Can I apply to Digital Europe AI?

By country

• Can a company from an EU country apply?Yes
• Can a company from Poland (a Widening country) apply?Yes
• Can a company from the UK apply?NoOrganisations in the United Kingdom can't apply: it is open to the EU, the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein or countries associated with Digital Europe.
• Can a company from Switzerland apply?Yes
• Can a company from Norway apply?Yes
• Can a company from Israel apply?NoOrganisations in Israel can't apply: it is open to the EU, the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein or countries associated with Digital Europe.
• Can a company from Ukraine apply?Yes
• Can a company from Türkiye apply?Yes
• Can a company from Canada apply?NoOrganisations in Canada can't apply: it is open to the EU, the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein or countries associated with Digital Europe.
• Can a company from Japan apply?NoOrganisations in Japan can't apply: it is open to the EU, the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein or countries associated with Digital Europe.
• Can a company from South Korea apply?NoOrganisations in South Korea can't apply: it is open to the EU, the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein or countries associated with Digital Europe.
• Can a company from the United States apply?NoOrganisations in the United States can't apply: it is open to the EU, the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein or countries associated with Digital Europe.
• Can a company from India apply?NoOrganisations in India can't apply: it is open to the EU, the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein or countries associated with Digital Europe.

By organisation

• Can a founder without a company yet apply?Yes, ifRegister a company first: the applicant must be an incorporated SME.
• Can a startup apply?Yes
• Can an established SME apply?Yes
• Can a mid-cap company apply?Yes
• Can a large company apply?Yes
• Can a university apply?Yes
• Can a research organisation apply?Yes
• Can a company apply on its own, without partners?NoYou need a consortium of at least 3 organisations from 3 different countries.

By stage

• Can I apply with an idea or early research?NoToo early: this starts at TRL 6 (a prototype tested outside the lab).
• Can I apply with a proof of concept?NoToo early: this starts at TRL 6 (a prototype tested outside the lab).
• Can I apply with a prototype?Yes
• Can I apply with a pilot with real users?Yes
• Can I apply with a product on the market?Yes

The rules in full

Where you must be based

the EU, the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein or countries associated with Digital Europe

Open to legal entities in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Digital Europe associated countries (including Switzerland since 2025, Ukraine, Türkiye and the Western Balkans). The UK is not associated to Digital Europe.

Who can apply

a startup, an SME, a mid-cap, a large company, a university, a research organisation, a public body or a non-profit

Any public or private legal entity. Individuals cannot apply.

Alone or with partners

Consortium of at least 3 organisations from 3 countries

Each topic sets its own minimum. In the 2026 AI calls it ran from 3 independent organisations (most topics, usually from 3 countries) to 5 from 5 countries (genomic data) and 7 from 7 countries (cancer imaging). Affiliated companies do not count toward the minimum.

Stage

TRL 6 to 9

Digital Europe funds deployment and uptake of AI that already works, not research. There is no legal TRL threshold; each topic sets its own maturity expectations.

What you get

grants, up to €17.5M

Set per topic and shared by the consortium. 2026 AI topics ranged from €1M (alliance secretariat) to €17.5M per project; the regulatory-compliance topic paid €2M to €5M.

Funding rate

50% of eligible costs for most topics (simple, lump-sum and procurement grants); 75% for SMEs in SME support actions; 100% for coordination and support actions