Apply AI: GenAI for the public administrations

The EU funding opportunity titled "Apply AI: GenAI for the public administrations" is launched under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) and is categorized as DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-SUPPLY-AI. This initiative focuses on the integration of Generative AI (GenAI) solutions into public administrations across Europe, with the primary goal of improving public services and enhancing citizen experiences.

Eligible applicants are required to form consortia that must include public administrations at national, regional, or local levels, alongside technology providers such as research institutions or AI startups. While universities and NGOs can participate, the core of each consortium must meet specific structural requirements involving multiple independent entities from different EU or EEA countries.

The funding mechanism for this opportunity is characterized as a grant, specifically under the DIGITAL Grants for Procurement method. It is intended to provide non-repayable financial support to selected projects that align with the goals of the initiative. The proposals are expected to focus on demonstrating the application and effectiveness of GenAI in areas like citizen service optimization and automated document processing.

The geographical scope for the funding includes EU member states, EEA countries, and countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme. The call emphasizes the pilot and demonstration stages for projects, targeting outcomes likely to include the validation and scaling of effective GenAI applications.

A total budget of approximately €21 million is allocated for the call, with individual project funding estimated between €5 to €7 million, demanding a co-funding commitment of at least 50% from public administrations involved.

The application process is outlined as a single-stage open call, with submissions accepted from April 15, 2025, to September 2, 2025. Proposals should detail the planned GenAI models and the anticipated outcomes, along with the consortium's capability to execute and enhance the proposed solutions.

The call is expected to fund around four pilot projects, and the success rate will depend on the volume of submissions received. Projects must adhere to EU values regarding data protection and transparency, prioritizing the use of European AI models to facilitate compatibility and compliance.

Additionally, a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) will also be launched with a budget of up to €2 million to enhance the scalability and replication of the successful pilot solutions, fostering a GenAI4EU community and promoting synergy with related EU initiatives.

In summary, this funding opportunity seeks to enhance the use of GenAI in public services by supporting pilot projects that can demonstrate significant improvements in operational efficiency and citizen engagement within public administrations.

This EU funding opportunity, under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) and the AI Continent (DIGITAL-2025-AI-08) call, aims to accelerate the adoption of Generative AI (GenAI) in public administrations across Europe. The call specifically targets the DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-SUPPLY-AI topic, which falls under DIGITAL Grants for Procurement (DIGITAL-GP) and utilizes a DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based [DIGITAL-AG] model.

The primary objective is to support three to four pilot projects that showcase the transformative potential of European GenAI solutions within public administrations. These projects should demonstrate how GenAI can automate routine tasks, enhance citizen-centric service delivery, improve communication, support data-driven decision-making, and even aid in drafting legal texts. The call also recognizes GenAI's potential to address staff shortages and language barriers in accessing public services.

The expected outcomes include:

Pilots of European GenAI solutions in public administrations.
Replication of these piloted solutions across various public administrations and Member States.
Establishment of a GenAI4EU community of public administrations in Europe.

The scope of the call involves selecting consortia of public administrations at the national, regional, or local level. These consortia can also include higher education institutions, research and technology organizations, civil-society organizations, and non-governmental organizations to support the implementation of the pilot projects.

To apply, consortia must submit a project proposal that includes:

An overview of the planned GenAI models and solutions and the specific use cases where these solutions will be deployed across participating public administrations.
An overview of the expected outcomes and benefits of the proposed GenAI models and solutions.
An outline of the consortium's capacity to successfully integrate and scale up the proposed GenAI models and solutions.
A letter of commitment from the Member States or local or regional authorities of the participating public administrations, undertaking to provide 50% co-funding of the respective project costs, should the project be selected for funding.

Successful consortia will receive a grant to implement their pilot projects. Public administrations within these consortia will be responsible for procuring the fine-tuning of foundation models, developing tailored solutions, and integrating them into existing platforms and workflows. Procurement activities can also cover supporting infrastructure and implementation, including:

Technical infrastructure for deploying and running GenAI solutions at scale.
Support for public administrations to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge.
Maintenance and optimization costs for the deployed GenAI solutions.

The procured GenAI solutions must be compatible with various systems and platforms used by different public administrations to facilitate replication. Other consortium entities can provide support in areas such as:

Developing procurement specifications.
Sharing knowledge and building capacities.
Organizing change-management and adoption-support actions.
Documenting best practices.
Engaging and communicating with citizens and other stakeholders.

To ensure public trust, the procurement process will prioritize foundation models and systems that align with EU values and rules, particularly in data protection, explainability, sustainability, and compliance with the EU AI Act. Solutions based on European models (developed by European AI companies/laboratories) are required.

The call has a budget of EUR 21,000,000 and aims to fund approximately four pilot projects. The EU funding will be matched by an equal amount of funding from the project beneficiaries or other public sources.

A separate call for proposals will be issued for a single Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a budget of up to EUR 2 million. This CSA will focus on enhancing the scalability and replication of successful European GenAI pilot solutions through knowledge sharing, community building, and capacity development. The CSA will also support the creation of a GenAI4EU community and its integration into the European AI ecosystem.

The action should establish links and build synergies with related initiatives, such as the Alliance for Language Technologies, the action on open-source European foundational model fine-tuning, the sectoral AI & Robotics Testing and Experimentation Facilities, data spaces and relevant EuroHPC initiatives, the EU AI Innovation Accelerator and regulatory sandboxes, as well as with the AI Factories. Strong links should also be built with the future Multi-Country Project on Innovative and Connected Public Administrations.

The opening date for submissions is April 15, 2025, and the deadline is September 2, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Conditions for participation include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout as described in the call document and application form.
Eligible Countries: As described in the call document.
Other Eligible Conditions: As described in the call document.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: As described in the call document.
Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes as described in the call document and Online Manual.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds as described in the call document.
Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement as described in the call document.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants as described in the call document.

The call document and annexes, including application form templates, budget tables, and guidance documents, are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

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In summary, this funding opportunity seeks to promote the use of European Generative AI solutions in public administrations by supporting pilot projects that demonstrate their potential to improve public services, enhance citizen experiences, and drive innovation. The call requires consortia of public administrations and other relevant entities to submit proposals outlining their planned GenAI solutions, expected outcomes, and capacity for integration and scale-up. Successful projects will receive funding to procure and implement these solutions, contributing to the development of a GenAI4EU community and the broader European AI ecosystem.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are consortia of public administrations at national, regional, or local level. The consortia may also include other entities such as higher education institutions, research and technology organisations, civil-society organisations, and non-governmental organisations.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically DIGITAL Grants for Procurement (DIGITAL-GP) and DIGITAL Simple Grants (DIGITAL-SIMPLE) and DIGITAL JU Grants for Financial Support (DIGITAL-JU-GFS) and DIGITAL Coordination and Support Actions (DIGITAL-CSA).

Consortium Requirement: A consortium of multiple applicants is required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility includes Member States, EEA-EFTA countries and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: artificial intelligence (AI), specifically generative AI (GenAI), public administration, technology, software services, innovation, and digital services. It also touches upon areas like sustainable urban planning, infrastructure, transportation, environmental authorizations, and business procedures.

Mentioned Countries: EEA-EFTA countries and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is at the pilot project stage, focusing on demonstration and validation of GenAI solutions.

Funding Amount: The funding range is variable. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-SUPPLY-AI call has a budget of EUR 21 million and aims to fund four projects, suggesting roughly EUR 5-7 million per project. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-DS-SUPPORT call has a budget of EUR 10 million and aims to fund one project. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-AGRIFOOD call has a budget of EUR 15 million and aims to fund one project. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-COMPLIANCE call has a budget of EUR 8 million and aims to fund three projects. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-PROCESSOR call has a budget of EUR 1 million and aims to fund one project. There is also a separate Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a budget of up to EUR 2 million. The pilot projects require 50% co-funding from the Member States or local or regional authorities of the participating public administrations.

Application Type: The application type is an open call.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The success rates are other. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-SUPPLY-AI call aims to fund 4 projects out of the total number of applications received. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-DS-SUPPORT call aims to fund 1 project out of the total number of applications received. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-AGRIFOOD call aims to fund 1 project out of the total number of applications received. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-COMPLIANCE call aims to fund 3 projects out of the total number of applications received. The DIGITAL-2025-AI-08-PROCESSOR call aims to fund 1 project out of the total number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: Yes, a 50% co-funding from the Member States or local or regional authorities of the participating public administrations is required.

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) focusing on the application of Generative AI (GenAI) in public administrations. The primary goal is to accelerate the adoption of European GenAI solutions to improve public services, enhance citizen experiences, and drive innovation across various administrative functions. The call aims to fund three to four pilot projects, each with a budget of EUR 5-7 million, requiring a 50% co-funding commitment from participating public administrations. These projects should demonstrate the use of European GenAI models in areas such as sustainable urban planning, process optimization, personalized citizen interaction, and making legislation more accessible.

The call targets consortia of public administrations at national, regional, or local levels, which may also include higher education institutions, research organizations, and civil society groups. Successful consortia will receive grants to procure and fine-tune foundation models, develop tailored GenAI solutions, and integrate them into existing systems. The procured solutions must align with EU values, data protection regulations, and the AI Act, prioritizing explainability, sustainability, and trustworthiness.

A separate call for a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) with a budget of up to EUR 2 million will focus on enhancing the scalability and replication of successful GenAI pilot solutions. This CSA will foster knowledge sharing, community building, and capacity development, ensuring that implementation strategies can be readily adopted across different public administrations and Member States. The CSA will also support the creation of a GenAI4EU community and its integration into the broader European AI ecosystem.

The call emphasizes the importance of using European AI models and building synergies with related initiatives, such as the Alliance for Language Technologies and the AI Innovation Accelerator. Strong links should also be built with the future Multi-Country Project on Innovative and Connected Public Administrations. The overall objective is to promote the use of AI in public services while adhering to EU values and regulations, fostering innovation, and ensuring public trust in AI systems.