AI Testing and Experimentation Facilities (AI TEFs)

AI TEFs are open to technology providers developing AI or robotics solutions at Technology Readiness Level 6 to 8, meaning your product is mature but not yet fully market-validated. SMEs, startups, larger companies, research organisations and public authorities can all apply as users. You must be established in an EU Member State or a Digital Europe Programme associated country, and access is granted on an open, transparent and non-discriminatory basis.

AI TEFs do not give equity-based investment. The four facilities share over 220 million euros in combined EU and Member State co-funding for 2023 to 2028, of which the EU contributes around 110 million euros under the Digital Europe Programme. For SMEs the core benefit is that testing, validation and expert services come free or heavily discounted during the funding period - TEF-Health, for example, currently provides state-aid support as discounts on the market price of its validation services. Separately, some TEFs run cascade funding (financial support for third parties) open calls offering grants in the region of 50,000 to 200,000 euros per SME.

No. As an individual SME or startup you do not build a consortium to use a TEF; you simply apply through the facility's single digital access point for the services you need. Each of the four TEFs is itself run by a large consortium (for example TEF-Health has 51 partners and AgrifoodTEF has 29), but those are the facility operators, not the users. You engage as a customer or, in cascade funding calls, as a single applicant.

There is no single EU-wide deadline. Each of the four TEFs runs its own rolling intake and its own cascade funding open calls with separate cut-off dates that change through 2026 and 2027. To use the testing services you can apply at any time via the relevant TEF's digital access point. For cascade grants, check the specific TEF's open calls page (for example TEF-Health, AgrifoodTEF, AI-MATTERS or CitCom.AI) for the current deadline, as these are published per call.

Access to the testing services themselves is not a competitive grant; if you are eligible and at TRL 6 to 8, you can book the facilities, with SME services free or discounted during the funding period. The competitive element is the cascade funding open calls, where SMEs compete for the 50,000 to 200,000 euro grants. Those calls are evaluated and capped by available budget, so success depends on the specific call's volume and quality of applicants rather than a fixed published success rate.

Because the testing services are booked directly rather than awarded through a long evaluation, you can typically begin onboarding and scheduling tests within weeks of approaching the facility. Cascade funding grants follow the timeline set in each open call, usually a few months from application to signed agreement and first payment. Timelines vary by TEF, so confirm the schedule with the facility running your call.

For service access, show that your AI or robotics solution is genuinely at TRL 6 to 8 and clearly state which sector node fits (health, agri-food, manufacturing or smart cities) and what real-world validation you need. For cascade funding, present a focused testing plan, a credible path to market or to EU AI Act conformity, and concrete metrics the TEF will help you validate. Aligning your request with the facility's reference datasets, regulatory sandboxes and the relevant open call scope materially strengthens the application.