Verified against official EU sources · last checked 5 days ago (27 jul 2026)
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Overview
Las convocatorias de AI Continent se enmarcan dentro del Digital Europe Programme, el fondo digital de la UE de aproximadamente 8.100 millones de euros. La distinción clave: Horizon Europe financia investigación, el Digital Europe Programme financia despliegue. Estas convocatorias financian IA madura y funcional desplegada a escala, no trabajo de laboratorio. Son el dinero detrás del Plan de Acción AI Continent de la UE de abril de 2025, que pretende movilizar hasta 200.000 millones de euros de inversión en IA y crear al menos 13 Fábricas de IA para 2026. La principal convocatoria de 2026 (DIGITAL-2026-AI-09) contó con un presupuesto de 60,2 millones de euros distribuidos en siete temas — datos de salud y genómicos, IA para imagen oncológica, vehículos autónomos, IA generativa para administraciones públicas y bancos de prueba de mundos virtuales — y cerró el 3 de marzo de 2026; los resultados se están comunicando a partir de julio de 2026 (por ejemplo, 14 de 36 propuestas superan el umbral en el tema GENAI-PA), con acuerdos de subvención previstos para octubre de 2026. La convocatoria de AI Continent abierta ahora es DIGITAL-2026-AI-DATA-10 (soluciones digitales para el cumplimiento normativo a través de datos): presupuesto de 8,5 millones de euros, subvenciones a tanto alzado de 2 a 5 millones de euros por proyecto a una tasa de cofinanciación del 50 por ciento, plazo el 1 de octubre de 2026. La financiación es una subvención, no equity, habitualmente el 50 por ciento de los costes y el 75 por ciento para las SMEs en temas de apoyo a SMEs. El trabajo va a consorcios transfronterizos, no a solicitantes individuales. Consorcios como EWC y DC4EU siguieron esta vía, ganando cada uno cerca de 10 millones de euros, y DS4Health hizo lo mismo para las competencias digitales en sanidad. Si tu IA está lista para desplegarse y puedes construir una asociación que cubra la cadena de valor, esta es tu convocatoria.
Las tasas de éxito indicativas del 15 al 25 por ciento embellecen la realidad.
Is this for you?
- Legal entity (public or private) in an EU, EEA or Digital-Europe-associated country
- Consortium — typically 3+ independent entities from 3 different eligible countries
- Deployment-ready AI — a working product to roll out, not lab research
- Startup or SME that needs free GPU compute — AI Factory access needs no consortium
- Co-funding secured — you can cover roughly half the project costs yourself
- Lone startup wanting non-dilutive cash for its own product → EIC Accelerator
- Early-stage AI research (TRL 1–5) → Horizon Europe Cluster 4
- Natural persons (sole traders excepted) — companies and public bodies only
- Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers (or owned by them) — excluded in any role, even as subcontractor
The big exception: AI Factory compute is not a grant. A single startup can apply alone, for free, via the EuroHPC access portal — Fast Lane gives up to 50,000 GPU hours with approval in about 4 working days.
Programme pillars
AI Factories, supercomputers, GPU access
Common European data spaces, high-quality datasets
Skills, education, brain circulation
Industry uptake, GenAI for Europe, public sector AI
AI Act, sandboxes, trustworthy AI
Success rates — the honest picture
Roughly 1 in 8 applications gets funded. A sharp, evidence-backed proposal is what separates the funded from the rejected.
| Metric | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Grant success rate | ~49% | "Around one in two", with a lot of variation across topics — COM(2025) 771 |
| Horizon Europe, for comparison | 12.9–15% | The research programme is 3–4× more competitive than Digital Europe |
| Budget committed by end-2024 | >€3B | 37% of the €8.16B envelope, across 600+ projects |
| Participants reached | 6,500+ | In 37 countries, reaching 55,100 companies and 25,800 public bodies |
| AI call round 9 (closed 3 Mar 2026) | €60.2M | DIGITAL-2026-AI-09 — 7 topics from €1M to €17.5M each |
| AI round 10 — open now | €17.5M | AI-PILOTING-10 (€9M, 2 grants) + AI-DATA-10 (€8.5M, 2 grants), deadline 1 Oct 2026 |
Single-stage evaluation, no resubmission limit. Plan for the full cycle: from the 1 October 2026 deadline, evaluation runs October–November, results land January–February 2027 and grant agreements are signed May–June 2027 — about eight months end to end.
Eligibility
- 1Cualquier entidad jurídica establecida en un Estado miembro de la UE, un país asociado EEE/EFTA o un país asociado al Digital Europe Programme es elegible; el tipo de entidad apenas importa porque empresas, hospitales, universidades, centros de investigación y administraciones públicas ganan estas subvenciones.
- 2Prácticamente todos los temas de AI Continent exigen un consorcio de organizaciones independientes de distintos países elegibles, por lo que una startup en solitario sin socios no puede solicitar esos temas por muy buena que sea la tecnología.
- 3El número mínimo de socios se establece por tema y es estricto: en la convocatoria AI-09 de marzo de 2026, los temas de salud y datos genómicos requerían 5 organizaciones de 5 países y el tema de IA para imagen oncológica requería 7 de 7, así que consulta siempre la ficha de la convocatoria antes de comprometerte.
- 4Este es un programa de despliegue, no de investigación, por lo que tu IA debe ser madura y estar lista para desplegarse (TRL 7-9); las propuestas que parecen proyectos de investigación pertenecen a Horizon Europe y son filtradas aquí.
- 5Tu trabajo debe enmarcarse en las áreas estratégicas nombradas en la convocatoria: la convocatoria cerrada AI-09 de 2026 cubría datos de salud y genómicos, IA para imagen oncológica, vehículos conectados y autónomos, IA generativa para administraciones públicas y bancos de prueba de mundos virtuales, mientras que la convocatoria actualmente abierta DIGITAL-2026-AI-DATA-10 tiene como objetivo soluciones digitales para el cumplimiento normativo a través de datos; no existe una línea de IA abierta o de propósito general.
- 6Las SMEs obtienen mejores condiciones, con una tasa de financiación que sube al 75 por ciento en los temas de apoyo a SMEs, pero todos cofinancian el resto, así que debes poder cubrir el 25 al 50 por ciento que la subvención no paga.
Eligible applicants must be legal entities established in an EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories), an EEA country (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) or a country associated to the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL). The official list (v7.0, December 2025) names Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine — all limited to Specific Objectives 1, 2, 4 and 5, which covers the AI strand (SO2). Switzerland signed in November 2025, retroactive to 1 January 2025, with the same SO limits. The United Kingdom does not appear on the list at all: UK entities cannot be beneficiaries in DIGITAL, unlike in Horizon Europe.
For the two genomic-data topics, the cancer-imaging topic and both automotive topics, only entities from EU Member States, EEA countries and Switzerland are eligible — associated countries such as Ukraine or Türkiye are shut out. Crucially, eligible entities must not be directly or indirectly controlled from a non-eligible country: 'control' means decisive influence, de jure or de facto, including but not limited to >50% shareholding. A US- or UK-owned subsidiary in the EU is therefore disqualified unless the granting authority exceptionally accepts a guarantee approved by the country of establishment. The condition must already be met at the call deadline; an ownership-control declaration is filed with the proposal.
Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile-network communication equipment — and anything they own or control — are barred from participating in any capacity: beneficiary, affiliated entity, associated partner, subcontractor or in-kind contributor (Appendix 4 of the DIGITAL Work Programme 2025–2027). Entities under EU restrictive measures and Hungarian public-interest trusts under Act IX of 2021 (EU budget-conditionality regime) are likewise excluded. Natural persons cannot apply, except self-employed sole traders without separate legal personality.
Minimum consortium sizes are set per topic: 5 independent beneficiaries from 5 eligible countries for the genomic data-tools and data-storage topics; 7 from 7 countries for the multi-modal cancer-imaging topic; 3 for the autonomous-vehicle secretariat and platform topics and for GenAI in public administrations; and 4 applicants from 3 countries — including at least one research organisation and one private company per targeted sector — for virtual-worlds test beds. Only independent beneficiaries count toward the minimum, not affiliated entities. Financial support to third parties (cascade funding) is not allowed under this call.
The deployment topics run as Simple Grants or Grants for Procurement at a 50% funding rate — the consortium finances the other half itself. A financial-capacity check, based on profit-and-loss accounts, balance sheets and audit reports uploaded to the Participant Register, is run on every beneficiary except public bodies and those requesting no more than €60,000. A weak result can trigger joint and several liability, pre-financing in instalments or none at all, a bank guarantee, forced replacement of the entity — or rejection of the entire proposal.
All proposals under this call undergo an ethics review; for projects developing, testing, deploying or distributing AI systems, it specifically checks human agency and oversight, diversity and fairness, transparency and responsible social impact, while technical evaluators assess the robustness of the AI systems. Ethics conditions become binding deliverables in the grant agreement. Standard EU exclusion grounds apply on top: bankruptcy, unpaid tax or social security, grave professional misconduct, fraud, and misrepresentation during the award procedure — extending to beneficial owners and persons with decision-making power.
The money — co-funded deployment grants plus free compute
Digital Europe — the funding programme behind the AI Continent Action Plan — pays to roll out mature technology, not to invent it. Proposals are shorter than Horizon Europe's and evaluators score deployment capacity and European added value, not scientific novelty. If your AI still needs research, you are in the wrong programme: that is Horizon Europe.
Most grants are Simple or Lump Sum Grants at a 50% funding rate — you must bring the other half yourself. The Commission's own interim evaluation found applicants least satisfied with exactly this. Some countries (the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria) run structured national co-funding schemes for Digital Europe priorities; many member states have nothing. Check your national situation before you commit a consortium. SMEs get 75% only in designated SME-support actions, and Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs — networking and coordination work) are funded at 100%.
Newer AI topics use lump-sum grants: you receive a prefinancing of normally 80% of the maximum grant within 30 days of the agreement entering into force, then no interim payments at all — the balance comes only after the final report. If the final grant amount works out lower than what was paid, the coordinator pays back the difference.
AI Factories — 19 of them plus 13 antennas, backed by €10B of EuroHPC investment — give startups and SMEs free GPU access in three tiers: Playground for experimentation, Fast Lane up to 50,000 GPU hours (approved in ~4 working days), and Large Scale beyond that with bimonthly cut-offs. No consortium, no co-funding, no grant agreement.
How to apply — step by step
- 1Create EU Login account10 min
Go to the EU Authentication Service and create an account.
Create EU Login → - 2Register your organisation1–2 hours
Register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC.
Participant Register → - 3Identify the right call1–2 weeks
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09 closed 3 March 2026 (56 proposals submitted; grant agreements expected September–November 2026). Monitor the Funding & Tenders Portal for upcoming Digital Europe AI calls under the 2025–2027 Work Programme.
- 4Build your consortium (if required)Weeks–months
Most Digital Europe calls require a consortium. Check the specific call conditions for minimum partner requirements.
Partner Search → - 5Write your proposal6–10 weeks
Follow the call-specific template. Digital Europe proposals are typically shorter than Horizon Europe — focus on deployment and uptake rather than basic research.
- 6Submit electronicallyBefore deadline
Submit via the Funding & Tenders Portal before the relevant call deadline. DIGITAL-2026-AI-09 is now closed — watch the portal for new Digital Europe AI calls when they open.
- 7Evaluation~3–4 months
Expert evaluators score your proposal. Digital Europe uses different criteria from Horizon Europe — focus is on deployment capacity and European added value.
What evaluators look for
Relevance
Evaluators check that the proposal genuinely advances the call's stated AI objectives and EU policy, not just that it is technically interesting. For some topics they also weigh how far the project secures Europe's digital technology supply chain and overcomes the lack of market finance. In tie-breaks within a topic, the Relevance score ranks proposals first.
- Alignment with the objectives and activities described for the topic in section 2
- Contribution to long-term policy objectives, relevant policies and strategies, and synergies with activities at European and national level
- Extent to which the project would reinforce and secure the digital technology supply chain in the EU (where applicable to the topic)
- Extent to which the project can overcome financial obstacles such as the lack of market finance (where applicable to the topic)
Implementation
Evaluators judge whether the plan is credible and the team can actually deliver: a mature project, a sound work plan that uses resources efficiently, and a consortium with the proven capacity to do the work.
- Maturity of the project
- Soundness of the implementation plan and efficient use of resources
- Capacity of the applicants, and where applicable the consortium as a whole, to carry out the proposed work
Impact
Evaluators assess whether the project will deliver the call's expected outcomes, strengthen competitiveness and bring real benefits to society, with credible dissemination plans. For some topics they also weigh how it addresses environmental sustainability and the European Green Deal.
- Extent to which the project will achieve the expected outcomes and deliverables and, where relevant, the plans to disseminate and communicate achievements
- Extent to which the project will strengthen competitiveness and bring important benefits for society
- Extent to which the project addresses environmental sustainability and the European Green Deal goals (where applicable to the topic)
Documents you'll need
The EC's blueprint for making Europe a global AI leader — 5 pillars, InvestAI, AI Factories.
- Contains:
- The 5 pillars: Infrastructure (AI Factories), Data, Talent, AI adoption, and Regulatory framework. Defines the InvestAI Fund (€200B target), AI Gigafactories concept, and sector-specific AI deployment.
- Length:
- ~30 pages
- Why:
- Understand the strategic context for all AI funding in Europe.
- When:
- Read first
All open calls, budgets, and topics under Digital Europe.
- Contains:
- Every Digital Europe call for 2025-2027 including AI factories, data spaces, digital identity, cybersecurity, and digital skills.
- Length:
- ~120 pages
- Why:
- Source of truth for all Digital Europe funding.
- When:
- Find your specific call
Closed 3 March 2026. Seven topics covering AI deployment in public administration, automotive, health data, and smart cities — reference for future calls.
- Contains:
- Seven topic descriptions, expected outcomes, budgets, and evaluation criteria for the now-closed DIGITAL-2026-AI-09 call (deadline 3 March 2026; 56 proposals submitted). Useful reference for scoping future AI Continent calls.
- Length:
- Multiple topic pages
- Why:
- Reference documentation for understanding AI Continent call scope and evaluation criteria.
- When:
- For reference; call is closed — new Digital Europe AI calls expected in late 2026/2027
Step-by-step guide to the Digital Europe application process.
- Contains:
- Eligibility rules, application steps, funding rates, and tips for Digital Europe proposals.
- Length:
- Web guide
- Why:
- Practical guide for first-time Digital Europe applicants.
- When:
- Before starting your application
How to access EU supercomputers through AI Factories for training and deploying AI models.
- Contains:
- The 7+ AI Factories, their capabilities, how SMEs and researchers can access compute resources, and the application process.
- Length:
- Web page
- Why:
- If you need GPU/TPU compute for AI training.
- When:
- When exploring AI Factory access
Typical Budget Breakdown
2026 Deadlines
- 4 Nov 20254 Nov 2025Call opens
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09 'AI Continent' opened on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: 7 topics, €60.2M total (largest envelopes: €17.5M genomic data storage, €17M virtual-worlds test beds, €14.4M cancer imaging). A total of 56 proposals were received across all 7 topics.
- 3 Mar 2026, 17:00 CET3 Mar 2026, 17:00 CETSubmission deadline (closed)
One proposal per topic, submitted electronically via the Portal; each application may address only one topic. Deadline has now passed — 56 proposals were received across 7 topics; 24 were above threshold.
- Apr–Jul 2026Apr–Jul 2026Evaluation (complete)
One-stage submission, one-step evaluation by a committee assisted by independent experts; admissibility and eligibility checks first, then scoring and ranking per topic. Flash evaluation results published on the Funding & Tenders Portal on 24 July 2026: 24 of 56 proposals above threshold across the 7 topics.
- By 3 Aug 2026By 3 Aug 2026Evaluation results letters
Flash evaluation data published on the Portal on 24 July 2026. Formal notification letters to all 56 applicants due by 3 August 2026 — five months from the 3 March closure. Winners are invited into grant agreement preparation.
- Jul–Sep 2026Jul–Sep 2026Grant agreement preparation (GAP)
PIC validation by REA, financial-capacity documents, ownership-control supporting evidence and any required guarantees; eligibility status generally cannot change during GAP.
- 15 Oct 202615 Oct 2026Grant agreement signature
Target GA signature per the official call fiche timetable; Swiss beneficiaries can only sign once the association agreement produces legal effects.
- T+30 days after GA entry into forceT+30 days after GA entry into forcePre-financing paid
Normally 80% of the maximum grant amount, paid to the coordinator 30 days from entry into force or 10 days before the project start date, whichever is latest — i.e. around November 2026.
- 21 Apr – 1 Oct 202621 Apr – 1 Oct 2026Next AI calls open now (10th wave)
A 10th call wave launched on 21 April 2026 includes two AI-related Digital Europe topics open for new applications until 1 October 2026: DIGITAL-2026-AI-PILOTING-10-SCREENING (AI-based image screening in medical centres, €9M / 2 grants, results by 1 Mar 2027) and DIGITAL-2026-AI-DATA-10-COMPLIANCE (AI and data analytics for regulatory compliance, €8.5M / 2 grants). These are separate calls from DIGITAL-2026-AI-09 and accept fresh applications.
After you're funded
Prefinancing of normally 80% of the maximum grant arrives within 30 days of the agreement entering into force. There are no interim payments. The balance is paid only after the final report — and if the final calculated grant is lower than what you already received, the Commission recovers the difference from the coordinator.
Lump-sum grants pay out against completed work packages, so the final report and KPIs (use cases delivered, live demos, stakeholders reached) decide your money. You must keep records of all work done — the Commission, OLAF (the EU anti-fraud office), the EPPO (European Public Prosecutor's Office) and the European Court of Auditors can all audit you.
All payments go to the coordinator. The grant agreement fixes one of three liability regimes: limited joint-and-several liability with individual ceilings, unconditional joint-and-several liability, or individual financial responsibility — negotiate which during grant preparation, it matters if a partner fails.
High-risk supplier exclusions (notably around 5G/6G network equipment) apply for the project's lifetime, including to your subcontractors. Entities controlled from outside the EU and associated countries face ownership-control assessments — the interim evaluation notes these have caused delays and changes to grant agreements. IPR rules require you to protect your results.
Call fiches state it plainly: replication and large-scale deployment across countries 'is expected to take place through funding from national sources' — structural funds, regional funds, national or private money. Budget your scale-up separately from day one.
Practical notes
AI deployment funding sits under multiple sibling identifiers (DIGITAL-2026-AI-09, DIGITAL-2026-EDIH-AC-09 for hubs, DIGITAL-2026-DSM-AI-09 for uptake/deployment) all tagged "AI Continent" and managed by HaDEA. Filter the Funding & Tenders portal by the Digital Europe programme rather than a single call code, or you will miss the topic that actually fits you. Topics are typically single-stage with a fixed budget per topic and often a single expected grant, so read the topic budget line before investing time.
Standard Digital Europe grants are co-funded at 50%; SME-support actions go up to 75%. Unlike Horizon, this is deployment money expecting market uptake, so reviewers want a credible plan to cover the other half and to keep the solution running after the grant. Build the matching funds into your budget narrative, not as an afterthought.
The official Digital Europe partner-search platform (b2match.com/e/digital-europe, run by Greece's National Documentation Centre EKT) lets you publish a profile, browse partners, and message directly at no cost; registration runs to April 2027. HaDEA also runs free Info Days for AI Continent topics (e.g. the EDIH-AC-09 session) with recordings and slide decks posted afterwards on its events pages — watch them before drafting, as they spell out scoring emphasis and common rejection reasons.
Every member/associated state has a Digital Europe NCP that gives free guidance on eligibility, partner search, and crucially many will read a draft and flag weaknesses before you submit. They are your fastest route to confirming whether your entity type and country are eligible for a specific topic. Find yours via the Funding & Tenders portal NCP directory or your national agency (e.g. FFG in Austria).
Who's been funded
67 projects funded · €160.3M in EU contribution · sourced from CORDIS.
EWC
€10.3MEU Digital Identity Wallet Consortium
DS4Health
€10.0MDigital skills for Healthcare Transformation
3D-CIRCULAR
€10.0MDigital Deep tech Driven Circular Economy
DC4EU
€9.6MDigital Credentials for Europe
Europeum
€6.0MEUROPEUM European Digital Infrastructure Consortium
EDITH
€5.0MAn ecosystem for digital twins in healthcare
DIH4CAT AI CONNECT
€3.0MCatalonia Digital Innovation Hub
EDIH Rheinland 2.0
€3.0MEuropean Digital Innovation Hub Rheinland
EDIH Rheinland
€3.0MEuropean Digital Innovation Hub Rheinland
DIVA 2.0
€3.0MDigital Innovation Value Accelerator 2.0
DIVA
€3.0MDigital Innovation Value Accelerator
EDIH MADRID REGION 2.0
€2.9MEuropean Digital Innovation Hub Madrid Region 2.0. Supporting Digital Transformation
Who's been funded
A network of physical and virtual sites across Europe where companies can validate AI and robotics for farming and food production in real-world field conditions before bringing them to market.
A trio of super nodes (Nordic, Central, South) letting innovators test AI and robotics for energy, mobility and connectivity under realistic urban conditions and check compliance before deployment.
Fifty-one partners across nine countries provide validation environments for medical AI and robotics, from machine learning in imaging to surgical and rehabilitation robots, helping align them with the AI Act.
A world-class reference facility with 25 beneficiaries across eight countries, coordinated by France's CEA, where manufacturers test AI, robotics and autonomous systems for flexible, resilient production. Runs January 2023 to December 2027 under grant agreement 101100707.
Key Features
Official links & resources
- Digital Europe Programme — EU Funding & Tenders Portal
- DIGITAL-2026-AI-PILOTING-10 call fiche (deadline 1 Oct 2026)
- DIGITAL-2026-AI-DATA-10 call fiche (deadline 1 Oct 2026)
- AI Continent Action Plan
- Digital Europe Work Programme 2025–2027
- EuroHPC access portal — free AI Factory compute
- AI Factories — overview and access
- How to get funding under Digital Europe
Frequently Asked Questions
AI Continent es el brazo de despliegue de la estrategia de IA de la UE, financiado a través del Digital Europe Programme (aproximadamente 8.100 millones de euros para 2021-2027). Horizon Europe financia investigación e innovación en fases tempranas; el Digital Europe Programme financia el despliegue de IA probada a escala. En la práctica, esto significa que las convocatorias de AI Continent exigen tecnología madura (TRL 7-9) que los socios estén listos para desplegar a usuarios reales, no trabajo de laboratorio ni prototipos.
Las subvenciones de AI Continent no son dilutivas. La tasa de financiación estándar es el 50 por ciento de los costes elegibles del proyecto; en los temas de apoyo a SMEs sube al 75 por ciento para las SMEs. La convocatoria actualmente abierta (DIGITAL-2026-AI-DATA-10) ofrece subvenciones a tanto alzado de 2 a 5 millones de euros por proyecto. No hay componente de equity.
Sí, para la mayoría de los temas de AI Continent. El número mínimo de socios y la distribución geográfica requerida se establecen por tema y son estrictos. En la convocatoria AI-09 de marzo de 2026, algunos temas requerían 5 socios de 5 países y otros 7 de 7. Una startup en solitario no puede solicitar esos temas independientemente de la calidad de la tecnología. Consulta la ficha de la convocatoria para conocer la regla exacta de consorcio antes de comprometerte.
La convocatoria actualmente abierta DIGITAL-2026-AI-DATA-10 (soluciones digitales para el cumplimiento normativo a través de datos, presupuesto de 8,5M€) cierra el 1 de octubre de 2026 a las 17:00 hora de Bruselas. La anterior convocatoria AI-09 (60,2M€, siete temas) cerró el 3 de marzo de 2026; los resultados se están comunicando a partir de julio de 2026 con acuerdos de subvención previstos para octubre de 2026.
Las tasas de éxito indicativas del 15 al 25 por ciento suenan generosas, pero cada tema financia normalmente solo 1 a 4 proyectos, así que tus probabilidades reales dependen del tema específico y del número de consorcios sólidos que compitan. Las propuestas ganadoras cubren toda la cadena de valor y demuestran un impacto transfronterizo claro; una tecnología sólida con una asociación delgada o de un solo país pierde regularmente.
Related Programmes
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