Reference deployments of European cloud-edge services (industrial IoT Edge and Telco Edge developments)
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
The objective of this action is to setup one pilot demonstrating Telco Edge deployment and benefits obtained in key application areas and sectors. Furthermore, this topic intends to incentivise the balanced deployment of climate-neutral highly secure edge nodes across the EU.
Detailed Call Description
Specifically, Telco Edge deployment, i.e. the deployment led by telecom operators of joint 5G and edge deployments, has the potential to be a driving force behind the growth of ultra-low latency data processing enabled by edge computing.
Telco edge deployment – combined with industrial IoT edge solutions where appropriate – will ensure access to data services with low latency (few milliseconds) across the entire European continent, providing European digital infrastructures that meet the needs of citizens, businesses, and public administrations.
This action should build on the results of the IPCEI on Cloud Infrastructures and Services (IPCEI-CIS). This action should foster integration of different edge solutions coming from the telecom and industrial sectors and ensure their effective interoperability, in view of overcoming siloed business strategies.
Proposals for a pilot project should target the deployment, take-up and up-scaling of Telco Edge Cloud, including their hardware and software frameworks, focusing on far Edge and near Edge installations (for example as part of 5G deployments) under real life conditions, and demonstrating smooth interoperability with on-device and on premises Edge. Actions should showcase cross-border and balanced deployment across the EU and address key applications and sectors crucial for Europe’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy, such as industrial IoT.
Such systems will create value by demonstrating a tight technology integration that includes everything from the most constrained devices at the Edge, to the interaction with highly performant cloud, demonstrating seamless integration and seamless interoperability of Telco Edge developments with Industrial Edge solutions.
The aim is to incentivize the realisation of an adequate European Edge nodes deployment density. In particular, the pilot project should avoid siloed approaches to edge computing technology developments.
The pilot project should be co-designed and co-created in close cooperation between all the stakeholders involved, representing the complete value chain of Edge and Cloud computing both from the telco edge (including industrial edge) on the supply side, and addressing innovative and concrete services and solutions on the demand side.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
50%
Maximum grant amount per project: €30.000.000
Thematic Categories
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Legal Entities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
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.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- non-EU countries:
- EEA countries (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein)
- other countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme (list of participating countries)
Targeted stakeholders: The consortium may include edge technology, equipment, services and solutions providers, telecom operators and technology providers, cloud technology and services providers, cloud users, system integrators, open-source organisations, industrial associations, etc.
Consortium composition – Proposals must be submitted by:
Minimum 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.
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 visit the following link: Write to us | European Union (europa.eu)