Description of programme "Digital Europe" |
The general objectives of the Digital Europe Programme shall be to support and accelerate the digital transformation
of the European economy, industry and society, to bring its benefits to citizens, public administrations and businesses across
the Union, and to improve the competitiveness of Europe in the global digital economy while contributing to bridging the digital
divide across the Union and reinforcing the Union’s strategic autonomy, through holistic, cross-sectoral and cross-border
support and a stronger Union contribution. The Programme shall be implemented in close coordination with other Union
programmes as applicable, and shall aim: - to strengthen and promote
Europe’s capacities in key digital technology areas through large-scale deployment;
- in the private sector and in areas
of public interest, to widen the diffusion and uptake of Europe’s key digital technologies, promoting the digital transformation
and access to digital technologies.
It will 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. Thus, the Programme shall have five interrelated specific objectives: - Specific Objective
1 – High Performance Computing
- Specific Objective 2 – Artificial Intelligence
- Specific Objective 3 – Cybersecurity
and Trust
- Specific Objective 4 – Advanced Digital Skills
- Specific Objective 5 Deployment and Best Use of Digital
Capacity and Interoperability.
The Digital Europe Programme is strategic in supporting the digital transformation
of the EU industrial ecosystems targeting upskilling to provide a workforce for these advanced digital technologies. 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). The Programme will accelerate the economic recovery and drive the digital
transformation of Europe. Specific Objective 1- High Performance Computing The financial contribution from the Union under Specific Objective 1 – High Performance Computing shall pursue the
following operational objectives: - deploy, coordinate
at Union level and operate an integrated demand-oriented and application-driven world-class exascale supercomputing and data
infrastructure that shall be easily accessible to public and private users, in particular SMEs, irrespective of the Member
State in which they are located, and easily accessible for research purposes, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2018/1488;
- deploy
ready to use operational technology resulting from research and innovation in order to build an integrated Union HPC ecosystem,
covering various aspects in the scientific and industrial value chain segments, including hardware, software, applications,
services, interconnections and digital skills, with a high level of security and data protection;
- deploy and operate
post-exascale infrastructure, including integration with quantum computing technologies and research infrastructures for computing
science and encourage the development within the Union of the hardware and software necessary for such deployment.
Specific
Objective 2 – Artificial Intelligence The financial contribution from the Union
under Specific Objective 2 – Artificial Intelligence shall pursue the following operational objectives: - build up and strengthen core AI capacities and knowledge in the Union, including
building up and strengthening quality data resources and corresponding exchange mechanisms, and libraries of algorithms, while
guaranteeing a human-centric and inclusive approach that respects Union values;
- make the
capacities referred to in point (a) accessible to businesses, especially SMEs and start-ups, as well as civil society, not-for-profit
organisations, research institutions, universities and public administrations, in order to maximise their benefit to the European
society and economy;
- reinforce and network AI testing and experimentation facilities in
Member States;
- develop and reinforce commercial application and production systems in order
to facilitate the integration of technologies in value chains and the development of innovative business models and to shorten
the time required to pass from innovation to commercial exploitation and foster the uptake of AI-based solutions in areas
of public interest and in society.
Specific Objective 3 – Cybersecurity and Trust The financial contribution from the Union under Specific Objective 3 – Cybersecurity and Trust shall pursue the following
operational objectives: - support the
building-up and procurement of advanced cybersecurity equipment, tools and data infrastructures, together with Member States,
in order to achieve a high common level of cybersecurity at European level, in full compliance with data protection legislation
and fundamental rights, while ensuring the strategic autonomy of the Union;
- support the
building-up and best use of European knowledge, capacity and skills related to cybersecurity and the sharing and mainstreaming
of best practices;
- ensure a wide deployment of effective state-of-the-art cybersecurity
solutions across the European economy, paying special attention to public authorities and SMEs;
- reinforce capabilities within Member States and private sector to help them comply with Directive (EU) 2016/1148 of
the European Parliament and of the Council including through measures supporting the uptake of cybersecurity best practices;
- improve resilience against cyberattacks, contribute towards increasing risk-awareness and knowledge
of cybersecurity processes, support public and private organisations in achieving basics levels of cybersecurity, for example
by deploying end-to-end encryption of data and software updates;
- enhance cooperation between
the civil and defence spheres with regard to dual-use projects, services, competences and applications in cybersecurity, in
accordance with a Regulation establishing the European Cybersecurity Industrial, Technology and Research Competence Centre
and the Network of National Coordination Centres (the ‘Cybersecurity Competence Centre Regulation’).
Specific
Objective 4 – Advanced Digital Skills The financial contribution from the Union
under Specific Objective 4 – Advanced Digital Skills shall support the development of advanced digital skills in areas covered
by the Programme in order to contribute to increasing Europe’s talent pool, bridge the digital divide and foster greater professionalism,
especially with regard to high performance and cloud computing, big data analytics, cybersecurity, distributed ledger technologies
(e.g. blockchain), quantum technologies, robotics, AI, while taking gender balance into account. In order to tackle skills
mismatches and to encourage specialisation in digital technologies and applications, the financial contribution shall pursue
the following operational objectives: - support
the design and delivery of high-quality, long-term training and courses, including blended learning, for students and for
the workforce;
- support the design and delivery of high-quality, short-term training and
courses for the workforce, in particular in SMEs and in the public sector;
- support high-quality
on-the-job training and work placements for students, including traineeships, and the workforce, in particular in SMEs and
in the public sector.
Specific Objective 5 – Deployment and Best Use of Digital Capacities and Interoperability The financial contribution from the Union under Specific Objective 5 – Deployment and Best Use
of Digital Capacities and Interoperability shall pursue the following operational objectives while bridging the digital divide: - support the public sector and areas of public
interest, such as health and care, education, judiciary, customs, transport, mobility, energy, environment, cultural and creative
sectors, including relevant businesses established within the Union, to effectively deploy and access state-of-the-art digital
technologies, such as HPC, AI and cybersecurity;
- deploy, operate and maintain trans-European
interoperable state-of-the-art digital service infrastructures across the Union, including related services, in complementarity
with national and regional actions;
- support the integration and use of trans-European digital
service infrastructures and of agreed European digital standards in the public sector and in areas of public interest to facilitate
cost-efficient implementation and interoperability;
- facilitate the development, update
and use of solutions and frameworks by public administrations, businesses and citizens, including of open-source solutions
and the re-use of interoperability solutions and frameworks;
- offer the public sector and
the Union industry, in particular SMEs, easy access to testing and piloting of digital technologies and increase the use thereof,
including their cross-border use;
- support the uptake by the public sector and the Union
industry, in particular SMEs and start-ups, of advanced digital and related technologies, including in particular HPC, AI,
cybersecurity, other leading edge and future technologies, such as distributed ledger technologies (e.g. blockchain);
- support the design, testing, implementation, and deployment and maintenance of interoperable digital
solutions, including digital government solutions, for public services at Union level which are delivered through a data-driven
reusable solutions platform aiming to foster innovation and establish common frameworks in order to unleash the full potential
of the public administrations’ services for citizens and businesses;
- ensure the continuous
capacity at Union level to lead digital development, in addition to observing, analysing and adapting to fast-evolving digital
trends, and share and mainstream best practices;
- support cooperation towards achieving
a European ecosystem for trusted data sharing and digital infrastructures using, inter alia, services and applications based
on distributed ledger technologies (e.g. blockchain), including support for interoperability and standardisation and by fostering
the deployment of Union cross-border applications based on security and privacy by design, while complying with consumer and
data protection legislation;
- build up and strengthen the European Digital Innovation Hubs
and their network.
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Description of call "Preparatory actions for the
AI-on-demand platform" | Objective: The overall objective of the AI-on-demand platform
is to provide a catalogue of AI-based resources and a marketplace, providing central, easy and simple access to AI tools that
are made in Europe and are ‘trustworthy’, a distinguishing character for businesses and public administrations. This
support action is expected prepare the development of the AI-on-demand platform described above, in order to optimise its
design and maximise its impact. Scope: The project will define the requirements and mechanisms
for the AI-on-demand platform in order to: - take into account ongoing work on the Adopt AI programme which supports
procurement of AI systems for public administrations
- serve the needs of both public administrations as well as the
user industry, in particular SMEs, addressing the major industrial sectors in Europe, with high potential for large scale
deployment
- best support the wide uptake of trustworthy AI “made in Europe”, in line with AI regulatory framework on
AI for the benefit of European economy, society and also addressing environmental challenges Interconnect with the cloud for
computing requirements and with the data spaces
- Interconnect with the Testing and Experimentation Facilities, and
the Digital Innovation Hubs
To this end, the funded activities will: - Collect and consolidate the requirements
and needs, mobilising a wide community of relevant stakeholders such as representatives of public administrations, businesses
(in particular SMEs and start-ups) and technical experts, in key sectors, including through the European Digital Innovation
Hubs. The requirements should be prioritised on the basis of their related impact in terms of potential for large scale deployment,
social, economic and environmental impacts.
- Provide a mapping of existing AI tools, incl. AI solutions already procured
by public administrations in Member States, and identify gaps and future needs. This work should build on information provided
by relevant analyses and projects.
- Define mechanisms to guarantee that the resources that would be made available
and deployed on the AI platform under work programme topic 2.3.1.2 are trustworthy and “made in Europe”. This should take
into account requirements stemming from the (future) AI regulatory framework, including the voluntary self-regulatory schemes.
The platform to be deployed under work programme topic 2.3.1.2 should then develop a service for the implementation of such
mechanism. This should take into account requirements stemming from the (future) AI regulatory framework, including the voluntary
self-regulatory schemes. The platform to be deployed should then develop a service for the implementation of such mechanism.
- Propose
and prepare an instrument for long-term sustainability of the platform; this may include the development of an underlying
foundation or association, a solid business and governance model.
- Define, in collaboration with the relevant actions
funded under the Specific Objective 2 of the Digital Europe Programme, technical mechanisms and governance to ensure seamless
interaction between the AI-on-demand platform with the underlying necessary resources, such as the Data Spaces and the Cloud-to–edge
and HPC resources developed in this programme.
- Define mechanisms to engage with the European Digital Innovation Hubs
(EDIHs), to connect to stakeholders, provide them with the AI resources, and implement a train-the-trainer programme about
the use of AI for digital transformation.
Expected Outcome: - Roadmap and plan
to deploy the AI-on-demand Platform, incl. requirements and mechanisms of the platform, optimising its service on the basis
of users’ needs and strengthening the AI developers’ community, to support wide uptake of trustworthy AI “made in Europe”
by industry, in particular SMEs, and public administrations.
- Sustainability plan
- Gap analysis and mapping
of AI solutions procured by public administrations
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