Objective
HUMAI-TWIN addresses a timely European challenge: accelerating the uptake of Physical AI and robotics while keeping people at the centre. At a moment when industrial reshoring, major manufacturing investment in Serbia, and supportive EU and national AI strategies are creating new opportunities for widening countries to integrate more deeply into the European innovation ecosystem, the project will transform the University of Belgrade – School of Electrical Engineering (ETF) into a recognised centre of excellence in human-aware Physical AI and robotics.
Through a twinning partnership with the Italian Institute of Technology, the Technical University of Munich, and the University of Freiburg, and with industrial support from ABB Serbia, HUMAI-TWIN will build a distinctive three-pillar excellence profile at ETF: transferable robot skill learning, multimodal human-state understanding, and trustworthy human-aware collaboration. These capacities will be integrated through the ETF's Belgrade Robotics Hub, including a multimodal Open Innovation Testbed and a Physical AI-accurate digital twin for collaborative robotics.
Beyond scientific excellence, HUMAI-TWIN will create durable institutional change by strengthening research management, open science, proposal-generation capacity, doctoral co-supervision, researcher mobility, and academia-industry collaboration. Through a PI Academy, Winter School, pilot industry actions and a long-term growth strategy for the Belgrade Robotics Hub, the project will raise ETF’s visibility, attract and retain talent, improve participation in Horizon Europe, and create sustainable pathways for innovation uptake in Serbia and the wider European Research Area.
Also, it will transform the ETF from a reputable research hub into a regional leader in human-aware Physical AI and robotics, contributing to Europe’s ambition to turn world-class research into human-centric, trustworthy and deployable AI-powered robotics.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.4.1 - Widening participation and spreading excellence
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-WIDERA-2026-02
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
11020 Beograd
Serbia
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.