Category: Calls-Current

It is an opportunity that combines funding, access to state-of-the-art computing resources, and international collaboration, while allowing companies to focus exclusively on research and innovation without the administrative and financial burden typical of many other grant schemes. The call supports applied research with clear innovation potential and is particularly suitable for enterprises that already have experience in using HPC infrastructure and wish to further build on this expertise.

Grants for startups and SMEs of up to €300,000 for innovations in AI and HPC

Startups and small and medium-sized enterprises can receive a grant of up to €300,000 to implement innovative projects using supercomputers and high-performance computing (HPC).

In brief:

• funding for innovative research with no requirement for own co-financing and no equity taken,
• free access to European high-performance computing resources,
• the possibility to form a consortium with another company or a research institution.

The supported innovation project must last no longer than 10 months and may start no earlier than 1 September 2026. The call targets companies that already have practical experience in using HPC infrastructure.

The call is already open. Applications can be submitted from 3 to 25 February 2026 on a first-come, first-served basis. The maximum number of submitted projects is limited to 250.

More information

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Štandardný prístup k vysokovýkonným výpočtovým prostriedkom je otvorený pre všetky oblasti vedy a výskumu a to predovšetkým pre projekty väčšieho rozsahu. Tieto projekty by mali preukázať excelentnosť v danej oblasti a jasný potenciál priniesť inovatívne riešenia súčasných spoločenských a technologických výziev. V žiadosti je potrebné demonštrovať efektívnosť a škálovateľnosť navrhovaných výpočtových postupov a metód v HPC prostredí. Potrebné dáta o výkone a parametroch zvažovaných algoritmov a aplikácií je možné získať v rámci Prístupu pre testovanie a benchmarking.

Alokácie sa udeľujú na jeden (1) rok s možnosťou požiadať o pokračovanie, ak je to potrebné. Prístup je bezplatný za predpokladu splnenia všetkých náležitostí definovaných v Podmienkach výzvy. Podané projekty vyhodnocuje po technickej stránke interný tím VS SAV a NSCC a kvalitu vedecko-výskumnej časti hodnotia vždy dvaja nezávislí externí hodnotitelia.

Call opening date: 8.1.2025
Call closing date: 7.2. 2025, 17:00 CET
Communication of allocation decision: Up to 2 weeks from Call closing.
Start of the allocation perion for awarded projects: najneskôr 24. 2. 2025

Eligible Researchers O štandardný prístup k HPC môžu žiadať vedci a výskumníci zo slovenských verejných vysokých škôl a Slovenskej akadémie vied, ako aj z organizácií verejnej a štátnej správy. Prístup je poskytovaný výhradne pre civilný a nekomerčný open-science výskum a vývoj. Záujemcovia zo súkromných spoločností môžu využiť služby Hopero and HealthHub.

Allocation period: 1 year

Overall allocation offered in the Call: 26 M CPU core-hours and 92k GPU-hours

Available systems: Devana supercomputer  universal CPU and accelerated GPU module

Expected project outcomes:

• Final report within 2 months from the end of the project.
• Peer-review and other publications in domestic and foreign scientific periodicals with acknowledgments in the pre-defined wording, reported through the user portal.
• Active participation in the Slovak HPC conference organized by the coordinator of this call (poster, other contribution).
• Participation in dissemination activities of the coordinator (interview, article in the HPC magazine, etc.).