Luxembourg Launches 2nd Joint Call for High Performance Computing Projects

Luxembourg's Ministry of the Economy has announced the launch of a second joint call for projects, in partnership with the National Research Fund (Fonds national de la recherche - FNR) and Luxinnovation, in the field of high-performance computing (HPC).

This new joint call for projects aims to offer companies and research institutions a new funding opportunity to support consortia wishing to take advantage of HPC capabilities in their field of research.

This call for joint projects will take place in two phases. The first, which will take place between 15 September and 15 November 2023, will allow interested economic players to present their projects directly (summary, planned research, schedule, budgets, etc.).

Following an evaluation process that will be carried out by the partners of this call for projects, the preselected files will be subject to a second phase of submission, between 2 January and 28 February 2024. The description of their project, which is more complete, will then be examined by a panel of external experts. The results will be communicated in summer 2024 and the projects can then begin to be implemented.

"High-performance computing is an innovation accelerator that offers enormous potential for companies of all sizes in different sectors," said the Luxembourg Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot. “It is a key driver of business and research competitiveness, and it will be increasingly important in the future, as the amount of data available doubles every two years.”

The process will be completed via the platform www.research-industry-collaboration.lu set up in 2021 by Luxinnovation. The national innovation agency is in charge of following up on ideas posted on the interface, in particular by connecting public and private partners interested in participating. “In Luxembourg, we have both a solid digital infrastructure, of which the MeluXina supercomputer is one of the key pieces; advanced skills in the field of research, but also companies and start-ups capable of developing and offering innovative products and services. By facilitating their networking and collaboration in this way, we will activate a key lever for innovation,” explained Sasha Baillie, CEO of Luxinnovation.

"We want to bring all the players in the ecosystem closer together around research and innovation projects allowing them to accelerate their digital transformation, by integrating computer-aided engineering and design, as well as high-performance computing into their internal innovation process,” said Dr Andreea Monnat, Deputy CEO of the National Research Fund.

This joint call for projects will be accompanied by a dedicated portfolio of aid schemes proposed by the Ministry of the Economy, which takes into account the different levels of competence of private actors in the use of computer-assisted R&D. "The objective is to create a general awareness of the use of simulation and modeling tools and techniques in the R&D activities of companies and to support a sustainable evolution towards an ecosystem of use of HPC," concluded Minister Fayot.

The detailed call for projects, including the call process, can be found here.