Digital Europe Program

Overview

The Digital Europe Program (DIGITAL) is part of the European Union's (EU) Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, alongside Horizon Europe and other EU sectoral programs. It aims to deploy digital technologies in a scalable and sustainable way, strengthening Europe's competitiveness and strategic autonomy and building the strategic digital capabilities of EU Member States (as well as countries associated with the program).

Support is provided for activities aimed at acquiring and upgrading digital infrastructure (e.g., high-performance computing infrastructure and artificial intelligence testing and experimentation centers), the use of digital technologies in public administration (e.g., electronic identification systems, such as eIDs), cybersecurity resilience, and education and training in advanced digital skills.

The Digital Europe Program is not a research program, but it can support more mature stages of technological development (high TRLs) and the market adoption of products and services based on digital technologies that may have resulted from R&I projects funded by national or European programs (such as Horizon Europe).

From a strategic perspective, the Program is aligned with the Commission's vision for the Digital Decade and should therefore contribute to the achievement of the digital goals for 2030.

Structure and specific objectives

The Program drives investments in six specific interrelated objectives (SOs), as set out in the respective Regulation. To this end, it has an EU contribution of €7,588 million between 2021 and 2027, at current prices, distributed among the following objectives:

SO1 – High-performance computing (HPC)
SO2 – Artificial Intelligence and data
SO3 – Cybersecurity and trust
SO4 – Advanced digital skills
SO5 – Deployment and better use of digital capabilities and interoperability
SO6 – Semiconductors

DIGITAL covers a wide range of digital technologies and infrastructures, promotes the modernization of public administrations and businesses, and the development of advanced digital skills. It has applications in different sectors of activity, namely: health, justice, energy and the environment, mobility and smart cities, civil construction, industrial production, culture, and the media.

Implementation

The various specific objectives of the Digital Europe Program are implemented in different ways, depending on the specific characteristics of each area. Below are examples of some of the implementation mechanisms:

“SO1 – High-performance computing”is mainly implemented through the EuroHPC public-private partnership (co-financed by the Digital Europe Program, Horizon Europe, and the Connecting Europe Facility). More information is available on the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking website. Portugal is a participating state in EuroHPC and contributes to the respective European infrastructure, namely through “Deucalion,” one of the supercomputers of the National Advanced Computing Network, and through “Mare Nostrum 5” (in collaboration with Spain and Turkey).
“SO2 – Artificial Intelligence,”which also covers cloud and data, is implemented by the European Commission services through a diverse set of measures, including, for example, AI Testing and Experimentation Facilities and data spaces dedicated to different sectors of activity;
SO3 – Cybersecuritywill be implemented by the European Cybersecurity Competence Center (ECCC). Until the ECCC is fully established, its activities will be implemented by the European Commission services, in collaboration with the authorities of the respective Member States. In Portugal, the competent authority is the National Cybersecurity Coordination Center. This is a tripartite consortium consisting of the National Cybersecurity Center (CNCS), which leads, the National Innovation Agency (ANI), and the FCT, in accordance with Order No. 11491/2022, of September 7.
SO4 – Advanced Digital Skillsis implemented by the Health and Digital Agency (HaDEA), with the support of theDigital Skills and Jobsplatform.
In the context of"SO5 – better use of digital capabilities,"support is given to the European network of Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). A number of national hubs contribute to the EDIH network, some of which are part of the national network of Portuguese Digital Innovation Hubs.
SO6 – Semiconductorswas introduced following the approval of theEuropean Chips Actregulation and will be implemented mainly by the Chips Joint Undertaking Partnership, particularly with regard to pilot lines, the chip design platform, and the network of Competence Centers. The Chips Fund will also be financed under this SO, with its implementation entrusted to InvestEU.

Financing

The Digital Europe Program funds the activities set out in the Work Programs through various mechanisms: public procurement, grants (e.g., simple grants, SME support grants), coordination and support actions (CSA), among others.

In the case of grants, EU co-financing is generally limited to 50% of total eligible costs (with exceptions, notably in the case of CSAs and SME support grants). Other costs must be covered by own funds (including in-kind contributions) and in synergy with national funds, structural funds, or funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), if dedicated co-financing mechanisms are established for this purpose.

At the national level, national co-financing mechanisms were explicitly established through the PRR for national participation in the European network of Digital Innovation Hubs and in sectoral AI Testing and Experimentation Facilities (AI TEFs). The latter resulted in national participation in the AI TEF in the area of health.

Beneficiaries

Depending on the specifics of a given Call public procurement action, beneficiaries of Program projects can be virtually any type of organization. These include: public administration entities, research centers, higher education institutions, and industry (in some cases with additional incentives for SMEs).

Given the nature of the program and its policy objectives, the participation of third countries (i.e., countries that are not members of the EU and are not associated with the Program) may be significantly restricted in some actions, particularly those related to cybersecurity and cloud and data infrastructure (in accordance with Articles 12.5, 12.6, and 18 of the respective Regulation).

Work programs

The Digital Europe Program Work Programs are, as a rule, biannual (i.e., covering the periods 2021-22, 2023-24, etc.) and are subdivided into different components:

Work Program (Main): mainly covers activities in the areas of artificial intelligence and data (SO2), digital skills (SO4), and the use of digital technologies (SO5). It also covers some activities in the areas of advanced computing/Digital Twins (SO1) and cybersecurity (SO3).
Cybersecurity Work Program: covers activities in the field of cybersecurity, including Security Operation Centers (SOCs), the development and deployment of key technologies, standardization activities, and the network of National Coordination Centers for cybersecurity.
European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) Work Program: dedicated to the implementation of the European network of Digital Innovation Hubs.

The Work Programs of EuroHPC JU and Chips JU are defined and published within the framework of their respective Partnerships.

Updated versions of the various Work Programs are available on this page.

Calls events

Calls DIGITAL Program: See information about Calls open and scheduled on the portal for submitting applications, “Funding & Tenders.”
Information events: See information about the information events organized by the European Commission and HaDEA in the DIGITAL Program events calendar.