We are encouraging SMEs addressing challenges related to COVID-19 to apply for funding support offered by DIGI-B-CUBE open call
The COVID-19 pandemic represents an unprecedented challenge for healthcare systems and societies worldwide. There is an urgent need for novel diagnostics solutions, integrated detection systems and biosensing technologies that would, in a rapid, specific and efficient way, support the identification and tracking of infection chains and acquired immunity. Biological and biomedical imaging technologies are also essential for addressing many research questions, such as those related to SARS-CoV-2 infections, from basic research at the molecular and cellular level to medical applications and diagnostics. In addition, Biobanking processes are crucial in the race towards a COVID-19 vaccine and development of treatment options.
There is an urgent need to support Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) capable of delivering innovation projects addressing the broad range of COVID-19 related challenges.
Through DIGI-B-CUBE project, we are announcing our funding support for SMEs to fight against COVID-19 through cross-sectoral collaborative projects. DIGI-B-CUBE offers direct financial support up to €60,000 per SME from relevant sectors including healthcare, medicine, biotech, biopharma, IT, robotics, automation, electronics, and nanotech. DIGI-B-CUBE supports digital innovations and solutions for the reconfiguration of the Medical Diagnostics and related value chains (depicted in the diagram below) towards a Health Economy 4.0 with a special focus on Biobanking, Bioimaging, Biosensing and related industries.
Given below are the details of the DIGI-B-CUBE open call:
Project Name: Digital Enterprise Innovations for Bioimaging, Biosensing and Biobanking Industries (DIGI-B-CUBE)
Open Call Title: DIGI-B-CUBE Open Call for Proposals for Innovation Projects (DIGI-B-CUBE-IA-2020-2021)
Open Call Publication Date: 22 April 2020
Deadlines
| Voucher Type | 1st Deadline | 2nd Deadline |
| Prototyping Voucher | 29 July 2020 at 17:00 (CET) | 03 February 2021 at 17:00 (CET) |
| Customised Solution Innovation Voucher | 29 July 2020 at 17:00 (CET) | 03 February 2021 at 17:00 (CET) |
Continuous Open Call | ||
| Co-working Disruption Lab Voucher | From 28 October 2020 to 27 October 2021, 17:00 (CET) | |
| Voucher Type | Project Runtime | Max. funding per SME | Max. funding per project | Purpose | Applicant Group |
| Prototyping Voucher | 1 to 3 months | €20 000 | €60 000 | Support to prototype or conceptualise a solution (proof of concept, feasibility study) for a digitalization challenge in the Medical Diagnostics and related value chains. | Consortium consisting of minimum 2 SMEs and maximum 3 organizations; From at least 2 different sectors (Example: An SME from healthcare/medicine/biotech/biopharma + An SME from IT and related sectors) |
| Customised Solution Innovation Voucher | 2 to 6 months | €50 000 | €150 000 | Support to jointly develop a novel product/service based on an existing proven concept that addresses a digitalization challenge in the Medical Diagnostics and related value chains. | Consortium consisting of minimum 2 SMEs; From at least 2 different sectors (Example: An SME from healthcare/medicine/biotech/biopharma + An SME from IT and related sectors) |
| Co-working Disruption Lab Voucher | 0.5 to 2 months | €10 000 | €10 000 | Support to further advance a successfully completed customised solution innovation voucher project in an incubator / accelerator / co-working space of the DIGI-B-CUBE clusters’ network (or) in labs, technical and innovation facilities of other relevant SMEs. | One SME from a completed Customized Solution Innovation Voucher project consortium + a host organisation (host does not receive direct funding from this voucher) |
Evaluation Process:
The evaluation process takes max. 4 weeks starting from the respective cut-off date/deadline. The applicant/s will receive an e-mail about the outcome of the assessment directly after the assessment is finalised.
Target Group:
SMEs from the following sectors are eligible to apply for DIGI-B-CUBE vouchers:
- Healthcare / Medicine / Biotech / Biopharma
- IT and related sectors (Robotics, Automation, Electronics, Nanotech etc)
Submission Language: English
Web address for full open call information: https://digibcube.eu/open-calls/
Web address for proposal submissions: https://digibcube.eu/collaborative-platform/
E-mail: info@digibcube.eu
Indicative budget for the call: Total budget €2 700 000. The following budget planned across the deadlines may change based on the number and quality of the applications received.
| Voucher Type | 1st Deadline | 2nd Deadline |
| Prototyping Voucher | approx. €360 000 | approx. €240 000 |
| Customised Solution Innovation Voucher | approx. €1 050 000 | approx. €700 000 |
Continuous Open Call | ||
| Co-working Disruption Lab Voucher | approx. €150 000 | |
Contact (Coordinator):
Dr. Gupta Udatha
Director (Digital & EU)
Oslo Cancer Cluster
Oslo, Norway
Email: gupta.udatha@oslocancercluster.no