Fast, safe and energy-efficient edge-AI building blocks for CCAM systems
21st October 2025 at 4:10 pm
As automated vehicles continue to evolve, the need for real-time, reliable and energy-efficient AI processing is more critical than ever. The Horizon Europe call HORIZON-CL5-2026-01-D6-05 provides a unique opportunity to develop edge-AI solutions that optimise computing power, reduce latency and improve performance across systems in accordance with the Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) Partnership and its Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda. With a submission deadline of 20 January 2026, applicants should focus on solutions that combine hardware and software advancements to enable safe, scalable and cost-effective automated mobility.
Key expectations for proposals
The European Commission expects proposals to deliver:
- Optimised edge-AI solutions in hardware and software, with low power consumption, reduced latency, and improved processing speed and accuracy.
- Enhanced safety, cybersecurity, privacy, and ethical standards in data-driven CCAM functionalities.
- Balanced AI computation across edge devices, cloud, and vehicle systems to support perception, decision-making, and actuation.
- Validated approaches for integrating edge-AI into the full sense-think-act chain, including traffic management and remote control, alongside tools for model training and verification.
Pro tip: Highlight how your AI algorithms integrate with hardware to maximise real-time performance, resilience, and low energy consumption. Demonstrating edge-AI readiness in realistic scenarios will strengthen your proposal.
Enabling fast, accurate and secure CCAM operations
CCAM systems generate and process vast amounts of data in real time. Proposals should focus on optimising AI models to run on constrained edge devices without sacrificing speed or accuracy. Real-world use cases include object detection, segmentation, road tracking, and decision-making up to actuation. Edge-AI allows processing close to the vehicle, reducing network dependency and enabling faster, safer responses.
Pro tip: Demonstrate scalability and real-time applicability. Include over-the-air (OTA) updates, continuous model monitoring, and resilience measures to ensure reliable operation under diverse traffic conditions.
Strategic alignment with the CCAM partnership
Edge-AI solutions must balance energy use, computing power and deployment costs to meet the CCAM Partnership’s objectives for safe and sustainable automated mobility. Proposals should build on sector-agnostic AI and IoT advancements while leveraging Software-Defined Vehicle of the Future (SDVoF) tools and outputs from previous projects like AI4CCAM, AIthena and SYNERGIES. International collaboration is encouraged to extend the applicability of edge-AI solutions globally.
Pro tip: Align your project with regulatory requirements and real-world deployment. Highlight how your models improve decision-making reliability, safety, and energy efficiency, while remaining adaptable across vehicles and infrastructure.
Looking for help managing your proposal?
We at accelopment have experience supporting Horizon Europe cluster 5 proposals, including the ongoing ROADVIEW project. Our expertise in proposal writing, project management as well as communication and dissemination enables consortia to create competitive, compliant, and forward-looking proposals aligned with the CCAM Partnership’s objectives.
Contact our Horizon Europe experts to discuss how accelopment can help you prepare a winning proposal. We support you through every step, from concept development to successful project implementation.
Dr. Johannes Ripperger
Research & Innovation Manager
Andreia Cruz
Research & Innovation Project Manager