagship SME's challenge their proposal aims to address from the list in the call text. A detailed description of the challenges is available in the call text.

Awarded SMEs are expected to actively collaborate with the specified flagship SME(s) and potentially participate in meetings of the consortium, provide the proposed specialized services/expertise to advance the flagship innovation, and contribute to developing an interregional value chain in the VR/AR healthcare sector.

Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

Innovation & Market Services: Market research, buyer and stakeholder analysis, competitive benchmarking, business model validation, development of go-to-market strategies, identification and engagement of commercial partners or distribution networks.

Technical Development & Integration: Development of plans, designs, and demonstrators for new or improved products and processes, sensor and software integration for XR solutions, tailoring and adapting existing prototypes or technologies to meet specific needs.

Regulatory & Risk Management Support: Development of clinical risk assessment frameworks for XR in healthcare, preparation of VR-specific technical documentation for CE marking, identification of regulatory gaps, and creation of compliance strategies.

Partnership & Ecosystem Building: Internationalization activities, including market adaptation of products or services, establishing partnerships with resellers, trainers, or clinical sites for scalability, and use of test beds and demonstration facilities to validate technical or regulatory hypotheses.

The detailed list of eligible activities and deliverables for each challenge is provided in the call text. All information about the call is available at https://vrhealthchampions.eu/get-involved/.

In summary, the VR Health Champions Open Call 2025 provides funding for SMEs to collaborate with leading companies in the VR/AR healthcare space. The goal is to advance the market readiness, clinical integration, and technical capabilities of XR and AI solutions in healthcare. SMEs with expertise in areas like market research, regulatory compliance, technical development, and AI are encouraged to apply. The selected SMEs will receive up to 40,000 EUR to contribute to specific challenges defined by the flagship SMEs within the VR Health Champions project. This initiative aims to foster innovation, knowledge transfer, and the development of a strong interregional value chain in the VR/AR healthcare sector, particularly in less developed regions of Europe.

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Breakdown

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant type for this opportunity is SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) as defined by the European Commission in EU Recommendation 2003/361/EC. Applicants must provide the relevant SME status confirmation template as part of their application.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically Financial Support for Third Parties (FSTP) provided through cascade funding. The approved grant amount to selected SMEs will be provided as a lump sum contribution, subject to proper implementation of the action.

Consortium Requirement: A single applicant is required. However, the selected SMEs are expected to actively collaborate with one of the five flagship SMEs (Lightspace, MEEVA, MedApp, Metaskills, and Virtuleap).

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility for applicants includes:
1. A region covered by the VR Health Champions consortium.
2. A less developed region within the European Union, as defined by the European Commission, where GDP per capita is below 75% of the EU average.
3. An outermost region of the European Union, as recognized under Article 349 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

Target Sector: The target sectors are health, ICT, and innovation, specifically focusing on Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare, and related technologies. This includes XR healthcare solutions, AR sensors, AI-driven virtual agents, VR market research, XR clinical risk frameworks, and regulatory documentation.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the eligibility is focused on less developed regions and outermost regions within the European Union, as well as regions covered by the VR Health Champions consortium. Therefore, the relevant region is the EU.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on advancing existing technologies and solutions, specifically upgrading the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) for VR/AR innovations from TRL 6 to TRL 9. This includes activities related to market entry, clinical integration, technical advancement, prototype validation, and commercial partnerships.

Funding Amount: The total funding available for the call is 200,000 €. Each successful applicant SME may receive financial support up to 40,000 €. The financial support to SMEs will be calculated as a maximum 100% of eligible costs, up to 40,000 €, but the applicants may request a lower grant rate / grant amount.

Application Type: The application type is an open call. Applications must be submitted electronically through the electronic submission form of the VR Health Champions website.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum contribution, subject to proper implementation of the action.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single-stage submission and a two-step evaluation procedure. The first step involves a review for formal requirements, including admissibility and eligibility. The second step involves a quality evaluation by an evaluation committee composed of three independent in-house experts. The top three highest-quality proposals will be invited to participate in a hearing and project selection process, where a jury of subject matter experts will evaluate the presentations and select the final teams for funding.

Success Rates: A total of five SMEs will be selected to receive funding. Given the total funding available (200,000 €) and the maximum funding per SME (40,000 €), the success rate is likely to be below 10%, as the number of applications is expected to be significantly higher than the number of available grants.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly required, as the financial support to SMEs will be calculated as a maximum 100% of eligible costs, up to 40,000 €. However, applicants may request a lower grant rate / grant amount.

Summary: The VR Health Champions Open Call 2025 is a funding opportunity for SMEs specializing in VR/AR and AI technologies within the healthcare sector. The call aims to break down market, clinical, and regulatory barriers in less developed regions of Central Eastern and Southern Europe, while fast-tracking the advancement of VR/AR applications. The project focuses on upgrading the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of VR/AR innovations from TRL 6 to TRL 9. The selected SMEs will receive up to 40,000 € in financial support to address specific challenges defined by five flagship SMEs (Lightspace, MEEVA, MedApp, Metaskills, and Virtuleap). The eligible activities include innovation and market services, technical development and integration, regulatory and risk management support, and partnership and ecosystem building. The application process involves a single-stage submission and a two-step evaluation procedure, with the top three proposals invited to a hearing and project selection process. The call is open to SMEs legally established in regions covered by the VR Health Champions consortium, less developed regions within the EU, or outermost regions of the EU. The deadline for submission is June 23, 2025. This opportunity is designed to foster cross-sector knowledge exchange and technology transfer, ultimately creating pathways for future innovations in the VR/AR healthcare sector.

Short Summary

Impact
This grant aims to support SMEs in developing XR/AI healthcare solutions to address clinical, technical, and market barriers in underserved EU regions.
Applicant
Applicants should have expertise in XR, AI, or healthcare innovation, particularly in market research, regulatory compliance, and technical development.
Developments
Funding will be directed towards projects that enhance market readiness, regulatory alignment, and prototype validation in the healthcare sector using XR and AI technologies.
Applicant Type
This funding is designed for SMEs specializing in XR, AI, or healthcare innovation.
Consortium Requirement
The funding is for single applicants, but collaboration with flagship SMEs is required during project implementation.
Funding Amount
Each successful applicant SME may receive financial support up to €40,000, with a total budget of €200,000 for the call.
Countries
No specific countries are mentioned; eligibility is focused on less developed regions and outermost regions within the EU.
Industry
The funding targets the healthcare sector, specifically focusing on XR, AI, and innovation in healthcare.