Advanced Digital Skills for AI Uptake in Health

This call under the Digital Europe Programme DIGITAL-2026 funds projects to design, deliver and scale advanced AI training for healthcare professionals and technical staff in cooperation with the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres. The topic budget is €7,800,000 with an indicative two grants of up to €3,900,000 each, lump sum funding at 50%, an indicative duration of 48 months and a submission deadline of 01 October 2026 (17:00 Brussels time). Multi-beneficiary consortia are mandatory with a minimum of four independent applicants from four eligible countries, and proposals must map learning needs across at least 30 hospitals (minimum 20 from the screening network) and target outreach to at least 15 Member States. Required deliverables include jointly designed training programmes across skill levels, a regularly updated training catalogue integrated with the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, quarterly availability to network members and a final analysis of training outcomes and skills improvement.

Advanced Digital Skills for AI Uptake in Health — Call overview

Who can apply

Eligible applicants and consortium requirements

Multi-beneficiary consortia required. Eligible applicants are legal entities (public or private) established in eligible countries under the Digital Europe Programme (EU Member States and associated countries). Consortia are expected to include higher education institutions, VET providers, research organisations, industry (including SMEs), and other stakeholders in digital health; involvement of members of the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres is required for design and delivery of trainings.

Funding and budget:Two proposals are envisaged to be funded under this topic with a maximum EU grant of €3.9 million per project (total topic envelope €7.8 million). The overall call budget across topics is €12.5 million ¹.

1. 1What it funds: design, delivery and adaptation of advanced digital skills training focused on AI uptake in health (training programmes, training catalogue, final skills analysis, landing page integration with the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform).
2. 2Target beneficiaries of the trainings: healthcare professionals and managers, and technical staff (computer and data scientists, programmers, software developers) working in healthcare.
3. 3Consortium: mandatory multi-beneficiary (minimum four independent applicants from at least four different eligible countries); collaboration with the Apply AI Strategy flagship network of AI-powered advanced screening centres is required.
4. 4Type of action and form of grant: Digital Europe Lump Sum Grants (DIGITAL-LS) — lump sum financing; funding rate: 50% (as set by the programme for this action).
5. 5Language and accessibility: training materials and sessions must be available in English and additional EU languages as relevant; training must be offered at least quarterly to members of the screening centres network.

Expected deliverables include: activities to map learning needs; jointly designed and delivered training programmes; an up-to-date training catalogue and timetable; final analysis of learning outcomes; and a landing page integrated into the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform to promote offers to the target audience. Projects should explore synergies with HealthData@EU and other European health data infrastructures and with existing EU training projects (EU4Health, Erasmus+, Digital Europe).

Footnotes

1. 1Full topic text, conditions, templates and submission details are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-10-DIGITAL-HEALTH-STEP.

Advanced Digital Skills for AI Uptake in Health — Funding Opportunity Summary

Call identification and timetable

Opportunity Title: Advanced Digital Skills for AI Uptake in Health. Call: DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-10 (Advanced Digital Skills). Topic code: DIGITAL-2026. Programme: Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL). Type of action: DIGITAL-LS (DIGITAL Lump Sum Grants). Type of MGA: DIGITAL Lump Sum Grant (DIGITAL-AG-LS). Planned opening date: 21 April 2026. Deadline (single-stage): 01 October 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Submission channel: Funding & Tenders Portal electronic submission system (online only).

Top-level purpose:Design and deliver advanced digital skills education and training programmes that increase AI readiness in healthcare, jointly developed and run by higher education institutions, vocational education and training (VET) providers, research organisations and industry, in close cooperation with the Apply AI Strategy flagship European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres.

Expected outcomes, deliverables and KPIs

Expected outcomes and key deliverables required by the topic: initiatives to collect knowledge on learning needs for AI uptake in health; jointly designed training programmes delivered to healthcare professionals and to computer/data scientists and software developers working in healthcare; a regularly updated training catalogue with detailed course planning and timetable; a final analysis of completed trainings and achieved levels of improved skills; an introductory landing page integrated into the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform to showcase and promote training offers. Projects must cooperate with the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres and make training available to network members at least quarterly. Training materials and sessions must be in English and other relevant EU languages as established by the project; the catalogue must be maintained and adapted to feedback; projects should explore synergies with HealthData@EU and other European health data infrastructures and build on relevant EU-funded training activities.

Minimum mandatory KPIs applicants MUST define and target in proposals: number of hospitals/healthcare organisations consulted to identify AI-related skills gaps (at least 30, with at least 20 belonging to the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres); number of education and training programmes designed and delivered (with specification by target group, skill level, duration and AI solutions applied); number of hospitals whose staff received training; number of participants successfully completing trainings; number of eligible countries reached by activities including dissemination (at least 15 EU Member States). Additional KPIs and targets should be proposed by applicants as appropriate.

Budget and expected grants

Topic budget: €7,800,000. Intended number of projects to be funded under this topic: two proposals. Maximum EU grant amount per project: €3,900,000. Funding mechanism for this topic: Lump Sum Grant (fixed lump sums based on a detailed budget table used to set the lump sums at grant signature). Funding rate: 50% (as specified for DIGITAL Lump Sum Grants in this topic).

Eligible applicants and consortium composition

Eligible applicant types and recommended consortium composition: multi-beneficiary consortium is mandatory for this topic. Minimum consortium composition required: at least four independent beneficiaries from at least four different eligible countries. Beneficiaries must be legal entities established in eligible countries (EU Member States and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme as listed in the call documentation). Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed where there is no separate legal personality. International organisations are eligible only where explicitly allowed by the Digital Europe Regulation (international organisations of European interest).

1. 1Eligible applicant types: higher education institutions (universities), research organisations, vocational training providers, businesses and industry (including SMEs and large enterprises), public bodies (national/regional/local governments), non-profit organisations, VET centres, healthcare providers (hospitals), and consortia formed by these entities. Associated partners, affiliated entities, subcontractors and recipients of financial support to third parties may participate according to rules in the call document.
2. 2Recommended consortium composition: joint participation of higher education, VET providers, research organisations, industry/SMEs, and healthcare providers. Inclusion of members of the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres is expected.
3. 3Affiliated entities: allowed. Associated partners: allowed (without receiving direct lump sum funding).

Geographic eligibility and targeted countries

Beneficiary scope: entities established in eligible countries as described in the call documentation: EU Member States (including OCTs), and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme. Applicants from countries negotiating association may participate pending association being concluded before grant signature and if association covers this call. The topic requires a pan‑European reach: KPI requires activities reach at least 15 Member States. The Apply AI Strategy, European Health Data Space (EHDS), HealthData@EU and other EU infrastructures and initiatives are central to the scope and should be referenced and used where applicable ¹.

Target sector, audience and project maturity

Target sector: healthcare and digital health, specifically Artificial Intelligence applications in health and related digital health technologies. The action addresses education, training and skills-building rather than R&D of medical devices or clinical trials. Target audience: healthcare professionals and managers; computer and data scientists, programmers and software developers working in the healthcare sector; VET and higher education students where applicable; members of the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres. Project expected maturity: design, development, delivery and validation/demonstration of education and training programmes (development to demonstration; implementation and deployment of training offers and monitoring/validation of outcomes).

Project stage and duration

Indicative project duration for this topic: 48 months (indicative). Expected project starting date will be agreed in the Grant Agreement and is normally after signature; retroactive starting dates are exceptional and cannot be earlier than the proposal submission date. Projects must provide milestones and deliverables in the Portal grant management system.

Funding type and nature of support

Funding type: grant. Specifically a lump sum grant under the Digital Europe Programme. Nature of support: monetary funding (fixed lump sum amounts determined at grant signature based on detailed budget tables). The grant reimburses eligible contributions for completed work packages and deliverables; beneficiaries must still keep records and supporting evidence to justify implementation (even though final reimbursement is lump-sum based).

Co-funding and funding rate

Funding rate for this lump sum topic: 50% of eligible costs (normal Digital Europe Lump Sum Grants funding rate for this topic). This means projects must demonstrate matching or complementary resources to cover the remaining share of project costs (co-funding) from their own sources, partner contributions, or third-party contributions. The lump sum is set on the basis of an estimated budget table which must comply with eligibility rules for actual cost grants during preparation (detailed budget table is mandatory and serves as basis for fixing the lump sums).

Consortium requirement and application type

Consortium requirement: multi-beneficiary applications are mandatory (minimum 4 independent beneficiaries from 4 different eligible countries). Application type: open single-stage call via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants may submit more than one proposal under different topics but must submit a separate proposal for each topic addressed. Proposals addressing this specific topic must not mix topics; each proposal must address only one topic.

Application modalities, templates and documents

Submission is electronic only via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Applicants must use the Application Form (DEP) parts A and B in the Submission System. Part A is filled online in the Portal. Part B (technical description) must be downloaded from the Submission System, completed following the DEP template, converted to PDF and uploaded. Mandatory annexes include the detailed budget table/calculator (mandatory for this lump sum topic), the list of previous projects (annex 4 to Part B), and other supporting documentation as specified in the call. The call document, Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum MGA), Annexes and Guidance are available in Portal Reference Documents. Proposals must respect page limits: for the lump sum topic Part B is limited to a maximum of 70 pages. Minimum font size and page layout rules apply (A4, margins, Arial 9pt minimum).

Key application templates and structure:Application form (DEP) structure and essential elements: Part A (online): administrative forms, participant list, budget overview, declarations. Part B (upload PDF): project summary; Section 1 Relevance (objectives, contribution to policies and synergies, supply chain and finance obstacles where relevant); Section 2 Implementation (maturity, implementation plan, quality assurance, project management, risk management); Section 3 Impact (expected outcomes, dissemination and communication, competitiveness, societal benefits, and environmental sustainability where applicable); Section 4 Work plan, work packages (WP1 usually project management; subsequent WPs for training design, pilot delivery, QA, dissemination, sustainability), activities, deliverables and milestones, resources and timing; Section 5 Ethics and Security; Section 6 Declarations. Annexes: detailed budget table/calculator (for lump sum), list of previous projects (last 4 years), any programme-specific annexes. The budget table must detail cost estimates in compliance with eligibility conditions for actual-cost grants because it is used to set the lump sums at grant preparation and signature.

Evaluation, scoring, thresholds and timetable

Deadline model: single-stage. Evaluation procedure: one-step evaluation performed by an evaluation committee assisted by independent experts. Formal admissibility and eligibility checks will be followed by award criteria scoring. Award criteria and thresholds (standard for this call): Relevance (max 5 points), Implementation (max 5 points), Impact (max 5 points). Individual thresholds: 3/5 per criterion; overall threshold 10/15. Proposals that pass will be ranked and selected within available budget. Indicative overall timetable: evaluation Oct-Nov 2026, information on evaluation results Dec 2026, grant agreement signature Feb 2027.

Selection and ranking tie-break (ex aequo): prioritisation gives preference to proposals covering themes not otherwise covered, then compares the scores in Relevance, Impact, Implementation, and finally considers portfolio synergies and factors related to call objectives.

Payment, reporting and controls

The grant is a lump sum grant. Reporting: continuous reporting via the Portal Continuous Reporting tool (deliverables, progress indicators), and periodic reports to request interim and final payments. For lump sum grants beneficiaries must still submit technical reports, deliverables and periodic financial statements showing completed work packages; lump sum contributions are paid when the corresponding work packages and deliverables are approved. Beneficiaries must keep records and supporting documents for at least the retention period specified in the Data Sheet. Checks, reviews, audits and investigations (granting authority, European Commission, OLAF, EPPO, ECA) can be performed during or after the action. Prefinancing: standard prefinancing arrangements apply; prefinancing guarantees may be required by the granting authority according to the Data Sheet. Final payment is made after approval of final periodic report and deliverables. The no-profit rule and rules on double funding apply: a given action cannot receive duplicate EU funding.

Key eligibility and exclusion constraints

Eligibility constraints: applicants must be legal entities established in eligible countries (EU Member States or countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme) and registered in the Participant Register (PIC). Minimum consortium size applies (4 independent beneficiaries from 4 different eligible countries). Natural persons (except certain self-employed) and most international organisations are NOT eligible unless specifically allowed. EU restrictive measures and EU conditionality measures apply; entities subject to EU restrictions or exclusion measures are ineligible. Exclusion grounds include bankruptcy, grave professional misconduct, fraud, failure to comply with social/tax obligations, etc., as defined in EU Financial Regulation. Financial and operational capacity checks will be performed according to call document rules.

Financial support to third parties and subcontracting

For this topic (DIGITAL-HEALTH-STEP, lump sum) financial support to third parties is NOT allowed (explicitly stated: costs for financial support to third parties are not allowed for lump sums based on estimated project budgets). Subcontracting is permitted where necessary for implementation, but subcontracting costs are covered by the lump sum and subcontracting must follow best-value-for-money and conflict-of-interest rules. Subcontracting should be exceptional and justified. In other topics within the same call (National Coalitions, EdTech) financial support to third parties is allowed subject to limits and conditions, but not in this lump sum topic.

Success rates and number of stages

Number of application stages: 1 (single-stage submission + one-step evaluation). Indicative number of grants for this topic: 2. Success rates: not published in the call; given topic budget and the intended number of grants (2) applicants should assume a highly selective process. The Portal provides reserve lists; invitations to grant preparation are not formal commitments to fund until legal checks and grant preparation are complete.

Evaluation and award criteria — focus areas to address in proposal

1. 1Relevance: alignment with the topic objectives and Digital Europe/Digital Decade policies; contribution to Apply AI Strategy and EHDS; co-design with stakeholders; fit to target audience learning needs (healthcare professionals, developers in health); synergies with HealthData@EU and other EU initiatives.
2. 2Implementation: maturity of project plan; soundness of work packages and deliverables; quality of the training design, piloting and delivery approach; consortium capacity, quality assurance, monitoring & evaluation; risk management; efficient use of resources.
3. 3Impact: expected outcomes and deliverables; KPIs and measurement methodology; dissemination, sustainability and exploitation strategy; societal benefits (improved health system capacity, workforce upskilling); geographical coverage across Member States and gender balance in participation.

Application practicalities and mandatory attachments

Practical application items that must be included: register each beneficiary in the Participant Register (PIC) and validate before submission; Part A (online) with administrative data; Part B (PDF) with sections as required in the DEP template; mandatory detailed budget table/calculator (for lump sum topic) uploaded from the Submission System and compliant with eligibility rules for actual cost grants since it forms the basis for fixing lump sums; list of previous projects (last 4 years) as annex; any additional annexes requested in the call document. Part B page limit for this lump sum topic: 70 pages. Templates and the Standard DEP are in Portal Reference Documents. CVs and activity reports may be not applicable for this topic but check call-specific annex lists in Submission System.

Legal, ethics, security and data rules applicants must observe

Applicants must comply with: EU Financial Regulation and Digital Europe Regulation provisions; Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum MGA) obligations; ethics rules and data protection (GDPR) obligations; confidentiality and security provisions including rules on handling EU classified information if applicable; avoidance and management of conflicts of interest; intellectual property rights rules and visibility rules (European flag and funding statement). Projects using health data must consider EHDS provisions and ensure secure, lawful use of health data and alignment with HealthData@EU and other infrastructures. Security and ethics self-assessments must be completed in the application where relevant.

What to emphasise in proposals — technical and training specifics

Proposals should clearly describe: how training programmes are co-designed with higher education, VET, research, industry and healthcare providers; curriculum content across levels (from introductory to advanced technical), formats (classroom, online, blended, bootcamps, micro-credentials), delivery cadence (minimum quarterly access to network members), language coverage (English plus other EU languages informed by needs), and methods for adapting content based on learner feedback; plans for integrating hands-on training on data access/use (using HealthData@EU and relevant infrastructures where applicable), legal/regulatory considerations (EHDS), cybersecurity and privacy (GDPR) in healthcare contexts; assessment and certification approaches; detailed training catalogue management and integration with the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform Training Offers; cross-border delivery and outreach to at least 15 Member States; gender balance and inclusion measures.

Risks, sustainability and collaboration

Applicants must identify operational and implementation risks (e.g., access to health data for practical exercises, differences in national regulatory environments, recruitment of participants across Member States, language localisation), propose mitigation measures, and set out a realistic plan for long-term sustainability beyond the grant (financial and technical continuity, integration with national training strategies or the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, partnerships with national coalitions, leverage of Erasmus+, EU4Health and other initiatives). The call expects funded projects to collaborate between themselves (for mapping learning needs and joint activities) and with relevant EU actions; proposals should include a budget line for agreed joint activities.

Indicative work packages applicants should include

1. 1WP1 — Project management, coordination, QA and monitoring (consortium governance, legal, financial, progress monitoring).
2. 2WP2 — Mapping learning needs and stakeholder consultations (hospitals, screening centres, regulators, education providers).
3. 3WP3 — Co-design of curricula and training programmes across levels and target groups; development of training materials and assessments.
4. 4WP4 — Pilots and delivery (quarterly delivery for network members; multilingual rollout), evaluation of learning outcomes and skills acquisition.
5. 5WP5 — Training catalogue, integration with Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, dissemination and outreach across Member States.
6. 6WP6 — Sustainability, certification, recognition and exploitation (including links to national coalitions, EHDS, HealthData@EU), and final analysis and reporting.

Key links and references

Applicants must reference the Apply AI Strategy, the European Health Data Space (EHDS) and the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, and demonstrate synergies with EU4Health, Erasmus+, other DIGITAL actions (Specific Objective 4 – Advanced digital skills), and related initiatives such as ELEVATE and LEADSx2030. Use of HealthData@EU and other European health data infrastructures is encouraged where applicable. For academic offer background data see the Joint Research Centre dataset on Academic Offer of Advanced Digital Technologies ¹.

1. 1Apply AI Strategy: digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu
2. 2European Health Data Space (EHDS): health.ec.europa.eu
3. 3Digital Skills and Jobs Platform - Training offers: digital-skills-jobs.europa.eu
4. 4JRC dataset — Academic offer of advanced digital technologies (reference) ¹

Success tips and final checklist for applicants

1. 1Ensure mandatory consortium composition (min 4 independent beneficiaries from 4 eligible countries) and include partners that can reach healthcare organisations and the network of AI-powered advanced screening centres.
2. 2Use the DEP Part B template and respect the 70-page limit for Part B; include the detailed budget table/calculator (mandatory for this lump-sum topic) and the list of previous projects annex.
3. 3Define clear KPIs (use the mandatory KPIs and add others that demonstrate impact) and measurable targets; describe evaluation methods and data collection.
4. 4Demonstrate practical access to clinical/healthcare environments for pilots and to health data infrastructures (HealthData@EU, Cancer Image Europe, Genomic Data Infrastructure, ICU data space) where applicable and lawful.
5. 5Plan for multilingual delivery and a training catalogue integrated with the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform; show outreach to at least 15 Member States and plans to attract and certify participants.
6. 6Describe sustainability beyond EU funding and collaboration with parallel EU actions, and allocate budget for joint activities with other projects funded under the topic.
7. 7Register and validate all legal entities in the Participant Register well before the deadline; collect partner documents early to avoid last-minute portal issues.
8. 8Follow the Portal guidance, call document, Model Grant Agreement (Lump Sum MGA) and Online Manual strictly.

What this opportunity is about and how to explain it: This is an EU-funded, competitive single-stage call under the Digital Europe Programme to create and deliver advanced training in Artificial Intelligence for the health sector. It is a multi-beneficiary lump sum grant, funding up to €3.9 million per project (two projects intended), with a 50% funding rate. The projects will design multi-level, multidisciplinary education and training offers jointly developed by higher education, VET, research and industry partners, closely cooperating with the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres and leveraging European health data infrastructures where applicable. Proposals must include measurable KPIs, demonstrate cross-border reach and sustainability, and prepare deliverables that will be integrated into the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform. Applicants should follow the DEP template, upload the mandatory detailed budget table/calculator (basis for lump sum determination), and meet all eligibility, ethics, security and data protection obligations as per the call documentation.

Footnotes

1. 1JRC dataset Academic offer of advanced digital technologies (2022-2023 and subsequent years) — provides context and comparative data on higher education offer in AI, HPC, cybersecurity and data science: JRC Data Catalogue - Academic offer of advanced digital technologies

Advanced Digital Skills for AI Uptake in Health

Opportunity Overview

This call under the Digital Europe Programme DIGITAL-2026 funds projects to expand education and training in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for health, jointly designed by higher education institutions, training providers, research organisations and industry. It addresses the lag in EU academic offerings for advanced digital technologies compared to regions like the UK and US, where EU bachelors programmes increased by 8% and masters by 14% from 2022-2023 data.

The initiative supports the Apply AI Strategy and European Health Data Space, focusing on AI and digital health technologies. Target audience includes healthcare professionals, managers, computer/data scientists, programmers and software developers in healthcare. Training must be co-designed with the European network of AI-powered advanced screening centres, available quarterly to its members.

Objectives and Expected Outcomes

• Initiatives to collect learning needs data on AI uptake in health from at least 30 hospitals/healthcare organisations (20 from the AI screening network).
• Jointly designed training programmes on advanced digital skills for AI in health, varying in depth for different expertise levels.
• Regularly updated training catalogue with course planning and timetable.
• Final analysis of training completion and skills improvement.
• Landing page on the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform to showcase and promote training.

Projects must foster use of HealthData@EU and other infrastructures (e.g. Genomic Data Infrastructure, Cancer Image Europe), synergise with EU4Health and Erasmus+ projects on health workforce digital skills.

Eligibility and Consortium Requirements

Minimum 4 independent applicants from at least 4 eligible countries (EU Member States, EEA countries associated to Digital Europe). Multi-beneficiary applications mandatory. Consortia encouraged to include higher education institutions, VET providers, research organisations, businesses, SMEs, national/regional governments, labour unions and associations.

Eligible Countries:EU Member States (including OCTs), EEA countries and countries associated to Digital Europe.

Funding Details

Lump sum grants based on estimated project budget. Equipment costs reimbursable via depreciation only. Proposals limited to 70 pages (Part B). Two projects expected to collaborate on learning needs mapping.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Number of hospitals/organisations consulted for AI skills gaps (min. 30, incl. 20 from screening network).
• Number of education/training programmes designed/delivered (by target group, skill level, duration, AI solutions).
• Number of hospitals with trained staff.
• Number of participants successfully completing training.
• Number of eligible countries reached (min. 15 Member States).

Proposals with high participant numbers, multi-country activities and gender balance in training will be favoured. All training must be listed in the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform catalogue.

Timeline

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Single-stage submission. Award criteria: Relevance (max 5), Implementation (max 5), Impact (max 5). Minimum thresholds: 3/5 per criterion, 10/15 overall. Certain criteria not applicable (e.g. supply chain reinforcement, financial obstacles, environmental sustainability).

Application Process

Submit electronically via EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Required documents: Part A (administrative), Part B (technical, max 70 pages), detailed budget table, list of previous projects. Detailed conditions in call document sections 5-10.

Primary source: EU Funding Portal. Call document: Call Fiche.

Key Policy References

• Apply AI Strategy: Apply AI.
• European Health Data Space: EHDS.
• JRC Dataset on Academic Offer: JRC Data.
• Erasmus+ Project Example: BeWell.

Support and Contact

Contact HaDEA via Write to Us or Funding & Tenders Portal helpdesk. Partner search available on portal.

Footnotes

1. 1Budget and grant details from call fiche. Two grants planned, collaboration required between projects.