Strengthening cybersecurity capacities of European SMEs with cybersecure AI-powered solutions

Expected Outcome: Project should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: Research funders, policymakers and research communities in the social sciences and humanities (SSH) are provided with a multi-annual R&I programme on social transformations and resilience, responding to megatrends like climate change and biodiversity loss, digitalisation, demographic changes and unexpected shocks. Research investments on social protection and essential services, future of work, education and skills, and a fair transition to climate neutrality are increased. Stakeholders, including social partners and civil society, and policymakers are provided with evidence-based knowledge, tools and innovative solutions, which contribute to new policies and strategies for strengthening resilience, fairness, inclusiveness and social cohesion at European, national and regional level. Scope: Europe is undergoing critical social transformations driven by macro drivers of change, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, digitalisation and demographic change, which have been accelerated by events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. These transformations…

Expected Outcome: Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes: Availability and integration of advanced, trustworthy, energy-efficient perception systems, exploiting technological advancements of Generative AI (GenAI) to enhance situational awareness and support safe decision-making; Enhanced Vulnerable Road User (VRU) safety, based on elevated, more temper-proof perception and understanding of their behaviour and intention predictions; Enhanced robustness of CCAM systems - both on-board and on the infrastructure side - in critical situations due to their training, virtual testing and validation in scenarios generated by GenAI, complementing existing scenario databases for the testing and validation of CCAM systems; Enhanced understanding of the relevance and limitations of using GenAI for CCAM; Tools and harmonised approaches for the use of GenAI in mobility technology development, training and validation, as well as for systemic applications such as traffic management and remote control, integrating them into existing approaches. Scope: Pilots and demonstrations using Level 3 and 4 vehicle services face major challenges in perception and…

Expected Outcome: Projects should contribute to all the following expected outcomes: Enhanced understanding, accompanied by documented good practices, showing what works to encourage multilingualism in society and what type of practices have led to safeguarding linguistic heritage, including lesser used, endangered and historically marginalised languages. Rigorous policy-relevant evidence, strategies and policy recommendations for promoting multilingualism and safeguarding linguistic diversity are available to policy makers, and users are involved in their development, especially the younger generation. Non-linguistic benefits of language maintenance and revitalisation are well documented, communicated and understood by different stakeholders. Citizens are empowered and engaged in the sustainable management of their own linguistic heritage and resources, with a focus on intergenerational dialogue and education activities, with particular attention to communities where oral transmission is the primary mode of language preservation. Maps and visual presentations showing the linguistic diversity in Europe are available, including a variety of existing languages (regional and minority…

Expected Outcome: Europe's first long-term VET provider network for semiconductors; a larger and more diverse pool of qualified technicians; and increased intra- and extra-EU mobility of students and workers to fill skills gaps in semiconductor facilities. Scope: This call supports the establishment of a European-level federation of Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers focused on semiconductor industry roles. Projects should develop industry-aligned micro-credentials and reskilling programmes, with a strong emphasis on workers transitioning from other industrial sectors and on cross-border recognition of qualifications.

Expected Outcome: Proposals should contribute to the first two expected outcomes, and either the one listed under Focus 1, or the one listed under Focus 2. The potential of art-science and/or technology collaborations to address societal challenges and drive innovation is better understood. Guidance, toolkits, and actionable methodologies are developed to promote these collaborations, providing policymakers, professionals, and training organisations with clarity on intervention scope, applicability across various fields, and evaluation methods, metrics, or tools. New and existing national, European or international networks for art-science-technology collaborations are established or strengthened, expanding opportunities for artists to engage with science and technology. Focus 1 Approaches, methodologies and model interventions for integrating arts and creative practices to enhance soft skills across public and private sectors are developed, tested and disseminated. Focus 2 The effectiveness of critical artists’ engagement in interdisciplinary teams is demonstrated alongside the assessment of the viability of research-intensive emerging technologies through at least three low…

Expected Outcome: Projects should contribute to all of the following expected outcomes: Increased evidence collection and intelligence gathering, effective cross-border and cross-domain cooperation and uptake by the Law Enforcement Authorities (LEA) and experts of the consolidated tools and platforms within their operational systems and methodologies in accordance with the different user’s requirements. Capacity building and consolidated training ecosystem, developed with concrete, validated, actionable, interactive training materials tailored to the specific needs of different user groups across EU Member States and beyond. European Union law enforcement, judiciary and other competent authorities and practitioners gain a better understanding and enhanced capabilities in addressing crimes related to cultural heritage thanks to the consolidations of existing solutions, standardized and tailored trainings and workshops and practical learning materials. Actionable solutions to the threat to cultural heritage trafficking by illicit excavations crime that do not necessarily amount to organised crime but are still illegal activities that considerably endanger Europe’s cultural heritage,…

Expected Outcome: Deliverables: Initiatives implemented for the target audience to collect knowledge on learning needs in the area of AI uptake in health. Training programmes in the area of advanced digital skills for AI uptake in health, designed jointly by higher education institutions, VET providers, research organisations, businesses and other stakeholders in digital health, in collaboration with the network of AI-powered advanced screening centres. Training catalogue with detailed course planning and timetable, regularly updated. Final analysis of the completed training and the achievement level reached in improved skills. A landing page integrated into the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, showcasing existing and forthcoming education and training initiatives and promoting training offers to the relevant audience. Objective: The academic offer in the area of advanced digital technologies in the EU is still lagging behind other regions of the world, especially when compared to the United Kingdom or the United States [1] even though the number of both bachelor’s and master’s programmes in the EU has increased through the years. Furthermore, apart from delivering excellent…

Expected Outcome: At a general level, the project should achieve a strong, visible and recognised impact in scaling, facilitating and accelerating research and analytical efforts focussing on the information environment and information integrity. The main outcomes of the awarded project will be: The technical solutions created or supported The insights generated from supported research and monitoring projects The proof of concept and lessons learnt for the support of shared infrastructures to support research on the information environment Project applications will formulate their own deliverables in accordance with their needs analyses and proposed means to address them. At the minimum, deliverables should include: A suite or network of solutions capable of addressing Specific Objectives 1 and 2 (c.f. section 2 ‘Scope – Specific Objectives 1 and 2’) A methodology and dissemination plan for creating access to the created resources (c.f. section 2 ‘Scope – Specific Objective 3) A sub-granting methodology in line with the scope set forth in the section above (c.f. section 2 ‘Scope – Specific Objective 5’) A final report detailing lessons learnt and identifying clear paths for future…

Expected Outcome: Deliverables: Provision of the four key elements required of a Safer Internet Centre, namely: A centre for raising awareness among children, parents/carers, teachers and educators as well as other relevant professionals working with children about online opportunities and risks for the under 18s, producing and promoting localised age-appropriate resources to address current and emerging risks and opportunities. A helpline to give advice and support to parents and children on issues related to children's use of digital technologies and services; to provide assistance on mental health issues relating to the exposure to age-inappropriate content online, including pornographic and violent content; to strengthen support to victims of cyberbullying, close cooperation with the national Child Helpline 116111 service is required. A hotline for tackling the spread of online CSAM (i.e., receiving, analysing, and processing reports of such material). Closer cooperation with law enforcement and the private sector should be further explored in the context of the EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse and the proposed Regulation to prevent and combat…

Expected Outcome: Deliverables: ​​​​​​ Three open calls for pilots (at least one call per year) launched and managed providing financial support to third parties to at least 20 EdTech start-ups/SMEs from across Member States and eligible countries. A minimum of 60% of the total budget should be spent on Financial Support for Third Parties (FSTP) and the maximum amount per third party can amount up to 150.000 EUR to allow short pilots testing in real education or training environments; Developed and implemented a yearly 12-months incubation and acceleration programme providing a mix of mentoring, networking services, consultancy, training and/or business and access-to-market support to the selected companies; Short pilots implemented in real education and training environments to gather impact assessment data of the selected solutions. Human-centric design methods involving users and strong linkages with learning design methodologies are recommended for the piloting phase. European-wide communication and awareness raising activities; At least one big event per year organised to reach a large number of investors, market partners, ministries of education (or other ministries),…