The European Robotics Challenges (EuRoC)

A consortium consisting of the leading robotics companies and research institutions in Europe has launched the European Robotics Challenges (EuRoC), a 4-year long EU-funded Challenge programme aimed at developing competitive solutions to keep the European manufacturing industry’s global leadership in products and services. EuRoC consists of three industry-relevant Challenge streams in the scenarios of 1) Reconfigurable Interactive Manufacturing Cell, 2) Shop Floor Logistics and Manipulation and 3) Plant Servicing and Inspection.

With substantial support to the Challenger teams, mounting up to a cumulative sum of €7 million of grant money, EuRoC hopes to fulfil the objective of spurring sustainable and applicable innovations in the three industry fields. Also, EuRoC seeks to involve whole supply chains by allowing access to the leading robotics platforms in Europe and fostering collaboration among the challengers, who will provide the algorithmic solutions, and potential end users, technology developers, and system integrators.

Challengers are invited to submit their 1-page applications until June 30, 2014 at 5pm (CET), while end users, technology developers, and system integrators are given until mid-November 2014 to submit their applications and use cases.

Application templates can be found here

Each of the three Challenge streams are divided into three stages of increasing complexity:

• Stage I: Simulation contest
• Stage II: Realistic labs test
• Stage III: Field test at real end user sites.

The grant money is provided gradually to Challenger teams over these three stages, ensuring large investments in the most applicable solutions. The final EuRoC winner is announced in the end of 2017.

Stage I: Simulation contest and matchmaking event

After the application period, running until June 30, 2014, approximately 90 Challengers (30 per Challenge) will be selected to compete with their algorithms in the simulation contests (Stage I). Following automated judging against an objective set of scoring criteria, the 15 highest ranked Challengers from each Challenge are invited to a matchmaking event, giving them the opportunity to form teams with potential end users, technology developers and system integrators. Each team is required to submit a 15-page proposal to be evaluated by a Challenge Advisory Board, which will finally select 5 Challenger Teams per Challenge to move on to stage II.

Eligibility:

1. Any legal entity (or teams composed by legal entities), whether established in an EU member state or associated country* may participate in the EuRoC challenges. A legal entity is any natural person, or any legal person created under the national law of its place of establishment, or under Community law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting under his own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations. In the case of natural persons establishment revers to habitual residence.

2. Natural persons, whether established in an EU member state or associated country, may participate in Stage I (Simulation Contest), but in order to access Stage II they must become legal persons or be recruited by legal persons.

3. Organisations and individuals composing the EuRoC core consortium and their affiliates are not allowed to submit proposals.

4. Judges will not be eligible to enter any of the Challenges

5. Individuals under the age of 18 will not be eligible to participate in EuRoC.

* For a list of associated countries, see ftp://ftp.cordis.europa.eu/pub/fp7/docs/third_country_agreements_en.pdf