International Collaboration – EU-JP
HORIZON JU Research and Innovation Actions
Basic Information
- Identifier
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-05
- Programme
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024
- Programme Period
- 2021 - 2027
- Status
- Closed (31094503)
- Opening Date
- January 16, 2024
- Deadline
- April 18, 2024
- Deadline Model
- single-stage
- Budget
- €10,000,000
- Min Grant Amount
- €10,000,000
- Max Grant Amount
- €10,000,000
- Expected Number of Grants
- 1
- Keywords
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-05HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024Communication engineering and systems telecommunications
Description
- EU-Japan research collaboration for the evolution of Radio Access Networks (RAN), evolving following 6G standardization orientations, paving the way for future advancements towards AI-native radio access networks.
- Development, testing and evaluation of AI/ML algorithms for wireless networks to improve the performance of the system.
- Proof of concept architecture framework demonstrating the way forward for the required interoperability specifications, that future 6G RAN and integrated RAN-Core network approaches have to achieve.
- Alignment of views on radio interface concepts for future exploitation in international standardisation as well as contributions to standardisation bodies and fora, supporting global views on open standards and interoperability, with particular focus on developments ITU-T, ITU-R, 3GPP and other related standardization organizations.
Please refer to the "Specific Challenges and Objectives" section for Stream B in the Work Programme, available under ‘Topic Conditions and Documents - Additional Documents’.
Scope:This SNS International Cooperation activity targets a closer collaboration with Japan, in line with the objective outlined under the EU-Japan Digital Partnership. It builds on the interactions developed between EU stakeholders and the key associations and stakeholders in Japan.
The cooperation with Japanese stakeholders targets native and privacy-preserving AI platforms in direct connection to the related research and innovation work in Japan. The scope covers all following topics:
- AI-enabled radio access network (RAN) solutions including physical layer and signal processing technologies for 6G RAN such as distributed MIMO and user centric network, RIS implementations and AI-enabled integrated RAN/Core network functions. This domain will also allow to leverage the Open RAN/virtualisation experience of Japan towards interoperability alignment of architectural approaches in EU and Japan.
- Streamlined views on a) the use of AI and b) potential extensions on the radio interface.
- Impactful contributions to standardization bodies are also in scope of this project.
The scope includes availability of data sets, in compliance with the rules of data legislation, both existing and new ones created by the project, that may be used by researchers to validate AI approaches and inference rules applied to the selected solutions. Contribution to the framework and data access is expected to add value, notably for improvement and expansion of data sets, tools and algorithms for efficient new AI/ML solutions. Generation and exchange of data across EU-Japan stakeholders is in scope where possible and appropriate. Proposals on validation of AI techniques over experimental platforms, additionally providing the associated datasets, are in scope.
Applicants are invited to explain how the EU-Japan cooperation will be implemented, i.e., the target Japan initiative to collaborate with and the approach of cooperation to be deployed with Japan stakeholders. The retained project is expected to work with the relevant Japan funded initiative by MIC/NICT, the call of which will be announced by March 2024. Proposals should include description of specific cooperation activities to be carried out such as exchange of information and results, sharing of data, sharing of methodologies, researcher exchanges and visits, joint workshops, joint testbeds etc.
Eligibility & Conditions
General conditions
General conditions
This topic deviates from the general conditions and includes additional conditions, which are explicitly stated in the Appendix 1 of the SNS R&I Work Programme 2024 ‘Additional Conditions of the SNS 2024 Call’.
1. Admissibility conditions: described in Annex A and Annex E of the Horizon Europe Work Programme General Annexes
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System
The page limit for a full application is 100 pages for RIAs and IAs.
2. Eligible countries: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
A number of non-EU/non-Associated Countries that are not automatically eligible for funding have made specific provisions for making funding available for their participants in Horizon Europe projects. See the information in the Horizon Europe Programme Guide.
3. Other eligibility conditions: described in Annex B of the Work Programme General Annexes
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in Annex C of the Work Programme General Annexes
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Award criteria, scoring and thresholds are described in Annex D of the Work Programme General Annexes
Part D of the General Annexes to the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2024 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the SNS call 2024 covered by this Work Programme with the following complements:
The award criteria table is complemented as follows:
- Introduction in the impact section of a sub criterion assessing the proposal contribution to the reinforcement of an EU added value, with particular attention to EU economic security objectives as well as economic security risks and the role of certain suppliers, as mentioned in the Commission Communication C(2023) 4049, in R&I activities. For the assessment of this sub criterion, the mandatory security declaration annexed to the proposal (see Appendix A, section 1.9 ii)) will also be taken into consideration. If this sub criterion is not addressed in a sufficiently effective way, this shall be considered as a significant weakness.
- Introduction in the impact section of a sub-criterion assessing the proposal contribution to the overall SME objective as appropriate;
- Introduction in the impact section of a sub-criterion assessing the proposal contribution to the IKOP objectives;
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Submission and evaluation processes are described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes and the Online Manual
Part F of the General Annexes to the Horizon Europe Work Programme 2023-2024 shall apply mutatis mutandis to the SNS call 2024 covered by this Work Programme with the following amendment related to the procedure to rank proposal with equal scores, used to establish the priority order:
- When two RIA proposals are equally ranked and that it has not been possible to separate them using first the coverage criterion, second the excellence criterion, and third the generic Impact criterion (i.e., after step 2 of the procedure outlined in part F of the General Annex), the level of SME participation will be taken as the next criterion to sort out the ties and if still un-conclusive, the level of IKOP will be considered as appropriate. If still inconclusive, the procedure outlined in part F of the General Annex will be resumed from step 3 onwards.
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Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in Annex F of the Work Programme General Annexes
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in Annex G of the Work Programme General Annexes
Funding rates
Please note that the funding rates in this topic are: 100% for non-for-profit organizations and 90% with respect to for-profit organizations. Unfortunately, the maximum funding rate in the budget table is set to 100%. We kindly ask all for-profit organizations to make a manual calculation and request only 90% of the budget.
Specific conditions
7. Specific conditions: described in the specific topic of the Work Programme, and in Appendix 1 to the WP: Additional Conditions of the SNS 2024 Call.
For more call-specific questions, please check the FAQ section.
Project collaboration
As part of the call conditions, participants of selected projects will be requested to cooperate in the SNS Programme for topics of common interests by signing the collaboration agreement referred in the specific provisions of the Model Grant Agreement (MGA).
Security provisions applicable to Streams B, C and D
In order to meet the security requirements specified under the above section Context and Objectives (Cybersecurity and Economic Security), all proposals submitted in Streams B, C and D, shall have to include security declarations, which demonstrate that the economic security risks (e.g. technology leakage and supply chain risks) have been identified and addressed and that the management of project results, technologies and equipment (including software and services) in the proposed project comply with relevant security requirements. In addition, they should indicate that required documents, information and results produced within the proposed project will be duly protected and not lead to exposure of sensitive information in the cybersecurity or economic security context to entities not established in Member States or countries associated to Horizon Europe, or entities controlled from third countries. Particular attention should be paid to mitigating the higher risks associated with certain network suppliers as mentioned in Commission Communication C(2023) 4049. As part of the security declaration the proposal shall contain information that: (a) Demonstrates that any economic security risks including: 1. resilience of supply chains; 2. physical and cyber security of critical infrastructure; 3. technology security and technology leakage; and 4. weaponisation of economic dependencies or economic coercion, are taken into account and are properly addressed. (b) Demonstrates that the infrastructure deployed within the proposed project shall remain, during the action and after its completion, within the beneficiary/beneficiaries and shall not be subject to control or restrictions by entities not established in Member States or countries associated to Horizon Europe, or entities controlled from third countries. (c) Demonstrates that for any equipment to be deployed for the implementation of the proposed project and/or used for the management and operation of the resulting digital connectivity infrastructure, the required documents and information will be duly protected and not exposed to entities not established in Member States or countries associated to Horizon Europe, or entities controlled from third countries. Special care should be taken to satisfy the Commission Communication C(2023) 4049 requirements in relation to higher risks associated with certain network suppliers. Based on this security declaration by the applicant, as well as the evaluation carried out by independent experts, the funding body may require security measures to be implemented in the project and/or carry out a security scrutiny focusing on the exchange of project information, documents and results considered as security-sensitive information among project partners
Documents
Call documents:
A call-specific application form will be used in this topic — call-specific application form will be available in the Submission System
Standard evaluation form — will be used with the necessary adaptations
Standard evaluation form (HE RIA, IA)
MGA
Additional documents:
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 1. General Introduction
HE Main Work Programme 2023–2024 – 13. General Annexes
HE Framework Programme and Rules for Participation Regulation 2021/695
HE Specific Programme Decision 2021/764
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Support & Resources
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Online Manual is your guide on the procedures from proposal submission to managing your grant.
Horizon Europe Programme Guide contains the detailed guidance to the structure, budget and political priorities of Horizon Europe.
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The European Charter for Researchers and the Code of Conduct for their recruitment – consult the general principles and requirements specifying the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers, employers and funders of researchers.
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Latest Updates
PROPOSAL NUMBERS
Call HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024 has closed on the 18 April 2024 at 17.00.00
109 proposals have been submitted.
The breakdown per topic is:
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-01: 26 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-02: 26 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-03: 15 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-04: 15 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-05: 3 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-06: 1 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-07: 2 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-B-01-08: 8 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-C-01-01: 2 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-CSA-01: 1 proposals
- HORIZON-JU-SNS-2024-STREAM-D-01-01: 10 proposals
Evaluation results are expected to be communicated in July 2024
Please note that the funding rates in this topic are: 100% for non-for-profit organizations and 90% with respect to for-profit organizations. Unfortunately, the maximum funding rate in the budget table is set to 100%. We kindly ask all for-profit organizations to make a manual calculation and request only 90% of the budget.