Open Call Analysis: FIDAL 5G Field Trials 2nd Open Call

2nd Open Call of the FIDAL Programme closes on December 10th. This 9-month initiative offers up to €150,000 for individual proposals and up to €250,000 for collaborative projects to advance 5G use cases with expert support and state-of-the-art testbed infrastructure

About the FIDAL Programme

FIDAL, coordinated by Nova and involving 19 partners, plays a key role in boosting Europe’s leadership in communication technologies and emerging innovations. The project strengthens European capabilities in critical areas of future digital services.

Throughout the project, two cycles of large-scale trials will be conducted, including trials by SMEs selected through Open Calls. These trials will focus on testing the performance of advanced beyond 5G technologies. The outcomes will help create open-source applications, refine technology requirements, and contribute to FIDAL’s repository of Network Applications, while also sharing valuable lessons learned.

Why Apply to FIDAL Open Call 2?

For its second call, FIDAL is allocating a budget of €2,000,000, offering exciting opportunities for innovators:

Single Beneficiary Proposals: Submit a proposal for a new use case and field trials using FIDAL’s experimentation framework, toolkits, and NetApps, supported by the consortium’s existing infrastructure.
Collaborative Proposals: Teams of complementary partners can submit joint proposals to develop new use cases and run trials, utilising additional services and external testing facilities alongside FIDAL’s infrastructure. This option allows for integrating external testbeds and new services.

Projects will typically run for 9 months, with funding of up to €150,000 for individual proposals (option 1) and up to €250,000 for collaborative projects (option 2). Additionally, three special prizes of €10,000 each will be awarded to top-performing projects for excellence in trial performance, adoption of the FIDAL framework, and achievement of KPIs and KVIs.

Success Stories from Fidal Open Call 1

The first FIDAL open call in late 2023 had a budget of €4,000,000 and selected 19 winners from 92 applications. Notable projects include:

AI-HOLOCOM (Vicomtech): An affordable holographic communication service using beyond 5G networks for immersive experiences.
Magos Bakri Ballon Placement Training (UCD Dublin and Quanta & Qualia): A VR-based surgical training platform combining haptic feedback and 5G connectivity.
B5G-MOBITRUST (ONE SOURCE, Policia Local de Málaga): Expanding FIDAL’s Málaga Testbed with edge nodes and mobile Command Centres to test disaster response capabilities in real-world events.
SecurEye StreamSense (Secmotic): A 5G video surveillance system deployed with Telefónica to enhance public safety at the University of Málaga, using AI for real-time incident detection.
EFFECT (Webgenesys): A fire detection system leveraging in-situ sensors and 5G connectivity for early detection and efficient response management in critical environments.

Who Can Apply?

Applications are open to both private and public organisations from industry and research, excluding individual researchers. Eligible applicants must be based in EU Member States or Associated Countries. Qualified organisations include SMEs, start-ups, research institutions, entrepreneurial groups, app developers, and infrastructure owners.

How to Apply?

Applications must be submitted through the Funding Box electronic submission system using the provided forms. To describe your proposed trial, please complete the following form.

Important Dates

Submission Deadline: 10^th of December at 17:00 CET

Evaluation and Selection Process

The evaluation process will consider a maximum of 40 eligible proposals, with priority based on the completion and submission timestamp. Each proposal will be evaluated by at least two external experts, who will assign individual scores ranging from 0 to 5. The final score for each proposal will be the average of these individual evaluations. The evaluation criteria include:

Proposer’s capacity to conduct the field trial
Relevance to FIDAL and 5G evolve initiatives
Industrial and/or scientific innovation
Clarity and methodology
Market and societal impact
Technology expertise, security practices, and quality

Following the individual evaluations, the experts will participate in a consensus call with a project representative to review, rank, and finalise a shortlist of the top proposals.

Payment and Funding

The payment will be made in three stages, based on the submission of deliverables, achievement of KPIs, and acceptance of the trial results:

20% of the grant will be released one month after the grant agreement is signed, following the submission of a detailed activity plan.
65% will be paid upon completion of the contracted activities.
15% will be disbursed once the European Commission approves the final project results.

Applicants are encouraged to provide a clear and detailed breakdown of their projected resources and budget. This includes an estimated allocation of person-months (PMs) and a cost breakdown for each direct cost item, such as staffing, travel, and subsistence expenses. In addition, a 25% flat rate for overhead costs can be included to cover indirect expenses. Successful applicants will receive full coverage—100%—of their proposed costs.

More Information

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Open Call Analysis: FIDAL 5G Field Trials – Apply by December 10th for up to €250,000 in Funding