ExpectedOutcome:

Deployment of a few MCPs delivering fully functional digital infrastructure(s) or operational service(s) with a clear a long-term sustainability plan. The projects are expected to prove a clear EU added value through their impact that no single entity or Member State could achieve on its own.

Objective:

Multi-Country Projects (MCPs) are large scale projects facilitating the achievement of the targets for digital transformation of the Union and industrial recovery. They involve at least three Member States and typically include the Union’s and Member States’ financing.

The topic aims to facilitate the implementation of Multi-Country projects, including where the European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs) have been chosen as implementation mechanism. The selected projects should be implemented either by an EDIC or through another mechanism listed in the DDPP Decision, including a consortium which includes at least three Member States.The projects selected for funding under this topic are expected to:

• address one of the key areas in which the Digital Europe Programme supports critical EU capacity building through large scale deployments;
• represent a high level of engagement from various Member States and a long-term sustainability for the project implemented;
• pool EU, national and/or private resources to achieve progress that no Member State could do on its own;
• reduce digital divides within and between Member States;
• prove a clear EU added value through their impact that no single entity nor Member State could achieve on its own;
• contribute to bridge the gap between large scale piloting and full deployment;
• support the consolidation of an interconnected, interoperable, and secure Single Market, considering to the extent possible the interests of public and private sectors.
• to the extent possible, support interoperability of data and digital infrastructure amongst the MCPs. Digital infrastructure might include data, high-performance computing, quantum computing, AI and connectivity;
• where relevant, support common operating models that promote fair data economy, cross-border services, digital public services, new business models, trust-based ecosystems, digital identity and a high level of personal data protection.

Scope:

The awarded proposals are expected to ensure that:

• they contribute to the achievement/pursue one of the operational objectives outlined in the Regulation (EU) 2021/694 (Articles 4-8);
• they have a high potential to contribute to digital priorities of the Union provided for in the Digital Decade Policy Programme;
• the level of maturity of the project proposed is ready for deployment;
• consolidate available capacities at EU and Member State level by building on existing initiatives and developing widely agreed frameworks and/or tools;
• coordinate between participating partners existing and future initiatives relevant for the project;
• coordinate with other relevant projects funded through Digital Europe Programme (e.g. Data Spaces Support Centre);
• have in place a long-term sustainability plan, which may include the setting up of an EDIC;
• address interoperability concerns that could hamper an EU wide deployment.

The funding can cover the following categories of activities:

• Deployment and use of common EU digital infrastructures, including the underlying technologies, blueprint architecture, standards, tools and applications;
• Deployment and use of advanced EU wide services targeting their large-scale adoption including through industry and/or SMEs, and/or public administrations;
• Use of computing and processing capacities;
• Data generation, collection, aggregation and sharing;
• Creation, optimization of large data models;
• Normalisation and certification of services, digital infrastructures and/or data models;
• Deployment of trustworthy AI capacities and resources;
• Dissemination and exploitation of project results;
• Stakeholder engagement;
• Capacity building, including on legal and competitiveness matters.

Priority will be given to projects that present a broader Member States support, and a higher level of maturity.