Apply AI: GenAI for the public administrations

The EU grant opportunity titled "Apply AI: GenAI for the public administrations" is part of the AI Continent under the Digital Europe Programme, specifically the DIGITAL-2026-AI-09 call. It seeks to coordinate and support pilot projects that integrate Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) solutions into public administrations' operational workflows across EU Member States. The aim is to enhance the scalability and replication of successful GenAI pilot projects while fostering a sustainable GenAI community through knowledge sharing, training, and capacity development.

The grant type is labeled as DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based, with a total budget of €1,800,000 available for the year 2025, and only one grant is expected to be awarded. Applications must be submitted as a consortium, incorporating public administrations, research organizations, SMEs, and large enterprises experienced in digital innovation. The call for proposals opens on November 4, 2025, and the submission deadline is March 3, 2026.

Key activities for the selected consortium include developing starter kits, organizing training programs, establishing a helpdesk, producing technical benchmarks, and conducting matchmaking between public administrations and European start-ups. The project will not only support technological deployment but also focus on building a European ecosystem and ensuring compliance with regulations such as the EU AI Act while promoting European AI solutions.

Eligibility criteria and details on geographic scope emphasize the inclusion of EU Member States, EEA countries, and other associated nations. The nature of support is both monetary and non-monetary; while the consortium receives financial grants, public administrations benefit from training and advisory services.

The application process is a single-stage submission, requiring a complete proposal by the deadline, and applicants must demonstrate the availability of co-funding. While success rates are not explicitly set, expectations include a competitive evaluation process where high-quality proposals will be prioritized.

Overall, this initiative presents a strategic investment aimed at integrating GenAI technologies into public services, enhancing collaboration across Member States, and building a robust community for sustainable digital transformation in public administration throughout Europe.

This EU grant opportunity, titled "Apply AI: GenAI for the public administrations," aims to coordinate and support pilot projects that deliver Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) solutions fully integrated into the operational workflows and IT systems of participating public administrations. The call falls under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) and the AI Continent (DIGITAL-2026-AI-09) call. It is a DIGITAL Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based [DIGITAL-AG] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA).

The primary objective is to enhance the scalability and replication of successful GenAI pilot solutions, ensuring they can be duplicated by other public administrations and adapt to a growing number of users and application areas. A second key objective is to identify common needs from public administrations for GenAI solutions "Made in Europe," facilitating the pooling of demand at the EU level for European start-ups.

The expected outcomes include:

Contribution to the replication and scalability of piloted GenAI solutions across public administrations and Member States, demonstrated through the ability to adapt them to new users, administrative levels or service areas. This contribution will be supported through concrete tools such as starter kits, a repository of replicability assessments as well as tailored guidance, documentation and outreach.
Targeted support to national procurement processes, where relevant, possibly by a helpdesk.
Pooling of demand for European GenAI solutions by public administrations in the form of among others technical benchmarks.
Bringing together public administration and start-ups based on common needs and capabilities as defined in technical benchmarks etc.
To complement the outreach strategy of the pilot projects, support to outreach and awareness-raising activities by public administrations, including communication materials.
Strengthened integration of public administrations into the broader European AI ecosystem, through synergies with the AI-on-Demand Platform, EDIHs, the AI Factories and other relevant initiatives as well as ensured synergies with Commission-led initiatives that support AI adoption in public sector.

The selected consortium will be responsible for enhancing the scalability and replication of successful European GenAI pilot solutions. Activities may include implementing software documentation best practices, facilitating peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, deploying training and support programs, and establishing a community of practice. A helpdesk can be set up to support pilot projects and other interested public administrations on technical, organisational and legal matters.

The CSA will identify common needs with the goal of pooling demand for GenAI solutions "Made in Europe," defining benchmarks and minimum requirements at the technical level. It will work closely with the innovation procurement hubs initiative, particularly public procurement of innovation (PPI) and pre-commercial public procurement. The CSA will also raise awareness among European start-ups and conduct matchmaking exercises between public administrations and start-ups.

The CSA will ensure the pilot projects have a European dimension by supporting scalability and replicability, complementing planned actions with measures to maximize reach and impact. This includes reporting on pilot project activities and aggregating KPIs to provide an overview of GenAI use by public administrations in Europe.

The call is a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date is 04 November 2025, and the deadline for submission is 03 March 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Conditions for participation include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
Eligible Countries: Described in section 6 of the call document.
Other Eligible Conditions: Described in section 6 of the call document.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Described in section 7 of the call document.
Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds described in section 9 of the call document.
Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement described in section 4 of the call document.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants described in section 10 of the call document.

The call document and annexes include:

Call document
Application form templates: Standard application form (DEP) available in the Submission System, Ownership control declaration
Model Grant Agreements (MGA): DEP MGA
Additional documents: DEP Work Programmes, DEP Regulation 2021/964, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Guidance Classification on information in DIGITAL projects, Guidelines on How to Complete Your Ethics Self-Assessment, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement, Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview includes several topics:

DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-AUTOMOTIVE - DIGITAL-SIMPLE: EUR 3,500,000, 1 grant
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-DS-HEALTH-STORAGE - DIGITAL-GP: EUR 17,500,000, 1 grant
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-DS-HEALTH-TOOL - DIGITAL-SIMPLE: EUR 5,000,000, 1 grant
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-ECAVA - DIGITAL-CSA: EUR 1,000,000, 1 grant
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-GENAI-PA - DIGITAL-CSA: EUR 1,800,000, 1 grant
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-SOLUTIONS-CANCER-STEP - DIGITAL-SME: EUR 14,400,000, 1 grant
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-VIRTUAL-TESTBEDS-STEP - DIGITAL-SIMPLE: EUR 17,000,000, 2 grants

There are partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

For help, applicants can contact the provided email address, consult the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, or contact the IT Helpdesk. The Online Manual provides a step-by-step guide.

In summary, this grant opportunity is focused on fostering the adoption and scalability of European GenAI solutions within public administrations. It seeks to create a collaborative ecosystem by supporting pilot projects, identifying common needs, and connecting public administrations with European start-ups. The selected consortium will play a crucial role in knowledge sharing, community building, and capacity development, ultimately accelerating the integration of GenAI into public services across Europe. The call encourages the development of "Made in Europe" AI solutions and aims to strengthen trust in these technologies within the public sector.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant type is a consortium. The consortium should be capable of enhancing the scalability and replication of successful European GenAI pilot solutions. The call targets public administrations and European start-ups.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based [DIGITAL-AG]. This is a DIGITAL Coordination and Support Action (DIGITAL-CSA). There are also DIGITAL Simple Grants and DIGITAL Grants for Procurement available under the broader call.

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required. The selected consortium will be responsible for enhancing the scalability and replication of successful European GenAI pilot solutions.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is focused on the EU, as the call aims to support pilot projects and public administrations across Member States and promote "Made in Europe" GenAI solutions.

Target Sector: The target sector is Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) with a focus on integrating these solutions into public administration workflows and IT systems. It also touches upon innovation procurement, start-up ecosystems, and digital transformation of the public sector. Other sectors mentioned in the broader call include automotive, health, and cancer solutions.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity focuses on EU Member States.

Project Stage: The project stage targets the enhancement of existing pilot projects, focusing on scalability, replication, and integration into operational workflows. It also includes activities related to knowledge sharing, community building, and capacity development, suggesting a move towards validation, demonstration, and potentially early commercialization stages.

Funding Amount: The funding amount for the DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-GENAI-PA topic is EUR 1,800,000. Other topics under the same call have varying budgets, ranging from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 17,500,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. They will also receive non-monetary services such as access to a helpdesk, community of practice, knowledge sharing, and support programs.

Application Stages: The application process involves a single stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but the indicative number of grants for the DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-GENAI-PA topic is 1.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This opportunity, titled "Apply AI: GenAI for the public administrations," is a call for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), specifically the AI Continent (DIGITAL-2026-AI-09) call. It aims to coordinate and support pilot projects that deliver Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) solutions fully integrated into the operational workflows and IT systems of public administrations across EU Member States. The primary goal is to enhance the scalability and replication of successful European GenAI pilot solutions, fostering a sustainable GenAI community through knowledge sharing, community building, and capacity development.

The selected consortium will be responsible for various activities, including implementing software documentation best practices, facilitating peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, deploying training and support programs, and establishing a helpdesk. A key aspect is identifying common needs among public administrations to pool demand for "Made in Europe" GenAI solutions, defining technical benchmarks, and contributing to innovation procurement initiatives. The consortium will also play a crucial role in ensuring the pilot projects have a European dimension by supporting scalability and replicability, complementing planned actions, and reporting on project activities.

The funding for the DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-GENAI-PA topic is EUR 1,800,000, and the application process is a single-stage submission. The call is open to consortia, and it encourages the participation of European start-ups. The planned opening date for submissions is November 4, 2025, with a deadline of March 3, 2026. This initiative seeks to strengthen the integration of public administrations into the broader European AI ecosystem and accelerate the adoption of trustworthy European GenAI solutions in the public sector.