Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL)

Building Europe's digital capacity, with EU funding of up to 100%.

The Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) is the EU's funding programme for Europe's digital transformation in the 2021–2027 multiannual financial framework. With more than €8.1bn it funds six strategic areas: high performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, deployment and interoperability, and semiconductors (Chips for Europe from 2023). DIGITAL complements Horizon Europe (research) and CEF Digital (infrastructure); the focus is on capacity building and the wide deployment of digital technology in the economy, public administration and society (typically TRL 7–9). Consortia from EU member states and associated third countries can apply: research institutions, universities, public administrations, SMEs and large companies.

Eligibility

All consortium partners are based in an EU member state or a third country associated to DIGITAL (Regulation (EU) 2021/694 Art. 10–12; check the current 2026 association list in the relevant topic entry)
A valid, validated participant identification code (PIC) for every consortium partner in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; validation can take several weeks
Minimum consortium size as set by the topic: typically at least 3 independent legal persons from at least 3 EU member states or associated countries; some topics allow single applicants or require larger consortia
The project addresses capacity building and deployment at a high TRL (typically TRL 7–9); not pure basic research, which belongs in Horizon Europe
Civil applications only; no defence or primarily military purposes (Regulation (EU) 2021/694)
The application fits the scope and expected outcomes of the chosen topic exactly (DIGITAL work programme 2025–2027)
An active knowledge-sharing plan with concrete mechanisms (open source, open data, exchange in the EDIH network) under Regulation (EU) 2021/694 Art. 17
For co-funding actions (EDIH, for instance): written co-funding commitments from the member state, region or private partners for at least 50% of total costs at the time of application; this is eliminatory
No double financing of identical costs through other EU or national programmes (EU Financial Regulation)
For cybersecurity topics: EU ownership control of the partners, compliance with Regulation (EU) 2019/881 (the Cybersecurity Act) and the NIS2 Directive (EU) 2022/2555
For AI topics: a risk-based classification and documented conformity assessment under Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (the AI Act)
GDPR compliance (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) where personal data is processed, with a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) where relevant

Eligible costs

Staff costs: salaries and ancillary wage costs for employees working directly on the project (evidenced by timesheets or the declarative method under the model grant agreement)
Subcontracting: costs for external providers; not part of the base for indirect costs; core tasks may not be contracted out; the best value for money principle applies; justify it in the application
Travel and subsistence
Equipment: pro rata depreciation over the project term (particularly IT hardware, sensors, test environments)
Other goods, works and services: cloud services, licences, external computing resources
Open access publication charges (article processing charges) under DIGITAL's open science obligations
Internally provided services as unit costs under an approved methodology (computing hours, access to large equipment)
Financial support to third parties (cascade funding) where the topic expressly allows it; typically up to €60,000 per third party without further justification
Indirect costs (overheads): a 7% flat rate on all eligible direct costs excluding subcontracting, with no itemised evidence required (the figure is to be verified; check the topic entry and the model grant agreement)

Common pitfalls

Confusing it with Horizon Europe

DIGITAL doesn't fund research (TRL 1–6); that is Horizon Europe. Anyone submitting a research project scores low on relevance. DIGITAL finances capacity building and deployment (typically TRL 7–9).

Co-funding not secured in time

For EDIH and other co-funding actions, the 50% co-financing from the member state, region or private partners has to be committed in writing already at the time of application. Without those commitments the application is inadmissible and isn't evaluated.

PIC validation started too late

Validating a participant identification code (PIC) takes several weeks. Anyone starting shortly before the cut-off risks individual partners not being validated in time and the application not being submittable.

Too narrow a geographical footprint

DIGITAL assesses EU added value. Consortia with only 2–3 member states or a purely national focus receive poor relevance and impact scores. The target is 5–15 partners from as many EU member states as possible.

Knowledge sharing only as boilerplate

DIGITAL expects concrete mechanisms with a timetable and channels: open source repositories, webinars, training material, EDIH network meetings. A blanket statement with no implementation plan leads to a poor impact score.

No public sector partner in deployment calls

Many eGovernment and deployment topics expressly require public or semi-public partners (ministries, regions, public research institutions). Without such a partner the application is inadmissible or receives a negative implementation score.

Underestimating the cybersecurity and data protection requirements

GDPR, NIS2, the AI Act and, where relevant, EU security classifications have to be built into the technical architecture early, not added as an annex afterwards. For AI projects: document the risk-based AI Act classification already in the application.

Exceeding the page limit

Part B pages above the topic-specific limit aren't evaluated. The limit varies by topic (typically 30–70 pages); check the relevant topic entry in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal before submitting.

The application process

1. Identify the right call and topic. Search the EU Funding & Tenders Portal for topic codes DIGITAL-2026-… Current HaDEA calls: DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-10 (advanced digital skills) and DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10 (deployment), cut-off 1 October 2026. HPC calls: EuroHPC JU. Cybersecurity: ECCC. Chips: Chips JU. Read the topic description and expected outcomes carefully.
2. Build the consortium. At least 3 partners from 3 EU member states or associated countries (depending on the topic); a mix of public sector, research and education, and industry and SMEs. Choose a coordinator with an EU project track record. For co-funding actions, obtain written commitments from member states or regions early.
3. Make sure all partners are PIC registered. Every consortium partner needs a validated participant identification code (PIC) in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. PIC registration and validation can take several weeks, so start immediately. Have these documents to hand: the commercial register number, VAT number, proof of legal form, and accounts (for non-public partners).
4. Prepare the full application (part A plus part B). Part A (an online form in the portal): project title, abstract, partner PICs, budget by cost category (staff, subcontracting, purchases, overheads), ethics issues table, self-declarations. Part B (a PDF, typically 30–70 pages depending on the topic): sections on relevance, quality, impact and implementation. Annexes separately: CVs, track records, co-funding commitments, an ethics and security self-assessment, a data management plan and an open source strategy.
5. Submit the application. Submission is exclusively through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (EU Login / ECAS). Deadline: 17:00 Brussels time on the cut-off date (DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-10 and DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10: 1 October 2026).
6. Wait for the evaluation. At least 3 independent experts assess the application remotely on relevance, quality, impact and implementation (max. 5 points each, with a threshold of typically 3/5 per criterion and an overall threshold of 10/15 or 12/15). It takes around 4–6 months after the cut-off. All applicants receive an evaluation summary report (ESR) with strengths and weaknesses per criterion.
7. Grant agreement preparation. On approval: conclude a consortium agreement (the DESCA model or a DIGITAL-specific one) between all partners before the grant agreement is signed. Finalise the description of action (DoA). Submit compliance documents (ethics requirements, AI Act conformity assessment, GDPR evidence, proof of co-funding). It takes around 3–6 months.
8. Delivery and reporting. The project starts once the grant agreement is signed. Periodic reports (technical and financial) every 12–18 months. KPI tracking against the Digital Decade targets. Keep timesheets monthly. A certificate on financial statements (CFS) from an auditor is required once cumulative funding reaches €430,000 per beneficiary. Knowledge-sharing activities and open source releases as planned.

How upsmart helps

We match your project against all six DIGITAL areas and the open HaDEA, ECCC and EuroHPC calls, checking whether the co-funding rates (50% for EDIH) are already evidenced and the minimum consortium sizes per topic are met. We keep an eye on deadlines such as the 1 October 2026 cut-off. We write the draft application for parts A and B; your team decides. Fixed terms, independent of the grant amount.

Combining it with other programmes

DIGITAL money can be combined complementarily — but not for identical costs — with other EU and national programmes: Horizon Europe (research upstream of DIGITAL deployment projects), the Recovery and Resilience Facility (national digital components as co-funding), the ERDF (a regional co-funder for EDIH and deployment), ESF+ and Erasmus+ (complementary skills programmes), InvestEU (financial instruments for scaling), EU4Health (digital health applications) and CEF Digital (digital infrastructure). Double financing of identical cost items is ruled out.

Frequently asked questions

Legal persons based in an EU member state or a third country associated to DIGITAL can apply, including public administrations, research institutions, universities, SMEs and large companies. Most calls require a consortium of at least 3 independent legal persons from at least 3 EU member states; some topics also allow single applicants. Check the current association list and the exact consortium composition per topic in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

The funding rate depends on the topic. Standard rate: 50% of eligible costs. For projects where SMEs or public bodies are the main beneficiaries: 75%. For particular cybersecurity actions and coordination and support actions: up to 100%. EDIH consortia receive a fixed 50% EU co-financing; the other 50% has to come from the member state, region or private partners. The programme's total budget for 2021–2027 is more than €8.1bn.

All applications run through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (ec.europa.eu). First identify the right topic, then register all consortium partners with a validated PIC (allow several weeks), build the consortium and prepare the full application (part A online, part B as a PDF). The submission deadline is 17:00 Brussels time on the cut-off date. Current 2026 calls: DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-10 and DIGITAL-2026-BESTUSE-10 close on 1 October 2026.

DIGITAL funds capacity building and deployment at a high maturity level (typically TRL 7–9) in six areas: HPC and supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, deployment and interoperability, and semiconductors. Not eligible are pure basic research (which belongs in Horizon Europe), defence applications and dual use with a primarily defence purpose, and projects with a purely national focus and no EU added value.

The most common grounds for rejection are: the wrong topic scope (the application doesn't fit the expected outcomes), too narrow a geographical footprint (too few member states involved), a partner's PIC not validated, unsecured co-funding for EDIH and co-funding actions, a research rather than deployment focus, and missing public bodies in calls that require them. All applicants receive an evaluation summary report (ESR) as a basis for revision.

Read on in the blog

Horizon Europe for the Mittelstand

Primary sources

The European Commission's DIGITAL programme page (DG CNECT)— European Commission, DG CNECT
HaDEA — Digital Europe Programme— European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)
EU Funding & Tenders Portal — DIGITAL— European Commission
Regulation (EU) 2021/694 — the legal basis for Digital Europe— EUR-Lex / European Parliament and Council
DIGITAL work programmes (currently 2025–2027)— European Commission, DG CNECT
HaDEA — current calls for proposals— European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA)
The EDIH network — European Digital Innovation Hubs— European Commission, DG CNECT

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