Lighthouse Codes for HPC Applications

The main goal of this opportunity is to support the development of advanced High-Performance Computing (HPC) codes, known as Lighthouse Codes, that have significant scientific, industrial, or societal impact. The initiative focuses on improving, modernizing, or adapting existing applications to make them state-of-the-art and accessible to the broader HPC community. Key areas include code optimization, feature upgrades, adaptation for new HPC architectures, and readiness for exascale computing and AI integration. The aim is to foster innovation, boost scientific excellence, and strengthen Europe's independence in cutting-edge computing technologies. Participation is open to organizations in specific eligible countries.

• Projects must focus on the development, improvement, or expansion of a single Lighthouse Code.
• The code should already exist, or in rare cases, be a new version based on established high-impact applications.
• Proposals for new Lighthouse Codes must clearly show potential to meet high standards within the project's duration.
• Each project may only address one Lighthouse Code.
• Projects must demonstrate scientific, technical, or societal impact.

Example Projects:

• Refactoring an existing weather prediction code to run efficiently on new exascale HPC systems.
• Modernizing a widely used molecular dynamics application to support AI-driven simulations.
• Expanding a climate modeling code to enhance scalability and accessibility for European research teams.

• Personnel costs for researchers, developers, and technical staff
• Costs for software development and code optimization
• Expenses for adapting codes to new HPC architectures
• Costs related to feature enhancement and integration of AI capabilities
• Travel and collaboration costs for project meetings and workshops
• Dissemination and communication activities
• Preparation of data management plans
• Preparation of dissemination and exploitation plans
• Project management and coordination expenses

Funding covers up to 50% of eligible expenses. All costs must be directly related to the project and justifiable according to EU guidelines.

• Budget for this Call: 60,000,000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 8
• Maximum value per project: 1,500,000€
• Minimum value per project: 1,000,000€
• Co-financing rate: 50%

• Applicants must be legal entities established in eligible countries.
• All partners must contribute at least 5% of the total personnel resources to technical work.
• Each proposal should include both HPC specialists and domain experts.
• Balanced partnerships are expected, integrating relevant expertise.
• Proposals must address the sustainability of the code beyond the grant period, with a letter of commitment from a participating entity.