Empowering European Innovation: AI-BOOST Open Call Closes with 462 Finalised Applications Across 44 Countries

The numbers are in, and the response from the artificial intelligence community across Europe and beyond has been outstanding.

As the first AI-BOOST Open Call came to a close, our platform recorded 782 application entries, culminating in 462 fully completed applications. That represents a strong 59.1% completion rate, showcasing remarkable engagement from innovators eager to tackle real-world challenges using generative artificial intelligence.

Here is a closer look at who applied, the challenges that inspired them, and what happens next.

A Diverse Community Led by Small Businesses

The finalized cohort demonstrates a dynamic mix of industry leaders, researchers, and bright independent minds:

• Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs): Representing 56.7% of all completed applications (262 submissions), small businesses led the way, proving that nimble companies are driving practical AI adoption.
• Individual Innovators: Tech talent and independent creators made up 31.6% of the cohort (146 submissions).
• Academia and Research: Universities and research institutions together submitted 49 completed applications (10.6%), ensuring a solid foundation of scientific research.
• Non-Profits: Non-governmental organisations contributed 5 finalized applications (1.1%).

Broad European Reach

Innovation knows no borders. Finalized submissions spanned 44 countries and registration regions, reflecting a well-distributed interest across the continent.

Spain and Italy led the participation, each contributing 51 finalized applications (11.0% each). They were followed closely by Germany with 44 submissions (9.5%) and Turkey with 39 (8.4%). Greece (26), France (22), Portugal (21), the UK (17), Poland (16), the Netherlands (14), Slovakia (14), and Romania (12) also recorded strong numbers, alongside 135 applications from other participating nations.

Strong Demand Across All Four Challenges

Applicants were invited to present solutions across four distinct thematic areas. Each challenge attracted widespread interest:

1. Challenge 1 (Agriculture Robotics): Generated the largest total interest, securing 137 completed applications out of 209 started entries.
2. Challenge 2 (CAD & Simulation): Achieved 121 completed applications out of 167 started entries.
3. Challenge 3 (Clinical Datasets): Reached 89 completed applications out of 117 started entries.
4. Challenge 4 (Automotive Safety): Recorded the highest completion rate, with 81.6% of started applications being fully finalized (115 out of 141).

High Demand for Supercomputing Power

Generative AI development requires serious computational strength. Out of all finalized applicants, 302 teams (65.4%) requested access to the CINECA supercomputing infrastructure to support their work.

Demand was highest in Challenge 3 (Clinical Datasets), where nearly 9 out of 10 applicants (88.8%, or 79 teams) requested high-performance computing resources to handle complex medical data.

What’s Next?

We want to thank every team, company, researcher, and creator who submitted an application. The evaluation phase is now underway. Our panel of experts is reviewing the proposals to select the top teams who will advance to receive funding, technical infrastructure support, and expert guidance.

Stay tuned to our channels for the upcoming announcement of the selected finalists!