Skills Hubs of Excellence

Expected Outcome: This action will establish a strategic European initiative to develop scalable, modular, and interoperable photonic quantum computing platforms. Proposals for this topic are expected to address and provide credible solutions to at least two major technical roadblocks currently limiting the advancement of photonic quantum computing such as: The lack of deterministic, high-efficiency photonic entanglement and loss-tolerant architectures suitable for fault-tolerant scaling The absence of a standardised, integrated control stack combining photonic hardware, firmware, and system software with reliable benchmarking across platforms Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes: By 2028, demonstration of a photonic NISQ processor with ≥100 photonic qubits, integrating deterministic single-photon sources, low-loss waveguides, on-chip detectors, and a firmware stack (scheduler, controller, compiler), validated via hardware-agnostic benchmarks and hybrid photonic-HPC applications demonstrating classical-quantum crossover By 2030, delivery of a full-stack, high-connectivity photonic quantum computer, with modular scalability, integrated…

Expected Outcome: Successful proposals will contribute to the implementation of the EU initiative on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing, the EU Life Sciences Strategy, the updated EU Bioeconomy Strategy, the EU Biotechnology Act, the Clean Industrial Deal, the European Chemical Industry Action Plan and the upcoming EU Circular Economy Act. Projects results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes: Full industrial scale biorefinery and related value chain(s) for the sustainable production of bio-based products using biotech as a key enabling technology. Availability of bio-based products meeting market and technical performance requirements as relevant for their respective application areas. Improvement of sustainability, circularity and resource efficiency compared to relevant benchmark(s). Contribution to increasing the EU’s strategic autonomy, resilience and competitiveness. Scope: Biorefineries integrating biotechnologies, underpinned by sustainably sourced bio-based feedstock, have a huge potential to transform the EU manufacturing landscape, spurring socio-economic growth, fostering job creation and contributing to defossilisation of the EU…

Expected Outcome: In support of the implementation of the Mission on Adaptation to climate change and of the upcoming European Climate Adaptation Plan , the successful project is expected to contribute to multi-level governance for climate adaptation by addressing all of the following outcomes: The relevant national governance for innovation and climate adaptation is further engaged and mobilised to contribute to the objectives of the Adaptation Mission and benefit from it. In turn, the Mission fosters multi-level governance, supporting Member States, regions and local authorities in their efforts to implement the European Climate Law’s requirements on climate adaptation, and to further develop and update their adaptation plans. Mission solutions are disseminated beyond the regions and local authorities actively involved in the Mission and peer learning opportunities (within and outside) the Mission are strengthened, to bridge the gap between the EU, the national and local levels. Scope: Regional and local authorities are the target group of the proposed activities and as such they are not expected to participate directly in the consortium, but they should benefit from the project…

Expected Outcome: Proposals are expected to contribute to all following points: The projects must fulfil the performance targets, at the cell and system level, corresponding to the specific targeted application, to be specified in the proposal. Appropriate KPI must be defined for the energy density (volumetric and gravimetric), Power density and C-rate, number of cycles and cost defined under operational conditions. Boost EU competitiveness in next-generation battery technologies for mobility applications. Develop pilot manufacturing capability for next generation lithium-based batteries. Strengthen the EU battery value chain, including new manufacturing equipment, automation, and scalable production processes. Advance the understanding of next-generation battery interfaces at an industrial scale, ensuring manufacturability, durability, and cost-effectiveness. In the case of aviation, the battery requirements should be compatible at minimum with EASA CS.23 (level 4), CS.27 and preferably with CS.25 categories. Scope: This topic will support the scaling-up of next generation (i.e., beyond generation 3) lithium-based batteries (e.g., semi and all-solid state, generation5) from cell…

Expected Outcome: Activities under this topic will help progress towards the objectives and targets of the Mission Soil and the EU Soil Strategy for 2030 . Activities should also contribute to the implementation of the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive after its adoption. Project results are expected to contribute to all the following expected outcomes: enhanced adoption of impactful sustainable soil management solutions and strategies supported by AI-powered decision support systems by land managers; harmonised, standard, robust, interoperable and accessible methods, protocols and logical architecture for long-term field experiments (LTEs) data collection and integration (including with other datasets) are in place; scientists, policymakers, and land managers gain enhanced access to comprehensive, high-quality soil data, enabling better research, informed decision-making, and effective land management practices. Scope: Long-term field experiments (LTEs) can be defined as “agricultural experiments for monitoring soil and crop properties under changing climate conditions and different management with a minimum duration of 20 years” [1] , [2] . LTEs are typically owned or…

Expected Outcome: The Synergy action for Teaming Centres of Excellence (CoE) responds to the need to ensure the sustainability of CoE funded under the Teaming calls [1] . The establishment of CoE in Widening countries, supported by a significant investment in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, has created new opportunities for scientific, societal, and economic impact. However, to fully capitalise on this investment and enhance the sustainability and international competitiveness of these CoE, it is essential to facilitate stronger collaboration and strategic joint initiatives among them. Proposals are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes: Stronger long-term collaboration among Teaming CoE through structured joint initiatives and clustering efforts to enhance mutual learning, resource sharing, and collective research and innovation capacity; Strategic transformation of R&I systems by enhancing institutional cooperation and supporting structural reforms at national and regional levels; Promotion of multidisciplinary and transnational cooperation that will enable CoE to address critical European and global challenges, and EU policy priorities; Promote ERA priorities…

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: 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…

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: 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…