AID4SME Open Call #2 – AI and Data Solutions for Green Industry: Up to €200,000 for SMEs and Start-ups
Up to €200,000 in funding for SMEs and start-ups developing AI and data-driven solutions applied to real industrial challenges in manufacturing, energy and circular economy, all aligned with the Green Deal
About AID4SME
AID4SME’s core mission is to facilitate SMEs in developing combined Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data solutions to tackle large-scale resource optimisation challenges in industries that play a significant role in achieving the objectives of the Green Deal. To do so, AID4SME brings together two types of infrastructure: low-TRL playgrounds provided by four scientific partners with specialisation in AI and data technologies, and high-TRL playgrounds from four large industry partners in the automotive, whitegoods, battery and energy sectors, who open their experimental and production facilities for testing and validation.
The project has already run a first open call and is now launching its second, through which it will select up to 12 innovative SME-led projects to integrate into the programme.
About the AID4SME Open Call 2
The second open call allocates a total indicative budget of €2,350,000 to fund up to 12 projects addressing one of ten predefined industrial challenges across four domains: data collection, creation of insights, decision support and automation.
The call is structured around four domains and ten specific challenges. Each applicant must choose one challenge to address:
Domain 1 – Combined AI and Data solutions for Data Collection
- C1.1 Augmented sensing solution.
Domain 2 – Combined AI and Data solutions for Creation of Insights
- C2.1 Product-production Digital Twins.
- C2.2 Automated monitoring hygiene inspection for refurbishment.
- C2.3 Energy system Digital Twin decision support tool.
Domain 3 – Combined AI and Data solutions for Decision Support
- C3.2 Automated machine selection for parts production.
- C3.3 Battery production digital work instructions & skill capturing.
- C3.4 Automated warehouse and internal logistics management.
Domain 4 – Combined AI and Data solutions for Automation
- C4.1 Smart energy management of unplanned machine downtime.
- C4.3 Semi-automated EV battery disassembly for recycling.
- C4.4 Co-bot refrigerator door assembly solutions.
The challenges are designed to be tackled in partnership with specific industrial and scientific playground owners from the AID4SME consortium, primarily Arçelik (whitegoods and consumer electronics), KU Leuven (engineering and manufacturing research), and LEITAT (optical sensing and inspection technologies), among others.
Why Apply to this call
This call offers funding for up to 12 projects, with a maximum contribution of €200,000 per project, representing a 70% funding rate of eligible total project costs. The budget is disbursed in lump sums across three periods:
- 30% at the end of Period 1 (Month 1).
- 40% at the end of Period 2 (Months 2–8).
- 30% at the end of Period 3 (Months 9–14).
It is worth noting that 10% of the Period 1 payment covers the work done during that month, while the remaining 90% is a pre-financing advance that remains the property of the AID4SME consortium until the final payment is released.
The total indicative budget for this open call is €2,350,000.
Beyond the funding itself, selected applicants enter the AID4SME Programme #2, a structured 14-month acceleration journey.
Who Can Apply?
The call is open exclusively to SMEs and start-ups. Applications can be submitted by a single entity or as a consortium of up to two organisations, always led by an SME or start-up. Each eligible entity may submit a maximum of one application (with the exception of research institutions and non-profits, which are not bound by this limit).
Other entities may participate as consortium members without receiving financial support: industry organisations offering use cases and testing environments, integrators or engineering services providers, and research institutions, non-profit organisations and public research centres.
How to Apply to AID4SME Open Call 2
Applications must be submitted exclusively via the F6S platform. The proposal must be completed in English, in PDF format, and include all mandatory sections: an application form filled in directly on F6S and the Proposal Template (Annex 2).
Important Dates
- Launch date: 15 May 2026
- Submission deadline: 15 July 2026 at 17:00 CEST
- Eligibility check: 16–20 July 2026
- In/out challenge scope check: 20–27 July 2026
- Expert evaluation: 21 July–18 September 2026
- Online interviews: 31 August–4 September 2026
- Announcement of results: 18 September 2026
- Programme start (indicative): 1 November 2026
Proposal Requirements
The mandatory sections of the proposal are:
- Project overview and summary.
- Section 1. Excellence: detailed description of the proposed solution, its current TRL and technical capabilities, and its alignment with the selected challenge.
- Section 2. Impact: expected impact on the AID4SME ecosystem and industry competitiveness, exploitation plan, IPR management, and green and social sustainability.
- Section 3. Implementation: work plan and timeline, team qualifications and capacity, and budget justification following the lump sum model.
- Ethics self-assessment questionnaire.
Three mandatory deliverables apply to all selected projects regardless of the chosen challenge: an Intellectual Property Agreement established with playground owners at Month 4, a Test and Validation Report at Month 10, and a Business Plan and Exploitation Roadmap at Month 14.
Evaluation and Selection Process
The evaluation follows a four-phase process. First, all submitted proposals undergo an eligibility check. Eligible proposals then face a challenge scope verification to ensure alignment with the selected challenge. Those that pass move to independent external expert evaluation, scored against four criteria:
- Novelty and Innovation (30%).
- Impact (30%).
- Implementation (20%).
- Team (20%).
The minimum threshold per criterion is 3 out of 5, and the overall minimum is 9 out of 15. Tie-breaking prioritises Novelty and Innovation first, then Impact, Team and Implementation.
The top three proposals per challenge are then invited to a 30-minute online interview evaluated by playground and challenge owners against three criteria: project concept and alignment (40%), team (30%), and exploitation plan and IPR (30%). Interview scores replace the expert evaluation scores for the final ranking.
Additional support beyond funding
Beyond the funding itself, selected applicants enter the AID4SME Programme #2, a structured 14-month acceleration journey divided into four stages:
- Stage 1 – Plan (Month 1): Fine-tuning the action plan with mentors and playground owners.
- Stage 2 – Development (Months 2–8): Developing the solution and proceeding with integrations at playground owners’ sites.
- Stage 3 – Testing and Validation (Months 9–10): Testing, validating and demonstrating the solution.
- Stage 4 – Solution Assessment and Business Plan (Months 11–14): Developing a business plan and an exploitation roadmap.
Throughout the programme, beneficiaries receive technical mentoring, access to both low-TRL scientific and high-TRL industrial facilities, business support and coaching, and integration into a Community of Practice (COP) and a wide network of Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) across Europe.
Final Thoughts on AID4SME
AID4SME Open Call #2 is a well-structured opportunity for AI and data-focused SMEs and start-ups looking to validate their solutions in real industrial settings. The combination of financial support, structured mentoring, access to both scientific and industrial testing environments, and integration into a broader European network is a compelling value proposition well beyond the grant itself.
The diversity of challenges across manufacturing, energy and circular economy means there are relevant entry points for a wide range of technology profiles: from computer vision and hyperspectral sensing to digital twins, robotics, energy management, and logistics AI. The requirement to address a specific predefined challenge, with defined KPIs and deployment environments already in place, provides a concrete context for proposal development and reduces the ambiguity often associated with open-ended calls.
For SMEs that are ready to pilot their solutions at a high TRL, either at an existing industrial facility or in a research lab environment, and that can commit to a 14-month development and validation journey, this call represents a genuine acceleration pathway with significant strategic value.
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