The National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) will invest PLN 445 million (approximately EUR 106 million) in a Polish programme for supporting the implementation of projects ensuring accessibility for people with special needs in various aspects of everyday life by launching the next Call for proposals in ‘Smart Path for Accessibility’ under the European Funds for a Modern Economy Programme for 2021-2027 co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Levelling the playing field by giving everyone the opportunity for development is one of the priorities of the European Union. To achieve this goal it is important to use the innovative potential of companies by boosting the market through significant investments in the availability. Therefore the NCBR aims to provide equal opportunities through innovation by announcing the next ‘SMART Path for Accessibility’ Call and encouraging the submission of proposals that aim to meet the needs of people with various kinds of disabilities.
The Call is addressed to large enterprises planning to implement comprehensive accessibility projects from at least one of the following modules: R&D works, innovation deployment, R&D infrastructure development, internationalisation, development of employees and company managers’ competencies, digitisation and greening of business operations.
The project results target groups must include, among others, people in wheelchairs, sightless or deaf people, as well as people with various other disabilities, mental or intellectual disorders, including senility (e.g. dementia, Alzheimer's), related to the process of ageing and developmental dysfunctions (e.g. autism spectrum disorders, ADHD). In the group of people having special needs are also the elderly people and those weakened by illness, pregnant women, and carers of young children including those using pushchairs, similarly, patients with civilisation and chronic diseases (e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, cardiovascular disease, cancer).
The projects must address one or more problems faced by people with special needs and significantly contribute to increasing accessibility understood as the removal of one or more barriers in e.g. physical space (including buildings, equipment), digital reality, information and communication systems, products, services, processes or in some ways meeting their special needs. Each project must include an R&D module that aims to lead to a product innovation or a business process innovation.
The deadline for submission of the proposals is October 24, 2024, 16:00 (CET). For more information, please visit the NCBR website.
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