The FNR’s INITIATE programme supports the initiation and development of strategic research and innovation project ideas that will help make Luxembourg internationally competitive in priority domains. Five INITIATE projects have been granted so far.
Through INITIATE, the FNR wishes to back and guide the early-stage development of high-risk/high-reward strategic project ideas, up to the point where a solid project proposal is formulated that can potentially be submitted to FNR’s strategic programmes, such as NCER, PEARL, IPBG, a dedicated one-time call, or a bespoke “package” of funding instruments.
There is no call for INITIATE proposals. Following the initial presentation to the FNR, a decision will be taken which may result in a formal invitation to submit an INITIATE proposal. This phase of project development should engage different public and private (if applicable) teams strategically in tackling larger questions, which require focused and dedicated support that is cannot be addressed through conventional project funding.
The maximum funding allotted to an INITIATE project is 250,000 EUR, over a six-month period. This project period is extendable(cost-neutral) to 12 months if necessary.
Go to INITIATE programme page
Granted projects
NATIONTWIN (Responsible AI for a NATION-wide and privacy preserving Digital TWIN)
Summary: The objective of this proposed INITIATE project is to investigate the feasibility at the Luxembourg scale of a future strategic programme associated with the research and the implementation of a testbed and a living lab related to a “Nation-wide and privacy preservation digital twin” enabled by “responsible AI”.
Main coordinating institution: LIST
Education 21
Summary: Education plays a central role in our lives. It shapes our future and lays the foundations of cultural and technical innovations. Education also makes us resilient to crises and allows us to thrive in an uncertain, rapidly changing world. It is now urgent to update Education for the 21st century, to empower people in lifelong learning and offer equality of educational opportunities in a multilingual and diverse society.
To meet this national research priority, we will unite specialists from Education, Psychology, Sociology and Computer Science and design an innovative, interdisciplinary research initiative that aims to establish Luxembourg as a frontrunner in 21st Century Educational Research.
Digital technologies and large-scale data hold the potential to dramatically improve Education; but they also comprise serious risks of dehumanization and data privacy breaches. Our goal is to develop and scientifically validate human-centric, digitally enhanced learning solutions. Putting people at the centre of our efforts, these solutions will be directly usable by the learners and advance our understanding on how humans of all ages and backgrounds learn best. More specifically, we will develop four flagship projects that revolve around personalized education: a digital learning assistant, a digital teacher assistant, a lifelong learner pass and a skills market dashboard.
Main coordinating institution: University of Luxembourg
Henriette and André Losch Centre for Childhood Disorders
Summary: The aim of the proposed “Henriette and André Losch Centre for Childhood Disorders” (hereinafter “Losch Centre”) is to carry out fundamental, translational and clinical research to understand the underlying mechanisms of childhood diseases and to develop new methods for their prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Losch Centre’s research will focus on rare childhood disorders of the brain, metabolism and the immune system and the interaction thereof.
Main coordinating institutions: LCSB (University of Luxembourg) & LNS
Automation and personalisation in complex financial systems – a concept for a national Centre of Excellence in Research in Financial Technologies
Summary: Investigating the feasibility of creating a national Centre of Excellence in Financial Technologies. Focus, from a business perspective, on automation and personalisation in complex financial systems. Hub of excellence in financial technology research and innovation, education and training, business development and thought leadership, and strengthening of Luxembourg’s position as an international financial centre. The idea of the centre is driven, on one hand, by the government’s objective to establish Luxembourg as the most trusted “data economy” in the European Union by 2023. On the other hand, the centre would be fully in line with the National Research and Innovation Strategy launched by the Luxembourg government on 26 February 2020.
Main coordinating institution: SnT (University of Luxembourg)
Clinnova: Unlocking the potential of data science and artificial intelligence in health care
Summary: Health data and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are at the heart of an accelerating digital health revolution. It promises direct benefits for people with or without disease and is expected to become a key driver of the digital economy. Hence, digital health is one of the national priorities of the Luxembourgish government. Clinnova aims at putting Luxembourg into the centre of this emerging arena. To develop integrated, AI-driven healthcare solutions Clinnova will create a data-enabling environment by establishing a data integration centre as well as by developing shared approaches for data integration and data interoperability. Initially, the creation of data-driven health solutions will be supported by three defined medical use cases in chronic inflammatory diseases (inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid diseases and multiple sclerosis). Expanding further into additional patient data, the established infrastructure and workflows have the potential to transform the healthcare system towards personalisation, sustainability and prevention and will be an important resource for further public and private partnerships.
Further, Clinnova’s ability to tie in leading clinicians across University hospitals and private clinics in France, Germany and Luxembourg around shared patient stratification approaches is at the core of the effort and will be a blueprint for developing integrated, cross-border digital health solutions.
Main coordinating institution: Luxembourg Institute of Health