SPRIND will support European teams developing modular robotics platforms and components across a four-stage selection process.

Bundesagentur fur Sprunginnovationen (SPRIND – German Federal Agency for Disruptive Innovation) has announced the Next Frontier Robotics Challenge, a call intended to deliver breakthroughs in next-generation robotics hardware and intelligent, multi-purpose robotic systems in Europe. The Challenge focuses on modular and interoperable technologies that can operate autonomously in complex, unstructured and changing real-world environments.

Two tracks are available. Track 1, Integrated Platforms, supports development of fully integrated, modular and multi-purpose robotic systems that combine hardware, sensors and software into stable architectures for autonomous execution of complex physical tasks. Track 2, Hardware Components, supports development of high-performing robotic components and associated software drivers designed for integration into third-party robotic systems.

Projects are expected to contribute to a modular and interoperable European robotics ecosystem, with relevant applications including logistics and intralogistics, construction and infrastructure, healthcare and care support, agriculture and industrial maintenance and service environments. SPRIND also identifies generalisation, robustness, interoperability, hardware-agnostic technologies and European manufacturing capacity as priorities.

The Challenge runs for approximately three years and is divided into four stages, covering capability demonstrations, validation under realistic operating conditions, cross-track interoperability integration and multi-agent demonstrations of end-to-end use cases. Up to five teams in Track 1 and ten teams in Track 2 will be selected initially, with progression dependent on staged evaluations, leading to three teams in the final stage and a winning team in each track.

Teams of all legal forms may apply, including universities, non-university research institutions, established companies and start-ups, with an expectation of working towards establishing a company. Applicants must have a legal entity registered in the EU, EFTA or the UK, with additional equity and headquarters requirements for incorporated companies.

SPRIND plans to provide up to €7.2 million per team across the full Challenge, with stage allocations varying by track.