Digital Europe Programme

The Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) is an EU funding initiative focused on bringing digital technology to businesses, citizens, and public administrations across Europe. With a budget of over €7.5 billion for 2021-2027, it aims to strengthen the EU's digital capabilities and accelerate economic recovery. DIGITAL focuses on five key areas: supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, and ensuring widespread use of digital technologies. It also supports the semiconductor industry through the Chips for Europe Initiative. The program complements other EU funding schemes like Horizon Europe and the Connecting Europe Facility. Funding is provided through grants, with typical project contributions ranging from €1-10 million. Eligibility criteria vary by call but generally target consortia of public and private organizations from EU member states and associated countries. The program supports large-scale digital capacity building, infrastructure development, and deployment of innovative solutions. Recent funded projects include the OpenEuroLLM multilingual AI initiative, four semiconductor pilot lines, and the European Cancer Imaging Initiative. DIGITAL also established over 150 European Digital Innovation Hubs across 90% of EU regions to support SMEs and public organizations in their digital transformation efforts.