Call for Applications: Next-Generation Environment Perception for Real World CCAM Operations

The project should address advancement in sense-control-act process for smart sensor systems and networks, controllers, and actuators ensuring safety and trustworthiness of CCAM and effective disruption management. It should utilize digital enabling technologies such as AI at-the-edge, machine learning, and data spaces. Modular, reusable, and open software platforms for CCAM environment perception ensuring transparency, verification, and safety are to be developed. Energy efficiency, circularity and eco-design of environment perception systems should be enhanced by decreasing energy/resource consumption in production and operation while improving reusability, reparability and upgradability. Cost reduction through scalability, modularity and standardisation to enable widespread implementation is essential. Support for remote assistance as a step towards higher autonomy in wider operational design domains should be integrated, using co-designed electronic hardware architectures and software stacks, encouraging use of the Software-Defined Vehicle of the Future initiative building blocks. Projects should report results supporting the European Partnership on CCAM and apply the European Common Evaluation Methodology for CCAM.

CCAM-enabled vehicles continuously sense their surroundings including road conditions, proximity of other vehicles, and infrastructure status. Real-time data sharing among vehicles and infrastructure enhances safety and operational efficiency. However, current large-scale demonstrations face challenges in environmental perception and decision-making, leading to remote assistance needs, blockages, and accidents impacting public trust. This call emphasizes objective-oriented research to overcome these challenges by improving the performance, accuracy, reliability, and cyber-security of environment perception systems.

The proposed research will focus on creating validated prototypes of next-generation vehicle and infrastructure-based perception technologies which can anticipate and avoid safety risks under complex real-world conditions including pedestrian interactions, construction zones, and emergency vehicle proximity. Projects will explore the limits of automated system perception to process environmental cues like street design, auditory signals, smells, weather conditions, and intentions of active mobility users.

Energy efficiency performance improvements are targeted throughout the entire sense-think-act chain considering vehicles, infrastructure, and edge/cloud computing, balancing enhanced security with minimal environmental footprint. The integration of modular, reusable software and hardware platforms will be explored to facilitate cost-effective scalability, incorporating circular manufacturing principles such as efficient material use and component repair or reuse.

A significant aspect of the call is the support for remote assistance technologies, which enable remote monitoring and control over automated vehicles in wider operational domains. This approach relies on a co-designed system of electronics and software architectures aligned with European Software-Defined Vehicle frameworks.

By leveraging advances in AI at the edge and machine learning, the call encourages the development of transparent, verifiable, and safe environment perception solutions that foster trust among the public, authorities, and decision makers.

Overall, this call aims to drive forward real-world deployment of CCAM technologies that achieve high safety standards without sacrificing energy-efficiency, cost-effectiveness, or the principles of circular economy.

The Commission estimates that an EU contribution of around EUR 4.00 million would allow the outcomes to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of a proposal requesting different amounts.

The total indicative budget for the topic is EUR 8.00 million.

For more information, visit EC.