Call for proposals 2024 - A human-centred and ethical development of digital and industrial technologies HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-03
Ανοιχτή Πρόσκληση
Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway contributing to the following expected impact:
A human-centred and ethical development of digital and industrial technologies, through a two-way engagement in the development of technologies, empowering end-users and workers, and supporting social innovation.
As Europe takes the lead in the green and digital transitions, workers, regions, and societies are faced with extremely fast transformations, and will be differently affected by these changes, creating opportunities for inclusive technological and social development, but also carrying the risk of increased inequalities. The rapid adoption of new technologies offers an immense potential for improved standards of living, safer mobility, better healthcare, new jobs, or the personalisation of public services. At the same time, it presents risks such as skills mismatches, digital divides, customer lock-in, or serious breaches of security or privacy.
The green and digital transitions rely on improved and adapted skills, and knowledge and competences become all the more important. All communities have the right to benefit from these new digital and green developments, leading to a more inclusive society, increased trust and a better adoption of new products and services. Developments in digital and enabling technologies have the potential to enhance social inclusion, can inform up-skilling training programmes and ensure a two-way engagement with society with regard to developing technologies.
In addition to the support for skills development integrated in topics, two contribution agreements from Cluster 4 to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) are envisaged:
Support for the establishment of a European Raw Materials Skills Academy as described in the Net Zero Industry Act proposal. The European Raw Materials Academy would aim to re-skill and up-skill a workforce required for the raw materials value chain in the EU. The implementation would be open to competition from KICs, who can also partner up. The action will have a duration of three years (2024-2027).
Support for the establishment of a European Advanced Materials Academy, open to a competitive call for EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), to identify the needs in advanced materials skills, the issues that the current workforce is facing, and to attract people to materials science and expand the existing workforce. This new academy will collaborate closely with other activities on advanced materials (including nanomaterials and 2D materials) and any other strategic action put forward under the next Work Programmes.
The priorities in this domain are aligned with the objectives of the Digital Decade to build secure and sustainable digital infrastructures and to support the digital transformation of businesses and public services. It will directly support individual innovators (researchers, developers, high-tech SMEs and start-ups, etc.) engaged in developing the technologies for a trustworthy and human-centric digital environment, building on a more resilient, and decentralised internet architecture and enabling new social and business models respecting European values.
In particular, the Digital Decade and its compass set a target 80% of citizens using a digital ID solution by 2030. In order to achieve this target, Europe needs to build an Internet of Trust empowering end-users with more control over their data and their digital identity. The Internet of Trust will also mobilise innovators towards more sustainable and secure internet infrastructures, supporting the Digital Decade objective of setting up 10000 climate neutral highly secured edge nodes. Finally the R&I priorities in this domain will fully support the international dimension of the digital decade by promoting the EU human-centred approach with key international partners.
The issue of trust has become central in the use of technologies, following revelations about the exploitation of personal data, large-scale cybersecurity and data breaches, and growing awareness of online disinformation. As outlined in the White Paper on Artificial Intelligence (COM(2020)65), for AI technologies, trust requires in particular improving transparency (explainability, expected levels of performance). For the Internet, increasing trust requires new tools and services to ensure that GDPR is a reality for end-users.
It is also an opportunity for Europe to re-gain presence on the consumer electronics market, by developing new interactive applications in various sectors with solutions meeting European values and requirements in terms of privacy and security. The COVID-19 crisis has also shown how important distance and innovative learning is for society.
Actions under this Destination will support EU objectives of inclusiveness, by supporting a human-centred approach to technology development that is aligned with European social and ethical values, as well as sustainability. These actions will further contribute to addressing the challenges faced by European industry and support the creation of sustainable, high-quality jobs by targeting skills mismatches, the need to empower all workers, and ethical considerations relating to technological progress.Actions should devote particular attention to openness of the solutions and results, and transparency of the research process. To ensure trustworthiness, public awareness and support, wide adoption by user communities for the benefit of society, actions should promote the highest standards of transparency and openness. Actions should ensure that the processes and outcomes of research and innovation align with the needs, values and expectations of society, in line with Responsible Research and Innovation.
This Destination is structured into the following headings, which group topics together with similar outcomes to address a common challenge:
Leadership in AI based on trust
The objective of this heading is to ensure autonomy for Europe in AI, leading the way in research, development and deployment of world-class technologies that are beneficial to humans individually, organisationally and societally, and that adheres to European values, such as the principles reflected in our fundamental rights and environmental sustainability. Technologies need to be developed that industries and citizens will trust, so and that they could be applied in a wide range of applications and industrial sectors. Trustworthy AI is particularly key in applications such as (but not limited to) healthcare or in diverse critical infrastructures such as energy and transportation.
Actions
This call covers the following topics:
HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-03-01: Advancing Large AI Models: Integration of New Data Modalities and Expansion of Capabilities (AI, Data and Robotics Partnership) (RIA) (HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions)
HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-03-02: Explainable and Robust AI (AI Data and Robotics Partnership) (RIA) (HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions)
HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-03-03: Digital Humanism - Putting people at the centre of the digital transformation (CSA) (HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions)
HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-03-04: Facilitate the engagement in global ICT standardisation development (CSA) (HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions)
Ανοιχτή Πρόσκληση
Proposals for topics under this Destination should set out a credible pathway contributing to the following expected impact:
A human-centred and ethical development of digital and industrial technologies, through a two-way engagement in the development of technologies, empowering end-users and workers, and supporting social innovation.
As Europe takes the lead in the green and digital transitions, workers, regions, and societies are faced with extremely fast transformations, and will be differently affected by these changes, creating opportunities for inclusive technological and social development, but also carrying the risk of increased inequalities. The rapid adoption of new technologies offers an immense potential for improved standards of living, safer mobility, better healthcare, new jobs, or the personalisation of public services. At the same time, it presents risks such as skills mismatches, digital divides, customer lock-in, or serious breaches of security or privacy.
The green and digital transitions rely on improved and adapted skills, and knowledge and competences become all the more important. All communities have the right to benefit from these new digital and green developments, leading to a more inclusive society, increased trust and a better adoption of new products and services. Developments in digital and enabling technologies have the potential to enhance social inclusion, can inform up-skilling training programmes and ensure a two-way engagement with society with regard to developing technologies.
In addition to the support for skills development integrated in topics, two contribution agreements from Cluster 4 to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) are envisaged:
Support for the establishment of a European Raw Materials Skills Academy as described in the Net Zero Industry Act proposal. The European Raw Materials Academy would aim to re-skill and up-skill a workforce required for the raw materials value chain in the EU. The implementation would be open to competition from KICs, who can also partner up. The action will have a duration of three years (2024-2027).
Support for the establishment of a European Advanced Materials Academy, open to a competitive call for EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs), to identify the needs in advanced materials skills, the issues that the current workforce is facing, and to attract people to materials science and expand the existing workforce. This new academy will collaborate closely with other activities on advanced materials (including nanomaterials and 2D materials) and any other strategic action put forward under the next Work Programmes.
The priorities in this domain are aligned with the objectives of the Digital Decade to build secure and sustainable digital infrastructures and to support the digital transformation of businesses and public services. It will directly support individual innovators (researchers, developers, high-tech SMEs and start-ups, etc.) engaged in developing the technologies for a trustworthy and human-centric digital environment, building on a more resilient, and decentralised internet architecture and enabling new social and business models respecting European values.
In particular, the Digital Decade and its compass set a target 80% of citizens using a digital ID solution by 2030. In order to achieve this target, Europe needs to build an Internet of Trust empowering end-users with more control over their data and their digital identity. The Internet of Trust will also mobilise innovators towards more sustainable and secure internet infrastructures, supporting the Digital Decade objective of setting up 10000 climate neutral highly secured edge nodes. Finally the R&I priorities in this domain will fully support the international dimension of the digital decade by promoting the EU human-centred approach with key international partners.
The issue of trust has become central in the use of technologies, following revelations about the exploitation of personal data, large-scale cybersecurity and data breaches, and growing awareness of online disinformation. As outlined in the White Paper on Artificial Intelligence (COM(2020)65), for AI technologies, trust requires in particular improving transparency (explainability, expected levels of performance). For the Internet, increasing trust requires new tools and services to ensure that GDPR is a reality for end-users.
It is also an opportunity for Europe to re-gain presence on the consumer electronics market, by developing new interactive applications in various sectors with solutions meeting European values and requirements in terms of privacy and security. The COVID-19 crisis has also shown how important distance and innovative learning is for society.
Actions under this Destination will support EU objectives of inclusiveness, by supporting a human-centred approach to technology development that is aligned with European social and ethical values, as well as sustainability. These actions will further contribute to addressing the challenges faced by European industry and support the creation of sustainable, high-quality jobs by targeting skills mismatches, the need to empower all workers, and ethical considerations relating to technological progress.Actions should devote particular attention to openness of the solutions and results, and transparency of the research process. To ensure trustworthiness, public awareness and support, wide adoption by user communities for the benefit of society, actions should promote the highest standards of transparency and openness. Actions should ensure that the processes and outcomes of research and innovation align with the needs, values and expectations of society, in line with Responsible Research and Innovation.
This Destination is structured into the following headings, which group topics together with similar outcomes to address a common challenge:
Leadership in AI based on trust
The objective of this heading is to ensure autonomy for Europe in AI, leading the way in research, development and deployment of world-class technologies that are beneficial to humans individually, organisationally and societally, and that adheres to European values, such as the principles reflected in our fundamental rights and environmental sustainability. Technologies need to be developed that industries and citizens will trust, so and that they could be applied in a wide range of applications and industrial sectors. Trustworthy AI is particularly key in applications such as (but not limited to) healthcare or in diverse critical infrastructures such as energy and transportation.
Actions
This call covers the following topics:
HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-03-01: Advancing Large AI Models: Integration of New Data Modalities and Expansion of Capabilities (AI, Data and Robotics Partnership) (RIA) (HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions)
HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-03-02: Explainable and Robust AI (AI Data and Robotics Partnership) (RIA) (HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions)
HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-03-03: Digital Humanism - Putting people at the centre of the digital transformation (CSA) (HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions)
HORIZON-CL4-2024-HUMAN-03-04: Facilitate the engagement in global ICT standardisation development (CSA) (HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions)