Open innovation: Addressing Grand challenges in AI (AI Data and Robotics Partnership) (CSA)

Résumé

This is a two-phase AI Challenge Competition funded by the European Commission under Horizon Europe, launching two specific Generative AI challenges in autonomous robotics and agentic AI for engineering design. Teams from academia and/or industry compete in a Spark Phase (concept note submission with €28,500 prizes for 5 winners per challenge) followed by an Advance Phase (5-month development programme with €100,000 final prize per challenge). The competition targets technology advancement from TRL 2-3 to TRL 4-5, with focus on Natural Language Mission Generation for Agricultural Robots and Agentic AI for Automated CAD Generation.

This call targets teams from academia and/or industry to compete in two Generative AI challenges focused on autonomous robotics in agriculture and agentic AI for CAD/simulation — both areas tangentially related to Acme's AI and semiconductor domains. Acme is eligible as an industry participant (solo or consortium), but the competition format is prize-based with a maximum award of €100,000 per challenge winner, which is modest for a semiconductor/AI company with R&D infrastructure. The challenges are domain-specific (agriculture robotics and engineering CAD simulation) rather than semiconductor or photonics-oriented, meaning Acme would need to reposition its AI capabilities to fit these application areas. The two-phase structure (Concept Note → 5-month development programme) is feasible but requires significant effort for a relatively small financial return. If Acme has relevant AI/ML competencies in robotics or simulation, this could be worth a targeted bid for visibility and ecosystem positioning, but it is not a core strategic fit.

Scores détaillés

PASS for now — the prize ceiling of €100,000 is too small relative to the effort required, and neither challenge aligns directly with Acme's semiconductor or core AI priorities; consider only if Acme has a dedicated robotics or simulation AI team seeking competition exposure.

Description

An AI Challenge Competition (teams from academia and/or industry) will launch 2 specific attractive Generative AI challenges to drive significant research progress in autonomous robotics and agentic AI for engineering design and simulation, starting at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2-3 and achieve TRL 4-5. > Challenge 1:  GenAI-Based Natural Language Mission Generator for Autonomous Robots in Agriculture _ Intellimech >  Challenge 2:  Agentic AI for Automated CAD Generation and Autonomous Simulation _ SIAD Group The competition consists of the following phases: Spark Phase: Submission and evaluation of a Concept Note. Five winners will be selected for each challenge and awarded a prize of EUR 28,500 each. Advance phase : Development, model validation and demonstration of AI solutions. The five winners of the SPARK Phase will enter a five-month development programme involving algorithm development, validation activities, conceptual and technical monitoring, and a final live demonstration. One winner will be selected for each challenge and awarded a final prize of EUR 100,000. The AI-BOOST competition is expected to generate 10 breakthrough AI solutions, contributing to substantial scientific and technological progress in the targeted AI domains. Among these, four solutions (one per challenge) will be recognised as the most promising for industrial adoption and real-world deployment. The two-phase competition structure incorporates dedicated monitoring and support mechanisms to ensure continuous progress throughout the development process, while fostering close collaboration between participants, Challenge Owners, industry stakeholders and AI-BOOST. Budget: €535 000