European Factory Platform (EFPF): €2.5 million for Industry 4.0 Initiatives

The European Factory Platform (EFPF) project team invites you to submit a bid for a share of EFPF’s €2.5million EC H2020 Open Call. European SMEs, software developers, tech companies and manufacturers can be funded to create, test, validate and/or integrate innovative tools / services / applications / solutions / platforms for Industry 4.0.

The key outcome of this initiative is a federated smart factory ecosystem and a digital platform (called EFPF) that interlinks different stakeholders of the digital manufacturing domain. The EFPF platform supports European Industry 4.0 companies to utilize innovative solutions, experiment with disruptive approaches and develop custom solutions to address dynamic manufacturing needs for mass-customization and lot-size-one production.

The EFPF platform offers embedded intelligence and integrated tools and services to significantly reduce the burden of setting up collaborative networks, shorten the time to respond to new business opportunities and simplify the management and control of distributed processes.The main EFPF objectives are:

To foster the growth of a pan-European platform ecosystem that enables the transition from “analogue-first” mass production, to “digital twins” and lot-size-one manufacturing
To provide a unified Portal through which new and existing users can simply and seamlessly access the full range of services provided by the federated platforms (e.g. Single Sign On, Governance…etc)
To support developers to create digital tools/services of direct added value to manufacturers, especially for lot-size-one production, through dynamic collaboration
To demonstrate sustainable value networks and tangible benefits in three pilot industrial areas: Aerospace: B2B SME collaborations; Furniture: OEM Supply Chain; and Smart Waste Management: the Circular Economy
To extend and align existing Marketplace functionalities
To avoid the fragmentation of European digital manufacturing platforms and services
To establish standardized, industry-relevant platform architectures

Why should you be involved?

Here you can find a few reasons:

You will receive between €50-150K of non-equity funding and support to develop new services/products.
You will own what you produce and will be able to exploit outcomes across your business
You will have the opportunity to develop new, working relationships with innovative businesses in the Industry 4.0 domain
You will have access to a new sales channel through the EFPF Marketplace

Important dates and key information:

Total available funding: €2.5million
Funding range per project: €50,000 – 150,000
This budget will cover: 80% of your costs
Call Launch: October 19th 2020
Call Close: February 19th 2021
Your Project Start: September 2021
Your Project Duration: 6-12 months

Who can apply?

Please apply if you meet the following criteria.
You are:

an SME as defined in EU Law: EU Recommendation 2003/361/EC, (see https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/conferences/state-aid/sme/smedefinitionguide_en.pdf),
or a legal entity of any size operating in the manufacturing or supply chain domain,
or a technology provider / software developer,
or a research center / university

In addition:

You are legally established in an EU Member State, the UK or an Associated Country (see EC Countries List)
You are a stable, solvent, legal entity eligible for participation and funding in H2020 Initiatives
You have no formal business partnerships with any EFPF consortium member (eg part- or wholly-owned subsidiary, or affiliate) – there are no restrictions on customers and/or suppliers of EFPF consortium members