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Call key data

Large-scale pilots for supply end-to-end infrastructures integrating device, network computing and communication capabilities for Telco Edge Cloud deployments, as a basis for Connected Collaborative Computing Networks (3C networks)

Funding Program

Horizon Europe: Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space

Call number

HORIZON-CL4-2025-03-DATA-08

deadlines

Opening
10.06.2025

Deadline
02.10.2025 17:00

Deadline - 2nd stage

Opening
06.06.2025

Funding rate

100%

Call budget

€ 75,000,000.00

Estimated EU contribution per project

€ 75,000,000.00

Link to the call

ec.europa.eu

Link to the submission

ec.europa.eu

Call content

short description

The 3C Network large-scale pilot (focusing on the supply side) aims at setting up end-to-end integrated infrastructures and platforms, bringing together players from different segments of the connectivity and compute value chain and beyond. The main target is to research and validate the integration of device, network, cloud and edge computing, and communication capabilities for telco edge cloud deployments to realize a ubiquitous mesh of computing and communication resources. This will complement the Telco Edge Cloud reference deployments of Digital Europe and IPCEI-CIS and will feed into future deployment initiatives.

Call objectives

The recent Commission White Paper “How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?” highlights the convergence of electronic communications networks and cloud services, and call for the strengthening of the EU “Telco Edge Cloud” infrastructure, by creating the 3C Network (Connected Collaborative Computing).

The convergence of connectivity, including mobile networks (5G and 5G advanced), combined with computing environments at the edge and cloud is a unique opportunity for the European telecom industry to drive a European vision of next generation digital infrastructures and meet future processing demands of IoT and AI. Investing into future computing and connectivity paradigms will strengthen the industrial European supply side and deliver an enablement for the path towards sustainability of key sectors in the demand side.

Increased density of edge and cloud facilities is needed to sustain adoption of innovative and sovereign telco edge cloud technologies across Europe. Backed by ubiquitous connectivity to deliver the right performance in terms of bandwidth and latency, Europe’s infrastructure will require advanced network management and orchestration technology as well as neutral interconnection services to guarantee efficient infrastructure utilisation and enable innovative use cases at scale.

Therefore, the scope for the action would be the following:

  • Researching and prototyping at scale end-to-end telco edge cloud integrated infrastructures and platforms, bringing together players from different segments of the connectivity value chain and beyond, such as operators, system integrators, network/cloud/edge suppliers, experts on AI and (wireless) communication, experts on testing and validation of network technologies and services, IoT platform providers et al.
  • Developing open orchestration platforms across the telco edge cloud continuum, to support unlocking the transformative value of AI for European businesses and driving business growth in multiple industries strategic for Europe and associated countries.
  • Integrating AI solutions for optimising the orchestration of the different resources to be managed by the pilot actions, such as bandwidth, spectrum, computing, hardware, other user requirements.
  • Investigation, testing, validation and demonstration of solutions and prototypes of the simultaneous use of integrated devices, edge and cloud computing and communication resources in operational environments (including both public networks and large private networks), ensuring high level of security and privacy, energy efficiency, transparency and control of the ecological footprint.
  • Investigation, testing, validation and demonstration of integration of available infrastructures as cloud-edge continuum with distributed systems such as blockchain infrastructure and services, data spaces and seamless and comprehensive AI systems in the process of creation of decentralised digital infrastructure network, including the compliance with applicable EU regulations.
  • Exploration of novel approaches for cybersecurity by design and sustainability in advanced communication infrastructure.

With radical changes triggered by GenAI, as well as AI applications penetrating more and more industrial domains, demands for low latency are looming. The pilot should have to tackle the network evolution complementing the cloud with progress towards the edge, as well as needing reliability from the mobile networks.

Key aspects to be researched, validated and demonstrated by the 3C Network end-to-end infrastructures include:

  • AI-enabled orchestration and quality assurance tools, algorithms and techniques which cater for hybrid multi-cloud technologies.
  • Enablers for multi-level (networks, edge, cloud, and services) federation management and interoperability.
  • Tools and mechanisms that facilitate the standardised exposure of network functions.
  • Enablement of Edge-as-a-Service approaches that effectively integrate cloud computing's multi-tenancy and resource sharing concepts into access networks.
  • Security and Compliance mechanisms targeted for telco edge cloud.
  • Tools for guaranteed end-to-end QoS and QoE across heterogeneous network, cloud and edge infrastructures.
  • Mechanisms to exploit specialised hardware and accelerators to address the strict the requirements (e.g. latency, energy efficiency) of virtualised network functions.
  • Investigation on the trade-offs associated to Edge nodes density and placement required in telco edge cloud deployments to achieve the target latency rates.
  • Lightweight virtualisation and cloud-native approaches for virtualised network functions.
  • Novel approaches to handle user mobility to ensure edge service continuity and quality of service.
  • Privacy preserving record linkage on individual citizen level and device-related level to foster meaningful linkage of data for secondary usage.

Thanks to these, the pilot and its associated research should support the emergence of telco edge cloud as-a-service approaches that successfully implement multi-tenancy and resource sharing notions from cloud computing into network infrastructure and resources. In addition, the project infrastructures should cater for the pragmatic complexities associated with the physical placement of the various types of telco edge cloud platforms (near, far, regional,) across the territory considering the necessary trade-offs between performance, capacity, and costs.

Furthermore, the pilot should tackle the need for multi-cloud and edge service orchestration at scale, which enables workload portability across providers and technologies as well as effective service placement and lightweight and cloud-native forms for NFV and optimisation by means of acceleration, multi-cloud orchestration, multi-level federation and mobility management.

Moreover, the technical solutions in the pilot should investigate the use of AI to handle the optimal allocation and optimisation of the operation of the digital infrastructures resultant of the combination of distributed compute and network resources of the edge cloud compute continuum in a predictive and efficient manner and at scale. These should take into consideration the appropriate QoS trade-offs in relation to bandwidth, spectrum, computing, hardware and other functional and non-functional requirements, cater for the need for AI/ML to improve optimisation of assets and process and closed-loop automation, and target development and life-cycle management of AI models and resource management tools for the optimal management of combined and converged network, cloud and edge infrastructures. It will integrate security and privacy by design into account and seek to incorporate mechanisms such as edge discovery and deployment as-a-service delivery, end-to-end network and compute performance, energy efficiency and mobility management, including the Non-Terrestrial Network component for ubiquity.

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Expected effects and impacts

The pilot should provide an open, multi-supplier, multi-vendor, and interoperable Telco Edge Cloud reference architecture and ecosystem that encourages cooperation and cooperative development among all key stakeholders, with broad representation of MS/AC, owing to the joint research to be implemented. Furthermore, the pilot should define open access policies and mechanisms that aim to maximise the impact of the provided infrastructure which take into consideration the long-term sustainability and addressing different uses by industrial and research communities. When necessary, these should explore collaboration with complementary actions addressing the demand side.

Project participants should analyse the existing standards landscape as a key state-of-the-art input when planning their project activities, and relevant open-source projects (e.g., Sylva, ANUJET, Nephio, CAMARA). The development paths of the critical technologies are expected to be merged and aligned to support the standardisation and uptake of 6G and Web 4.0.

The pilot should help maturing the technologies resulting from medium TRLs projects, while performing its own research towards enabling and prototyping of converged telco cloud edge platforms in operational and multi-suppliers, multi-domain and multi-tenant environments.

The pilot should cover research on infrastructure and platforms mid-TRLs telco edge cloud technologies, including development of telco-cloud network resources orchestration, demos, proof of concepts and early deployment of technologies.

The main achievements of the pilot should be showcased by means of small-scale demonstrations, that could be scaled up in future work programmes, for instance demonstrators on virtual worlds for industrial settings.

The pilot should ensure a high degree of participation of stakeholders from the relevant technological sectors, including SMEs, scaleups and start-ups, as well as properly consider the demand side from vertical sectors and broad representation of MS/AC, also in view of the planned demand-side large-scale pilots. In this regard, proposals should clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the participating stakeholders in developing, testing, validating, updating, maintaining and/ or using the technologies and services of the 3Cs network. The pilot’s Consortium should also define a policy on the ownership and access of 3Cs network resources and facilities, during the Horizon Europe project and beyond.

Proposals are expected to build synergies and ensure complementarities with relevant topics under SNS JU Work Programme 2022-2024, Digital Europe Programme WP2023-2024, IPCEI-CIS, Connecting Europe Facility.

The large-scale pilot would ideally reuse and extend relevant open-source frameworks and capitalise on existing testing and trial platforms from European or national initiatives [1] among which the IPCEI-CIS, SNS Stream C (dedicated to the development of EU-wide experimentation platforms incorporating promising 6G enablers), SNS Stream D projects (which focuses on implementing large-scale trials and targets specific verticals of high economic and societal importance), and other SNS projects, results from Open Internet Stack action, the Cloud-Edge-IoT HE projects, and the Digital Europe Programme’s Reference edge-cloud deployments, the “Empowering AI across the continuum” and the “Software engineering for AI” R&I areas, as well as research results on infrastructure and platforms. It should also establish strong relationship and collaboration with complementary EU-funded research activities, and also ensure close interaction with the relevant constituencies driving that research, including the Open Internet Stack constituencies. Relevant research from both the supply and the demand side of 3C networks should be considered in this regard, thus ensuring participation of research organisations from all across the value chain.

Finally, digital autonomy in edge and cloud implies that computation infrastructure should be able to be sourced from European technology, including non-terrestrial network infrastructure. The subsequent step following the EU investments in processors for HPC (under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking) is to extend its success to the rest of the computing continuum. Therefore, the project will also seek to coordinate with other EU (HE) research activities with a view to integrating new processor architectures into cloud edge infrastructures as they become available.

In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

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Expected results

Project results are expected to contribute to the following expected outcomes:

  • Strengthen European industrial ecosystems for the 3C Network, while enabling the path towards sustainability and competitiveness of key vertical sectors in the EU, to be supported in the work programme 2026-2027 of Horizon Europe by future large-scale pilot focusing on 3Cs demand in vertical industrial sectors such as “industrial virtual worlds” (automotive, aerospace, processing, manufacturing, agriculture, electronics), services (mobility, energy, smart communities, health) or others.
  • Strategic industrial cooperation among network and data processing stakeholders which enable new revenue streams in support of viable communication infrastructures by building open platforms, underpinning an emerging industrial open telco edge cloud ecosystem to be established in Europe.
  • The pilot should devise appropriate cooperation mechanisms with the Open Internet Stack actions, to help defining the requirements for the development of the building blocks and ensure their integration in the pilot, including envisaging mechanisms for testing and integration of the solutions developed by the Open Internet Stack.
  • A European vision of advanced digital infrastructures through the convergence of connectivity with interoperable edge and cloud computing services. Moreover, the large-scale pilot should seek and include sufficient evidence of a clear commitment from the major European telecom, cloud and edge providers to industrialise further the results of the pilot among the major stakeholders, in particular by considering the necessary business adaptations and future perspectives, etc. In this context, an advisory group of end users should be set up to discuss and advise about user requirements to be considered in relation to the pilots. This group will collect requirements from a large range of users and test them through small demonstrations.

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Eligibility Criteria

Regions / countries for funding

EU Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT)
Canada, Iceland (Ísland), Israel (ישראל / إِسْرَائِيل), New Zealand (Aotearoa), Norway (Norge), Switzerland (Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera), United Kingdom

eligible entities

EU Body, Education and training institution, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)

Mandatory partnership

Yes

Project Partnership

To be eligible for funding, applicants must be established in one of the following countries:

  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions
  • the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States
  • countries associated to Horizon Europe - see list of particpating countries

Only legal entities forming a consortium are eligible to participate in actions provided that the consortium includes, as beneficiaries, three legal entities independent from each other and each established in a different country as follows:

  • at least one independent legal entity established in a Member State; and
  • at least two other independent legal entities, each established in different Member States or Associated Countries.

Any legal entity, regardless of its place of establishment, including legal entities from non-associated third countries or international organisations (including international European research organisations) is eligible to participate (whether it is eligible for funding or not), provided that the conditions laid down in the Horizon Europe Regulation have been met, along with any other conditions laid down in the specific call topic.

A ‘legal entity’ means any natural or legal person created and recognised as such under national law, EU law or international law, which has legal personality and which may, acting in its own name, exercise rights and be subject to obligations, or an entity without legal personality.

Specific cases:

  • Affiliated entities (i.e. entities with a legal or capital link to a beneficiary which participate in the action with similar rights and obligations to the beneficiaries, but which do not sign the grant agreement and therefore do not become beneficiaries themselves) are allowed, if they are eligible for participation and funding.
  • Associated partners (i.e. entities which participate in the action without signing the grant agreement, and without the right to charge costs or claim contributions) are allowed, subject to any conditions regarding associated partners set out in the specific call conditions.
  • Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees to protect the EU’s financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons.
  • Legal entities created under EU law (EU bodies) including decentralised agencies may be part of the consortium, unless provided for otherwise in their basic act.
  • International European research organisations are eligible to receive funding. International organisations with headquarters in a Member State or Associated Country are eligible to receive funding for ‘Training and mobility’ actions or when provided for in the specific call/topic conditions. Other international organisations are not eligible to receive funding, unless provided for in the specific call/topic conditions, or if their participation is considered essential for implementing the action by the granting authority.
  • Joint Research Centre (JRC)— Where provided for in the specific call conditions, applicants may include in their proposals the possible contribution of the JRC but the JRC will not participate in the preparation and submission of the proposal. Applicants will indicate the contribution that the JRC could bring to the project based on the scope of the topic text. After the evaluation process, the JRC and the consortium selected for funding may come to an agreement on the specific terms of the participation of the JRC. If an agreement is found, the JRC may accede to the grant agreement as beneficiary requesting zero funding or participate as an associated partner, and would accede to the consortium as a member.
  • Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members (e.g. European research infrastructure consortia (ERICs)) may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. However, if the action is in practice implemented by the individual members, those members should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible.
  • EU restrictive measures — Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) as well as Article 75 TFEU, are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
  • Legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine — Given the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the involvement of Belarus, there is currently no appropriate context allowing the implementation of the actions foreseen in this programme with legal entities established in Russia, Belarus, or in non-government controlled territories of Ukraine. Therefore, even where such entities are not subject to EU restrictive measures, such legal entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity. This includes participation as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, third parties giving in-kind contributions, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any). Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis for justified reasons.
    With specific regard to measures addressed to Russia, following the adoption of the Council Regulation (EU) 2024/1745 of 24 June 2024 (amending Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 of 31 July 2014) concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine, legal entities established outside Russia but whose proprietary rights are directly or indirectly owned for more than 50% by a legal person, entity or body established in Russia are also not eligible to participate in any capacity.
  • Measures for the protection of the Union budget against breaches of the principles of the rule of law in Hungary — Following the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506, as of 16 December 2022, no legal commitments can be entered into with Hungarian public interest trusts established under the Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Affected entities may continue to apply to calls for proposals and can participate without receiving EU funding, as associated partners, if allowed by the call conditions. However, as long as the Council measures are not lifted, such entities are not eligible to participate in any funded role (beneficiaries, affiliated entities, subcontractors, recipients of financial support to third parties, etc.).In case of multi-beneficiary grant calls, applicants will be invited to remove or replace that entity in any funded role and/or to change its status into associated partner. Tasks and budget may be redistributed accordingly.

other eligibility criteria

In order to achieve the expected outcomes, and safeguard the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, and security, it is important to avoid a situation of technological dependency on a non-EU source, in a global context that requires the EU to take action to build on its strengths, and to carefully assess and address any strategic weaknesses, vulnerabilities and high-risk dependencies which put at risk the attainment of its ambitions. For this reason, participation is limited to legal entities established in Member States, Iceland and Norway and the following additional associated countries: Canada, Israel, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

For the duly justified and exceptional reasons listed in the paragraph above, in order to guarantee the protection of the strategic interests of the Union and its Member States, entities established in an eligible country listed above, but which are directly or indirectly controlled by a non eligible country or by a non-eligible country entity, may not participate in the action unless it can be demonstrated, by means of guarantees positively assessed by their eligible country of establishment, that their participation to the action would not negatively impact the Union’s strategic assets, interests, autonomy, or security. Entities assessed as high risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment within the meaning of ‘restrictions for the protection of European communication networks’ (or entities fully or partially owned or controlled by a high-risk supplier) cannot submit guarantees.

Activities are expected to start at TRL 3 and achieve TRL 7 by the end of the project.

Additional information

Topics

Digitalisation, Digital Society, ICT

Relevance for EU Macro-Region

EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region

UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)

Additional Information

Applications must be submitted electronically via the Funders & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (accessible via the topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section). Paper submissions are NOT possible.

Applications must be submitted using the forms provided inside the electronic submission system (not the templates available on the topic page, which are only for information). The structure and presentation must correspond to the instructions given in the forms.

Applications must be complete and contain all parts and mandatory annexes and supporting documents.

The application form will have two parts:

  • Part A (to be filled in directly online) contains administrative information about the applicant organisations (future coordinator and beneficiaries and affiliated entities), the summarised budget for the proposal and call-specific questions;
  • Part B (to be downloaded from the Portal submission system, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded as a PDF in the system) contains the technical description of the project.

Annexes and supporting documents will be directly available in the submission system and must be uploaded as PDF files (or other formats allowed by the system).

The limit for a full application (Part B) is 45 pages.

Call documents

Horizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and SpaceHorizon Europe Work Programme 2025 Cluster 4 - Digital, Industry and Space(kB)

Contact

National Contact Points for Horizon Europe
Website

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