Filter Search for grants
Call Navigation
Deadline expired
The deadline for this call has expired.
Call key data
Generation of scenarios for development, training, virtual testing and validation of CCAM systems (CCAM Partnership)
Call number
HORIZON-CL5-2023-D6-01-02
deadlines
Opening
04.05.2023
Deadline
05.09.2023 17:00
Funding rate
100%
Call budget
€ 20,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 20,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The aim of this call topic is to generate a wide range of test scenarios for the training, testing and validation of CCAM systems with a focus on urban and rural traffic, for which there is significantly less knowledge on relevant scenarios than for motorway driving.
Call objectives
Higher levels of CCAM require validation methodologies making use of scenario-based physical and virtual testing, thereby complementing real-world test drives on public roads, audits and in-use reporting. Scenario-based testing is necessary as conventional testing and validation approaches would require driving hundreds of millions of test kilometres before new CCAM systems or system updates can be deployed. The development of common scenario-based validation methodologies is the subject of HORIZON-CL5-2021-D6-01-02 and should be based on the results of the HEADSTART project. To enable these common validation methodologies to be widely used, relevant test scenarios need to be provided. These scenarios can partly be defined based on expert knowledge, which, however, needs to be complemented by the extraction of test scenarios from real traffic data, from collision data and in the future, from advanced traffic simulations.
To maximise the outcomes, proposed actions should demonstrate upfront commitment from key stakeholders to the validation methodologies, as developed and used in HEADSTART, in a project to be funded under HORIZON-CL5-2021-D6-01-02, in L3Pilot and in Hi-Drive, either by providing significant volumes of raw data or by providing scenarios extracted from such data making use of the automated processing chain. Furthermore, stakeholders should dedicate resources to ensure that the scenarios are developed in a manner that maximises their utility also to other entities and their successful integration in their future (virtual) development and testing processes. Proposed actions are expected to share scenarios in an openly accessible EU wide database, which should be established by a project to be funded under HORIZON-CL5-2021-D6-01-02enarios and other data shared by stakeholders and existing data made available by national and by other EU-funded projects can be complemented by new data recorded in this action, to provide a realistic set of scenarios with EU-wide coverage.
The proposed actions are expected to address all of the following aspects:
- AI based tools to transform raw traffic data into reliable, plausibility-proofed data as well as tools for automatic scenario identification and extraction from that data, including the detection of edge cases - the relatively rare, but particularly challenging traffic situations.
- Generation of variations of scenarios (starting from those based on real traffic data and creating synthetic entries to the scenario database) with a focus on extending ODDs (including adverse weather conditions).
- Integration of the above in an automatic processing chain with standardised, open interfaces to enable the efficient and seamless use of data from different sources. The processing chain is expected to comply with the FAIR principles, should be agnostic to sensor technologies, data providers and traffic environments, and it should provide for the data management and quality assurance through the whole process.
- Ensuring reliable merging of scenarios from different data sources (different projects, different vehicles and stationary units, different perspectives etc.).
- Feeding the resulting scenarios in an openly accessible dynamic scenario database, which can be used for the development, training, virtual testing and type approval validation of CCAM systems, and which should be connected to or integrate existing national databases as far as possible.
- Quality assurance of the database: Defining approaches and methods to handle uncertainty and the possibility of errors that might propagate in the assessment, including algorithms for their quantification.
- Demonstration, assessment of the potential and upscaling of (quasi-)stationary sensor units to record high quality big traffic data in various environments, as well as under various environmental conditions and to identify relevant scenarios making use of the processing chain. The focus of recording such data from a “helicopter” perspective - as an alternative to the use of vehicle-based sensors - should be on the provision of suitable data in a cost-efficient way particularly in urban areas. This includes the fusion of data from different sensors. Upscaling requires amongst others the definition of hardware and software requirements for such measuring and recording systems. When recording traffic data in urban areas, proposed action should aim at:
- high geographic coverage,
- high seasonal coverage including adverse environmental conditions (e.g. extreme weather conditions) and their synchronized recording and
- coverage of complex traffic environments including the interaction with other road users (e.g. pedestrians, bicyclists, users of personal mobility devices).
- Evaluating different approaches to identify relevant scenarios on rural roads based on the developed processing chain and on traffic data to be recorded on various types of rural roads. This includes the fusion of data from different sensors. When recording traffic data on rural roads, roads with low traffic density should be covered in addition to addressing the coverage issues above.
- Exploring the potential of complementing scenarios extracted from real traffic data with scenarios extracted from validated, highly detailed traffic simulations, including the use of AI to generate edge cases and other adversarial driving conditions in such simulations.
- Development of a mechanism for the continuous generation of updates of the dynamic scenario database, including an arrangement for the organisational set-up, governance and financial management of the required activities and resources.
The research will require due consideration of cyber security and both personal and non-personal data protection issues, including GDPR. The cyber security of the developed processing chain should be demonstrated for training, virtual testing and validation of CCAM systems.
Proposed actions are expected to develop recommendations for harmonisation and standardisation and to feed into on-going discussions regarding EU type vehicle approval rules as well as in the framework of the UNECE.
In order to achieve the expected outcomes, international cooperation is encouraged in particular with Japan and the United States but also with other relevant strategic partners in third countries.
This topic implements the co-programmed European Partnership on ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM). As such, projects resulting from this topic will be expected to report on results to the European Partnership ‘Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility’ (CCAM) in support of the monitoring of its KPIs.
read more
Expected results
Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:
- Improved validation of CCAM systems enabled by real and synthetic test scenarios, with the widest possible coverage of traffic situations CCAM systems can encounter on European roads.
- Efficient provision of relevant test scenarios in a permanently updated and therefore dynamic EU wide database.
- Accelerated AI development and training making use of the dynamic scenario database.
- Use of the most appropriate approaches (e.g. vehicle-based versus (quasi-)stationary sensor units) to record relevant traffic data, as a basis for the derivation of test scenarios, in different traffic environments according to extending ODDs.
- Commitment from key stakeholders to the validation methodology, the scenario database and its usage and to the provision of significant volumes of raw data and/or scenarios extracted from such data.
Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Armenia (Հայաստան), Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan), Belarus (Беларусь), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Faeroes (Føroyar / Færøerne), Georgia (საქართველო), Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Montenegro (Црна Гора), Morocco (المغرب), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Tunisia (تونس /Tūnis), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна), United Kingdom
eligible entities
EU Body, Education and training institution, International organization, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:
- the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
- the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
- third countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries
Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:
- at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
- at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.
Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.
A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.
Specific cases:
- Affiliated entities — Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
- Associated partners — Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — Legal entities created under EU law including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
- Joint Research Centre (‘JRC’)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
- Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
other eligibility criteria
Activities are expected to achieve TRL 5 by the end of the project.
For the Technology Readiness Level (TRL), the following definitions apply:
- TRL 1 — Basic principles observed
- TRL 2 — Technology concept formulated
- TRL 3 — Experimental proof of concept
- TRL 4 — Technology validated in a lab
- TRL 5 — Technology validated in a relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
- TRL 6 — Technology demonstrated in a relevant environment (industrially relevant environment in the case of key enabling technologies)
- TRL 7 — System prototype demonstration in an operational environment
- TRL 8 — System complete and qualified
- TRL 9 — Actual system proven in an operational environment (competitive manufacturing in the case of key enabling technologies, or in space)
If projects use satellite-based earth observation, positioning, navigation and/or related timing data and services, beneficiaries must make use of Copernicus and/or Galileo/EGNOS (other data and services may additionally be used).
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
Additional Information
All proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents, e.g. plan for the exploitation and dissemination of the results including communication activities, etc.
The application form will have two parts:
- Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
- Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.
Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).
The limit for a full application (Part B) is 45 pages.
Call documents
HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 5, Destination 6HE-Work Programme 2023-2024, Cluster 5, Destination 6(747kB)
Contact
To see more information about this call, you can register for free here
or log in with an existing account.
Log in
Register now