FFPlus Calls for Business Experimentation and Innovation Studies with HPC and AI

Applications are now open for two Fortissimo Plus (FFPlus) Calls for Business Experimentation and Innovation Studies with HPC and AI, which are designed to support European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) projects. Portuguese companies are eligible and encouraged to participate and can apply until September 4.

The launch of these two FFPlus Calls , with a financial allocation of 4 million euros, highlights the adoption of HPC and AI for SMEs and startups across Europe seeking to solve business challenges and develop innovative solutions using advanced technologies. Companies based in EU member states or countries associated with the Digital Europe Program are eligible for these Calls . The aim is to develop and optimize innovative products or processes and to adapt and implement advanced technologies.

In Call Business Experiments, the projects start in January 2025 and the maximum funding is 200,000 euros per proposal. In Innovation Studies, with projects starting in December 2024, the maximum funding will be 300,000 euros per proposal.

To support applicants, the Calls promoter has been organizing a series of webinars aimed at European SMEs and startups, as well as support organizations (e.g. research institutes, universities, IT providers). For clarification and information, the webinars already held are available for viewing.

FFPlus is a European initiative supported by the European Partnership for High Performance Computing EuroHPC JU, which includes FCT through FCCN. EuroHPC JU was created with the aim of boosting the performance and industrial competitiveness of SMEs through transformative technologies such as High Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The main objective of the FFPlus project is to raise awareness of the business benefits that technologies related to HPC and generative AI could bring to industry, especially SMEs and startups, and to support them in carrying out their innovation projects through "Open Calls" funding mechanisms.

Find out more about these and other initiatives on the FFPlus website.