The Digital Europe Programme

Digital technology and infrastructure have a critical role in our private lives and business environments. We rely on them to communicate, work, advance science and answer current environmental problems. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted not only how much we rely on our technology to be available to us, but also how important it is for Europe not to be dependent on systems and solutions coming from other regions of the world. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has further exposed the vulnerabilities in our digital supply chains and the importance of investing in cybersecurity and drastically improving EU’s digital capacities.

The Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) provides strategic funding to answer these challenges, supporting projects in key capacity areas such as: supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, and ensuring a wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society. It supports industry, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and public administration in their digital transformation with a reinforced network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH).

A new capacity area on semiconductors was added in September 2023. Under the Chips Act, DIGITAL funding was mobilised to address a semiconductor shortage by promoting capacity building through the Chips for Europe Initiative.

With an overall budget of over €8.1 billion, DIGITAL aims to shape the digital transformation of Europe’s society and economy, in line with EU’s goals defined in the Communication - 2030 Digital Compass: The European way for the Digital Decade and in the Policy Programme - Path to the Digital Decade. The Digital Europe Programme is a part of the long-term EU budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027.

The DIGITAL does not address challenges in isolation. It complements the funding available through other EU programmes, such as the Horizon Europe (for research and innovation) and the Connecting Europe Facility (for digital infrastructure), the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Structural funds, to name a few. Along with other programmes DIGITAL is also a part of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) initiative that is designed to enhance the EU's industrial competitiveness and reinforce European sovereignty by focusing on the development and manufacturing of critical technologies. A number of projects funded by DIGITAL are recipients of the STEP Seal, a quality label that facilitates access to other EU funding.

Find out more information on how to get funding.