Increased automation assistance for the pilot for ATM tasks
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See in 5 min if you're eligible for Increased automation assistance for the pilot for ATM tasks offering max €93.0M funding💰 Funding Details
Funding Description – HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA5-1
What the Grant Funds
* Development, integration and validation of on-board automation, HMI and AI-based assistants that enable:
* IR-5-02: Increased automation assistance for the pilot for ATM tasks.
* (Complementary option) IR-5-01: Single-Pilot Operations (SiPO) enabling sensors/architectures.
* Prototyping, simulation, fast-time modelling, real-time human-in-the-loop trials and (where realistic) flight-test activities up to TRL 5-6.
* Air–ground integrated validation with WA 3/4 ground prototypes.
* Safety, certifiability, cyber-security and human-factors research needed to bring the above to market.
* Dissemination, standardisation input (e.g. ICAO FF-ICE, ATN/IPS, EUROCAE WG-105/121) and exploitation planning.
Budget Envelope & Funding Rate
* Indicative EU contribution per project: EUR 10–20 million.
* Maximum possible contribution: EUR 93 million (upper ceiling for any single grant under this topic).
* Funding rate: 100 % of the lump-sum amount agreed at Grant Agreement signature (standard Horizon Europe RIA rules, indirect costs pre-factored). Payments are made on achievement of work-package-level milestones/deliverables.
Lump-Sum Specifics
1. Partners declare a detailed cost calculation only during proposal; after signature, reporting is output-based (no actual-cost certificates).
2. Define clear, verifiable results for each WP; failure to achieve them may trigger partial payment.
3. Over-runs are not reimbursed—build adequate contingency.
Eligibility Snapshot
* Type of action: HORIZON-JU-RIA (Research & Innovation Action).
* Consortium minimum: 3 legal entities from 3 different EU Member States or Horizon-Europe-Associated Countries.
* Recommended stakeholders:
* Airframe & avionics OEMs, ATM & CNS industry, ANSPs, airlines, airports, research centres, universities, SMEs, certification & standards bodies, human-factors specialists, AI suppliers.
* Security restrictions: Proposals must comply with EU rules on the protection of European communication networks.
* Non-EU/AC participants: Eligible only if funding is guaranteed nationally (see HE Programme Guide).
Call Timeline
| Milestone | Date |
|-----------|------|
| Call opens | 01 Apr 2025 |
| Q&A cut-off | ~04 Sep 2025 (10 days before deadline) |
| Proposal deadline | 16 Sep 2025 – 17:00 CET |
| Evaluation results | ≤5 months after deadline |
| GA signature | ≤8 months after deadline |
Key Reference Documents
* Amended SESAR 3 JU Bi-Annual Work Programme (BAWP) 2024-2025.
* Horizon Europe Work-Programme General Annexes A–G.
* SESAR 3 Q&A document (updated periodically).
* European ATM Master Plan (2024 edition).
📊 At a Glance
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🇪🇺 Strategic Advantages
EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for the Grant "Increased automation assistance for the pilot for ATM tasks" (HORIZON-SESAR-2025-DES-IR-02-WA5-1)
1. Direct Access to the EU Single Market (450 + million passengers)
• Unified ATM modernisation demand. All 27 Member States must implement the Single European Sky (SES) performance targets; solutions validated in this project enjoy a ready-made, pan-European customer base of ANSPs, airlines and OEMs.
• First-mover commercial edge. Early compliance with forthcoming standards (ATS B2 Rev B, CPDLC v2/v4, digital QNH, SiPO avionics) positions consortium members as preferred suppliers in mandatory retrofit and line-fit programmes across Europe’s 7,000+ commercial aircraft.
2. Built-in Cross-Border Collaboration
• Consortium requirement = multi-national R&D laboratory. Horizon Europe obliges participation from ≥ 3 Member/Associated States, giving automatic access to diverse operational contexts (hub, regional & remote airports, complex TMAs, low-visibility CAT II/III scenarios).
• Operational data sharing. Airlines, ANSPs and research centres can legally exchange flight data under the SES Digital Sky regulation, accelerating AI training and validation that would be impossible under purely national projects.
3. Strong Alignment with Key EU Policies
• Single European Sky & Digital European Sky: Core deliverable of SESAR 3 JU, directly advancing European ATM Master Plan.
• European Green Deal & Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy: Higher automation enables optimal 4D trajectories, single-engine taxi, wake-energy retrieval → measurable CO₂ & NOx cuts.
• EU Digital Decade & AI Act: Demonstrates trustworthy, certifiable AI for safety-critical systems; early conformity helps de-risk market entry before AI Act enforcement.
• Strategic Autonomy: Reduces dependence on non-EU avionics & AI modules, supporting EU aerospace sovereignty.
4. Regulatory Harmonisation Benefits
• One certification pathway. EASA & EUROCAE working groups provide joint guidance; results can feed into CS-AIRW/CS-FSTD updates and ED- standards, avoiding 27 separate approval processes.
• Influence on future rules. Project partners can propose means of compliance for SiPO, AI teaming, digital QNH, shaping global ICAO SARPs from an EU leadership position.
5. Access to Europe’s Aviation Innovation Ecosystem
• SESAR 3 JU testbeds & labs (DREAMS, FABEC, NLR, DLR, ONERA, ENAC, etc.) offer simulators, digital towers and ATM sandboxes at no or reduced cost.
• Flying test platforms (e.g., Airbus A350 Flightlab, Dassault Falcon, Diamond DA-62 flying lab) already funded in previous Horizon projects, lowering integration costs.
• Synergy with other JUs: Clean Aviation (hydrogen/electric airframes) and KDT JU (edge AI chips) provide complementary tech and co-funding opportunities.
6. Funding & Investment Synergies
• Connecting Europe Facility (CEF-2 Transport): Can co-finance deployment of CPDLC infrastructure in 2027-2030, multiplying impact of RIA results.
• Digital Europe Programme: Possible follow-up grants for cybersecurity hardening and AI test & experimentation facilities (TEFs).
• InvestEU & EIB Aviation Fund: Offer patient capital for large-scale industrialisation once prototypes reach TRL 7-8.
7. EU-Wide Scale & Impact Potential
• Replicability beyond aviation. Human-AI teaming methodologies applicable to U-space, rotorcraft EMS, maritime traffic management, bolstering European leadership in autonomous transport.
• Export leverage. EU-validated solutions become de-facto global benchmarks; alignment with ICAO GANP & FAA NextGen eases entry into international markets.
8. Strategic Differentiators of This Call
1. Lump-Sum Model → Reduced financial admin, freeing partners to focus on R&D rather than cost reporting.
2. Mandatory integrated validation with WA-3/4 ground prototypes → unique chance to test end-to-end air-ground concepts in real SESAR reference scenarios.
3. Safety-of-Life AI focus → rare funding window to mature certifiable reinforcement-learning algorithms with EASA oversight.
9. Immediate Action Points for Applicants
• Map proposed work to the European ATM Master Plan Level 3 Implementation Objectives to score high on EU added value.
• Secure multi-actor MoUs (airline, ANSP, avionics OEM, research centre, AI SME) covering at least 3 geographical regions (core, peripheral, island).
• Integrate standardisation work packages (EUROCAE WG-105/114) to influence upcoming ED-xxx documents.
• Plan for ethical & AI Act compliance: include a trustworthy-AI assessment, human oversight strategies, bias testing & dataset governance.
• Outline post-grant deployment pathway: CEF-2 funding for ground infra, Clean Aviation demo flights, and EIB loan for product roll-out.
Bottom line: Conducting this project at EU level unlocks unparalleled regulatory access, market scale, research infrastructure and follow-on funding that no single Member State can match, maximising both commercial return and societal impact.
🏷️ Keywords
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