European Commission (DIGITAL) grants

Expected Outcome: Practical chip design experience integrated into education at multiple levels; at least 1,000 students across Europe completing funded tape-outs over 4 years; stronger reskilling pathways for students from adjacent fields; and a sustainable, continent-wide pipeline of chip design talent to support Europe's semiconductor ambitions. Scope: This call funds a comprehensive Chip Design Skills Programme to lower barriers to entry in chip design and tape-outs. At least 60% of the budget must support hands-on tape-out experiences (via multi-project wafers) for university and secondary school students.

Expected Outcome: Europe's first long-term VET provider network for semiconductors; a larger and more diverse pool of qualified technicians; and increased intra- and extra-EU mobility of students and workers to fill skills gaps in semiconductor facilities. Scope: This call supports the establishment of a European-level federation of Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers focused on semiconductor industry roles. Projects should develop industry-aligned micro-credentials and reskilling programmes, with a strong emphasis on workers transitioning from other industrial sectors and on cross-border recognition of qualifications.

Expected Outcome: Expected outcomes: A sustained pipeline of highly qualified semiconductor graduates, with shorter time-to-readiness for industry roles; greater inflow of diverse talent including women and underrepresented groups; improved intra- and extra-EU student mobility; and strong complementarity with existing Chips Act infrastructure such as pilot lines, design platforms, and Competence Centres. Scope: This call funds the creation of specialised academic "Hubs of Excellence" in critical semiconductor technology areas (e.g. chip design, manufacturing, photonics, power electronics). Projects should build industry-aligned Bachelor, Master, and PhD programmes.

Expected Outcome: The expected outcomes of this topic are : A common EU evaluation platform for AI chips and racks, with transparent KPIs, workloads and benchmark reports used for Chips JU selection and procurement decisions. First pilot deployments of European AI compute systems validated for EU sovereign partitions of AI infrastructure. Structured collaboration between buyers and suppliers, supporting deployment, integration and optimisation of European AI compute solutions. Stronger EU demand for European AI chips and racks, helping to create a market for deployment-ready solutions. Increased EU technological sovereignty across the AI compute stack for European datacentres.

Expected Outcome: Projects are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes: Advanced heterogeneous integration, particularly in 2.5D and 3D packaging and integrated photonics, to support AI functionalities. Standardised chiplet interfaces, enabling interoperability and fostering a dynamic chiplet ecosystem Expected outcomes should have direct and immediate impact on European industry. Furthermore, proposed projects should demonstrate solutions across laboratory and pilot environments, with verification in semiconductor manufacturing use cases. The centre of gravity of envisaged work should address Technology Readiness Levels 5-7. Proposals also need to facilitate knowledge transfer and promote stakeholder engagement through industry workshops, publications, and networking events.

Expected Outcome: The expected outcomes of this topic are : Functional demonstrators of working AI chip prototypes (PCB-level) designed by EU fabless companies and physically integrated with their system partners. Validation of AI chip solutions on a common EU evaluation platform (provided by the Topic X.B consortium), delivering comparative evidence on key performance indicators. A shortlist of European AI chip solutions awarded the AI Compute Excellence label and qualified to proceed to full rack development under Topic X.A2.

Expected Impact: na Expected Outcome: Outcomes and deliverables One or more proofs-of-concept of replicable, scalable cloud-based AI/GenAI systems for analysis of medical imaging data in a healthcare setting, with demonstration of the role of the clinicians in validating AI/GenAI findings and reports showcasing seamless integration of the system into clinical workflows. Evidence-based analysis of (cost-)efficiency of the piloted solutions for healthcare systems for regulatory and HTA purposes. Two or more events or workshops organised per year and per project for the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres. The agenda should include lessons learned from the project activities, as well as other items relevant to the network. Participant satisfaction rates should be measured for the events and workshops. Medical centres in the consortium joined the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres under the Apply AI Strategy. A plan for obtaining regulatory approval for application of the AI/GenAI solutions in real life scenarios and clinical settings. This includes the required risk management and compliance activities, as well as clinical evaluation plans…

Expected Outcome: Deliverables: ​​​​​​ Three open calls for pilots (at least one call per year) launched and managed providing financial support to third parties to at least 20 EdTech start-ups/SMEs from across Member States and eligible countries. A minimum of 60% of the total budget should be spent on Financial Support for Third Parties (FSTP) and the maximum amount per third party can amount up to 150.000 EUR to allow short pilots testing in real education or training environments; Developed and implemented a yearly 12-months incubation and acceleration programme providing a mix of mentoring, networking services, consultancy, training and/or business and access-to-market support to the selected companies; Short pilots implemented in real education and training environments to gather impact assessment data of the selected solutions. Human-centric design methods involving users and strong linkages with learning design methodologies are recommended for the piloting phase. European-wide communication and awareness raising activities; At least one big event per year organised to reach a large number of investors, market partners, ministries of education (or other ministries),…

Expected Outcome: Deliverables: Initiatives implemented for the target audience to collect knowledge on learning needs in the area of AI uptake in health. Training programmes in the area of advanced digital skills for AI uptake in health, designed jointly by higher education institutions, VET providers, research organisations, businesses and other stakeholders in digital health, in collaboration with the network of AI-powered advanced screening centres. Training catalogue with detailed course planning and timetable, regularly updated. Final analysis of the completed training and the achievement level reached in improved skills. A landing page integrated into the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, showcasing existing and forthcoming education and training initiatives and promoting training offers to the relevant audience. Objective: The academic offer in the area of advanced digital technologies in the EU is still lagging behind other regions of the world, especially when compared to the United Kingdom or the United States [1] even though the number of both bachelor’s and master’s programmes in the EU has increased through the years. Furthermore, apart from delivering excellent…

Expected Outcome: At a general level, the project should achieve a strong, visible and recognised impact in scaling, facilitating and accelerating research and analytical efforts focussing on the information environment and information integrity. The main outcomes of the awarded project will be: The technical solutions created or supported The insights generated from supported research and monitoring projects The proof of concept and lessons learnt for the support of shared infrastructures to support research on the information environment Project applications will formulate their own deliverables in accordance with their needs analyses and proposed means to address them. At the minimum, deliverables should include: A suite or network of solutions capable of addressing Specific Objectives 1 and 2 (c.f. section 2 ‘Scope – Specific Objectives 1 and 2’) A methodology and dissemination plan for creating access to the created resources (c.f. section 2 ‘Scope – Specific Objective 3) A sub-granting methodology in line with the scope set forth in the section above (c.f. section 2 ‘Scope – Specific Objective 5’) A final report detailing lessons learnt and identifying clear paths for future…

Expected Outcome: Expected outcomes and deliverables are: Work strand 1: Guidance for public authorities and healthcare providers to deploy, upgrade and operate digital health services and systems that support the rights of citizens and fulfil their obligations under the EHDS. Maintenance and expansion of a community of public authorities and healthcare providers based on common guidance for services and systems aligned with the objectives of the EHDS. The community should build upon one or more existing communities. Large-scale deployment of and/or capacity building for digital health services and systems that support the EEHRxF and the rights of citizens included in the EHDS. Work strand 2: A toolbox for data holders to support dataset description, data quality and utility labelling, and secondary use readiness in alignment with the EHDS. Establishment or expansion of existing community of data holders with the objective of supporting peer exchange, reuse of good practices and alignment of approaches for the creation and maintenance of dataset descriptions and data quality and utility labels for secondary use under the EHDS. Creation of dataset descriptions and data quality and…

Expected Outcome: Deliverables: Provision of the four key elements required of a Safer Internet Centre, namely: A centre for raising awareness among children, parents/carers, teachers and educators as well as other relevant professionals working with children about online opportunities and risks for the under 18s, producing and promoting localised age-appropriate resources to address current and emerging risks and opportunities. A helpline to give advice and support to parents and children on issues related to children's use of digital technologies and services; to provide assistance on mental health issues relating to the exposure to age-inappropriate content online, including pornographic and violent content; to strengthen support to victims of cyberbullying, close cooperation with the national Child Helpline 116111 service is required. A hotline for tackling the spread of online CSAM (i.e., receiving, analysing, and processing reports of such material). Closer cooperation with law enforcement and the private sector should be further explored in the context of the EU strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse and the proposed Regulation to prevent and combat…

Expected Outcome: 1. Comprehensive support to EDICs, the Commission and Member States by: the provision of legal and operational advice to established EDICs, including on the compliance with the DDPP Decision, other EU legislation and where applicable national legislation; and maintaining a repository of thereof; support the Commission and Member States on the EDICs in preparation and in identifying and mobilising new EDIC initiatives, pursuing outreach activities and reporting progress in the State of the Digital Decade Report; creating and maintaining of consolidated data and information repository on EDICs, including best practices and data promoting EDIC results (quantified where possible), and reporting; accessible to relevant stakeholders; liaising and coordination between EDICs as well as between EDICs and other MCP implementation mechanisms and other relevant stakeholders, based on the collected data, propose milestones or avenues for future strategic development of EDIC ecosystem aligned with EU digital policy objectives, other support activities necessary to help achieve the objectives of the call. 2. The setting up of an EDIC’s community of practice, including…

Expected Outcome: Deliverable: Connected National Coalitions for Digital Skills and Jobs to the Core Platform. Objective: The Digital Skills and Jobs Platform provides a single point of information related to digital skills in Europe. At EU level, the Platform gathers all relevant information and funding opportunities for stakeholders to benefit from. At national level, it connects to National Coalition websites, establishing a mutually enriching exchange with relevant content and data on digital skills and jobs. In 2024, 22 national websites are connected to the Platform. Additional Member States websites will be connected by the ongoing project on National Coalitions for Digital Skills and Jobs [1] by 2026. The Platform also hosts the Cyber Security Skills Academy and will host other relevant sectoral academies and initiatives. The objective of this topic is to consolidate and uphold the operation of the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, including corrective and adaptive maintenance. This topic will also sustain and extend the activities related to the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, as well as deepening the exchange between the National Coalition websites and the core…

Expected Impact: The objective is to deliver three to four projects that demonstrate the streamlining of regulatory reporting through automated and trusted sharing of compliance data. Each project will address the governance, technical, legal, and processing aspects of the solution. Objective: Specific Objective 2 of the Digital Europe Programme aims to reinforce the EU’s core Artificial Intelligence (AI) capacities as a crucial driver for the digital transformation of the public and private sectors. The vision is to make Europe an AI continent, thriving on the development, integration and adoption of AI. As one of the financial instruments of the upcoming Apply AI Strategy, SO2 will support the development of world class AI models in the EU and foster the integration of AI technologies into EU’s most strategic sectors, including healthcare, energy and research. It will stimulate new industrial uses of AI and improve the delivery of various public services. In addition, it will support the deployment of new digital solutions for regulatory compliance through data. The objective is to reduce the administrative burden of enterprises by applying advanced digital technologies to…

Expected Outcome: Optimisation of the operational framework for D&E for the Digital Europe Programme taking into account the elements mentioned under “scope”, with solid methodological and practical approaches. Identification of distinct types of adopters and the creation of a taxonomy articulating their respective interests and needs. Support to projects in the preparation and execution of D&E activities, including valorisation and uptake of results via advisory, business support and acceleration services A plan to deliver on the operational framework backed by monitoring and evaluation metrics. The delivery of actions implementing the operational framework and involving stakeholders as appropriate, including sector specific and programme-wide events. The means and tools to facilitate the delivery of the operational framework, including functional and technical requirements for a dedicated results platform. A plan for the sustainability of the operational framework and the actions implemented by the project. The dissemination and exploitation of results (including the access to infrastructures) in the specific context of security restrictions and the protection of EU interests…