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Up to €200,000 for Projects on Industrial Robotics Automation Solutions

dimitarpalanski
21 hours ago
3 min read

The second call of the “ARISE” project will support projects focused on solutions related to human–robot interaction (HRI) for industrial robotics automation. The call opened for applications today, 03 December 2025.

Projects must be collaborative in nature and include:

one partner acting as a technology provider, responsible for developing the HRI solution, and
another partner acting as an end user, who proposes a real-world usage scenario.

The ARISE project aims to make industrial HRI more accessible, affordable, and easier to adopt, with a focus on the healthcare, intralogistics, and manufacturing sectors. The goal is to enable European industry to rely on robust open-source middleware, develop a reliable HRI framework, and create a sustainable open-innovation ecosystem in industrial robotics.The project is implemented by a consortium of 10 partners from 5 countries. More information can be found here.

Funding

The procedure is funded under the European programme “Horizon Europe” 2021–2027. The total budget of the call is €2.6 million.

Funding is provided in the form of lump-sum grants of up to €200,000 per project. Applicants may request up to 100% of their estimated budget.

Up to 13 projects will be funded.

In addition to the grant funding, approved projects will also benefit from a 12-month support programme.

Beneficiaries

Eligible beneficiaries include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), startups, small mid-cap companies, universities, research organizations, and others. They must be registered in EU Member States or in countries associated with the Horizon Europe programme.

Applications may be submitted:

individually, provided the organization can fulfil both key roles (technology provider and end user), or
by consortia of up to three organizations.

At least one organization in the consortium must be an SME, and the lead partner must be an SME.

Roles include:

Technology provider – responsible for the design, development, and implementation of a fully functional solution. The solution must include at least one collaborative robotics application and demonstrate TRL 6–7* by the end of the project;
Additional technology provider, if necessary;
End user – owners of industrial facilities where the target industrial process is already in operation.

Eligible Activities and Costs

Projects are sought that:

extend the functionality of existing HRI tools and modules to meet the requirements of a new use case, or
develop new HRI modules for use cases where HRI is not currently applied.

Project proposals must address at least one of the following challenges:

Disassembly and assembly of high-value products;
Complex order picking in industrial warehouses;
Flexible collaborative robots;
Intelligent programming;
Enhanced robot functionality through multimodal HRI interactions;
Delivery and transport tasks in healthcare facilities;
HRI to improve worker efficiency in high-precision flexible tasks;
HRI to improve ergonomics in high-precision tasks.

Eligible costs include personnel, subcontracting, travel and subsistence, equipment depreciation, consumables, and others.

Management and Evaluation

The procedure is managed by the ARISE project partners. Project proposals will be evaluated by two independent external experts based on the criteria of excellence, impact, and implementation, with the excellence criterion carrying the highest weight.

Gender balance among staff involved in project implementation will also be taken into account.

Projects that pass this evaluation stage will be invited to an online interview.

Timeline

Project duration will be up to 12 months.

The application deadline is 04 February 2026, 17:00 (Central European Time).Applications must be submitted electronically here.

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Consult us

The eligibility of costs is one of the most strictly controlled aspects of any project. Only costs that are directly linked to the activities carried out within the eligible period and supported by correct documentation can be recognized.

NORTAN experts perform detailed verification and ensure compliance with the requirements of the governing authorities, which reduces the risk of financial corrections.

The project cycle goes through several key phases:

Analysis of client needs and identification of suitable financing opportunities;
Development of a project idea and preparation of a proposal;
Assessment and approval by the Managing Authority;
Implementation, monitoring and control of activities;
Final reporting and sustainability of results.

NORTAN Ltd offers comprehensive support at every stage - from concept to successful completion of the project.

Among the most common errors are incomplete or incorrect documentation, a mismatch between the project objectives, the scope and priorities of the program, as well as incorrect budget structuring, which includes expenses for remuneration, the purchase of equipment and other external services.

Our team conducts a thorough analysis before submitting the project proposal to ensure full compliance and increase the likelihood of approval.

Reporting includes the presentation of detailed technical and financial reports that demonstrate the implementation of activities and the achievement of results.

NORTAN provides methodological and expert support throughout the entire process, from documentation preparation to communication with governing bodies, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and legality at the completion of each project.

NORTAN Ltd. experts, with proven experience in writing technical and financial reports, provide full support in their preparation and reporting to the competent institutions.

Cascading Funding is a mechanism where the European Commission provides funds to a lead beneficiary (usually a consortium), which then distributes part of these funds to third parties (SMEs, start-ups, NGOs, researchers) through open calls for applications.

This type of funding is widely used in programs such as Horizon Europe and Digital Europe and is also known as Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) .