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 action aims at increasing and improving the offer of education programmes and the number of students specialised in key capacity areas.
The actions also aim at supporting more inter-disciplinary courses that can equip professionals with relevant advanced digital skills and increase diversity among students and future digital experts (for example data analytics skills for professionals in different sectors).
The primary objective of this call is to support the design and delivery of higher education programme(s), such as bachelor’s and master’s (at ISCED LEVEL 6,7 or equivalent – hereafter education programmes) and to develop related self-standing modules/courses (online or in-person) leading to a certification.
Detailed Call Description
The projects should also aim at increasing diversity among participants to the courses and ensure that experts will be trained to detect and prevent bias in the future developments.
These opportunities need to be designed and delivered by consortia of higher education institutions, businesses and excellence centres. This should lead to a boost in excellence and intensity of the knowledge triangle. Tertiary education institutions in consortia with relevant competence and excellence centres and industry will receive funding to set up and strengthen excellent courses in the above areas. Partners in these consortia will be encouraged to share expertise, facilities, staff and learning material Inter-sectorial mobility between Higher Education Institutions and the private sector is also encouraged.
The choice of the types of programmes, curricula and life-long learning modules, as well as the modalities (e.g. single or joint degrees) is left to the consortium, provided that they all result in a certification released by the higher education institution(s). Programmes and modules/courses should be delivered for at least two cycles during the duration of the project (48 months).
The learning content of the programmes and courses to be designed and delivered need to focus on:
One or a combination of the following areas (the list is not exhaustive, but these areas will be prioritised):
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- Artificial intelligence
- Blockchain
- Cloud computing
- Cybersecurity
- Data
- Extended reality
- Internet of Things
- Microelectronics
- Photonics
- Quantum
- Robotics
Interdisciplinary programmes, targeting the acquisition of advanced digital skills in specific sectors. The digital content of these programmes need to be clearly specified, in particular how the acquisition of the advanced digital skills taught in the programme will help students to deploy and use technologies in an empowered way in their work. Areas to be addressed include (list non-exhaustive and non-priority):
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- Agriculture
- Energy
- Finance
- Health
- Law
- Media and culture
- Manufacturing
- Sustainable and autonomous mobility
- Space
Conversion programme(s) for students graduated from non-ICT fields to access specialised Master’s programmes in the areas listed above at point 1
The proposed project(s) must also fulfil at least Objective 1 and one or more of the following objectives:
- Objective 1: Addressing skills needs
- Objective 2: Attracting qualified teaching staff and students.
- Objective 3: Upgrading digital solutions, equipment and infrastructure, with a special focus on interoperability of IT systems across participating HEIs.
- Objective 4: Establishing structural and sustainable partnerships
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
Project budget (maximum grant amount): €10 000 000 per project for topic DIGITAL-2022-SKILLS-03-SPECIALISED
The grant will be a budget-based mixed actual cost grant (actual costs, with unit cost and flat-rate elements). This means that it will reimburse ONLY certain types of costs (eligible costs) and costs that were actually incurred for your project (NOT the budgeted costs).
After grant signature, you will normally receive a prefinancing to start working on the project (float of normally 50% of the maximum grant amount; exceptionally less or no prefinancing). The prefinancing will be paid 30 days from entry into force/10 days before starting date/financial guarantee (if required) – whichever is the latest.
Thematic Categories
- Education and training
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Eligibility for Participation
- Educational Institutions
- Large Enterprises
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- Semi-governmental organisations
- State-owned Enterprises
- Youth
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
Consortium composition – Proposals must be submitted by a consortium composed of minimum 6 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) and which complies with the following conditions:
- at least three degree-awarding education institutions from three different eligible countries participating in DIGITAL programme;
- at least two SMEs;
- at least one research centre or excellence centre in one key emerging technology in line with the definition in Targeted Stakeholders section.
Education institutions need to be part of the Erasmus Charter for higher education.
European Universities alliances selected under the Erasmus+ programme and other alliances of higher education institutions are encouraged to participate, provided that they include the necessary partners requested by the consortium composition of this call and they fulfil all the objectives outlined in this section.
For more information about the consortium composition and the types of organisations that are encouraged to apply under this topic, please visit page 12 (targeted stakeholders’ section) and page 16 of the call document.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Eleana Gabriel
Directorate of Research and Innovation
Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy
Telephone: +357 22 691918
Email: egabriel@dmrid.gov.cy
(Publish Date: 27/09/2022-for internal use only)
EU Contact Point
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