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
This call topic will recommend priority areas for upcoming funding programmes in the area of advanced digital skills and will provide best practice examples for designing and implementing education programmes and training in this area. This topic will further support networking opportunities among the different consortia awarded from the different call topics of the Digital Europe Programme – Strategic Objective 4 (Advanced Digital Skills), building a brand of excellence.
Detailed Call Description
The proposed project is required to include the following activities:
Collect information on the advanced digital skills needed by companies and the public sector related to different advanced digital technologies (e.g. AI) and to specific sectors (e.g. health). These analyses should give a general overview of how needs by companies and the public sector are evolving and detect the main trends in emerging advanced digital skills needs per each key technology area and in specific sectors. These analyses should be compared with the existing education and training offer (particularly based on a detailed analysis of the DIGITAL-SO4 funded actions30), in order to come forward with a clear gap analysis to identify whether there is a need for more educational programmes or training courses in the area of advanced digital skills. These analyses should be performed on a yearly basis and should result in recommendations, mainly with regard to which key digital areas and which specific sectors should be prioritised in upcoming future work programmes of the Digital Europe Programme in the area of advanced digital skills.
Based on desk research, detailed analyses of the outputs of all DIGITALSO4 actions as well as based on consulting consortium members of the DIGITAL-SO4 funded actions (e.g. by running focus groups, structured interviews or surveys), regularly provide insights, explore lessons learned and propose best practices (see the call document p. 21).
Conduct surveys with consortia implementing DIGITAL-SO4 actions to find out which additional support requests consortia would need most. Deploy and carry out the most relevant support measures. Provide suggestions on what activities could be further implemented to create an ecosystem between higher education institutions and research and industry partners (especially SMEs and start-ups).
Foster coordination between the different consortia of DIGITAL-SO4 actions (e.g. by supporting the Commission in organising regular yearly meetings with consortia implementing DIGITAL-SO4 actions, by creating databases with names, contact details and area of expertise of experts from different consortia in order to facilitate their exchange and collaboration; organise additional meetings and structures to facilitate exchange between the different consortia, etc.).
Conduct awareness-raising campaigns for the educational programmes and trainings of DIGITAL-SO4 calls and their related activities. This includes also contributing to the upcoming dedicated webpage on the Digital Skills and Jobs platform and building a brand of excellence.
Support the actions to strengthen the dialogue between consortia implementing DIGITAL-SO4 actions and relevant other stakeholders from their targeted field (e.g. technology providers, industry associations and investors, policy makers and ministries, research organisations and experts).
Provide a detailed analysis of data collected from the DIGITAL-SO4 actions via a questionnaire which is part of the actions’ mandatory periodic reporting to the Commission on different performance indicators31, namely Indicator 1 (Persons who have received training to acquire advanced digital skills) and 3 (People reporting improved employment situation after the end of the training supported by the Programme). Conduct an additional representative survey with students and learners from the DIGITAL-SO4 actions and from similar programmes to gather representative and comparable data for Indicator 3.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
100%
Maximum grant amount per project: up to €2.000.000
Thematic Categories
- Education and training
- Information Technology
- New Entrepreneurship
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness
Eligibility for Participation
- Educational Institutions
- Large Enterprises
- Legal Entities
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
- Training Centres
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: listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme (associated countries) or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature.
Targeted stakeholders:
The consortium should demonstrate a good expertise in the design and deployment of analyses, surveys and evaluation actions related to advanced digital technologies and digital skills, as well as supporting and coordination actions for ecosystems and networks in this field.
Moreover, the consortium should demonstrate knowledge and expertise in terms of the state of play and needs of educational and training institutions and companies (especially SMEs) related to the research, development and application of advanced digital technologies and digital skills.
Consortium composition – Proposals must be submitted by:
a consortium composed of a minimum of 4 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 4 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