The European programmes Digital Europe and the Connecting Europe Facility offer faster and simpler access to support for digital projects than traditional EU funds. Eligible applicants communicate directly with European institutions and enter a single process from call to grant. Slovakia is already benefiting from them with dozens of projects and millions of euros for innovation.
Digital Europe: from artificial intelligence to semiconductors
The Digital Europe programme supports the deployment of digital technologies and services in businesses and public administration. It focuses on high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, interoperability in public administration, and, most recently, semiconductors. The key to success is the work programmes, which publish a schedule of calls roughly six months to a year in advance; this makes it possible to prepare a high-quality project in time. Slovakia has an approximate 58% success rate in this programme, 36 supported projects, and a total allocation of around 36 million euros, with most projects going into cybersecurity.
Currently, the main work programme for 2025–2027 has been approved with a budget of 1,3 billion euros; in parallel, a standalone programme for cybersecurity and smaller programmes for microchips and EuroHPC are operating. In the next wave there are calls for advanced digital skills, data for „AI factories“, artificial intelligence, and „cloud-to-edge“ solutions with a submission deadline of 2 September. Also interesting are grants for the procurement of generative AI for public administrations, two calls in the area of a safer internet, and topics related to HPC. The second call for European Digital Innovation Hubs is expected to open in the fourth quarter of the year.
Connecting Europe Facility: a complement for a gigabit future
The Connecting Europe Facility in the digital domain helps fulfil the goals of the gigabit society and complements the Digital Europe programme. The work programme for 2024–2027 has a budget of 864 million euros and covers topics such as 5G corridors, 5G smart communities, the EuroQCI quantum communication infrastructure, digital global gateways, and operational digital platforms. A new wave of calls is expected in the second half of the year. For applicants, this means further opportunities to finance modern networks, services, and more secure digital connectivity across Europe.
