Ettevalmistustoetuse taotlus - FTC

5873115 428625 0 0 -3810 9724390 TALLINNA TEHNIKAÜLIKOOL Ehitajate tee 5 19086 Tallinn Rg-kood 74000323 Tel 620 2002 E-post [email protected] www.taltech.ee 0 0 TALLINNA TEHNIKAÜLIKOOL Ehitajate tee 5 19086 Tallinn Rg-kood 74000323 Tel 620 2002 E-post [email protected] www.taltech.ee -3810 428625 0 0 Sihtasutus Eesti Teadusagentuur Soola 8 16.06 .202 6 nr 11-10/48- 24 51004 Tartu Ettevalmistustoetuse taotlemine Käesolevaga taotleb Tallinna Tehnikaülikool ( reg nr 74000323, ak EE201010052037382001 ) ettevalmistustoetust projektile FutureTech Championships – FTC ( 101330339 , DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09 ). Projekti vastutav täitja Sirja Sulakatko, IT Kolledž. Lugupidamisega (allkirjastatud digitaalselt) Marika Lunden Teadusosakond Lisa: Hindamisleh t left 284480 Riina Vilgats 620 3536 [email protected] 0 0 Riina Vilgats 620 3536 [email protected] Proposal Evaluation Form EUROPEAN COMMISSION Evaluation Summary Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) Report Call: DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09 Type of action: DIGITAL-CSA Proposal number: 101330339 Proposal acronym: FTC Duration (months): 36 Proposal title: FutureTech Championships Activity: DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-COMPETITIONS N. Proposer name Country Total % Grant % eligible Requested costs 1 TALLINNA TEHNIKAÜLIKOOL EE 2,275,244.79 32.65% 2,275,244 32.65% 2 PricewaterhouseCoopers Business Services Srl IT 437,065.04 6.27% 437,065 6.27% 3 Develhope s.r.l. IT 448,009 6.43% 448,009 6.43% 4 INCO.ORG FR 537,439.6 7.71% 537,439 7.71% 5 QURECA SPAIN SL ES 942,803.75 13.53% 942,803 13.53% 6 FUNDACIO PER A LA UNIVERSITAT OBERTA DE ES 451,522.88 6.48% 451,522 6.48% CATALUNYA 7 POLITECHNIKA LODZKA PL 269,640 3.87% 269,640 3.87% 8 MITTETULUNDUSUHING ROBOTEX EE 906,290 13.00% 906,290 13.00% 9 SAPIENZA INNOVAZIONE CONSORZIO IT 700,850 10.06% 700,850 10.06% Total: 6,968,865.06 6,968,862 Abstract: FutureTech Championships addresses the DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-COMPETITIONS call by establishing a pan-European advanced digital skills competition programme targeting students in tertiary education, both university and vocational pathways, across EU Member States and associated countries. Led by Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and delivered by a nine-partner consortium from five European countries, the project organises six parallel competition tracks covering Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Worlds/XR, Quantum Computing, Semiconductors, Destination Earth, and Cybersecurity, directly responding to Europe's most pressing technological priorities. Over a 36-month implementation period, FutureTech Championships delivers 18 online hackathons feeding into three annual Grand Final events with ceremonies held respectively in Barcelona, Warsaw, and Brussels. Each competition strand is co-designed with leading European research institutions and industry partners, ensuring challenges reflect real-world societal and technological problems. By building a sustainable European competition infrastructure and a replicable competition model, the project contributes directly to the EU Digital Decade 2030 targets, strengthens European digital sovereignty, and creates a lasting pipeline of highly skilled digital talent capable of driving Europe's technological leadership. Evaluation Summary Report Evaluation Result Total score: 13.50 (Threshold: 10 ) Criterion 1 - Relevance Score: 4.50 (Threshold: 3 / 5.00 , Weight: - ) 101330339/FTC-12/06/2026-09:28:17 1/4  The following aspects have been taken into account (Items 3 and 4 may not be applicable to all topics see call document): 1 - Alignment with the objectives and activities as described in the Call document 2 - Contribution to long-term policy objectives, relevant policies and strategies, and synergies with activities at European and national level 3 - Extent to which the project would reinforce and secure the digital technology supply chain in the EU 4 - Extent to which the project can overcome financial obstacles such as the lack of market finance The proposal is fully in line with the call, by planning very well identified, credible and relevant, competitions and challenges in the 5 mandatory thematic areas, and by proposing cybersecurity as a sixth area, which is a highly relevant area at European, societal and technological levels, given the identified skills gap in the field. The design of the competitions is very well thought through and shows a solid understanding of how to foster creativity and solution-oriented thinking by emphasising team- and project-based work. The proposal presents a clear approach to engaging young people in advanced digital technologies through competitions, and clearly connecting them with industry and academia. The involvement of prominent research institutions and industry partners in the development of the planned challenges is promising and well formulated. The post-competition innovation pathways clearly address the objective of supporting the EU digital transition. The plans to closely cooperate with relevant sectoral academies and EU-level initiatives (e.g. Digital Skills academies, Digital Education Hackathon, EU Quantum Industry Consortium, European Space Agency) are overall promising. However it is not fully clear how the proposed project will build on these synergies to develop the planned challenges. This is a minor shortcoming. The planned project demonstrates very good level of ambition in regard to reaching a diverse and wide geographical audience (e.g. attract teams from at least 10 different institutions and 10 different eligible countries per competition cycle), which is well supported by the use of different channels to attract participants. It is credible that the consortium will succeed to attract participants and ensure broad engagement, given their broad sectoral coverage (e.g. education, research and industry). Coordination and collaboration with ELEVATE and the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform (DSJP) is very well formulated and promising, targeting communication, event organisation and branding, and thus credibly meeting the call’s synergy requirements. The proposal convincingly addresses diversity, both at institutions’ and teams’ level. Appropriate rules are considered, such as targeting over 40% female participation in challenge teams to ensure gender balance. The attractive award packages for the winning team members are clearly designed, in line with the expected call activities. The proposal very convincingly contributes to the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 (DDPP) through concrete actions to bridge the gap between academic training and practical professional requirements (e.g. including start-up mentoring, matchmaking opportunities and executive mentoring). Moreover, the addition of a cybersecurity challenge is a response to the skills shortage identified in the EU Cybersecurity Strategy document. These activities indirectly support also the broader digital ecosystem. Complementarities with relevant EU and national initiatives are well identified and promising. How the project builds on and avoids duplication with initiatives such as the LEADSx2030, is credibly described. However, the links to other European and national initiatives (e.g. Erasmus+, Digital Education Hub) are not described in sufficient depth. This is a shortcoming. Criterion 2 Implementation Score: 4.00 (Threshold: 3 / 5.00 , Weight: - ) The following aspects have been taken into account: 1 - Maturity of the project 2 - Soundness of the implementation plan and efficient use of resources 3 - Capacity of the applicants, and when applicable the consortium as a whole, to carry out the proposed work The proposal demonstrates a high level of maturity and readiness to start the implementation. Preparatory work is clearly described, and along with the reliance on pre-existing infrastructure, supports the credibility of smooth project kick-off. The implementation plan is very well and logically structured at work package level. The work packages are coherent and closely aligned to the call requirements, covering appropriately the implementation and roll-out of the 6 distinct competitions across all required thematic areas, implementing 3 challenges for each annual competition, as well as the final events and coordination with ELEVATE and DSJP. The proposal adequately plans for the creation of rulebooks for participants and jury members, in line with the call requirements. The planned refinements after each competition are a positive point. A detailed roadmap is clearly presented, including all the implementation steps, phases and milestones. These are clearly linked to monitoring mechanisms and data collection processes, which makes their achievement credible. The planned award packages are well suited and attractive, by offering also promising collaboration with industry and possibility of startups creation, cash prizes and travel grants for students to attend the finals, etc. Practical implementation details are convincingly described. The approach for post-project financial sustainability is overall appropriate, being treated as an iterative task that relies on data gathered during the project and actively tests it with industry sponsors before the EU funding is exhausted. However, the strategy for the sustainability of the competitions after the end of the project is not fully convincing. This is a shortcoming. The proposal describes comprehensive measures to ensure high quality and timely implementation, and appropriate methods to monitor, plan and control activities are considered. The proposal demonstrates strong cost-effectiveness, including a coherent approach to resource allocation, high-quality financial management arrangements, and clearly defined roles and responsibilities across partners. The balance of funds allocation between student support and prizes is appropriate. The proposal includes an overall comprehensive list of critical risks related to the implementation, and risk assessment is addressed in a structured way. However, in some cases the mitigation measures are not appropriate. Furthermore, the likelihood of participant drop-out during the competition is not sufficiently addressed (e.g. high attrition between registration and final submission for online hackathons, which negatively impacts on quality and volume of final projects). In addition, the strict rule adopted to ensure gender balance potentially will negatively impact on the “insufficient participant recruitment in one or more thematic areas” risk. Together these form a shortcoming. The consortium is balanced and coherent in relation to the planned activities, addressing very well the call requirements in regard to targeted stakeholders and ensuring that all relevant groups are well represented . The partners demonstrate strong capacity to carry out the proposed work, and the distribution of tasks across work packages is balanced and allows partners to take on leading roles in line with their expertise. The project teams and staff are well described, and their function/profile in the project is clear. The governance structure is clear and proportionate to the project size, including suitable bodies to support quality and relevance of project actions. Project management and decision-making processes are well defined, with regular online meetings complemented by coordination during key on-site events. Internal quality assurance is well planned. The consortium combines very well experience from European projects, with a well-functioning management approach that supports effective cooperation. 101330339/FTC-12/06/2026-09:28:17 2/4  Criterion 3 - Impact Score: 5.00 (Threshold: 3 / 5.00 , Weight: - ) The following aspects have been taken into account (Item 3 may not be applicable to all topics see call document): 1 - Extent to which the project will achieve the expected outcomes and deliverables referred to in the call for proposals and, where relevant, the plans to disseminate and communicate project achievements 2 - Extent to which the project will strengthen competitiveness and bring important benefits for society 3 - Extent to which the project addresses environmental sustainability and the European Green Deal goals, in terms of direct effects and/or in awareness of environmental effects The proposal explains very clearly how it will achieve the expected outcomes and deliverables set out in the call. A well-structured approach to involving industry stakeholders is clearly presented, with the potential to lead to further support, such as sponsorship, mentoring or further develop the students’ solutions. The required elements are comprehensively and convincingly addressed, including the organization of six competitions across the specified digital areas, the development of rulebooks, and the preparation of the roadmap. The organization of the award ceremonies is very well planned, including the final event in Brussels which is complemented by yearly events in Barcelona and Warsaw, thus contributing to refinement of the competition process and to enhanced visibility and geographical outreach. The planned award packages are attractive, and have the potential to support targeted impact. A comprehensive and very well developed KPI framework is included in the proposal, adequately covering and tracking the required key indicators. The proposed KPI targets are realistic, and the level of detail provided supports the credibility of achieving the intended outcomes. The proposal also considers relevant additional KPIs, which is very good. Communication activities are well formulated, with clear identification of relevant target groups and a range of appropriate dissemination channels to reach them. The proposal defines a comprehensive and convincing dissemination strategy that integrates the DSJP landing page and targets students, industry and policy makers. However, some other relevant project specific channels (e.g. associations at European level) are not adequately considered to boost the wider geographical outreach for different target groups. This is a minor shortcoming. The expected impact on competitiveness and society is excellently described and convincing, the proposal clearly elaborating on how the measures executed during the project will bring important benefits for society. By focusing on skill development (i.e. free pre-competition bootcamp training and digital participation certificated to all registered users), talent identification and engagement with industry (e.g. coaching, intellectual property advice, industry matchmaking, start-ups, corporate pilot projects), the proposal has strong potential to contribute to the European digital skills ecosystem and to support innovation capacity. Thus, all participants, not just the winners, benefit from the project. Targeted outreach measures, including efforts to engage underrepresented groups, further strengthen the societal dimension. Scope of the application Status: Yes Comments (in case the proposal is out of scope) Not provided Exceptional funding Entities from countries mentioned in the work programme (if any) are only exceptionally eligible, if the granting authority considers their participation essential for the implementation of the action. Please list the concerned applicants and requested grant amount and explain the reasons why. Based on the information provided, the following participants should receive exceptional funding: Not provided Based on the information provided, the following participants should NOT receive exceptional funding: Not provided Artificial Intelligence Status: No If YES, the technical robustness of the proposed system must be evaluated under the appropriate criterion. Are security restrictions as per Article 12(5) and (6) applicable? Status: No If security restrictions apply and one (or more) applicants are found controlled from third countries (or third country entities), is the project feasible without the controlled entities? Not provided 101330339/FTC-12/06/2026-09:28:17 3/4  Can the work be taken over by one of the other participants or will it be necessary to add new ones? Not provided Not provided Overall comments Not provided 101330339/FTC-12/06/2026-09:28:17 4/4  Digitally sealed by the European Commission Date: 2026.06.12 09:28:31 CEST This electronic receipt is a digitally signed version of the document submitted by your organisation. Both the content of the document and a set of metadata have been digitally sealed. This digital signature mechanism, using a public-private key pair mechanism, uniquely binds this eReceipt to the modules of the Funding & Tenders Portal of the European Commission, to the transaction for which it was generated and ensures its full integrity. Therefore a complete digitally signed trail of the transaction is available both for your organisation and for the issuer of the eReceipt. Any attempt to modify the content will lead to a break of the integrity of the electronic signature, which can be verified at any time by clicking on the eReceipt validation symbol. 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