EU Programme · 2021–2027

Digital Europe Programme funding

Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL)

Funds digital capacity building across the EU: supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, and deployment of digital technologies.

Budget: €7.5 billionPeriod: 2021–2027
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Part of our complete EU funding guide.

Who Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) is for

Typical eligible applicant profiles. Each guide links through to open calls and eligibility notes.

How to apply

The standard EU funding process. Each Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) call publishes its own detailed requirements.

  1. 1

    Find open calls that match your profile

    Search by country, sector, applicant type, and deadline. EU funding is published across dozens of portals, so consolidation saves significant time.

  2. 2

    Check eligibility before investing effort

    Review applicant mode (single vs consortium), entity type requirements, geographic restrictions, and co-financing obligations. Disqualify early to protect team bandwidth.

  3. 3

    Build your consortium if required

    Many Horizon Europe calls require partners from multiple EU countries. Identify complementary organisations early — consortium formation often takes longer than proposal writing.

  4. 4

    Write and submit your proposal

    Follow the call documentation precisely. Most EU proposals require a work plan, budget breakdown, impact statement, and consortium description. Submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal.

  5. 5

    Evaluation and grant agreement

    Proposals are evaluated by independent experts against published criteria. Successful applicants negotiate a grant agreement that defines deliverables, reporting, and payment schedule.

Common questions

What does the Digital Europe Programme fund?

Digital Europe funds deployment-focused digital capacity across five strategic areas: high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, and ensuring wide use of digital technologies. Unlike Horizon Europe, it focuses on rolling out tested technologies rather than research.

Who can apply for Digital Europe Programme funding?

Eligible applicants include public administrations, SMEs, large enterprises, research organisations, NGOs, and consortia involving any combination of these. Many calls target European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), Testing and Experimentation Facilities (TEFs), and national or regional public bodies.

How much funding does a typical Digital Europe call award?

Award sizes vary widely by topic. Coordination and support actions typically range from €0.5M to €3M. Deployment grants (such as EDIH funding) often sit between €1M and €5M. Large-scale infrastructure topics (HPC, AI factories, cybersecurity centres) can exceed €20M per project.

What is the typical co-financing rate for Digital Europe?

Most Digital Europe grants co-fund 50% of eligible costs, with applicants providing the remaining 50% through own funds, national co-funding, or in-kind contributions. Some specific actions (notably AI factories and cybersecurity) reach 75% or 100% for public bodies.

Can a single applicant apply, or is a consortium required?

It depends on the topic. Many Digital Europe calls require consortia spanning multiple EU member states, particularly EDIHs and large infrastructure topics. Some deployment-focused calls and direct grants accept single applicants — always check the specific call topic conditions.

Where are Digital Europe Programme calls published?

All Digital Europe calls are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal under the DIGITAL programme code. Annual work programmes are published in advance on the European Commission Digital Strategy website, listing planned topics, budgets, and indicative timelines.

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