[EU] Digital Europe Call on Advanced Digital Skills Published
The European Commission has published a forthcoming call for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme, with a focus on advanced digital skills, providing funding for the design and delivery of education programmes in key capacity areas.
Digital Europe is the European Union’s Programme aimed at providing strategic funding for projects in five areas: supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, and ensuring a wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society.
The new call on advanced digital skills includes €55 million in funding for projects contributing to reaching the target of having 20 million ICT specialists in the EU by 2030, as set out in the EU’s Digital Decade Policy.
Projects should focus both on the design and delivery of (one or multiple) higher education programmes at Bachelor’s, Master’s, or doctoral level, leading to a degree, as well as on the development of related self-standing modules leading to a certification.
More specifically, proposals can focus on:
- Programmes aimed at building up advanced digital skills in specific key digital areas: virtual worlds, edge computing, quantum computing, photonics, and robotics and automatization (Type 1);
- Interdisciplinary programmes targeting at the acquisition of advanced green digital skills related to specific technologies (AI, data analytics, extended reality, etc.) in specific sectors related to the green transition: agriculture, transport, renewable energy, and waste management (Type 2.1);
- Interdisciplinary programmes, targeting at the acquisition of advanced digital skills for: government and public sector (Type 2.2).
Proposals should be submitted by a consortium composed of at least six applicants from four different eligible countries. The involvement of at least three degree awarding higher education institutions from three different eligible countries, as well as two industry partners from two countries, and at least one independent research organisation or competence centre, is highly recommended. Cooperation with Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions is also encouraged.
The call is expected to formally open on 4 July 2024, but can already be accessed on the Funding and Tender Opportunities Portal (FTOP) here.
Proposals can request a contribution of up to €10 million as a lump sum grant, with a duration of up to 48 months, and a co-financing rate of 50%. At least the highest ranking proposal from each listed key digital area (under Type 1) and each strategic sector (under Type 2) is expected to be funded.
The deadline for submission is 21 November 2024, 17:00 CET.
The call document, which includes detailed information on the objectives, scope, eligibility criteria, and budget can be found here.
The European Commission is organising an online Info Day and Pitching Event on 5 July 2024.
More information on the Digital Europe Programme and its current priorities can be found in the 2023-2024 Work Programme.
If you have any questions about this call, or if you are considering submitting or participating in a proposal, please reach out to the International Relations Office (DOWA/AI) via eu-educationprojects@ugent.be.
June 19, 2024, 10:36 a.m.