Twenty new EU robotics experiments start development phase

In Phase I of ESMERA, proving their concept, the 20 selected experiments get funding of up to 75000 Euros each as well as technical support and business mentoring by the ESMERA consortium.

Within the European Commission´s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, ESMERA aims to boost robotics innovation by European Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs). Key European companies defined real-life industrial challenges, specific problems that seek innovative solutions in manufacturing, construction, energy, healthcare, retail, food processing, emergency response and agriculture.

Applicants could also bring their own challenge provided that it is supported by an industry in direct need of the potential robotic solution (challenge provider). Within this second Open Call, 15 experiments address pre-defined ESMERA challenges, five have brought in their own open challenge.

The 20 selected experiments will now have nine months to prove their concept. During that phase, the ESMERA consortium provides technical support, business mentoring and training to bring the experiments up to speed. After the next nine months, external evaluators will review their progress and select the final experiments that will then proceed in Phase II, the final stage toward industrialising and commercialising the robotics product.

ESMERA comprises two Open Calls. The first Open Call, which ended in November 2018, has already brought to light five final experiments that already are in Phase II of the ESMERA project. One more agricultural experiment will follow within the next months.

Altogether, almost €2.9 million have been approved and distributed among the ESMERA experiments so far of both the first and second Open Call. The following 20 selected proposals alone receive an overall amount of €1.245 million for starting into their development phase.