On 23 June, dAIEDGE, as leaders of the AI NoES Communication Club, successfully hosted the fourth session of the AI NoES Horizons and Beyond webinar series, entitled “Where Innovation Meets Support: Funding and Collaboration Opportunities in Excellence Networks”. The event brought together researchers, SMEs, start-ups and representatives from organisations across Europe with a common goal: to discover how to access funding and collaboration opportunities that enable innovative ideas to be transformed into high-impact European projects.
The session confirmed the growing interest in this type of initiative, reaching a peak of 45 concurrent attendees and bringing together participants from 12 European countries. This level of participation highlights the strength of the dAIEDGE ecosystem and its ability to connect the European artificial intelligence community around opportunities for innovation, cooperation and growth.
Moderated by Selene Corbí, Project Manager responsible for dissemination and knowledge transfer on the ROCCA project, the event featured contributions from Lisa Schoellhammer, coordinator of the ELIAS Alliance; Cecilia Zanazzo, Project Manager at ELIAS; Mariana Ferreira, Project Manager at INOVA+; and Yolanda Moreno, Project and Open Call Manager at FundingBox. Thanks to their collective experience in managing European projects, open calls and networks of excellence, attendees were able to gain first-hand insight into how to make the most of the opportunities offered by the European artificial intelligence ecosystem.
Throughout the session, a practical overview was provided of how Open Calls work and the role played by Networks of Excellence, such as dAIEDGE, ELIAS and ENFIELD, in driving innovation and fostering strategic collaborations. As well as explaining the application process, the experts shared real-life experiences and recommendations on how to prepare competitive proposals and maximise the chances of success in European funding programmes.
The discussion was structured around several issues that sparked great interest among the attendees. Firstly, the factors that enable an artificial intelligence funding proposal to stand out from the rest were analysed, as well as the most common mistakes to avoid in order to meet the eligibility criteria.
The discussion also covered how SMEs, researchers and other stakeholders in the ecosystem can make the most of initiatives such as dAIEDGE’s Open Calls and Networks of Excellence to access funding and build valuable collaborations within the European innovation landscape.
The speakers also reflected on what applicants are really looking for when they take part in an open call and what benefits are most highly valued beyond financial support. In this regard, they agreed that taking part in these initiatives means gaining access to a wide network of international contacts, increasing the visibility of projects, establishing partnerships with leading organisations, validating innovative technologies and benefiting from support and mentoring services that contribute to the development of proposals.
The session concluded with one of the questions most eagerly awaited by the audience: what is the secret to submitting a winning application? The experts agreed that there is no single formula, but there are a number of key elements: gaining an in-depth understanding of the call’s objectives, submitting a clear and well-structured proposal, demonstrating a tangible impact, and building a solid consortium capable of adding value to the European ecosystem.
As in previous sessions of the series, the open question-and-answer format enabled attendees to interact directly with representatives from dAIEDGE, ELIAS and ENFIELD, clarifying specific queries regarding the application processes and receiving practical advice tailored to the needs of researchers, companies and organisations interested in participating in future calls for proposals.
The success of this fourth session once again demonstrates the role of AI NoEs Horizons and Beyond as a leading platform for sharing knowledge, bringing European funding opportunities closer to the artificial intelligence community and strengthening connections between the various stakeholders in the ecosystem. The participation of professionals from 12 European countries also reaffirms dAIEDGE’s ability to foster an increasingly connected, collaborative and innovative community, ready to tackle the challenges of the future of artificial intelligence together.
If you were unable to attend the webinar, you can watch the full recording by clicking here. We encourage anyone interested in European funding opportunities in the field of AI, current calls for proposals and collaborative innovation to watch the session and make the most of the valuable insights shared by our speakers.