May 23, 2024 marked the final day that shortlisted projects could submit their proposals for the 5G Call for Project III, a funding opportunity geared toward consortia interested in leveraging 5G technology.

This third installment was jointly launched by the Ministry of State’s Department of Media, Connectivity and Digital Policy (“SMC”); the Ministry of the Economy; the Luxembourg National Research Fund (“FNR”); and Luxinnovation. 

Projects must center around one of four themes: smart environments, smart cities, industry 4.0 and technologies. Selected final projects will benefit from a grant and project management tools over the course of three years.

Phase one of the Call, when companies and institution first submitted their projects, spanned November 15, 2023 to February 9, 2024. Shortlisted projects were then given from March 25 to May 23, 2024 to submit more detailed proposals, including budgeting.

Eighteen projects were initially submitted, and 11 of them moved on to Phase II. Proposals came from the entire ecosystem: major research organizations, telecoms operators, satellite-based technologies, the automotive sector and beyond.
The Ministry of Economy (“MECO”) will now assess those 11 for issues related to economic or financial matters, ensuring that funding requests comply with European RDI legislation. RDI legislation outlines how public administrations can give funding to private economic entities. This assessment will last until MECO reaches its final decision in October.

“The projects should be innovative and beneficial to the Luxembourg ecosystem, ” explains Marc Luis, Project Manager, Connectivity, SMC. “Furthermore, they should prove that 5G communication technology is not just something that deals with high-speed YouTube. It can also be utilized to assist and comprehend environmental, automotive and industrial problems.”

While MECO conducts its review, the FNR and SMC will evaluate the technical aspects. After hearing applicant pitches, an FNR panel made up of international experts, will rank projects by technical maturity. This ranking represents one of many factors that will determine the final selection decision in October 2024.