FET Open calls for proposals in 2019
22nd March 2019 at 1:35 pm
FET Open (Future and Emerging Technologies) projects are set out to challenge current thinking and pave the way for innovations and radical new ideas. In this article we will be looking at two upcoming calls for proposals within the H2020 FET Open programme and give you a short overview in the form of two recently launched projects. There are two opportunities for funding coming up as part of FET Open later this year: A Research and Innovation Action (FETOPEN-01-2018-2019-2020) and a Coordination and Support Action (FETOPEN-03-2018-2019-2020).
FET Open Challenging Current Thinking (FETOPEN-01-2018-2019-2020)
Being a highly competitive call proposers can expect fierce competition. Over 3,000 Research and Innovation Action (RIA) proposals have been submitted since 2014. The early popularity led to a success rate of only 1.5% in 2015. However with fewer submissions and a higher budget, the relative number of grants has been rising and we observed a success rate of 7% in 2017. FET Open Challenging Current Thinking closes on 18 September 2019 and successful proposals need to meet the three outlined requirements: A radical vision, breakthrough technologies and ambitious interdisciplinary research.
A total funding of EUR 163.3 million is planned for the upcoming deadline. To put that number into perspective, for all deadlines in 2017 there were EUR 170.1 million available and for the first three years the budget never even reached EUR 90 million. Individual proposals can request up to EUR 3 million. Considering the numbers we are expecting 50-60 new projects to be funded as part of the 2019 deadline. There has never been a better time to apply for a FET Open, from 2014 – 2015 an average of 23 projects were funded each year.
FET Innovation Launchpad (FETOPEN-03-2018-2019-2020)
This Coordination and Support Action (CSA) is concerned with increasing FET Open projects results’ value. Many results achieved by FET Open projects are forgotten about, perhaps because they are too radical or innovative for general acceptance. The FET Innovation Launchpad will attempt to improve the societal and market acceptance of these forgotten high-potential innovations.
Projects are to be no longer than 18 months and requesting a contribution of up to EUR 100,000 from the EU.
FRINGE: A FET Open project example
The FRINGE project is trying to introduce new concepts to the treatment of brain tumours. Current technologies are limited by a number of factors and thus only increase survival rates marginally. The goal of FRINGE is to propose a new hybrid-technology concept combining the efficiency of photomedical therapies with the advantages of neutron-based therapies (large penetration depth) to lay the foundation for a novel, curative cancer therapy. As a FET Open project, FRINGE is not set out to deliver a finished therapy but provide a scientific breakthrough in establishing an experimental proof-of-principle of this novel treatment.
macQsimal: A FET Quantum Technologies (QT) Flagship
Another project we are proud to have supported in the proposal writing stage and are now supporting in project management and dissemination is macQsimal. This project will develop quantum-enabled sensors with outstanding sensitivity for the five key physical observables: Magnetic fields, time, rotation, electro-magnetic radiation and gas concentration.
Your FET Open project and accelopment
In this article we have presented two FET Open projects which are currently being supported by accelopment. As a partner in FRINGE, accelopment leads a work package which is dedicated to the communication of the project to different stakeholder groups and the dissemination and exploitation of its research results in order to maximise the impact of the project. Furthermore, accelopment chairs the Management Support Team as FRINGE’s Administrative Project Manager. We are also a project partner in macQsimal with supporting functions to the Executive Board and Project Coordinator and with Work Package leadership for dissemination and exploitation.
We are always looking for new and exciting challenges within FET Open. Be it during the proposal writing stage or as a partner in project management and/or communication. For more information and inquiries contact one of our FET Open experts: Marco Cavallaro or Johannes Ripperger.