EU Institutional initiative

Context

The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) has launched a call for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme to fund projects that strengthen advanced digital skills in line with the EU’s Digital Decade and Competitiveness Compass goals.

The second call topic, European Advanced Digital Skills Competitions, is an initiative that will serve as a catalyst for engaging young European people in cutting edge digital technologies. The competitions will support their creativity and connect them to the wider community of research organisations and industry players with the aim to address a highly relevant societal or industrial challenge.

Scope

There will be six competitions each covering one of the following areas: AI, Virtual Worlds, quantum, semiconductors, the Destination Earth initiative as well as an additional area chosen by the consortium.

The selected project will define at least three challenges for each competition. These challenges will address significant European or local societal, technological, and/or complex industrial issues, developed in close collaboration with Europe’s leading research institutions and industry partners.

Each challenge should involve multiple competing teams. These teams must include students from tertiary education institutions or equivalent, representing at least four different education and training institutions across four different EU Member States or countries associated with the DIGITAL Programme.

Teams may also consist of students from a single institution. The active participation of women in the teams should be strongly encouraged.

The decision on the format of the competitions is left to the awarded consortium. For the implementation of the competitions and its different phases, the use of financial support to third parties can be applied.

Goals

• Engage young Europeans in cutting-edge digital technologies through team-based competitions.
• Tackle key European or local challenges in areas like AI, Virtual Worlds, quantum, semiconductors, and Destination Earth.
• Build advanced digital and teamwork skills through hands-on, project-based learning.
• Foster creativity, innovation, and applied research to support Europe’s digital transition.
• Strengthen cooperation among students, academia, research institutions, and industry.

Target Groups

• Higher education institutions
• Vocational and training institutions
• Research institutes
• Public administrations and/or governmental bodies
• Human resources organisations and employment agencies
• IT professionals
• Industry partners, trade and industry associations, alliances, social partners and NGOs

Expected outcomes

The consortium is expected to:

• Design at least three challenges for each of the six digital areas, aligned with the competition criteria.
• Produce rulebooks for all competitions covering eligibility, team composition, jury criteria, evaluation methods, and balance requirements.
• Develop a roadmap with timelines, objectives, and KPIs for implementing the competitions.
• Create a communication strategy to promote the events and collaborate with initiatives like ELEVATE and the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform.
• Organise an Award Ceremony in Brussels with the support of ELEVATE and propose award packages for winning teams
• Deliver a sustainability plan to ensure the competitions continue beyond the project’s duration.

For the exhaustive list of deliverables and outcomes, please refer to the call document.

Eligibility and Consortium Composition

Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must:

• Be legal entities (public or private bodies).
• Be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
  • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories)
  • Non-EU countries:
    • §    listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme

The consortium must be composed of a minimum of 3 independent applicants from at least 3 different eligible countries.

Funding, Duration and Eligible Costs

The estimated available call budget is EUR 7 000 000, which also corresponds to the maximum budget available per project. The expected project duration for this topic is 48 months.

Coordination and Support Actions have a 100% funding rate.

Timeline

• Call Opening: 4 November 2025
• Deadline for Submission: 3 March 2026 – 17:00:00 CET (Brussels)
• Evaluation: April-May 2026
• Information on evaluation results: June 2026
• GA signature: September 2026