What is worth waiting for…now it is published: the Digital Europe Work Programme 2021-2022.
The Digital Europe Programme plans to reinforce EU critical digital capacities by focusing on the key areas of artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, advanced computing, data infrastructure, governance and processing, the deployment of these technologies and their best use for critical sectors like energy, climate change and environment, manufacturing, agriculture and health.
It is split into 5 large Specific Objectives: SO 1: High Performance Computing SO 2: Cloud, Data and AI
SO 3: Cybersecurity SO 4: Advanced digital skills SO 5: Accelerating best use of technology
Parts of the programme are “successors” to the CEF – Connecting Europe Facility, but many others are new and are geared to create synergies with Horizon 2020 initiatives and other projects and programmes.
Special emphasis is put on European data governance and security which is the reason why third party participation or participation of entities that are controlled by third countries are restricted for some of the strains.
The budget for this Work Programme is EUR 1383 million.
The planned types of action foresee mostly 50% funding, with the exception of (small) CSAs, actions for SME support (75% for SMEs) and “Grants for financial support” (cascading grants) where the beneficiaries receive 100% but the cascading grantees 50%.
emfs.eu 