Open Call 4 - The Fourth FIESTA-IoT Competitive Call for Experiments
The FIESTA-IoT Project herewith announces its fourth Open Call for Experimenters. We target advanced and innovative developments, leveraging FIESTA-IoT's novel Experimentation as a Service (Eaas) platform built atop a federation of underlying IoT testbeds.
Overall, FIESTA-IoT's experimental infrastructure provides experimenters in the IoT domain with the following unique capabilities:
- Access to and sharing of IoT datasets in a testbed-agnostic way. FIESTA-IoT provides researchers with tools to access IoT data resources (including linked sensor data sets) independently of their source IoT platform/testbed.
- Execution of experiments across multiple IoT testbeds, based on a single API for submitting the experiment and a single set of credentials (for the experimenter).
- Portability of IoT experiments across different testbeds, through the provision of interoperable standards-based IoT/cloud interfaces over diverse IoT experimental facilities.
Call | Category/Identifier | Call Budget | Max Budget per Experiment | Min Experiments to be funded |
---|---|---|---|---|
Experiments | FIESTA-IoT-OC4-EXP | €200,000 | €50,000 | 4 |
Submission deadline: 18th September 2017, at 17:00 Brussels local time (hard deadline)
What are we funding?
Contrary to the previous calls for experimentation, where the experiments were split into two categories (for SME/industry and for academia), the fourth call for experiments of the FIESTA-IoT project will solicit innovative experiments in specific domains. The main goal for this is to utilize also testbeds and domains that were under-utilized in the previous open calls.
Furthermore, the FIESTA-IoT project will also seek out experiments that have the opportunity to be further exploited by the FIESTA-IoT platform as additional modules, providing innovative services. Proposals for experiments in the fourth open call can be submitted by both SMEs/industry and academia.
The working topics of the experiments can be in any FIESTA-IoT domain, but with strong preference on the following domains of interest for the 4th Open Call:
- DM1: innovative experiments in the domains of agriculture and/or maritime, aiming to integrate data from various testbeds, showing the added benefits that the FIESTA-IoT can provide in those domains.
- DM2: innovative experiments with respect to energy consumption at data centers and indoor industrial/home environments.
- DM3: experiments expanding the services provided by FIESTA-IoT, i.e. for assessing the quality/trustworthiness of the data provided by the testbeds, for predictive analytics, location based services or for virtualization on top of the FIESTA-IoT platform. It is important to highlight the use of semantics within the FIESTA-IoT Platform and the need for proposed modules to exploit this characteristic.
The FIESTA-IoT project will give priority to proposals that will target one of the above mentioned domains, but also welcomes proposals in the other domains of the project (i.e. smart building, smart city, home automation, environmental monitoring), leveraging on the data that originate from the project’s testbeds.
Open Call Schedule

Submission
Final Submission Deadline: |
18th September 2017, at 17:00 Brussels local
|
Please read through the call documentation - also available via the link below- it provides the necessary information about how to prepare the submission. It also includes the criteria that will be used to evaluate the proposals.
The proposal must be:
- Submitted on‑line through: FIESTA-IoT submission system
- Submitted in English
Please use the Word proposal template - available below - in preparing your submission.
FAQs about the FIESTA-IoT Open Call
- 1. Application Process
- 2. Experiments & Support
- 3. Testbed Federation
- 4. Finance
- 5. Legal & IPR
|
Collapse All
-
1. 1.1 Am I allowed to participate in more than one proposal?
You’re allowed to submit as many proposals as you like.
However, please note that the system we use to handle the proposals (Moodle-based platform) unfortunately only allows three proposals per user (and its associated e-mail address), so you can submit up to three different proposals with one user, but if you want to send more proposals, you will need to register on the system with a new e-mail address. We are sorry about this potential inconvenience.
Anyway, note that a proposer can only be selected for funding for one proposal (even if the proposer submitted multiple proposals that are ranked high enough to be selected for funding, or if the proposer submitted multiple proposals in different categories)
-
2. 1.2 If a proposal is labelled as "not eligible", is it possible to "appeal" or change the proposal to make it eligible?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to "appeal" a "not eligible" label for a proposal.
We suggest that you update the proposal to make it eligible and re-submit it.
The 2nd FIESTA-IoT Open Call will be soliciting additional testbeds and it will open on the 1st November 2016.The 3rd and 4th FIESTA-IoT Open Calls will be soliciting for new experiments throughout 2017.
-
3. 1.3 Can I re-apply for an open call even if I have secured funding in the previous open calls? Will there be any priority to the previous open calls' awardees in subsequent calls?
Each Open Call will be another open process in which any proposal will be treated on a fair basis and without taking into account the results from previous Open Calls. However, we might foster new participation by awarding some extra points to newcomers.
-
4. 1.4 What are the key attributes an experiment must have in order to be selected for the open call?
We will focus on the innovative elements of your idea, the feasibility of your proposal, the potential impact of its results, and your contribution to the evolution of the concepts and features developed by the FIESTA-IoT Platform (using it and giving feedback, for example).
Feel free to contact the Help desk if you need help shaping up any of these aspects or if you would like to check that your experiment fits the current capabilities of the FIESTA-IoT Platform.
-
5. 1.5 Which language shall I use when developing the project?
Your proposal and documentation will be required in English.
However, you are free to use whatever language within your experiment. For example, if you are developing a Smart City service aimed at engaging local residents for which you may use their native language.
-
6. 1.6 How should I fill and use the scorecards mentioned in the submission process and proposal template?
The Scorecards (both for the Call for Experiments and for the Call for Extensions) were designed so that proposers can provide to the FIESTA-IoT consortium, information regarding the proposal being applied to the FIESTA-IoT Open Call.
In the following document (http://moodle.fiesta-iot.eu/mod/resource/view.php?id=28) you can find some instructions on how to use the scorecards and the feedback that they provide in order to complete Section D of the proposal.
-
1. 2.1 What is the FIESTA-IoT platform mainly providing to support my experiment?
The FIESTA-IoT Platform will provide the means for testbed agnostic access to experimental IoT datasets and data-streams, thereby opening new horizons associated with the development of novel/niche IoT technologies and services in areas such as cloud and IoT integration, IoT and Big Data integration, large scale smart cities applications, ambient assisted living environments, management of emergencies and more.
The main added-value of the FIESTA-IoT platform is that it will provide the opportunity for accessing shared IoT resources, and for using them in the scope of experiments that will combine data from multiple testbeds. The FIESTA-IoT platform offers this interoperability among the datasets from the underlying testbeds employing semantic models and technologies. Experimenters should exploit the semantic and interoperable nature of the datasets and data-streams within their experiments.
A major innovation introduced by FIESTA-IoT relates to the dynamic discovery and use of IoT data from any of the underlying interoperable IoT testbeds.
-
2. 2.2 How long will I have access to the FIESTA-IoT Platform for my experiment?
You will have access to the FIESTA-IoT Platform from the start date of your experiment until the completion of your experiment – which should never exceed 6 months - whichever is the earliest date.
-
3. 2.3 What will happen with my experiment at the end of this FIESTA-IoT Open Call?
Once the experimental phase for this Open Call has finished, you can request to continue running your project in the FIESTA-IoT Platform or decide to migrate it to another platform. If you are granted such access to continue running your project on the FIESTA-IoT Platform, it will be subject to fair and reasonable terms under a separate agreement to be negotiated. FIESTA-IoT is researching ways in which the Platform can become sustainable after the three years of European funding. At the moment, it seems like this could happen through sponsorship or it might be that some experiments supply a financial revenue that can sustain the Platform, however, different alternatives are still under discussion.
-
4. 2.4 What (if any) limitations apply to my use of the FIESTA-IoT Platform for implementation of my experiment?
You are only entitled to use the Platform to the extent needed to implement your experiment. This comprises a right for you to create commercial or non-commercial services that rely upon or are based upon the FIESTA-IoT Platform and make such services available for the public’s use free of charge or paid for. This entails that you are NOT allowed e.g.:
(a) To make any changes or additions to the Platform unless required for the purpose of implementing your experiment.
(b) To use the Platform for any purpose whatsoever other than creating and making available for use by the public, services which are not part of your experiment.
(c) To replicate the Platform or any part of it.
(d) To limit the functionality of the Platform or limit the possibilities to build upon the Platform.
(e) To decompile or otherwise reverse-engineer any Platform software or other part or component of the Platform.
No other person is permitted to do any of these things.
-
5. 2.5 What (if any) limitations apply to my use of the FIESTA-IoT Platform for exploitation of my experiment results (incl. commercial or third party use) outside the scope of my experiment?
You do not have default access rights. Instead, such rights to use the Platform for other purposes than implementation of your experiment must be requested by you, and, if granted, will be subject to fair and reasonable terms under a separate agreement. This separate agreement may provide specific limitations. However, your access rights, if any, will always be subject to the same limitations as listed under the question above concerning limitation on use of the Platform for implementation of your experiment.
-
6. 2.6 What technical support/maintenance services will be available to me during my experiment?
The FIESTA-IoT Platform is provided “as is” and FIESTA-IoT partners will provide the necessary support for you to run your experiment. However, there is no guarantee that the Platform will function without interruption or be kept available for any particular period of time.
A Platform training system will be set-up to deal with required assistance requests and FIESTA-IoT partners may deliver such support/services to you with no liabilities or warranties of any kind.
-
7. 2.7 Which language shall I use when developing the project?
Your proposal and documentation will be required in English.
However, you are free to use whatever language within your experiment. For example, if you are developing a Smart City service aimed at engaging local residents for which you may use their native language.
-
8. 2.8 How skilled at information technology must I be in order to develop an experiment successfully?
One of the main aims of FIESTA-IoT is to provide ways for those who don’t feel so tech-savvy to develop their ideas. The FIESTA-IoT toolkit has been developed so you can focus on your good idea, while the tools help in the development of apps and services.
If you believe the complexity of your experiment would require advanced technical knowledge, consider collaborating with a person that shares your interests and complements your skills from the proposal stage.
-
9. 2.9 Apart from the technical facility, is there any other kind of support FIESTA-IoT can provide for the success of my project?
FIESTA-IoT will set-up a training platform to support experimenters and testbed providers in their developments.
We are happy to collect requests and try to aid experimenters where possible through our local expertise, community connections, and technical understanding. We’ll do what we can, but bear in mind that FIESTA-IoT cannot assure any additional help outside of what is part of the open call terms.
-
10. 2.10 Are there any seminars, workshops, etc. to learn more about FIESTA-IoT?
Yes. Workshops will be organised and remote assistance means might be set-up. The purpose of the workshops will be mainly presenting the Open Call key features and FIESTA-IoT Experimentation as a Service concept.
Special emphasis will be put on the Innovation by SME and/or Entrepreneurs topic of the Open Call.
Doubts concerning the proposal submission procedure will be answered as much as possible.
-
11. 2.11 Should I use the FIESTA-IoT Platform to develop my experiment?
Yes. That is one of the key attributes an experiment must have in order to be selected for the open call.
As part of the experimentation process, it is important for you to assess the usability and technical validation of the FIESTA-IoT Platform. During the first open call the Platform might not yet be sufficiently mature to support your experiment. Please, refer to the technical specifications to check if the platform will be ready for your experiment at this stage.
The FIESTA-IoT Platform will continue developing by federating more testbeds during the 1st and 2nd Open Calls and by adding further functionalities ready by the 3rd Open Call in 2017, when we will provide support for more complex experiments. Get in touch with us to suggest any technical facilities that you would like us to implement so that we can support more experiments.
-
12. 2.12 How long can the lifespan of my project be?
The experiments funded in the 1st Open Call must start between 1st December 2016 and 1st January 2017. The lifespan of each experiment may not be longer than 6 months.
-
1. 3.1 Do I retain the control of my testbed?
Yes.
FIESTA-IoT is a federation of testbeds but the responsibility and control of managing your testbeds is still on the testbed provider.
-
2. 3.2 How long do I have to keep my testbed federated within the FIESTA-IoT Platform?
The funding available during the Open Call should support the effort required to federate your testbed and offer its services throughout the FIESTA-IoT project lifespan, thus supporting subsequent (funded) FIESTA-IoT open calls or (non-funded) open access of FIESTA-IoT Platform.
Your commitment to extend this offer through the FIESTA-IoT federation will be graded in terms of Usefulness and Sustainability (two key evaluation criteria).
-
3. 3.3 What support might I expect for federating my testbed?
FIESTA-IoT will set-up a training platform to support experimenters and testbed providers in their developments.
The FIESTA-IoT Platform has been developed in such a way that federation of new testbeds is a bearable process for testbed providers. Moreover, FIESTA-IoT partners, specially existing testbed providers, will provide insights and best-practices to ease the federation process as much as possible.
-
4. 3.4 How do I know if my testbed is aligned with the Open Call expectations?
This Open Call is soliciting for IoT testbeds which enlarge the critical mass of the existing experimentation support capacity offered by the 4 existing FIESTA-IoT testbeds, as well as to probe the interoperability solutions developed within the project. We are seeking for new testbeds that can provide datasets and data-streams on the domains of interest of the existing ones. However, testbeds offering extra scenarios (smart agriculture, smart factory, underwater, etc.) will be also considered for inclusion.
Finally, within the submission system an interactive scorecard is made available to let you assess the degree of conformance of your testbed. It is important to note that the score reached in this scorecard is not a guarantee of success or failure in the Open Call eligibility.
-
5. 3.5 Are there any seminars, workshops, etc. to learn more about FIESTA-IoT?
Yes. Workshops will be organised and remote assistance means might be set-up. The purpose of the workshops will be mainly presenting the Open Call key features and FIESTA-IoT Experimentation as a Service concept.
Special emphasis will be put on the Innovation by SME and/or Entrepreneurs topic of the Open Call.
Doubts concerning the proposal submission procedure will be answered as much as possible.
-
1. 4.1 Is VAT an eligible cost?
VAT that is deductible under the national VAT system of the experimenter shall NOT be included in the budget.
This is the “normal” case for companies.
If the VAT is NOT deductible (mainly applies to individuals), it is an eligible cost and shall be included in the budget.
-
2. 4.2 How much financing can I apply for?
You can apply for up to 50.000€ FIESTA-IoT funding per experiment or extension application.
-
3. 4.3 How long can the lifespan of my project be?
The experiments and extensions funded in the 1st Open Call must start between 1st December 2016 and 1st January 2017. The lifespan of each experiment or extension may not be longer than 6 months.
-
1. 5.1 Who owns the intellectual property of my experiment (IP)?
The IP to the experiment’s results generated by you will be owned by you. The IP to the FIESTA-IoT Platform made available for your experiment will remain to be exclusively owned by the FIESTA-IoT Partners.
-
2. 5.2 Will I own the results of my experiment?
Yes.
-
3. 5.3 Will others (including the FIESTA-IoT partners) have access to the results of my experiment?
While the experiment results will be owned by you, the FIESTA-IoT partners and their affiliated entities will have a royalty-free right (i) to use and permit use of your experiment results that are changes and additions to the FIESTA-IoT Platform for any purpose; and (ii) to use and permit use of any other of your experiment results if needed for implementation of the FIESTA-IoT research project. Such access rights are necessary to ensure that all experimenters have access to all parts of the Platform.
-
4. 5.4 Can I manage who the results of my experiment are shared with?
You are required to inform us (i.e. FIESTA-IoT consortium) of all results of your experiment. However, for the purpose of further development etc. you may mark your results as “confidential” or “secret”, and they will accordingly be treated by us as confidential information under the terms of the Experiment Agreement.
-
5. 5.5 Will I own the feedback that I provide on the Platform?
Yes, and you will be entitled to freely exploit and otherwise use and permit use of your feedback.
-
6. 5.6 Will others (including the FIESTA-IoT partners) have access to the feedback I provide on the Platform?
Yes, the FIESTA-IoT partners and their affiliated entities have the right to use and permit use of your feedback (on a royalty-free basis) for all purposes without any restriction. The reason for this is that feedback concerns the Platform that FIESTA-IoT project is building.
-
7. 5.7 Will I be able to use the FIESTA-IoT logo and branding for my experiment?
Yes, and you will be required to use the FIESTA-IoT name/logo in any communication activities concerning your experiment. Such communication must comply with certain requirements listed in the experiment agreement and must be done in a reasonable and consistent manner.
-
8. 5.8 What are the legal implications of collecting and processing personal data through my experiment?
Unless otherwise required by law, you, as an experimenter, will be acting as (joint) data controller in respect of the personal data collected and processed for your experiment. This means that you will be liable for compliance with the applicable data protection laws. E.g. For obtaining any required written approval from the authorities concerned, consent from individuals who have their personal data collected or processed, and for having erased or anonymized personal data as soon as it is no longer necessary for your experiment.