The SMART programme announces the completion of its 8th Call for Project Outline (PO) phase, marking a significant step forward in fostering collaborative innovation within the advanced manufacturing sector. This cycle saw the impressive receipt of 52 proposals, exceeding last year’s figure of 36 and highlighting increasing global interest in the SMART initiative across the EUREKA network.
This year’s call attracted contributions from 253 partners spanning 24 EUREKA member countries, demonstrating extensive international involvement and a broad spectrum of expertise. The United Kingdom led in submissions with 23 proposals, followed by Germany with 14, and Türkiye with 12. These contributions underscored the active participation from these countries and were instrumental in amassing a total proposed budget of 108.76 million euros, with the United Kingdom allocating the largest share at 28.62 million euros, closely followed by Germany and Türkiye.
The range of proposals spans multiple sectors related to advanced manufacturing, reflecting the programme’s dedication to tackling key industry challenges. Innovations in robotics, additive manufacturing, material sciences, and sustainable manufacturing practices were prominent, showcasing the varied technological advancements pursued within the EUREKA countries.
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) predominantly drove participation, accounting for 50.99% of the partners involved, followed by large-industry players at 18.18%, universities at 15.81%, and research institutes at 15.02%. This distribution highlights SMEs’ crucial role in spearheading innovation, supported robustly by contributions from larger industrial entities, academic circles, and research organisations, each bringing distinct skills to enhance advanced manufacturing research and development.
On 27th February, the SMART Technical Committee and public authorities convened to review the proposals submitted on 16th January. Out of the initial 52, 50 proposals have been invited to advance to the Full Project Proposal (FPP) phase with a revised budget of 104.12 million euros, indicating the projects’ significant potential to positively impact the advanced manufacturing ecosystem.
The FPP is a crucial document in SMART’s evaluation procedure. It is utilized for the assessment and labeling of new projects and serves as the foundation for the reporting and monitoring procedure. For more information on the Call process and to download the FPP submission template, visit the SMART website or download FPP template. The deadline for FPP submissions is set for 10th April 2025.
The SMART programme remains committed to promoting extensive global collaboration aimed at achieving medium to long-term objectives in advanced manufacturing research and development.
Upcoming Events:
- GLOBAL INNOVATION SUMMIT 2025: 1–2 April, Hanover, Germany
- PO PROPOSERS’ DAY 2025: 14th October, Dublin, Ireland. The registration platform will open soon.
