ATTRACT Initiative Provides Funding for Detection and Imaging Technologies

ATTRACT is a research initiative funded within the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme and co-lead by leading European research institutions, including international organizations CERN, EMBL and ESO. It brings together Europe’s fundamental research and industrial communities with the aim to support development of next generation detection and imaging technologies. The overall budget available is 17 MEUR. Up to 170 detection and imaging projects and ideas with innovation and market potential may receive funding in the amount of 100 kEUR.

It is for the first time that a consortium of such significant research organisations, which build and operate telescopes, particle accelerators and other state-of-the-art scientific instruments, has been established. ATTRACT will enlist large companies and investors alike. The aim is to create a new European model of Open Innovation.

The ATTRACT seed fund is open to researchers and entrepreneurs from all over Europe. The call for proposals is open until 31st October 2018. A high-level, independent evaluation committee will evaluate proposals and select those to be funded based on a combination of their scientific merit, innovation readiness and potential. The successful proposals will be announced in early 2019. The projects funded by ATTRACT will have 1 year to develop their ideas. During this phase business and innovation experts from Aalto University, EIRMA and ESADE Business School will help project teams to explore how their idea or technology can be transformed into innovations with strong market potential.