NEDO announced today, June 30, the launch of a call for proposals for its new theme under the "NEDO Challenge" prize-based program: "NEDO Challenge, Robot Solutions for Manufacturing ~Robots for Everyone to Use in Local Manufacturing Sites~" (hereinafter referred to as "this project"). This initiative, designated as "Contest A," focuses on promoting the conceptualization and development of robot solutions applicable to the automation of surface defect inspection in the automotive manufacturing industry. This project broadly seeks proposals and development of robot solutions aimed at addressing the challenges faced by small and medium-sized manufacturers in local areas, where many labor-dependent tasks remain, thereby contributing to the resolution of labor shortages. Figure 1: Logo Mark for This Project 1. Project Overview Since fiscal year 2023, NEDO has been implementing this program, which aims to discover seeds for solving future societal issues and creating new industries by soliciting diverse seeds and solutions that contribute to solving technological and societal challenges through a prize-based R&D approach via contests. This approach seeks to foster opportunities for collaborative research and promote the practical application and commercialization of these seeds. 2. Call for Proposals for This Project (1) Overview This project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, will conduct a contest with the theme of developing and utilizing robot technologies to address labor shortages in local regions. Amidst deepening labor shortages in various processes such as processing, assembly, transportation, inspection, and packaging, many labor-dependent tasks persist in local small and medium-sized manufacturing industries. While the utilization of robot technologies for labor saving and automation is increasingly demanded, their adoption has been hindered by factors such as the burden of introduction costs, a shortage of technical personnel,