Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Digital Europe Programme is the first EU programme that aims to accelerate the recovery and drive the digital transformation of Europe.
Worth €7.6 billion (in current prices), the Programme is a part of the next long-term EU budget, (the Multiannual Financial Framework), and it covers 2021 to 2027. It will provide funding for projects in five crucial areas: supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, and ensuring the wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society.
The Programme is fine-tuned to fill the gap between the research of digital technologies and their deployment, and to bring the results of research to the market – for the benefit of Europe’s citizens and businesses, and in particular SMEs. Investments under the Digital Europe programme supports the Union’s twin objectives of a green transition and digital transformation and strengthens the Union’s resilience and strategic autonomy.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
Set-up the Initial Network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) from all designated candidate entities resulting from the Expression of Interest. Upgrade these entities to provide the complete set of services of an EDIH, including the necessary infrastructure, in a specific geographical area, covering the needs of the local SMEs, small mid-caps and/or public sector organisations with respect to their digital transformation. Network these EDIHs with each other and with other projects selected in Digital Europe Programme developing capacities in High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Advanced Digital Skills and accelerating the best use of these technologies.
Detailed Call Description
Each EDIH will provide services based on a specific focus/expertise, which will support the local private and public sector with their digital and green transformation. The specialisation can be strengthened over time, and should make use of existing local competencies in this area. The services will be provided on an open, transparent and non-discriminatory basis and will be targeted mainly to (1) SMEs and small-midcaps and/or (2) public sector organisations conducting non-economic activities.
Each EDIH will act as an access point to the European network of EDIHs, helping local companies and/or public actors to get support from other EDIHs in case the needed competences fall outside their competence, ensuring that every stakeholder gets the needed support wherever it is available in Europe. Reversely, each EDIH will support the companies and public actors from other regions and countries presented by other EDIHs that need their expertise.
The EDIHs will be active in networking with other hubs, sharing best practices and specialist knowledge, in bringing companies into contact with other companies of their value chain, and in seeking synergies with innovators and early adopters – including artist, designers, architects and other creatives that test solutions in novel experiments and can foster the adoption of digital technologies in working and business environments in a more human-friendly way. EDIHs will also play a brokering role between public administrations and companies providing e-government technologies. In all the networking activities, EDIHs will be supported by the Digital Transformation Accelerator, and therefore it is compulsory that EDIHs participate actively in the relevant support activities of the Digital Transformation Accelerator, such as matchmaking, training and capacity building events.
Each EDIH will make available the relevant experimentation facilities related to its specialisation. SMEs, small mid-caps and the public sector will be able to test the technologies proposed, including where relevant their environmental impact, and the feasibility of applying these technologies to their business before further investing in it.
It should be avoided that there is duplication of actions of the High Performance Computing competence centers,the Cybersecurity centers, the AI Testing and Experimentation Facilities and the EDIHs, and therefore working arrangements will be agreed among them, where the focus of the EDIHS will be on their role as multiplier and reaching out to all regions in Europe.
Budget is allocated separately for each Associated Country. Each project will be funded from the budget of the corresponding associated country as mentioned in 1. Background. Details on the budget allocated to the Associated Countries are reported in the following table.
Country Budget 2024 – 2027
Ukraine 4.5 M€
Türkiye 4.5 M€
Serbia 1.6 M€
Kosovo 1 M€
Montenegro 1 M€
North Macedonia 1 M€
Albania 1 M€
TOTAL 14.6 M€
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
Project budget (maximum grant amount): between €250.000 and €4.500.000 per project.
The grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested.
Thematic Categories
- Public Administration
- Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness
Eligibility for Participation
- Legal Entities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Semi-governmental organisations
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- non-EU countries:
- countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement, with agreement effective date as of 01 January 2023 (or earlier) and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature (see also list of participating countrieσ). The countries are listed in Section 3.
- non-EU countries:
Consortium composition – Proposals must be submitted by:
candidate European Digital innovation Hubs whose coordinators have been designated by Associated Countries as indicated in the work programme (Chapter 1.1). A candidate EDIH can be composed of a consortium or a single legal entity.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy
Directorate of Research and Innovation
Eleana Gabriel
Telephone: +357 22 691918
Email: egabriel@dmrid.gov.cy
EU Contact Point
For help related to this call, please contact: