What is the Digital Europe Program?
The Digital Europe Programme (DEP) is an EU funding initiative aimed at accelerating Europe's digital transformation. It focuses on deploying advanced digital technologies and infrastructures to benefit citizens, businesses, and public administrations across the Europe.
The national coordination of the Program, which Turkiye has been participating in since 2023, is carried out by the Ministry of Industry and Technology.
Program Objectives
The general objectives of the Programme are to:
- Support and accelerate the digital transformation of the European economy, industry, and society,
- Bring the benefits of digital transformation to citizens, public administrations, and businesses across the Union,
- Improve Europe’s competitiveness in the global digital economy,
- Contribute to bridging the digital divide across the Union,
- Strengthen the Union’s strategic autonomy.
Spesific Objectives
Under the Digital Europe Programme, support is primarily provided for the establishment of critical digital infrastructures and the development of strategically important innovative digital technologies in the fields of High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Semiconductors. In the second phase of the programme, it is aimed to make the established infrastructures and digital technologies accessible to SMEs, public institutions, and citizens, and to promote their widespread use.
Digital Europe funds projects in six key capacity areas or Specific Objectives (SOs):
- SO1 : High Performance Computing
- SO2 : Artificial Intelligence, data & cloud
- SO3 : Cybersecurity and Trust
- SO4 : Advanced Digital Skills
- SO5 : Deployment: accelerating best use of technologies
- SO6 : Semiconductors
Which Countries Are Eligible For Funding?
List of Participating Countries in the Digital Europe Programme:
- EU Member States,
- Acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates,
- European Neighbourhood Policy countries,
- Third countries,
Restricted Calls
Pursuant to Article 12(5) of the Digital Europe Programme Regulation, the SO3: Cybersecurity and Trust is not open to the participation of non-EU countries. As for the SO6:Semiconductors , which was added to the Programme at a later stage, non-EU countries have not participated due to the need for a separate negotiation process specific to this component. Therefore, it is not possible for entities from Türkiye to apply to calls opened under these two components.
Associated countries, including Türkiye, are eligible to participate in the following components of the Programme:
- High Performance Computing
- Artificial Intelligence
- Advanced Digital Skills
- Deployment: accelerating best use of technologies
are eligible to participate in the components.
However, certain calls under the SO1: High Performance Computing and SO2: Artificial Intelligence are closed to associated countries, in accordance with Article 12(6) of the Regulation. Such restrictions are announced in the relevant work programmes and call documents.
Who Can Apply?
Eligible Applicants
- Legal entities (public or private bodies)
- SMEs
- Universities
- Research institutions
- Non-governmental organizations
Ineligible Applicants
- Natural persons
- International organizations
- Entities without legal personality
- * Please check the work programmes and call documents for some exceptional cases.
The parties eligible to apply to programme calls and the partnership structures to be established for the project may vary depending on the specific call, and these details are defined in the relevant call document for each call.
How to Participate?
As with other EU programmes, applications to the calls launched under the Digital Europe Programme must be submitted through the Funding & Tender Opportunities Portal, which serves as the central platform for managing EU funding applications and related procedures.
Call Search
- You can review open and upcoming calls under the Digital Europe Programme here.
- After identifying the call(s) relevant to your area of interest, please read the Call Document carefully.
- The Call Document is a guide that includes important details such as expected activities and outcomes, grant amount, funding rate, project duration, and deadlines.
Partner Search
- Including the right partners in your project can significantly enhance the quality and impact of your proposal.
- By reviewing the relevant sections in the Call Document, you can understand how your project’s partnership structure should be.
- You can access organizations seeking partners for the specific call from the “Partner Search Announcements” section on the call’s page.
- Additionally, you can access registered organization profiles via the “Partner Search” section on the portal by applying filters such as country or topic.
Portal Registration
- Each user must have an account to log in to the portal. If you do not have an account yet, click here to create one.
- Before submitting an application, all participants involved in the project must register and obtain a 9-digit Participant Identification Code (PIC).
- You can check whether your organization already has a PIC number via the portal.
Project Application
- Project proposals must be submitted electronically via the portal.
- You can start your application process by clicking on the “Start Submission” section on the call page.
- Proposals are submitted using the application forms (Part A and Part B) available on the portal.
- These steps must be carried out by the coordinating organization of the project.
Background
The Digital Compass published by the European Union (EU) sets out the Union's 2030 digitalization goals.
Skills
Public Services
- Key Public Services: 100% online
- e-Health: 100% of citizens have access to medical records online
- Digital Identity: 100% of citizens have access to digital ID
Infrastructure
- Connectivity: Gigabit for everyone
- Cutting edge Semiconductors: double EU share in global production
- Data - Edge & Cloud: 10,000 climate-neutral highly secure edge nodes
- Computing: first computer with quantum acceleration
Business
- Tech up-take: 75% of EU companies using Cloud, AI, or Big Data
- Innovators: grow scale-ups & finance to double EU Unicorns
- Late adopters: more than 90% of SMEs reach at least a basic level of digital intensity
One of the EU programs implemented to achieve the goals set out in the Digital Compass is the Digital Europe Programme, which is included in the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021–2027. With a budget of €8.2 billion, the Digital Europe Programme (DEP) aims to establish digital infrastructures that member states would not be able to build individually. While completing Europe’s green and digital transformation (the twin transition) is defined as the main goal in the Digital Compass, the construction of critical infrastructures necessary to achieve this goal has been prioritized through the DEP. In this context, the DEP plays a strategic role in supporting the digital transformation of the EU’s industrial ecosystems.
Türkiye began its efforts to participate in the Digital Europe Programme in 2021. Following negotiations with the European Commission, the Digital Europe Programme Association Agreement was signed on August 31, 2023. The Agreement was approved by Presidential Decree No. 7746, published in the Official Gazette on November 2, 2023. Thus, Türkiye became an associated country in the Programme, with its participation considered effective retroactively from January 1, 2023.