For Innovative Experiments
Call identifier and key dates
Call identifier: 6G-SANDBOX-3 – 3rd 6G-SANDBOX Open Call for Innovative Experiments
Feasibility check deadline*: 5th of September 2024 at 17:00 (Brussels local time)
Submission deadline**: 19th of September 2024 at 17:00 (Brussels local time)
* Please, read instructions for the feasibility check below.
** Language in which proposal should be submitted: English
Call objective
- Innovative experiments: Deploy and test innovative experiments over the 6G-SANDBOX experimentation infrastructure. Innovative 6G use cases and KPI measurements shall use the features and capabilities of the 6G-SANDBOX experimentation infrastructure, described in the technical information document.
- The objective is to demonstrate future 6G communications networks in the context of use cases described in FG-NET2030-Sub-G1 and in the scope of the ITU IMT-2030 framework. The main scope is to deliver values and ratings for application and network KPIs, as well as to quantify the added value for their target vertical sector.
The experiments are estimated to start on the 1st of January 2025 and the duration of each experiment should not exceed 6 months. Longer experimentation needs (maximum 9 months) must be duly justified.
Funding
- The maximum amount of financial support for each innovative experiment is 60,000€ for eligible costs and considering the funding rate.
- A consortium of up to two organizations can apply for funding. The total aggregated funding shall not exceed 60,000€.
- In accordance with the funding rules of the SNS JU work programme, the financial support to the third parties will be 90% (for-profit organization) or 100% (not-for-profit organization) of the declared costs.
- A total of 772,980€ is available for this Open Call
Budget
The budget to be allocated to the successful proposals covers personnel and other costs related to the following activities:
- Getting familiar with 6G-SANDBOX testbeds and overall infrastructure
- Detailed definition, implementation, and execution of the experiment
- Reporting to the 6G-SANDBOX consortium and submission of deliverables
- Attending required project meetings/events (travel costs)
- Other costs related to implementation of experiments
As a third party, the proposing party must include an overview of the estimated costs in its proposal at the time of submission. Costs consist of personnel costs, direct costs (such as travel, consumables, etc.) and indirect costs. The costs of a third party must comply with the corresponding rules and the principles applied in the Horizon Europe programme and must be recorded in the accounts of the third party. In other words, the rules relating to eligibility of costs, identification of direct and indirect costs and upper funding limits apply as well as to those concerning controls and audits.
Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods, works and services) shall not exceed 15% of the personnel costs. Subcontracting is not permitted.
Feasibility check
Prospective proposers are encouraged to contact the 6G-SANDBOX consortium and share their intentions in order to verify the feasibility of their experiment to be deployed and tested in the scope of the project. The purpose is to receive initial feedback on the planned experiment.
- To perform the feasibility checks a description of the planned experiment (up to one page in length) must be sent to opencalls@6g-sandbox.eu.
- In the e-mail subject line or first line of the e-mail text, the short name of the proposal must be included.
- The 6G-SANDBOX pilot site planned to be used for the experiment must be mentioned. See https://6g-sandbox.eu/pilot-6g-sites/
- Proposals submitted without performing a feasibility check will undergo the same feasibility check right after the submission deadline and before entering the evaluation process.
Eligibility for participation and funding
- As regards eligibility rules for participation and funding in the Open Calls, the General Annexes to Horizon Europe for the Work Programme 2023-2024 apply. UK entities are allowed to participate subject to the UK/EU agreement being effective in January 2024.
- Implementing the Decision (EU) 2022/2506 on measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary, that took effect on 16 December 2022, certain Hungarian entities are not eligible for funding (more information is available here).
- Please, note that organizations from Switzerland are not eligible for EC funding in this open call. Swiss organizations can apply for the open call, as a single organization or as part of a consortium, but the funding, if requested, must be provided by Swiss authorities).
- Proposers’ organizations can submit multiple proposals; however, the total available granted funding for the organization in this call is limited to the maximum amount defined in the funding section and maximum one proposal per organization might be selected for funding within this open call.
- Young organisations with less than three years of commercial operations are encouraged to apply, however the funding conditions in the agreement will be defined for “payment after delivery”, i.e. no advance payment will be paid.
- Beneficiaries of the 6G-SANDBOX project and organizations funded by 6G-SANDBOX OC-1 and OC-2 are not eligible to participate in this open call.
Submission
- The proposals must be submitted through the online submission portal, available at https://submission.eurescom.eu/
- The proposals must be submitted by using the mandatory proposal template.
- Proposers are required to upload as attachment to the proposal submission the Declaration of Honor (DoH).
The mandatory proposal template and the template of Declaration of Honor are available from https://6g-sandbox.eu/open-call-3/
Please, do not forget to upload your Declaration of Honor (DoH) as attachment to your submission!
Contact
All communication, questions, or request for information in relation to the Open Call must be directed to opencalls@6g-sandbox.eu.
Evaluations and ranking of the proposals
To perform the evaluations of the received proposals for financial support for third parties through this Open Call, the project will involve independent experts, which cannot be part of the consortium and cannot evaluate proposals where a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest can be identified. For each of the received proposals, at least two assigned experts will perform off-line reviews independent of each other. Afterwards, consensus meetings for all proposals among the involved experts will be held either as face-to-face or web conference meetings, where a common opinion and rating will be determined for all proposals.
The independent experts will be advised to perform the proposal evaluations, including their rating and ranking, in accordance with the requirements and objectives specified in the Open Calls, along at least the following three criteria:
- Impact (max 5, threshold = 3, weight 2): value or experiment to advance the development and readiness of the 6G-SANDBOX experimentation infrastructure
- Innovation and technology (max 5, threshold = 3, weight 2): innovativeness and technological value of the proposed experiment
- Implementation (max 5, threshold = 3, weight 1): quality of methodology and of proposed participants.
The last step in the evaluation process will be to create a ranking among all received proposals, which will be done in cooperation with all independent experts involved in the evaluations. Integration of the proposals in the project plan will be done after final approval of the ranking by the EC (SNS JU office).
When scores are equal, any further prioritization will be based on other appropriate characteristics, which will be decided by the panel of evaluators, related to the contribution of the proposal to the project, in accordance with the specific conditions of the Call:
- The proposals (ranked above threshold) will be selected for funding to cover as many areas/verticals as possible.
- Further priority will be given to equal utilization of the 6G-SANDBOX pilot sites (i.e., the balanced use of the 4 6G-SANDBOX pilot sites)
Evaluation of the received proposals, ranking, and decision on proposals to be funded will be completed no later than 15th November 2024.
Grant Agreement
6G-SANDBOX has received funding from the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under Grant Agreement No 101096328
