For what kind of project?

Based on data provided by Dassault Aviation, the aim of the Challenge is to develop virtual sensors that will estimate the local structural deformation undergone by aircraft in service, using only data from onboard instruments.

To achieve this, the teams will train Artificial Intelligence on recordings made on test aircraft equipped with real sensors; the challenge will be to achieve the best possible accuracy from these virtual sensors in all flight phases.

Estimates from the virtual sensors will be integrated into the aircraft’s digital twin to enable monitoring of structural aging. At the scale of a fleet, they will help find the right trade-offs between robustness and lightness to help reduce the carbon emissions of future models.

Find out more details, in English, by watching the webinar made on Dec. 8th, 2020 with Dassault Aviation: Watch the replay.

Who can apply?

• Firms
• Researchers

The challenge is open to applicant companies from the EU or Switzerland with a plan to set up in the Paris region within 6 months from November 18^th, 2020. They must be either:

• Very Small and Small Businesses (VSBs and SBs) (firms with fewer than 50 employees and whose annual sales or annual balance sheet total does not exceed €10 million),
• Medium-Sized Businesses (MBs) (firms with fewer than 250 employees and an annual sales of less than €50 million or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million),
• Intermediate-Sized Businesses (firms with fewer 250 to 4,999 employees, with annual sales not exceeding €1.5 billion or a balance sheet total not exceeding €2 billion, and which is not affiliated to a larger group).

Groups associating either a public laboratory and one (or several) private company(ies), or several companies of VSB, SB, MB, or ISB firms can also apply. One application per group is required.

What is the form of the financial support?

The Challenge has a maximum prize fund of €500,000 for one project, to be allocated among the partners of a grouped offer, according to maximum grant rates as follows:

• 60% of post-challenge project expenses for VSBs and SBs,
• 50% of post-challenge project expenses for MBs,
• 40% of post-challenge project expenses for ISBs.

Laboratories associated with a firm may receive 100% funding up to a maximum of €120,000, subject to compliance with European rules on State aid applicable to such bodies.

These rates are lower for individual candidates.

What are the steps to take?

Firms and laboratories wishing to compete in the Challenge must submit an application by sending by email the 2 following completed documents (click to download):

1. Selection questionnaire
2. Purchase department procedure

to the following address: ai-industrychallenge(at)iledefrance.fr

• Starting date: November 18^th, 2020
• Closure date: January 10th, 2021

Choose Paris Region can help international applicants at any step. Please ask for support to: thomas.fauvel (at) chooseparisregion.org

Rules for the Challenge

Download the French and English document
 

Worth to note

This Challenge, co-organized with Dassault Aviation, is carried out in partnership with Startup Inside, the innovation and technology clusters of the Paris region Astech and Systematic, along with l’Université Paris Saclay.