Teaching Factories Competition Call 2025

Teaching Factories Competition 2025: Call for students to form Solver Teams

The Teaching Factories Competition 2025 offers an exciting opportunity for students to collaborate with industry leaders across Europe. Companies present real business challenges and students form Solver Teams (4-6 members) to develop innovative solutions.

The first application cut-off will open for Bachelor’s, Master’s and Vocational Education and Training (VET) students.

Please review the eligibility criteria for Solver Teams in the ‘Eligibility’ section of the Call Guide document.

The call for companies is currently open. There will be two calls for Solver Teams that will open in March and April 2025.

Thematic scope

Manufacturing companies will submit their business challenges for Solver Teams on the following topics and subtopics of the Teaching Factories Competition 2025:  

• Advanced Manufacturing: Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing, Human-Machine Interface, Robotics & Automation.
• Green and Sustainable Manufacturing: Circular Economy, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, Zero Defect Manufacturing.
• Digital Transformation in Manufacturing: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart & Intelligent Manufacturing, Advanced Simulation & Digital Twin Technology, Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain Technology, Big Data Analytics, Web 3.0 & Metaverse.

Who can apply

To be eligible for the call the Solver Teams should meet the following criteria.

Higher education students:

• Must consist of 4 to 6 members, with women and underrepresented groups actively participating in the implementation. 
• Must be students officially enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme at the end of the application phase in a Higher Education Institution in one of the Member States (including overseas countries and territories, (OCTs)) or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe.  
• Must be students in at least their second year of a Bachelor’s degree or enrolled in a Master’s studies. 
• Should include members from at least two different disciplines, such as informatics, engineering, business or natural and technological sciences. 
• Participants who graduate and/or unenroll during the competition phase are expected to stay in the competition until the end of it. 

VET students:

To be eligible for the call, the Solver Teams should meet the following criteria: 

• Must consist of 4 to 6 members, with women and underrepresented groups actively participating in the implementation. 
• Must be students officially enrolled in a Vocational Education and Training (VET) programme at the end of the application phase in a VET institution in one of the Member States, including overseas countries and territories, (OCTs) or Associated Countries to Horizon Europe. 
• Must be students in at least their second year of a VET programme. 
• Should include members from at least two different disciplines, such as technical, engineering, business or other relevant fields. 
• Participants who graduate and/or unenroll during the competition phase are expected to stay in the competition until the end of it.