Digital Europe - First Calls 2025

Research

Funding organisation:

Europese Commissie

What?

Digital Europe is the EU programme that aims to accelerate the recovery and drive the digital transformation of Europe. The Programme will provide funding for projects in six crucial areas:

1. High Performance Computing (managed by the EuroHPC)

2. AI continent (managed the EC and HaDEA)

• Apply AI: GenAI for the public administrations
• Multi-Country project in Agri-Food
• Data Spaces Support Centre
• Digital solutions for regulatory compliance through data
• Support to the secretariat for the Alliance on Processors and Semiconductor Technologies

3. Cybersecurity (managed by the ECCC)

4. Advanced Digital Skills (managed the EC and HaDEA)

• Sectoral digital skills academies: Digital Skills Academy in GenAI
• Sectoral digital skills academies: Virtual Worlds Skills Academy
• Sectoral digital skills academies: Quantum Skills Digital Academy

5. Deployment & accelerating best use of technologies (managed the EC and HaDEA)

• Network of Safer Internet Centres (SICs)
• European Network of Factcheckers

6. Semiconductors (managed by the Chips JU)

The first Digital Europe calls in the domains AI continent, advanced digital skills and deployment & best use of digital technologies are now open for submission. The deadline to submit proposals for these calls is 2 September 2025.

EC: European Commission (DG Connect)
HaDEA: Health and Digital Executive Agency
ECCC: European Cybersecurity Competence Centre

Who?

For most calls, applications need to be submitted by consortia of minimum 3 independent applicants from 2 different eligible countries. Eligible countries are EU Member States and Fully Associated Countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). Partially Associated Countries (see Further readings) can only participate in 4 of the 6 sub-domains; i.e. not in cybersecurity actions and not in semiconductor actions. In some cases, entities from third countries can participate, but cannot receive funding.

Regulations?

Co-funding
Digital Europe calls have significant co-funding requirement, which vary according to call topic and need to be checked in the call document in the Funding&Tenders portal. Any amount invested through own resources or other funding streams attracts the same amount as additional funding from the EU. Possible co-funding sources are:

• Own resources (NPG)
• Subsidies received through existing regional funding programmes (e.g. FWO, VLAIO)
• Request for regional funding (e.g. WEWIS)
• A mix of the above

Types of actions and funding rates overview
1. Simple Grants (50% EU funding)

• Can cover most activities
• Mostly used for personnel costs to implement action tasks
• Activities with third parties (subcontracting, financial support, purchase) are possible but should be limited

2. SME Support Actions (75% EU funding for SMEs, 50% for other partners)

• Primarily for activities directly aiming at supporting SMEs involved in building up and the deployment of the digital capacities
• Can also be used if an SME needs to be in the consortium and make investments to access the digital capacities

3. Coordination & Support Actions (100% EU funding)

• Small grants with primary goal to promote cooperation and/or provide support to EU policies
• Activities can include coordination between different actors for accompanying measures such as standardisation, dissemination, awareness-raising and communication, networking, coordination or support services, policy dialogues and mutual learning exercises and studies, including design studies for new infrastructure
• May also include complementary activities of strategic planning, networking and coordination between programmes in different countries

4. Grants for procurement (50% EU funding)

• Most of the costs consist of buying goods or services and/or subcontracting tasks
• No specific procurement rules (i.e. usual rules for purchase apply), nor is there a limit to ‘contracting authorities/entities’
• Personnel costs should be limited in this type of action; they are used to manage the grant, coordinate between the beneficiaries and prepare the procurement

5. Grants for Financial Support (100% EU funding for consortium, 50% for third parties)

• Particular focus on providing financial support to third parties (cascade funding): the majority of the grant will be distributed via financial support to third parties
• Often used in areas where a use cases have to be set up

6. Lump Sum Grants (50% EU funding)

• Reimbursement of a general lump sum for the entire project and the consortium as a whole
• Lump sum is fixed ex-ante (at the latest at grant signature)
• Beneficiaries do not need to report actual costs, they just need to claim the lump sum once the work is done. If the action is not properly implemented only part of the lump sum will be paid

Comparing Digital Europe to Horizon Europe

• Same eligible cost categories
• Different types of actions and funding rates
• In-kind contributions can NOT be charged to the action
• Lower indirect cost rate: only 7% of all eligible direct costs (remains central)
• Different Associated Countries (see Further readings)

More information?

Further readings
NCP Flanders webinar ‘Digital Europe - First calls of 2025’
List of Participating Countries in the Digital Europe Programme

Deadline

02.09.2025

Contact Hasselt University?

E-mail ward.ceunen@uhasselt.be

Tel. +3211268945