Deliverable D7.2 - Open call launch, proposal evaluation, and grant awards

The primary objective of the TrialsNet Open Call was to onboard new key stakeholders including verticals, companies, research centers, start-ups, and other relevant entities, as well as facilities and infrastructure owners.

These stakeholders are to enhance the project's activities, thereby maximizing its impact on accelerating 5G deployment in Europe and promoting Europe’s technological sovereignty as it progresses towards 6G. The key actions related to the TrialsNet Open Call to achieve this objective have been:

• Populate the project with innovative use cases and conduct data-driven trials within the three project domains: i) Infrastructure, Transportation, Safety & Security, ii) eHealth and Emergency, and iii) Culture, Tourism, and Entertainment,
• Engage key actors to conduct large-scale trials beyond 5G using diverse and heterogeneous vertical use cases that encompass critical industrial and societal sectors,
• Support the deployment of new trials on the project platforms and network solutions, and expand its infrastructure to additional geographical locations in Europe to complement the main project clusters,
• Execute an intense communication campaign to maximize awareness and understanding among potential applicants, ensuring the successful promotion of the Open Call.

In this context, the Work Package 7 (WP7) of TrialsNet has been responsible for organizing the Open Call, ensuring it aligns with the project's goals, methodology, and framework as detailed in WP1 and documented in D1.1. As part of this effort, WP7 developed a comprehensive set of documents to guide third parties through the application process. Due to the cross-disciplinary nature of this task, the Open Call preparation involved close cooperation with the project's technical WPs: WP2 for platform and network solutions deployment, WP3, WP4, and WP5 for the design and implementation of use cases, and WP6 for establishing the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Key Value Indicators (KVIs) frameworks. Furthermore, a new role, the Open Call Strategy Manager, was created during the preparation phase to oversee the coordination among the technical WPs with the Open Call selected proposals and to devise a unified strategy for launching the Open Call.

This document initially summarises the guidelines that third parties followed to apply for the TrialsNet Open Call, addressing all legal and administrative aspects in alignment with the project's objectives, as well as the technical framework adopted by TrialsNet, including its goals, the domains of urban ecosystems it addresses, the cross-cluster implementation of use cases, the definition, measurement, and evaluation of KPIs and KVIs, and the methodology required for executing large-scale trials, as detailed in D7.1 [2]. Such documentation has been prepared based on the project’s deliverables D2.1 [3], D3.1 [4], D4.1 [5], D5.1 [6], and D6.1 [7] respectively. Additionally, this document describes the Open Call schedule and the promotional efforts undertaken.

The main part of this deliverable is then focusing on the Open Call results, covering the applied procedures, the content of applicants' offers, and an analysis of the selected proposals. It also emphasizes on the contracting phase, including the process, timing and lessons learnt.

To support applicants in preparing their proposals, TrialsNet organized two webinars: the first on 7 November 2023, focusing on the terms and conditions of the Open Call, and the second on 5 December 2023, to present the project's sites and infrastructure and to explain the KPIs and KVIs frameworks for measurement and evaluation. TrialsNet also participated in the "From 5G to 6G: Opportunities for European Start-ups and SMEs" webinar on 7 December 2023, providing detailed guidance on navigating Open Call procedures to the participants. Applicants also benefited from a Feasibility Check procedure, which allowed them to share their intentions and verify the feasibility of their proposals, receiving informal and non-binding feedback. This deliverable also details about a help desk that was established to address all administrative and technical inquiries from applicants. Furthermore, this document explains the evaluation process, which followed criteria similar to those of the Horizon Europe programme.

Lastly, it should be emphasized that the Open Call launch was designed to be flexible, enabling adjustments based on applicant feedback and project challenges, to ensure a balanced and fair process for all third parties interested in applying. For example, TrialsNet created templates for proposal descriptions, budget requests, and feasibility checks, and maintained a live web page on the project website, where frequently asked questions (FAQs) were addressed.