KDT - Key Digital Technologies

The Key Digital Technologies Partnership, is an institutionalised Horizon Europe partnership established for the period 2021-27, implemented in the for of a Joint Undertaking(or Joint Undertaking, KDT JU), between Participating States, the European Commission and private associations(AENEAS, Inside and EPoSS) representing the industry and research organisations. Portugal is a member of KDT through FCT, in articulation with ANI.

Its main objectives consist in the supporting research and innovation, and the design and production capabilities for electronic components and systems, including processors and other semiconductor-based devices, along with its applications in a diverse range of sectors (healthcare, mobility, energy, agri-food, manufacturing, etc.). It aligns with the green and digital twin-transitions and contributes to the achievement of the digital goals for 2030 enshrined in the "Digital Decade" vision.

KDT follows directly from the ECSEL Partnership in a sequence of public-private partnerships that aimed at stimulating and developing the industrial and research and innovation community in electronic components and systems: ARTEMIS focused on embedded systems, and ENIAC focused on nanoeletronics. ARTEMIS and ENIAC were continued by ECSEL in the context of Horizon 2020 between 2014-2020.

The private members, represented through the three associations indicated above, make an important contribution to the Partnership through the definition of the ECS SRIA (Electronic Components and Systems Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda), which constitutes the basis for the definition of the annual KDT work programmes.

ECSEL followed essentially a “bottom-up” approach with topics based on the ECS SRIA. While KDT continues to adopt that approach, the respective work programmes also include "focus topics" that aim at addressing the urgency of bridging weak links in innovation value chains in Europe.

KDT's Calls should also be seen in conjunction with the opportunities to support the European ECS community made available through the Eureka Xecs Clusterwhose programmatic content is also associated with the ECS SRIA. Portugal, through FCT, has participated in the calls already launched by KDT, namely the 2023, the 2021 and 2022 calls. (see information below)

The KDT Partnership should synergistically align with Horizon Europe's Digital and Space Cluster 4 the EuroHPC JU in the area of high performance computing, and the Smart Networks and Services JUin the area of communication networks, as well as other initiatives of the European Commission, such as the Alliance on processors and semiconductor technologies.

European Chips Act

There is an ongoing transformation of KDT JU in Chips JU in the context of the European Chips Act which will substantially widen its scope and budget.

The Chips JU will be instrumental in the implementation of measures that aim at strengthening the European leadership leading to the development, design and production of smaller, faster and energetically more efficient chips, including technologies based on photonics and quantum technologies.

In order to develop and reinforce the capabilities to design, manufacture and package chips, it is expected that there will be support to the development, upgrade and exploitation of pilot lines and a virtual design facility, which will constitute the main infrastructures of the Chips JU.

The Chips JU will also contribute to teach, train and retain in Europe professionals with the necessary advanced digital skills. For that purpose, it is expected that a network of competence centres will be established across several Participating States, which will also support the access to the Chips JU infrastructures, namely by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises.

For more details on theEuropean Chips Act namely at technical level, we advise you to consult the respective European Commission staff working document

Previous calls

2021 Calls

Results from 2021 KDT Calls with FCT co-funding

For question related to the Portuguese participation on KDT calls, namely regarding the co-funding mechanism through FCT, please contact Filipa Coelho and Mário Amaral.

To receive up-to-date information on KDT, as well as the future Chips JU, including information on launch of calls and events, we recommend that you register in this mailing-list.