The call aims to fund pilot projects that map and analyze the European Technology Infrastructures (TIs) landscape, focusing on user needs, especially for SMEs and start-ups. Proposals should develop strategies to improve availability, accessibility, and service quality of TIs, enhancing innovation and industrial competitiveness across the EU. Projects must involve key stakeholders, address service gaps, and propose coordinated actions at EU and national levels, fostering collaboration with existing initiatives.

Expected Outcomes:

• Gain comprehensive insight into the European landscape of Technology Infrastructures (TIs), including current facilities and services.
• Understand the specific needs of industrial users of TIs.
• Enhance availability and service quality of TIs for enterprises across the EU, especially SMEs and start-ups, enabling better testing, upscaling, and deployment of new technologies.
• Strengthen and make European TIs more resilient by offering improved, user-focused services.
• Boost innovation and technological development capacity within European industry.
• Validate a European approach to TIs by testing strategies and instruments addressing service gaps and learning from their implementation.

Scope:

• Proposals must target a specific technology area or industrial ecosystem for a pilot initiative, aligned with the selection criteria of the Commission Expert Group on Technology Infrastructures.
• Activities should be strategic and comprehensive, based on prior analysis and consultations.
• Proposals should provide a detailed mapping of existing TIs in the pilot area, analyze services offered and used, and identify gaps or barriers in availability, accessibility, and impact.
• User needs, including those of large companies, SMEs, and start-ups, should be deeply analyzed with both current and future perspectives.
• A strategy, roadmap, or agenda must be developed to address identified gaps and barriers, including measures to improve service provision, access, visibility, and potential investment priorities.
• Strategies may include upgrading or creating new TIs, developing integrated EU-level TI networks or ecosystems, and adding both technological and non-technological services (e.g., training, technical assistance, standardization support, financing, market analysis, regulatory advice).
• Pilot projects should propose implementation methods, involving infrastructure operators/owners and relevant stakeholders at EU, national, and regional levels, potentially establishing a coordination mechanism.
• Mapping of existing support measures and actors, along with financial resource identification, is required.
• Proposals should demonstrate the importance of chosen technology areas or ecosystems for EU competitiveness and strategic autonomy.
• Projects must involve relevant stakeholders (industrial partners including SMEs and large enterprises, TI hosting organizations, technology/market/legal experts).
• Collaboration and synergy with existing projects and European/national/regional initiatives and funding programs are encouraged.