The Ministry of State, Department of Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy, the Ministry of the Economy, the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), and Luxinnovation are launching a joint call for projects to offer companies and research institutions a new funding opportunity for consortia wishing to take advantage of 5G communication technologies in their field of research or business.
This joint call for projects will take place in two phases. The first phase, between 15 November 2023 and 9 February 2024, will allow interested economic players to submit their projects (summary, planned research, timetable, budgets, etc.).
After an evaluation process to be carried out by the partners in this call for projects, the shortlisted projects will be subject to a second submission phase, between 25 March and 23 May 2024. A more detailed description of their project will then be examined by a panel of external experts. The results will be announced in October 2024, after which the implementation of the projects can begin.
The four call topics: Smart Environment, Smart Cities, Industry 4.0 and Technologies are aligned with the priority sectors of the Luxembourg economy. 5G communication technologies are powerful enablers for applications in emerging fields like data-based decision making, AI, IoT and automation with promising impacts in terms of competitiveness and resilience.
“The government is convinced that 5G communication technologies are essential for the next wave of productivity and innovation across various sectors of the Luxembourgish economy," stated the Minister for Communications and Media, Xavier Bettel.
The minister of the Economy Franz Fayot adds: “Following the success of previous joint calls for projects in the fields of health technologies and high-performance computing, the next logical step is the launch of a specific joint call for 5G technology projects, with the aim of stimulating the adoption of these new technologies by businesses through strong public-private partnerships. Indeed, launching projects as part of public-private partnerships is a new way of helping businesses, which effectively encourages innovation and the use of forward-looking technologies. "
The application process will be carried out via the dedicated www.research-industry-collaboration.lu platform set up in 2021 by Luxinnovation. The national innovation agency will monitor the ideas posted on the platform and connect public and private partners interested in participating. “5G communication technologies are a real driver of innovation in numerous application areas such as the smart environment, smart cities or industry 4.0. In the context of this new joint call for projects, Luxinnovation will facilitate connections and collaboration between innovative companies and cutting-edge public research organisations. Bringing these two worlds together is a key lever in the ongoing digitalisation of the Luxembourg economy,” explains Sasha Baillie, CEO of Luxinnovation.
"The societal, economic, and technological benefits of 5G are closely linked to ongoing research efforts, making it a critical area of study and development for governments, industry, and academia. As researchers explore new possibilities and applications, it may lead to breakthroughs not originally envisioned, sparking innovation across multiple industries. We want to bring all the players in the ecosystem closer together to work on research and innovation projects that will enable them to accelerate these breakthroughs to happen in Luxembourg", explains Dr Marc Schiltz, CEO of the Luxembourg National Research Fund.
Press release by the Ministry of State – Department of Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy / Ministry of the Economy / Luxinnovation / Fonds national de la recherche (FNR)