Last Opportunity for SMEs and Startups: FFplus Open Call Closes on September 4th!
FFplus Initiative Offers Crucial Support to SMEs and Start-ups through Open Call
The FFplus Initiative provides valuable opportunities for SMEs and start-ups through its open call, offering two types of applications: Business Experiments (Type 1) and Innovation Studies (Type 2).
Business Experiments are designed to help SMEs adopt HPC to address specific business challenges, particularly those that have not previously used or experienced HPC services.
The indicative total funding budget for all sub-projects funded under this call is € 4M. Maximum funding per experiment is up to €200K.
Innovation Studies, on the other hand, are aimed at supporting European SMEs and start-ups already active in generative AI, but lacking the computational resources needed to scale up.
The indicative total budget for all sub-projects funded under this call is € 4M. Maximum funding per innovation study is up to €300K.
The First Open Call will remain open for submissions until 4th September 2024, at 17:00 Brussels local time.
Successful applicants will receive funding and support from FFplus to carry out these sub-projects. Find more information below and apply before the deadline.
Find more information about the Open Call on the FFplus website www.ffplus-project.eu.
“FFplus aims to provide SMEs and Start-ups with the framework they need to be competitive, successful and create value in the digital economy. This makes FFplus an important link between the implementation of the European HPC and AI strategy and the SMEs and Start-ups that can benefit massively from it. With financial support, access to state-of-the-art EuroHPC resources and expert advice on both technical and business development, we are committed to a vibrant and innovative industrial landscape in Europe.” Dr.-Ing. Bastian Koller, Deputy Director of the High-Performance Computing Center Stuttgart and FFplus project Coordinator
More than 310 partners from over 20 EU countries were funded within Fortissimo and have already created success stories and transformed their business with the help of HPC and AI. Will you be the next one?
The primary outcome of the FFplus project is a collection of success stories that demonstrate the business benefits and impacts of integrating HPC into SME business models across various industrial sectors. HPC plays a crucial role in enabling companies to become more innovative and productive across different industries. This transformative impact is now extending to SMEs, empowering them to elevate their businesses to new heights. The success stories presented below offer inspiration, highlighting the remarkable results that can be achieved through the use of advanced HPC technologies and services.
Curious about how SMEs transformed their businesses with HPC? Get inspired!
Success Stories: optimisation of a state-of-the-art wind propulsion system for maritime transport and optimisation of the plastic litter recovery strategy forecasting
Summer is in full swing. Craving clean, refreshing seawater and wind in your hair? Let’s set sail!
FFplus Partners Contribute to Several Events to Promote the First Open Call
To ensure that valuable information reaches as many SMEs and start-ups as possible, and to encourage their participation, our FFplus partners have been actively presenting the call at various events.
Tina Črnigoj Marc from Arctur and FFplus Communication Lead delivered an insightful presentation at the 10th ASHPC24 Conference on 11th June during the pitch: FF4EuroHPC: SME Innovation Through HPC and provided valuable information during the poster session.
Cyfronet partners had the opportunity to engage directly with business representatives at the Poland AI Ecosystem Meetup held on 19th June in Warsaw, Poland.
Sophia Honisch from HLRS shared success stories from the FF4EuroHPC project, underscoring the critical role of HPC and emerging technologies for SMEs at the Innovation Drivers 6: Smart Solutions: Innovation through AI and Data Visualisation event held on 24th June in Stuttgart. Furthermore, Sophia continued the outreach at the Startup Summit BW, held at the Haus der Wirtschaft in Stuttgart on 11th July.
Tina Črnigoj Marc from Arctur presented the FFplus Initiative and its Open Call online during the “DIGI-SI Financial Clinics” event on 30th July.
On 14th August, Dennis Grieger from HLRS delivered a presentation titled "Unlocking the Potential of HPC and AI for SMEs and Startups" at the 53rd International Conference on Parallel Processing (ICPP) in Gotland, Sweden.
Interested in HPC and AI? Check Out These Upcoming Events!
Nordic Industry Days, 2. September 2024 - 4. September 2024, Copenhagen, Danemark and online
HPC Roundtable Germany 2024, 19. September 2024 - 1. August 2024, Munich, Germany
EUROHPC JU Information Day: AI-Friendly EuroHPC Systems, 25. September 2024 - 8. July 2024, Online
AI & Big Data Expo Europe 2024, 1. October 2024 - 2. October 2024, Amsterdam, Netherlands