The first Pharaon Open Call is closed
Results of the First Pharaon Open Call
We would like to thank all applicants for their interest and participation in our First Pharaon Open Call. Having completed the evaluation, we are pleased to present results of the call.

 

Applications received
The Pharaon Open Call closed on 14 January 2022 and results will be published in May 2022 (delayed from April 2022). In total, 56 proposals from 16 countries were received on time through the Evalato platform used by our project.  51 of these passed administrative review and were reviewed by the external expert panel. Finally, 11 proposals were rated above the threshold and became eligible for funding.

 

The Pilots for Healthy and Active Ageing (Pharaon) is a Horizon 2020 project to improve the dignity, independence, and wellbeing of older adults by providing enhanced smart and active living solutions. The project has created a set of customizable and interoperable platforms that provide advanced services, devices, robotics, IoT tools, artificial intelligence, data management, cloud computing, smart wearables, and analytics. The Pharaon platforms are built on mature state-of-the-art open platforms and already integrate existing technologies. The purpose of this call is to strengthen the open platforms by filling ecosystem needs and adding new technologies to support older adults as well as their formal and informal caregivers.

Relevant Information

The project is focused on existing and mature technologies that can be modified, integrated, and demonstrated during the piloting phase of the project. There are 6 pilots spread across 5 countries and each pilot has different use cases and needs, providing an opportunity to show the strength of the Pharaon platforms under real and varying conditions. The Pharaon consortium has created the initial platforms and provides a set of solutions that meet the basic needs of each pilot site.
This open call is an opportunity for other solution providers to contribute their technologies to the project, demonstrating that their solutions are compatible with the Pharaon open platform and supporting the ongoing development and refinement of the overall Pharaon ecosystem.

Applicants:
– SMEs, and Micro SMEs
– Web entrepreneurs and individual sole-traders
– Industrial organisations

Call opening: 01.10.2021
Deadline (extended): 14.01.2022, 17:00 CET
Project duration: 6 months
Budget: 1.000.000 EUR (20 grants of up to EUR 50,000 each)

In case of any question please contact the Pharaon Open Call team: opencall@pharaon.eu

Open Call Webinar

Watch our Pharaon First Open Call – Informative Webinar, held on 4th November 2021 to learn more about the call, the pilot sites, the platform, and gaps to fill in by potential applicants.

Pharaon First Open Call – Informative Webinar Video

Pharaon First First Open Call – Informative Webinar Presentation

First Open Call

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The first Pharaon Open Call will fund individual applications (e.g., not consortia) with mature digital solutions that are ready to be integrated into the Pharaon platforms. Solutions must be aligned to resolve the needs of one or more of the Pilot sites or provide specified additional requested functionality. All solutions must conform to at least one of the Pharaon Pilot Challenges (PCHs) applicable to the pilot site(s) the Third-party project seeks to address. The PCHs are:
  • PCH1 – The behaviour and the approach of elderly to friendly technological devices,
  • PCH2 – Health status definition and its progress over time,
  • PCH3 – Non-Intrusive Monitoring and Alarm Triggering,
  • PCH4 – Promote social cohesion,
  • PCH5 – Define specific personalized care plan on the basis of user´s needs,
  • PCH6 – Reduce isolation and loneliness, enhancing the autonomy through connectivity and digital tools,
  • PCH7 – Promote accessibility and the provision of proximity services through the use of IT platforms,
  • PCH8 – Promote capacity building and awareness on green economy, citizenship and cultural traditions,
  • PCH9 – Indoor Environmental Quality,
  • PCH10 – Support to caregivers towards more efficient and personalized care services.

Objectives

The objectives of the pilot in Murcia are to improve telecare systems in the region, especially by empowering older adults to participate more directly in their care.

The objectives of the Andalusia pilot are focused on addressing unwanted loneliness and social isolation as well supporting wellbeing. Accordingly, the Andalusian pilot developed three use cases related to improving digital skills, community participation and cognitive stimulation.

The objectives of the Slovenian pilot are to reduce social isolation and loneliness, monitor and encourage physical activity, and to monitor and improve indoor environmental quality in retirement homes. Accordingly, the use cases addressed at the Slovenian pilot site focus on improving wellbeing, increasing social involvement and event participation, and supporting communication between peers and family.

The objectives of the Dutch pilot are to promote social cohesion and to reduce social isolation and loneliness by matching people and promoting healthy ageing through lifestyle coaching provided by technological solutions. Accordingly, the two main use cases being demonstrated are related to community building and providing tailored health advice to older adults.

The Italian pilot is split between two locations, Tuscany and Apulia. The primary objective of the Italian pilot is to improve quality of life for older adults living at home. In Tuscany, the priorities are to address socialisation and inclusion, as well as monitoring living conditions. In Apulia, the priorities are to provide physical and cognitive stimulation activities, while also providing solutions for socialisation and environmental monitoring.

The pilot in Portugal is divided between two locations, Amadora and Coimbra. The objectives of the Portuguese pilots are to develop and implement citizen focused solutions, integrated care and planning, integrated infrastructures and processes, and knowledge sharing. These pilots include a central focus on the relationship between the community, the environment, and the people living in them. Accordingly, the use cases addressed by the Pilot sites in Portugal are participation in community life, lifelong learning, and ensuring a safe and comfortable environment.

For more information about the specific pilot site objectives and needs please refer to the paragraph 2.2 of the Open call document.

Priority gaps

Please refer to the official Open Call Text for complete descriptions of the needs for each pilot.

The priority gaps of the Murcia pilot are:

  • to find innovative solutions that provide non-intrusive cardiac monitoring,
  • devices capable of accurately measuring body weight and automatically sending this information to the Pharaon platforms, and
  • a voice-based interaction system

The priority gaps and needs (by order) of the Andalusian pilot are as follows:

  • A software solution that provides personalised cognitive stimulation, activity and progress monitoring, and coaching
  • An e-learning platform with digital content for older people
  • Development of an algorithm to match people with similar tastes and hobbies
  • A virtual assistant that responds to voice commands instead of, or in addition to, a touch interface

The priority gaps of the Slovenian pilot are:

  • Event listing platform with features that allow event organisers to list events, older adults to find events in their area and arrange attendance (RSVP, purchase tickets, etc.), and supporting transportation organisation to simplify transit between venues and retirement homes
  • Personalisation of physical activity recommendations based on data tracked from wearables.

The priority gaps of the Dutch pilot are as follows:

  • Virtual travel…
  • Motivating and personalized coaching system
  • Sharing memories

The priority gaps of the Italian pilot are as follows:

  • Provide cognitive stimulation games (software application) for older adults, preferably with personalisable stimulation and tracking plans for users.
  • Extend the physical exercises programme available on the Pharaon ecosystem, including with personalisation and tracking

The priority gaps of the Portuguese pilot are as follows:

  • A digital application that promotes the engagement in nature preservation within cities, and the mental and physical activity of older citizens, but not exclusively.
  • A domotic system to monitor and, ideally, prevent falls as well as detect early signs of illness.

For more information about the specific pilot site objectives and needs please refer to the paragraph 2.2 of the Open call document.

Expected outcomes

The expected outcomes for all third-party projects are:

  • Projects must adapt and integrate their technology, device, software, or other solution to the Pharaon platform at the pilot site(s) addressed by the project.
  • Projects must meaningfully demonstrate their solution at the applicable pilot site(s) within 6 months of signing the cascade grant agreement (between Pharaon’s cascade funding partner, InnoRenew CoE, and the beneficiary). Meaningful demonstration means a demonstration with a long enough period of time to show the functionality, impacts, and if applicable, for users to test the solution and provide feedback.
  • Projects must address training for users and other project stakeholders (i.e., Pharaon consortium members, pilot site staff, other related community members) through provided training, training materials in the appropriate language for the pilot site(s), etc. The “training the trainers” approach is recommended.
  • The solutions from the project must align with the needs and objectives detailed in Section 2 for the addressed pilot site(s).

Further considerations applicable to this call
  • Applicants are strongly encouraged to tailor their applications to the specific needs and circumstances of the pilot site(s) they wish to address. Addressing the priority gaps above, in line with the associated use cases and pilot challenges will ensure your application can be considered for funding.
  • A developer handbook can be made available to successful applicants. Access to the project Github page will be available to successful applicants as well.

Timetable







1. Are companies and legal entities from outside of the EU eligible for funding?

The following participants are eligible for funding from the Union:
(a) any legal entity established in a Member State or associated country, or created under Union law;
(b) any international European interest organisation;
(c) any legal entity established in a third country identified in the work programme.

In case of any doubt please refer to Horizon 2020 List of countries eligible for funding

2. Can we submit more than one application?

Each applicant is limited to one submission per Open Call thus multiple submissions from the same applicant will be disqualified.

3. Can we propose solution for more than one pilot site?

Yes, but keep in mind that budget remains the same, and is limited to 50.000,00 EUR of co-financing per applicant.

4. Must the platform we are developing be compatible, connectable or include some plug-ins with the Pharaon project? Does this mean that something already exists, and we have to connect to this or can we have an independent project in which we could include PHArA-ON?

Yes, your project must adapt and integrate its technology, device, software, or other solution to the Pharaon platform at the pilot site(s) addressed by the project. Solutions should be TRL 8 or above.

5. One of the pilots is in Izola, does that mean we have to connect with them with our project? Our platform will address PCH6 and PCH7, primarily reducing social isolation, loneliness and living independently for longer. What are the possibilities that we apply with the project that has been developed independently at the moment, but has many possibilities for inclusion?

For the specifics about the pilot needs please consult Chapter 2.2 Pharaon platform ecosystem and pilot needs, of the Open Call Text. The solutions each pilot is looking for are described here. You need not address all pilot sites with your project/solution. Only the most relevant. If your solution addresses more than one pilot site’s priority gaps, your project may be tailored to address more than one pilot.

For example, if your solution addresses PCH6, check the Andalusian, Dutch and Portugal pilots, to identify if your solution is suitable for their needs.

6. Can a humanitarian or health organisation apply (the Red Cross)?

In this Open Call, the same eligibility criteria with the H2020 rules of participation (Article 10) applies. Thus, every participant must be registered in a EU member state or in a Horizon 2020 associated country.
If your organisation complies with the above stated regulation, you can apply although you are humanitarian organisation.

This Open Call focuses on attracting:
▪ SMEs, and Micro SMEs as defined in EU law: EU recommendation 2003/361;
▪ Web entrepreneurs and individual sole-traders;
▪ Industrial organisations.
▪ Other eligible organisations with high TRL level activities.

7. For beneficiaries that are profit legal entities the call will fund 70% of the eligible costs. Does it mean that the amount of 50.000 € has to be the 70% of the total cost of the proposal?

Yes, the total project cost should be such that 50,000 is 70% of that cost, if you wish to apply for the full 50,000 EUR.

8. Is it necessary for us to integrate our technology with the Pharaon platform or do you do this with your staff or your resources from the project?

It is necessary for the grantee to integrate the technology into the pilot. The project will provide some technical guidance, support, and APIs to help, but cannot do the actual full integration work. This would include installation on site, if necessary..

9. We understand that it would not be necessary to cover all the participants of the pilot, how much would be a minimum?

There isn’t a minimum number to meet, but the demonstration should address enough older adults to provide convincing, data-supported evidence of the efficacy of the solution and its integration with the platform. Your application should convince reviewers that you will be able to demonstrate the efficacy of your solution and integration with the platform with the number you provide.

10. What should be the expected duration of the project?

The expected duration should be six months. It is important to note the initial integration tests are expected take place in July 2022.

11. Can Research companies or Universities apply?

Yes, Universities and Research companies may apply. Eligibility rules allow single applicants to apply. See section 5.2 Applicant eligibility in the Open call document for detailed eligibility rules.

12. Can we apply with an existing software & hardware solution that comes from existing AAL projects?

Existing solutions are eligible as the call is intended to support adaptation and modification for the audience and platform. However, in the case of solutions funded by other projects, you should ensure that no double funding is used.