ABOUT HOSMARTAI OPEN CALL#1 INNOVATE
What is HosmartAI?
The HosmartAI Project will create a common open innovative platform for robotics and AI technology integration for the digital transformation of the European healthcare sector, to make the European healthcare system more strong, efficient, sustainable and resilient.
The HosmartAI mission is to guarantee the integration of digital and robot technologies in new healthcare environments and the possibility to analyse their benefits by providing an environment where digital healthcare tool providers will be able to design and develop AI solutions as well as a space for the instantiation and deployment of AI solutions.
The project involves 24 partners, from 12 countries and eight large-scale pilots which target advancements in cancer, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, thoracic disorders, neurological diseases, ageing and elderly care, and pregnancy.
What is Open Call #1 INNOVATE Call?
HosmartAI organises this first Open Call to engage innovative tech Startups/SMEs (Applicants) in the design, development, and integration of their technological product/service into HosmartAI’s platform/ecosystem. The objective is to solve particular HosmartAI challenges or bring new tech to be integrated into the HosmartAI platform.
The HosmartAI Open Call #1 aims to enlarge a pool of health-interoperable technologies by engaging tech Startups/SMEs (Applicants) with knowledge and expertise about the integration of their solutions in the HosmartAI platform.
What are the main Open Call#1 INNOVATE characteristics?
| Open Call timeframe | From the 8th of February 2022, 00:00 CET to the 8th of April 2022, 17:00 CET |
| Eligible applicants | Startups/SMEs (preferably developing AI-powered technology, but not limited to) |
| Activities to be funded | Design (Sprint 1), development (Sprint 2) and integration (Sprint 3) of AI technologies within the HosmartAI ecosystem to ensure a fast pace, quality of the deployment and measurable impact. |
| Duration of activities | 6 months divided into 3 sprints (each of 2 months) |
| Budget per project | up to €50.000 (lump sum) per applying proposal submitted by a Startup/SME (3rd party) |
| Evaluation of proposals | Two-stage evaluation (remote evaluation + online interview for top proposals) |
| Number of proposals to be selected | 4-6 |
| How the payment will be made? | The selected 3rd party will be paid against delivering activities submitted in Annex 3.1 Description of work. Each project will develop an implementation plan including milestones and deliverables, and a cost estimate justifying the costs and resources in relation to the implementation plan. Checking the consistency between these costs and the expected work of the project will be part of the evaluation. The total requested budget will be divided and paid through lump sum in the 3 stages: Sprint 1 (35%), Sprint 2 (35%), Sprint 3 (30%). The payments will be made according to a staged payment arrangement based on the successful completion of specified milestones, deliverables and reviews after each sprint. |
How HosmartAI can help me?
HosmartAI can empower you to develop high value and impactful technology employing the HosmartAI ecosystem and technologies, through a 6-month programme, where experts in diverse fields will provide technical support, access to HosmartAI architecture, €50k equity-free funding, visibility and the opportunity to work innovative European healthcare stakeholders.
So, are you financing my initiative?
Your project could be financed if you are selected in the HosmartAI call. Conditions are found in the Guidelines for Applicants. Each selected project can be funded with up to €50k.
How does Open Call INNOVATE work after I am selected?
After the open call for proposals, the selected projects will join the programme comprising 3-sprints (Design 2 months > Develop 2 months > Integrate 2 months). Each project defined milestones and deliverables in the submitted proposal are the basis for monitoring and evaluating the work progress during the execution of the activities. The milestones and deliverables will be evaluated at the end of each sprint.
What kind of projects are you looking for?
The HosmartAI Open Call #1 INNOVATE aims to enlarge a pool of health-interoperable technologies by engaging tech Startups/SMEs (Applicants) with knowledge and expertise about the integration of their solutions in the HosmartAI platform.
The projects to be funded under the HosmartAI Open Call #1 INNOVATE must address specific HosmartAI needs and fit into one of HosmartAI topics listed below:
- AI- or data-based services for the healthcare sector enabled by the HosmartAI platform.
- Creation of a HL7-FHIR de-identification and pseudonymization tool.
- Creation of a federated database system based on a popular open source FHIR Server implementation.
- Vector space map with 3D-5D interactive graphic interface.
- Data Parsing and Mapping Utility
Where does the funding come from?
Funding is given by the HosmartAI consortium under an Open Call Beneficiary Agreement signed by the selected Startups/SMEs and the HosmartAI consortium. The funds are given by the European Commission (Horizon 2020 Framework Programme), which uses HosmartAI as an intermediary.
Is there any support for non-selected applicants?
No. Only the selected applicants will be benefiting from HosmartAI Open Call #1 INNOVATE.
What if I secure funds from other national or regional authorities for the same project?
The funds for the project come from the H2020 Programme. This means its regulation will apply to the funds. If you get additional public funding from other entities, it will be your responsibility to assure the compatibility of the different sources of funding.
How does the funding mechanism work?
The aid provided is relying on a cascade-funding (lump sum) scheme involving H2020 funds. The scheme is based on a Grant Agreement signed by the European Commission and the HosmartAI Consortium partners. The Consortium partners as such receive the H2020 funds which are then transferred to the winners of the open calls based on the rules and regulations explained in the Guidelines for Applicants available at our website. This means that funds that will be received by the call winners are H2020 funds.
Due to Brexit, is there any effect for legal entities and natural persons legally established in the UK to be able to apply to HosmartAI?
The UK continue to participate in programmes funded under the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) until their closure.
Meaning, UK participants are at the moment eligible for funding under the HosmartAI Open Call #1 INNOVATE.
How large is your fund?
HosmartAI will distribute a total amount of €200k in Open Call #1 INNOVATE.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE
Who is eligible for Open Call#1 INNOVATE?
The HosmartAI Open Call #1 INNOVATE will fund Startups/SMEs as a tech provider/ integrator.
Only applicants legally established in any of the following countries (hereafter collectively identified as the “Eligible Countries”) are eligible:
- The Member States (MS) of the European Union (EU), including their outermost regions;
- The Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to the Member States[1];
- H2020 associated countries (those which signed an agreement with the Union as identified in Article 7 of the Horizon 2020 Regulation): according to the updated list published by the EC[2];
The UK applicants are eligible under the conditions set by the EC for H2020 participation at the time of the deadline of the call.
See Guidelines for applicants for more eligibility criteria details.
[1]Entities from Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) are eligible for funding under the same conditions as entities from the Member States to which the OCT in question is linked.
[2]https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/hi/3cpart/h2020-hi-list-ac_en.pdf
How do I apply?
The F6S platform is the entry point for all proposals at https://www.f6s.com/hosmartai-open-call1/apply
Submissions received by any other channel will be automatically discarded.
Remember to read the Guidelines for Applicants to get all the information you need to apply successfully.
Can I submit several proposals?
Only one proposal will be accepted for funding per applying Startup/SME.
In the case of a multi-submission by Startup/SME, only the last one received (timestamp of the system) will enter the evaluation process, being the rest declared as non-eligible. If the last submitted proposal is declared then not eligible or fails the thresholds of the evaluation, the rest of the proposals will not be considered for evaluation, in any case.
What is the deadline for Open Call #1 INNOVATE?
8th April 2022 at 17:00 CET.
Are you sharing any information about my proposal?
Yes. The proposals information will be shared within the HosmartAI Consortium, and independent external evaluators. A summary of the proposals and the participants’ information will be shared with the European Commission. Moreover, we will publish an Open Dataset with the beneficiaries of our open call winners including their basic information data and funding received in our project website, social media accounts.
All the information that will be made public is clearly indicated in the official documentation of the call. Unless you want to, no technical insights will be published anywhere.
What are your funding criteria?
Every eligible proposal will be evaluated by at least two different experts. The evaluation criteria are:
- Excellence & innovation.
- Appropriateness of the project scope addressing one of the open call topics/challenges and respective requirements.
- Quality, credibility, and clarity of project description.
- Interoperability level of the proposed solution. Innovation degree. Project outcomes and respective measurement. Potential impact.
- Expertise and excellence of the proposed team.
- Appropriateness of skills, expertise, and experience available within the team.
- Project planning and value for money.
- Quality, effectiveness and clarity of project activities, structure, and timing.
- Appropriateness of deliverables, KPIs and means of verification.
- Appropriateness of expected costs and resources assigned to the project.
What information is required for the application?
The documents that are required to be submitted are:
- Annex 3: Application Form – an online form available at F6S platform https://www.f6s.com/hosmartai-open-call1/apply;
- Annex 3.1: Description of Work – a mandatory word document for applicants to prepare and submit a proposal;
- Annex 4: Applicant Declaration of Honour, which declares that all conditions related to the HosmartAI Open Call #1 INNOVATE Tech are accepted by a Startup/SME legal representative.
- Annex 5: SME Declaration – which evaluates the status of the SMEs participating. You can skip it if you provide a validated PIC number in the application form.
Can I have access to my application answers?
You should be able to view and access all your applications on F6S. If you run into any issues accessing your applications or account, please contact support@F6S.com
What if I need to change the answers to my application?
If the applicant discovers an error in the proposal and provided the call deadline has not passed, the applicant may request the Open Call HosmartAI team to re-submit the proposal (for this purpose please contact us at opencalls@hosmartai.eu with the email titled: RESUBMISSION REQUEST). However, HosmartAI is not committed that resubmission in time will be feasible in case the request for resubmission is not received by the Open Call HosmartAI team at least 48 hours before the call deadline
When will I hear back regarding my application?
After applications close, the external evaluators will review applications for about 8-10 weeks. The goal is to notify applicants within 8-10 weeks from the call closing date.
SELECTED PARTICIPANTS?
When are we going to be paid?
Selected Startups/SMEs will become part of HosmartAI INNOVATE activities and will go through an exhaustive sequential process that will last 6 months and will be composed of 3 phases called sprints. Payments will be done in 3 instalments (35% + 35% + 30%) based on concrete results, deliverables and review of each sprint.
| INNOVATE Phase | Duration | Funding | Example €50k |
| Sprint #1 | 2 months | 35% | € 17 500 |
| Sprint #2 | 2 months | 35% | € 17 500 |
| Sprint #3 | 2 months | 30% | € 15 000 |
Detailed payment schedule and payment conditions will be settled in the Open Call Beneficiary Agreement.
So I have to keep track of my expenses for justifying the costs?
Payments will be done based on concrete results and not actual costs.
Is subcontracting allowed?
Subcontracting is not encouraged.
The general rule applicable to the HosmartAI project is that beneficiaries must have the appropriate resources to implement the full set of tasks needed within the project. This means it is not allowed to subcontract key parts of the project.
Is physical presence needed at any time for the winning applicants?
Each winning project should be available to participate in one face to face activity in Europe during one of the 3 sprints.
Other questions, comments or concerns?
Didn’t find the answer you were looking for?
Ask us your question on the Online Q&A: https://www.f6s.com/hosmartai-open-call1/discuss
For extraordinal communication needs, please contact the Help Desk: opencalls@hosmartai.eu and we’ll get back to you shortly!
