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Open calls

To expand the scope and application fields of the MAGICIAN solutions, two Open Calls will be launched to select further use cases. This will ensure that the solutions can easily be transferred to other application scenarios and thus prove their generality and replicability.

General Information

The MAGICIAN project will launch two Open Calls to identify and select promising proposals by SMEs / start-ups for experimentation to:

  • expand AI applications to new use cases
  • deepen and expand functionalities of project pilot (automotive use case)

The two Open Calls intend to:

  • fund up to 5 SMEs/start-ups in each call
  • distribute up to 2 Mill. EUR of total funding to winning proposals for project implementation ≤ 12 months
  • select up to 10 projects for 12 months implementation and 200k/EUR budget

Focus of 1st Open Call

The 1st Open Call has officially closed on 2nd May, 5 p.m. (CET). Thank you for your interest and applications! 

 
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Focus of 2nd Open Call

The second Open Call aims to explore how MAGICIAN capabilities can be applied across five distinct use cases. The goal is to further explore and validate the performance and adaptability of the capabilities of the SR (Sensing Robot) and CR (Cleaning Robot) within new and diverse real-time production environments. 

Open Call proposals must address a specific use case designed to extend and demonstrate the applications of a maximum of 2 capabilities envisioned within the MAGICIAN framework for the future MAGICIAN solution, in innovative domains beyond the automotive sector.

1) The second Open Call is open to proposals targeting maximum one of the following sectors:

  • Aerospace
  • Maritime & shipbuilding
  • Electronics 
  • Public transports
  • Heavy industry & energy
  • Intermediate components based on glass, plastic, textile
  • Interior design components
  • White goods

2) Open Call proposals must adapt up to 2 of the following capabilities to one of the above sectors:

  • (C1.1) Capabilitiy 1.1 Sensors for accurate defect detection and classification
  • (C1.2) Capability 1.2 polarized camera system
  • (C1.3) Capability 1.3 Increase defect removal and rework abilities
  • (C1.4) Capability 1.4 Annotation Tools for Multi-Modal Data
  • (C1.5) Capability 1.5 Innovative approaches and architectures for improved defect detection and classification
  • (C2.1) Capability 2.1 Human Observation
  • (C2.2) Capability 2.2 Human Interface and Interaction

The 2nd Call will be open from 1st December 2025 until 2nd March 2026, 5 p.m (CET). We are looking forward to your applications!

Please note that any application sent after this deadline cannot be considered for evaluation. 

Who can apply

If you are a

  • SME according to EU recommendation 2003/361 and related parameters, or
  • Start-up, with max. 5 years of existence and certified establishment

from an EU Member State including overseas departments or the Horizon Europe associated countries 

We are looking forward to receiving your proposal.

For more details on the definition of Start-ups under the Open Calls consider the Guide for Applicants and our FAQs. 

Why you should apply

MAGICIAN offers you:

  • up to 200,000 EUR funding
  • innovation management support
  • collaboration opportunities with MAGICIAN partners
  • technical support with expertise on engineering integration with focus on:
    • Testing and validation support
    • Engagement in Cutting-Edge Technology
    • Contribution to Industry Innovation
    • Solving Real-World Challenges
    • Involvement in Human-Centred Design

How to apply

ACCESSIBLE AND LEAN OPEN CALL APPROACH LAUNCH OF OPEN CALLS • on MAGICIAN website • Support via Weekly Live Helpdesk PROPOSAL SUBMISSION • Applicants concept definition • elaboration of documentation and proposal submission by defined deadline MAGICIAN FSTP Process FUNDING & IMPLEMENTATION • of selected projects • supervised by MAGICIAN consortium € MAGICIAN EVALUATION • with internal and external experts • sharing of feedbacks and contracting of selected beneficiaries
FAST-TRACK SCHEMA TOWARDS IMPLEMENTATION 2MIn/EUR to be distributed along 2 open calls SUPPORT FOR APPLICATION Launch webinar realization and activation of the Weekly Live Helpdesk sessions. EVALUATION AND SELECTION Reception of applications and eligibility checks. Evaluation according to defined award criteria by a mixed MAGICIAN internal and external commission. LAUNCH AND IMPLEMENTATION Kick-off meeting with MAGICIAN project officer, continuous monitoring and interaction with consortium for integration with elaborated solutions, coaching and final assessment of impact. L SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION Elaboration of the proposal for project according to templates including technical offer and budget estimations. Proposals to be submitted by the day of the deadline at 17h00 CET. 10 projects to be financed 200.000 EUR max funding per project 70% funding rate per SMEs OPEN CALL LAUNCH Publication of documentation, terms of reference and templates on MAGICIAN website. FEEDBACK AND CONTRACTING Sharing of feedback forms with all applicants and award of contract to selected applicants. Standardized contract form will be provided (no changes admissible), incl. details on funding scheme, IPRs, collaboration approach and expected deliverables. Week O Week 12 Week 16 Week 20 +12 months
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FAQs

The activities that qualify for financial support to third parties are explained in Section 1. Objectives of each call for proposal’s Terms of Reference.

The MAGICIAN financial support scheme (FSTP) has been structured in 2 open calls that will distribute up to 2M€ of funding to SMEs and startups. Each proposal will have a maximum budget of 200k€. Eligible costs will follow the same rules of Horizon Europe (HE) as per the HE AMGA, and will include personnel, equipment depreciation (for purchase) or renting (i.e. for robots), other and indirect costs.

Regarding staff costs, eligibility is not limited by a specific job position, e.g. staff costs also extend to SME founders. 

All the open call documents will be available online on the website once the open call is launched (see Resources & Findings | MAGICIAN).

Proposals are submitted through the Application Form opening up when clicking on the “Apply” button on the “Open Call” page.  

Multiple applications can be submitted but maximum one proposal will be funded per each Open Call per beneficiary.

For reasons of ensuring fair accessibility conditions and distribution of funding, applicants already selected as beneficiaries under the 2st MAGICIAN Open Call will not be considered eligible for funding under the 2nd Open Call.

Yes. If you discover an error in your proposal, you can at any time – provided the call deadline has not expired – submit a new version of your proposal in our portal. Only the last version received before the call deadline will be considered in the evaluation.

Each applicant needs to comply with eligibility requirements in terms of size of the applicant (SME/start up) and location (legal entities from EU Member States), as well as submitting a proposal coherent with the scope and requirements (templates) specified in the terms of reference of each call.

Only the sectors explicitly mentioned in the list below are considered eligible Use Cases under this Open Call. Each proposal application should target maximum one sector. 

  • Aerospace
  • Maritime & shipbuilding
  • Electronics 
  • Public transports
  • Heavy industry & energy
  • Intermediate components based on glass, plastic, textile
  • Interior design components
  • White goods

The evaluation criteria is based on a technical evaluation per call done by 3 sub-contracted external experts, who will score all the submitted applications based on the defined criteria of Excellence, Impact and Quality.

A business case evaluation will be done through an interview process as private investors do in their own selection process.

Finally, there will be a global evaluation performed by the MAGICIAN evaluation committee (one representative of each MAGICIAN partner) based on the results of the technical and business case evaluation.

The second Open Call will run from 1st December 2025 until 2nd of March 2026. 

All Open Call application period will be open for 12 weeks starting from the opening date indicated in the terms of reference of the OC. Submission of proposals will only be possible in the time that the call is open. During this period, a weekly live helpdesk will be put at disposal of perspective applicants for clarifying doubts or specific aspects of the application process.

Yes, UK companies can submit a proposal and receive cascade funding.

To that question, the European Commission specifically answers “UK companies remain eligible forgrants and procurement procedures as if the UK was a member state for the entirety of the Horizon 2020 framework programme and previous framework programmes. This also applies for to financial support to third parties according to Article 204 FR (cascading grants), and applies for the duration of H2020 projects.”

Your organization will be eligible provided that it does not fall in the definition of affiliated entity for Horizon Europe (see Annotated Model Grant Agreement page 143 and subsequent) https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/guidance/aga_en.pdf

However, pure support/endorsment from a MAGICIAN partner would not constitute an obstruction for participation to the Open Call. 

The definition of this collaboration is part of the submitted proposal. In order to define the most adequate solution for the proposal, the innovative company can rely on MAGICIAN partner for advice and help to build the proposal. Please contact MAGICIAN consortium through the helpdesk or the MAGICIAN partners.

The MAGICIAN Open Call follows the definition of SMEs by the European Commission.
With regard to startups, in the Guide for Applicants under the definition table, start-ups are categorized as “Micro-sized enterprises.” startups should have a maximum of five years of existence and possess an official certificate confirming their establishment, issued, for example, by a chamber of commerce. This document must be uploaded together to the proposal file in the application process.

MAGICIAN is not solely considering collaborative robots in principle, however, to increase flexibility and efficiency, the robot should be able to work side by side with human workers. So, to account for safety regulations, collaborative robots are the preferred solutions.

The total categories of defects are the following:

  • Positive Dents
  • Negative Dents
  • Welding Spatters
  • Material Defects and
  • Sealing Residuals.

Each defect also has a different severity (Class A, Class B, Class C) with approximately 8400 frames to annotate. Assuming collecting all data from all partners a very rough estimation on the maximum image number would be 100K Images to be annotated for all defects/severities/exposures/partners.