Commission to invest nearly €2 billion from the DEP

The Commission has adopted three work programs for the Digital Europe Programme, listing out the objectives and specific prioritized areas that will receive approximately €1.98 billion in funding. This first set of work programs features targeted investment decisions that are expected to bring the commission and the region closer to one of its core missions, which is to make this decade Europe’s digital decade.

The Digital Europe Programme is driven by the desire to boost Europe’s technological sovereignty and to sponsor the development of innovative digital solutions to market for the benefit of citizens, public administrations, big corporations, and small enterprises.

The foremost work program, valued at €1.38 billion, will prioritize investment in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud and data spaces, quantum communication infrastructure, advanced digital skills, and the wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society, until the end of 2022.

In addition to the stated core work program, the Commission has also highlighted two other specific work programs: the first one focuses on financing in the area of cybersecurity, with a budget of €269 million scheduled to run till the close of 2022; and the second one focuses on the development and operation of the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs, with a budget of €329 million, scheduled to run till the close of 2023.