Backbone connectivity for Digital Global Gateways - Works

Backbone Connectivity for Digital Global Gateways - Works CEF-DIG-2026 funds deployment or significant upgrades of backbone networks, including submarine cables, terrestrial backbones and satellite ground stations, to strengthen EU digital infrastructure security, redundancy and resilience. Total indicative budget is €180,000,000 (both Works and Studies topics combined) with standard maximum grants up to €20,000,000 per project and exceptional awards up to €60,000,000 under strict criteria; typical funding rates are 30 percent, with higher rates for outermost regions and specific cross-border or study activities. Only legal entities established in EU Member States are eligible as beneficiaries, projects must be end-to-end and address market failures (lack of redundancy, insufficient capacity or non-competitive routes), and applications must include detailed technical, financial and digital security documentation including security compliance declarations. The call opened 17 March 2026 and the electronic submission deadline on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal is 30 June 2026 at 17:00 CEST, with evaluation expected in Q3 2026 and grant agreements targeted for Q1 2027.

Funding Opportunity Overview

Backbone connectivity for Digital Global Gateways (CEF-DIG-2026-GATEWAYS)

What it funds

Grants to deploy or significantly upgrade backbone digital connectivity infrastructure (priority: submarine cables, also terrestrial backbone and satellite ground stations) that address security, resilience or market‑failure gaps in EU backbone networks. Works must deliver end-to-end connectivity; limited ancillary and synergetic costs allowed.

Funding available:Total call budget €180,000,000. Typical maximum per project: €20,000,000 for works and €5,000,000 for studies. Exceptional projects meeting strict scale, CPEI priority area or urgency criteria may be funded up to €60,000,000 ¹.

Who can apply

Legal entities (public or private) established in EU Member States. Participation is restricted to entities controlled from eligible countries for security reasons; ownership/control declarations are required and EU checks apply. Associated partners, subcontractors and affiliated entities may participate but are subject to specific rules.

Key eligibility and scope highlights

1. 1Project must: connect at least two Member States, or a Member State to its islands/ORs/OCTs, or connect Member State(s) with third countries as described in the call.
2. 2Projects must address a market failure: lack of redundancy, insufficient capacity, or regulated non-competitive routes offering wholesale access.
3. 3Works cover end-to-end construction including landing stations, branching units and satellite ground stations; ancillary costs capped and specific synergetic rules apply.
4. 4Strict digital security, supply-chain and ownership-control requirements apply; security declarations and security compliance documentation mandatory.
5. 5Applicants must submit business plan financial spreadsheet, detailed budget per work package, MS letters of support (where relevant) and other templates via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Apply online via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page. Prepare the Application Form Part A and B plus mandatory annexes (detailed budget per WP, timetable/Gantt, business plan financial spreadsheet, ownership and security declarations). See call document for full conditions and templates CEF topic page. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Call document and templates: Backbone connectivity for Digital Global Gateways topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Call topic page.

Backbone connectivity for Digital Global Gateways - Works (CEF-DIG-2026-GATEWAYS-WORKS)

Programme: Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) – Digital strand. Type of action: CEF-INFRA CEF Infrastructure Projects. Managing Agency: European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Planned opening: 17 March 2026. Deadline: 30 June 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Deadline model: single-stage. Call budget (both topics combined): €180,000,000. Topic page and documentation are available via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal CEF-DIG-2026-GATEWAYS-WORKS topic page.

Objective:Support deployment or significant upgrade of backbone networks that address risks, vulnerabilities and dependencies in EU backbone infrastructure. Eligible technological solutions include: submarine cable systems, terrestrial backbone networks, and satellite infrastructure (including ground stations). Projects must be self-standing in providing connectivity to users; if additional segments are needed, the proposal must commit to and finance the full network.

Expected impacts and KPIs:Expected impacts: significantly improved security and resilience of EU backbone networks; strengthened quality of connectivity within the Union and with third countries; overall backbone capacity, security and resilience gains benefiting all EU end-users; wider socio-economic benefits, bridging digital divides and enabling Gigabit for end-users and businesses. KPIs include: total backbone length deployed/upgraded; additional significant transmission capacity created. For submarine cables, proposals must state number of fibre pairs, current capacity per fibre pair, chosen technology, and whether the system is repeated or unrepeated.

Scope conditions (project connectivity configurations):Proposals must meet at least one of: (1) connect at least two EU Member States; for terrestrial backbones only the cross-border segments necessary to interconnect national backbones are funded; (2) connect a Member State with its islands, outermost regions (ORs), or overseas countries and territories (OCTs); (3) connect one or several Member States with third countries (including accession and neighbourhood countries) directly, or indirectly via other cable infrastructures linked to the Union.

Market failure scenarios required:Projects must address a market failure in at least one scenario: (a) route lacks redundancy; and/or (b) route where existing backbone infrastructures cannot satisfy current or expected demand; and/or (c) route subject to regulation due to insufficient competition; in this scenario, the infrastructure must increase competition and offer wholesale access to third parties under fair, non-discriminatory conditions. For scenarios (a) and (b), only EU-controlled infrastructures are considered in assessing existing capacity.

Priority geographies for submarine cables (CPEIs):For submarine cables, indicate contributions to the resilience and security of connectivity in Cable Projects of European Interest (CPEI) Areas 1–13 (except Areas 8 and 10), with particular emphasis on Areas 1–7 from the CPEI list published in February 2026. Projects serving these areas receive a positive score under the evaluation criterion Priority and Urgency. Reference background: EU Cable Security Toolbox and CPEIs list Submarine Cable Security Toolbox and CPEIs.

Technology and design choices:Applicants may choose submarine cables, terrestrial backbone, and/or satellite infrastructure. Proposals must justify the choice and explain supply chain security for components, technologies, systems and know-how across planning, acquisition, construction, operation, maintenance and repair. “Smart” cable technologies that enable sensing for environmental monitoring and civil protection via Regional Cable Hubs and authorised stakeholders are encouraged. Provision of wholesale access to third parties is encouraged. Synergies with other projects and EU funds are also encouraged (e.g., NDICI, ERDF, IPA III), subject to State aid rules where applicable.

Eligible activities and special cost elements:Supported: Works to construct networks end-to-end, including landing stations, branching units, satellite ground stations, and interconnection with existing backbones at both ends. Preparatory studies required prior to supplier contracting (e.g., marine ground surveys, permitting) may be included as separate work packages within a Works proposal. Ancillary costs to extend backbone to locations of Socio-Economic Drivers without existing or credibly planned fixed backhaul may be included (cap: 5% of total project costs). Synergetic elements with other CEF sectors (energy/transport) are eligible if they significantly improve socio-economic, climate or environmental benefits (cap: 20% of total eligible costs). Satellite ground station construction and interconnection is eligible where satellite is the most cost-efficient backbone solution (e.g., small islands, mountainous or sparsely populated regions) and where the constellation plan is specified to assess end-to-end sustainability, security and resilience. Limited acquisition of Indefeasible Rights of Use (IRU) may be eligible where the lease effectively covers asset lifetime and complements substantial new infrastructure deployment as the most cost-effective solution; trade-offs versus security/resilience of deploying new infrastructure will be considered.

Security, Eligibility and Compliance

Security declarations and legal restrictions:All proposals must include signed security compliance declarations from participants receiving funding for deployment of equipment/technologies. Declarations must confirm compliance with call security requirements, applicable EU/national law, and relevant EU guidance (e.g., EU Cybersecurity Toolbox), and extend to interconnected unfunded infrastructure that could undermine the funded infrastructure’s security. They must demonstrate effective measures to avoid falling under non-eligible third-country jurisdiction/influence during the project and for a minimum of 10 years after completion; commit that results will remain with the beneficiary(ies) during the action and for 10 years thereafter; and, where relevant, address EU submarine cable risk scenarios and mitigating measures from the EU Cable Toolbox.

Ownership/control restrictions and eligible countries:This topic is subject to participation restrictions for security reasons: generally limited to entities established in EU Member States. Entities must not be directly or indirectly controlled from ineligible third countries; ownership/control declarations are mandatory. Activities (including subcontracted work) must take place in eligible countries. Exceptional participation from CEF-associated or other third countries, or from entities in EU but not EU-controlled, may be allowed if indispensable and if security guarantees approved by the country of establishment (or EU Member State for non-EU-controlled EU entities) are provided before grant signature. Guidance on ownership/control assessment and guarantees is provided by the Commission Guidance on participation in EU restricted calls with ownership and control restrictions.

Digital security in proposals:Proposals must address measures to exclude/restrict high-risk suppliers, promote supply chain resilience and strategic autonomy, and define operator security requirements (access control, secure operation/monitoring, limits on outsourcing). They must include measures to prevent unsolicited transfer or access to data. For submarine cables, proposals must map relevant EU cable risk scenarios and mitigating measures from the EU Cable Toolbox (strategic measures 1, 3, 6; technical measures 1–3).

Funding, Rates, Budget and Payments

Total budget, grant size and funding rates:Indicative total call budget (both topics): €180,000,000. Maximum requested grant per project: €20,000,000 for Works; in exceptional cases, up to €60,000,000 when (i) combining systems under different promoters for greater geographical reach/avoid overlaps with strong synergy and catalytic effects, or (ii) scope entirely and significantly contributes to a Stage 1 CPEI area with high maturity and quality. Funding rates: up to 30% for standard costs (works and other eligible cost categories), up to 70% for works in outermost regions, and up to 50% for studies. Applicants may apply for a higher project funding rate of 50% if the project has a strong cross-border dimension. Grants are budget-based mixed actual cost with possible unit cost and flat-rate elements; no profit is allowed.

Eligible cost categories and key caps:Eligible categories include Personnel (employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded staff, SME owner unit cost), Subcontracting (subject to country/location restrictions), Purchases (travel/subsistence actuals; equipment at full capitalised cost; other goods/works/services), and Other cost categories: Studies (if included in Works proposal as separate WP), Synergetic elements (cap 20%), Works in outermost regions, Indirect costs flat-rate 0%. VAT is ineligible. Ancillary backhaul to Socio-Economic Drivers capped at 5% of total project costs. Land purchase not eligible under this topic variant. Costs must be incurred in eligible countries; specific exceptions may apply for indispensable third-country segments in projects of common interest subject to security declarations/guarantees.

Payments:Typical payment flow: prefinancing (normally 30% after entry into force/guarantee if required), interim payment(s) against approved periodic reporting, and balance at project end. Prefinancing guarantees may be requested case-by-case. Reporting requires technical reports, financial statements, and Certificates on the Financial Statements (CFS) if thresholds apply.

Eligibility, Applicants and Consortium

Eligible applicant types:Legal entities (public or private) established in EU Member States, including OCTs. Applicants can be operators, utilities, authorities, investors, and vendors, including entities supplying essential hardware (cables, equipment, devices) or systems (including software) for the project. International organisations are eligible. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders without separate legal personality. Note: due to security restrictions, only EU Member States are generally eligible; see ownership/control restrictions above.

Consortium composition:No mandatory consortium composition is imposed. Single beneficiaries or multi-beneficiary consortia are both permitted. However, scope requirements (e.g., cross-border connectivity) typically imply participation of entities from at least two Member States or relevant jurisdictions to ensure implementation feasibility and regulatory alignment.

What Will and Will Not Be Funded

In-scope examples:End-to-end submarine cable systems including landing stations and branching units connecting two or more Member States; Member State–island/outermost region backbones; EU–third country connectivity segments linked to the Union and indispensable to EU resilience; terrestrial cross-border backbone segments interconnecting national backbones; satellite ground stations and backbone interconnection where satellite is most cost-efficient for backbone delivery.

Out-of-scope or ineligible:Projects on routes already served by at least two present or credibly planned infrastructures that meet demand and EU security standards; operating costs of infrastructure during its lifetime; extra landing-site components not required for end-to-end connectivity (e.g., data centres, hosting, unrelated services).

Evaluation and Award

Process and thresholds:Single-stage submission and one-step evaluation with admissibility/eligibility checks followed by expert evaluation and ranking. Award criteria (each scored 0–5; min pass 3/5 each; overall pass 15/25): Priority and urgency; Maturity; Quality; Impact; Catalytic effect. Tie-breakers applied in order: Priority and urgency, Maturity, Catalytic effect, Impact, Quality. Proposals below the funding threshold may receive a Seal of Excellence. Security assessments may be performed (including suppliers/subcontractors) and non-compliant actions may face funding suspension, termination, or reduction.

• Priority and urgency: EU added value, alignment to CPEI Stage 1 areas, synergies, geographical balance (5 points).
• Maturity: readiness to start/finish, permitting status, contracting readiness, availability of complementary financing (5 points).
• Quality: technical and financial implementation plan, architecture and design, governance, risk and quality management, maintenance strategy (5 points).
• Impact: economic, social, competition and environmental (including climate), resilience, cybersecurity and interoperability, cross-border dimension, territorial accessibility (including ORs/islands), complementarities with other funding (5 points).
• Catalytic effect: addressing financial gaps, leveraging public/private investment, improving quality/scope/size, accelerating investment (5 points).

Application, Forms and Mandatory Annexes

Submission method and structure:Electronic submission only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Proposal consists of: Part A (online administrative and summary budget), Part B (PDF technical narrative), and for Works also Part C (online additional project data). Page limit for Part B: 120 pages (excess pages disregarded). All beneficiaries/affiliated entities must be registered in the Participant Register (PIC). Proposals must be readable, accessible, and printable.

Mandatory annexes and declarations (Works topic):Use the templates provided in the Submission System; upload inside the system. Required: Detailed budget table per work package (Excel); Timetable (Gantt chart) using the CEF template; Activity reports of last year (unless exempted); List of previous key projects (last 4 years); Letters of support/Member State agreement(s) for all Member States benefitting; Ownership control declarations; Security compliance declarations signed by participating entities; Security guarantees from associated or third countries or for non-EU-controlled EU entities, where applicable; Coordinator declaration on market failure (redundancy/capacity/competition); Business plan financial spreadsheet (Works only); Other annexes as required.

Available templates to support preparation:Templates accessible from the topic page/submission system: Application Form Parts A/B/C; Timetable (Gantt chart) template detailing WPs, tasks, milestones (critical path marked) and reporting periods CEF Gantt template; Member State Letter of Support/Agreement template (ministry, department, contact, agreement tick box, signature/stamp) MS Agreement template; Security Compliance Declaration tailored for Gateways Works topics (commitment to EU Cybersecurity Toolbox, EU Cable Toolbox, 10-year results retention, measures vs. third-country jurisdiction) Security Compliance Declaration; Detailed Budget Table per WP (7-sheet Excel with instructions, WP names and funding rates, participant tables, reporting period cost encoding, pivot summaries, consistency check) Budget per WP template; Business Plan Financial Spreadsheet for Works (Input Sheet and Financial Analysis; guidance on discount rate, reference period, investment items like route survey, cable manufacturing/supply, installation/commissioning, landing station equipment, IRU, etc.) Business Plan Financial Spreadsheet; Model Grant Agreement CEF Model Grant Agreement.

Categorisation Answers

Eligible Applicant Types:Operators (telecom/network), utilities, authorities (local, regional, national), investors, vendors/industrial suppliers of hardware and systems, international organisations, public or private legal entities. Not eligible: individuals except self-employed sole traders without separate legal personality. Typical organisations: large enterprises, SMEs, public bodies, public-private partnerships, infrastructure owners/operators, research-performing infrastructure vendors.

Funding Type:Grant (budget-based action grant under CEF, mixed actual cost with unit-cost and flat-rate elements; no-profit rule applies).

Consortium Requirement:Single or consortium applications are allowed. No mandatory minimum consortium composition. However, projects connecting at least two Member States typically involve multi-country participation to ensure delivery and regulatory compliance.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Primarily EU Member States (including OCTs). This call is restricted for security reasons: entities must be established in eligible countries and not controlled from ineligible third countries. Exceptional third-country participation is possible only if indispensable and backed by approved security guarantees.

Target Sector:Digital connectivity and telecom backbone infrastructure with emphasis on submarine cables, terrestrial backbones, and satellite ground segment; cybersecurity/resilience; cross-border digital infrastructure; ICT; elements of space-ground integration (satellite ground stations). Related cross-sector synergies: energy and transport (for synergetic elements).

Mentioned Countries:Regions and countries explicitly mentioned in the documentation include: EU Member States; Outermost Regions; Overseas Countries and Territories; accession and neighbourhood countries; international waters; Ukraine; Russia; Middle East; Arctic Sea; Hungary (in reference to EU conditionality measures affecting certain entities). Where a region is referenced rather than countries, eligibility defers to EU Member States as per the call’s security restrictions.

Project Stage:Deployment/implementation of backbone infrastructure (Works). Preparatory Studies can be included within a Works proposal as separate WPs. High maturity expected: readiness to start, permitting plans, contracting status, and secured complementary financing are evaluated.

Funding Amount:Typical grant requests per project up to €20,000,000; exceptional cases up to €60,000,000. Total topic budget (combined with Studies topic) €180,000,000.

Application Type:Open call, single-stage, electronic submission via EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Nature of Support:Financial support (grant). Non-monetary elements include guidance/templates and potential coordination with other EU instruments; however, the primary support is monetary.

Application Stages:1 stage (single-stage submission and one-step evaluation). Internally, evaluation proceeds through individual assessment, consensus and panel review, plus security assessment if needed.

Success Rates:Not published for this topic. Proposals meeting all thresholds are funded within budget limits; others may receive a Seal of Excellence.

Co-funding Requirement:Yes. Funding rates are capped (generally 30%; up to 50% for strong cross-border dimension; up to 70% for works in outermost regions; up to 50% for studies). Applicants must secure complementary financing (own resources, third-party funds, other grants consistent with no-double-funding rules). State aid rules may apply when combined with funds managed by Member States.

Timeline and Administrative Conditions

Key dates:Opening: 17 March 2026. Deadline: 30 June 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Indicative evaluation: Q3 2026. Information to applicants: Q4 2026. Grant agreement signature: Q1 2027. Note: On 17 March 2026, an update indicated temporary unavailability of the submission session due to technical issues; the session would open in the following days.

Project duration:Works projects should normally be up to 36 months (extensions possible via amendment if duly justified).

Admissibility, eligibility, capacity and exclusion:Admissibility, eligibility and capacity requirements are detailed in the Call document. Financial capacity assessment applies to most beneficiaries (public bodies/international organisations typically exempt). Operational capacity is assessed under the Quality criterion based on track record, resources, and key personnel. Exclusion criteria per the EU Financial Regulation apply. Special EU conditionality measures can affect certain entities (e.g., Hungarian public interest trusts) until lifted.

Evaluation Readiness and Technical Expectations

What evaluators will look for:Clear demonstration of market failure (redundancy gaps, capacity shortfalls, regulated non-competitive routes with wholesale access commitments). Comprehensive technical architecture and end-to-end design (including landing stations and interconnections), cost-effectiveness analysis, robust governance and risk management, credible maintenance strategy, detailed demand and socio-economic analysis, climate and environmental considerations, and full digital security alignment (EU Cybersecurity Toolbox and EU Cable Toolbox). For cable projects, specific design metrics (fibre pairs, per-pair capacity, repeated/unrepeated) and positive CPEI alignment.

Templates: Suggested Application Structure (Works)

1. 1Part A (online): Administrative data; consortium; summarised budget; declarations.
2. 2Part B (PDF, 120-page limit): Project Summary; Project Description (objectives, scope, technical data, location, justification, expected outcomes, ownership after project); Priority & Urgency (alignment with topic/CPEIs, EU added value, synergies); Maturity (readiness, political commitments, public consultations; permitting, procurement; financial maturity including sources/uses, leverage, due diligence steps); Quality (cost effectiveness and financial management; consortium and governance; project management, QA/QC; risk management with a risk grid; communication/visibility; sustainability/maintenance strategy); Impact (demand analysis; alternative options/feasibility; socio-economic analysis; positive externalities; environmental/climate impacts; digital security; policy/best practices; competition; interoperability/integration/accessibility; cross-border dimension; ORs; non-EU country impact); Catalytic Effect (financial gap; leverage; stakeholder commitment); Work Plan (WPs with objectives, tasks, participants and subcontracting splits; milestones with SMART means of verification; deliverables with due months, types and dissemination levels; estimated resources); Other (ethics; security); Declarations (higher funding rate rationale; twinning; double funding; Seal of Excellence consent).
3. 3Part C (online, Works): Additional project data required by the topic.
4. 4Annexes (uploaded): Detailed budget table per WP (Excel); Timetable/Gantt; Last year’s activity reports; List of previous key projects; Member State Letters of Support/Agreements; Ownership control declarations; Security compliance declarations; Security guarantees if applicable; Coordinator market-failure declaration; Business plan financial spreadsheet (Works); Other annexes.

Summary Explanation

This CEF Digital Works topic finances the deployment or significant upgrade of EU backbone connectivity—principally submarine cables, but also terrestrial backbones and satellite ground segment—to close redundancy and capacity gaps and to strengthen the resilience and strategic autonomy of Europe’s digital infrastructure. Projects must connect at least two Member States, connect Member States with islands/outermost regions/OCTs, or connect Member States with third countries via EU-linked systems. Proposals must evidence a market failure (redundancy, capacity, or non-competitive route requiring regulated wholesale access) and present an end-to-end, self-standing connectivity solution. The call gives priority to submarine cable projects in identified CPEI areas under the EU Cable Security Toolbox, and demands robust digital security by design aligned with the EU Cybersecurity and Cable Toolboxes, plus stringent ownership/control restrictions to safeguard EU security interests.

Funding is through CEF action grants, generally up to 30% of eligible costs (up to 50% for strong cross-border dimension, 70% for works in outermost regions, and 50% for studies), with typical project grants up to €20 million and exceptions up to €60 million for high-impact integrated or CPEI-focused proposals. Eligible costs cover full capitalised equipment and construction, preparatory studies (as separate WPs), specific ancillary backhaul (5% cap), and synergetic elements with other CEF sectors (20% cap). Operating costs and non-essential landing-site components are excluded. Strict security compliance and ownership/control declarations are required, with exceptional third-country participation permitted only via approved security guarantees when indispensable. Applications are single-stage on the Funding & Tenders Portal, using standard CEF templates for budget, Gantt, Member State support, security compliance, and business plan financials. Evaluation weighs urgency/priorities (including CPEIs), maturity, quality, impact, and catalytic effect, with minimum thresholds per criterion and an overall pass mark. Successful projects will measurably extend backbone length and transmission capacity, contribute to EU resilience and redundancy, and deliver wide socio-economic benefits, particularly for underserved geographies.

For authoritative details, consult the official Call Document and Model Grant Agreement on the topic page CEF-DIG-2026-GATEWAYS-WORKS Call Document ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1All information above is drawn from the European Commission’s official topic page and call documentation for CEF-DIG-2026 and related reference templates and guidance, including the CEF Model Grant Agreement and the Guidance on participation in restricted calls.

Backbone Connectivity for Digital Global Gateways - Works

Funding Opportunity Overview

This call funds the deployment or significant upgrade of backbone networks, particularly submarine cables but also terrestrial backbone networks and satellite infrastructure, that address risks, vulnerabilities and dependencies in EU backbone infrastructure. The initiative is part of the Digital Global Gateway Strategy and contributes to strengthening the security, redundancy and resilience of European digital infrastructures.

Call Identifier:CEF-DIG-2026

Programme:Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) - Digital Strand

Granting Authority:Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA), delegated by the European Commission

Timeline and Key Dates

Call Opening:17 March 2026

Application Deadline:30 June 2026 at 17:00:00 CEST (Brussels time). Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Paper submissions are not accepted. Submission deadlines cannot be extended.

Evaluation Period:Q3 2026

Results Notification:Q4 2026

Grant Agreement Signature:Q1 2027

Funding Information

Total Available Budget:€180,000,000 for both CEF-DIG-2026 and CEF-DIG-2026-GATEWAYS-STUDIES topics combined. This budget may be increased by up to 20% of the total if additional funds become available across the work programme.

Maximum Grant Amount per Project:€20,000,000 for standard projects. Exceptionally, proposals may request up to €60,000,000 if they meet specific criteria: combining systems under development by different promoters that achieve greater geographical reach and avoid overlapping segments, or if the scope contributes entirely and significantly to a Cable Projects of European Interest (CPEI) Stage 1 area with high priority and maturity.

Funding Rate:30 percent for most cost categories. Works in outermost regions are funded at 70 percent. Studies are funded at 50 percent. Projects with strong cross-border dimensions may receive 50 percent funding. Higher funding rates apply only to those specific activities and cannot exceed the stated percentages.

Grant Form:Budget-based mixed actual cost grant. Projects reimburse actual costs incurred with some unit cost and flat-rate elements. Grants may not produce profit, meaning revenues generated by the action must be deducted from the final grant amount.

Eligible Applicants

Only legal entities established in EU Member States are eligible as beneficiaries under this restricted call. Due to security reasons, participation is limited to EU Member States. No entities from third countries, even associated countries, may participate as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, subcontractors or recipients of financial support. The following conditions must be met: entities must not be directly or indirectly controlled from a non-eligible country, project activities must take place in eligible countries, and ownership control restrictions apply to prevent non-EU control. ¹

Types of Eligible Participants:Beneficiaries may include operators, utilities, authorities, investors and vendors (entities supplying hardware including cables, equipment and devices, or systems including software essential for the project). Consortium roles include coordinator, beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, and subcontractors.

Operational Capacity Requirements:Applicants must demonstrate know-how, qualifications and resources to successfully implement projects of comparable size and nature. Operational capacity is assessed together with the quality award criterion based on competence and experience of applicants and their project teams, including operational resources. Public bodies, Member State organisations and international organisations are exempted from the operational capacity check.

Financial Capacity Requirements:Applicants must have stable and sufficient resources to implement projects. The financial capacity check is performed on the basis of documents requested during grant preparation, including profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, business plans and audit reports. The check is normally performed for all beneficiaries except public bodies, international organisations and applicants requesting grants of €60,000 or less. If financial capacity is not satisfactory, the granting authority may require enhanced financial responsibility, prefinancing paid in instalments, prefinancing guarantees, or rejection of the proposal.

Project Scope and Eligible Activities

Projects must support the deployment or significant upgrade of backbone networks that address market failures and risks in EU backbone infrastructure. Three main scope conditions must be met: the project must connect at least two Member States (for terrestrial backbones, only cross-border segments are funded), connect a Member State with its islands, outermost regions or overseas countries and territories, or connect one or several Member States with third countries directly or indirectly via other cable infrastructures linked to the Union.

Market Failure Scenarios:Proposals must address at least one of three scenarios: a route where there is lack of redundancy, a route where existing backbone infrastructures cannot satisfy current or expected demand, or a route subject to regulation because it is not considered competitive by the competent national regulatory authority (only if infrastructure increases competition and offers wholesale access under fair and non-discriminatory conditions). For assessing these scenarios, only EU-controlled infrastructures are taken into account.

Technology Options:Applicants may choose submarine cables systems, terrestrial backbone networks or satellite infrastructure. The choice must be justified and supported by description of technical specifications and cost-effectiveness analysis. Smart cable technologies with sensors for monitoring are encouraged, with collected data shared with Regional Cable Hubs and authorised stakeholders.

Eligible Works:Projects must construct networks from end to end until infrastructure interconnects with existing backbone networks on both ends, including cable landing stations, branching units or satellite ground stations. Projects may also cover ancillary costs to extend backbones to socio-economic driver locations (maximum 5 percent of project costs), synergetic elements relating to energy and transport sectors (maximum 20 percent of total eligible costs), satellite ground station construction and interconnection costs, and exceptionally limited percentages of Indefeasible Right of Use (IRU) acquisition costs if they complement substantial new infrastructure deployment.

Non-Eligible Activities:Projects on routes served by at least two present or credibly planned submarine cables matching current and foreseeable demand are not eligible, unless EU security and resilience considerations justify intervention or the route is considered non-competitive. Operating costs during infrastructure lifetime are not eligible. Extra components at landing sites not required for end-to-end connectivity, such as data centres and hosting facilities, are not eligible.

Geographic and Infrastructure Requirements

CPEI Priority Areas:Proposals should specify whether they contribute to resilience and security of submarine cable connectivity in Cable Projects of European Interest (CPEI) Areas 1-13, except Areas 8 and 10, and particularly Areas 1-7 from the CPEI list published in February 2026. Projects contributing to these priority areas will be scored positively under the Priority and Urgency evaluation criterion.

Self-Standing Projects:The proposed project must be self-standing by providing connectivity to users. Projects requiring deployment of additional segments may be accepted only if the proposal includes commitment to complete the entire network deployment and a sound financing plan for the entire network including the additional segment. Evaluation will consider project contributions to wider objectives, such as completing a cable ring or system, as a positive element.

Ownership and Infrastructure Mechanisms:Works projects must indicate ownership of deployed infrastructure during and after completion, and describe mechanisms to provide services including business models. Arrangements for providing services to different market players and relationships between infrastructure owner, operator and entities using or accessing it must be clearly described. Wholesale access to third parties under fair and non-discriminatory conditions is encouraged.

Security Requirements

This call is subject to strict security requirements because digital infrastructure is critical to EU strategic interests. All proposals must include security declarations by participating entities receiving funding, demonstrating that digital infrastructure will comply with security requirements in accordance with applicable EU law, national law and EU guidance on cybersecurity. ¹

Security Compliance Declaration Requirements:Declarations must confirm that infrastructure funded by the grant will comply with call security requirements and strictest cybersecurity requirements imposed by applicable national law, including 5G toolbox compliance where applicable. Declarations must ensure compliance extends to network technologies and equipment that could interconnect with funded infrastructure in ways that might undermine security. Results of CEF-funded action must remain with beneficiaries during and for 10 years after completion. Effective measures must address underlying security issues, including measures to avoid falling under non-eligible third country jurisdiction obligations or influence for a minimum of 10 years after project completion. For submarine cable projects, declarations must address relevant risk scenarios from the EU risk assessment and relevant mitigating measures from the EU Cable Security Toolbox.

Digital Security Section:Proposals must include a digital security section in the technical description addressing the EU Cybersecurity Toolbox and EU Cable Toolbox. This must cover measures to exclude or restrict high-risk suppliers, promote supply chain resilience and strategic autonomy, establish security requirements for network operators, and prevent unsolicited data transfer or access by third parties. For submarine cables, one or more risk scenarios from the EU Cables Risk Assessment and one or more mitigating measures from the EU Cable Toolbox, particularly strategic measures 1, 3 and 6 and technical measures 1, 2 and 3, must be addressed.

Third Country Activities:Activities in third countries are eligible only if the project of common interest involves third country territory or international waters and the activities are indispensable to achieving project objectives. A security declaration covering compliance of digital infrastructure and activities in third countries with call security requirements must be provided. If no legal entities are established in associated third countries, security guarantees approved by relevant third country authorities or EU Member State authorities must be submitted.

Award Criteria and Evaluation

Proposals are evaluated against five award criteria, each scored 0-5 points with a minimum threshold of 3 points per criterion and an overall threshold of 15 points. Individual and overall thresholds must be met for funding consideration. Proposals with equivalent scores are ranked using a priority order based on scoring under specific criteria.

Priority and Urgency (5 points):Evaluates correspondence with sectoral policy objectives and EU priorities, measuring EU added-value and whether proposals address Cable Projects of European Interest priority areas (particularly CPEI Stage 1 areas). Assesses possible synergies with other sectors or CEF-Digital topics and ensures geographical balance of CEF-Digital support. Proposals addressing CPEI Areas 1-7 receive higher scoring.

Maturity (5 points):Assesses project development maturity and readiness to start by proposed date and complete by proposed end date. Evaluates status of contracting procedures and necessary permits, and availability of financial resources to complement CEF investment. Key indicators include state of preparation for each work package and any critical dependencies that could affect start and completion.

Quality (5 points):Evaluates soundness of implementation plan from technical and financial perspective, including architecture and design approach, organisational structures for implementation, risk analysis, control procedures and quality management. Assesses communication strategy and where applicable, maintenance strategy for completed project. The infrastructure to be built or upgraded is also evaluated under this criterion.

Impact (5 points):Assesses economic, social, competition and environmental impact including climate impact and other externalities, as well as impact on EU backbone infrastructure resilience. This may be substantiated by Cost Benefit Analysis. Evaluates safety, security, cybersecurity of electronic communication networks, interoperability and accessibility aspects, innovation and digitalisation, cross-border dimension, and contribution to network integration and territorial accessibility including outermost regions and islands. Assesses potential complementarities with other public funding programmes.

Catalytic Effect (5 points):Evaluates effect of EU financial assistance on project realisation by overcoming financial gaps generated by insufficient financial viability and high upfront costs, increasing capacity to mobilise differentiated investment sources, improving project quality or scope or size, or accelerating overall investment plans.

Evaluation Procedure:Proposals first undergo formal checks for admissibility and eligibility. Admissible and eligible proposals are evaluated against operational capacity and award criteria through three phases: individual evaluation, consensus phase and panel review. Proposals are then ranked by score. Where scores are equal, priority is determined sequentially by Priority and Urgency score, Maturity score, Catalytic Effect score, Impact score and Quality score. Successful proposals are invited for grant preparation. Proposals below budget threshold but meeting thresholds receive Seal of Excellence.

Project Duration and Budget Flexibility

Project Duration:Works projects should normally be up to 36 months, with extensions possible if duly justified and approved through an amendment.

Budget Flexibility:Budget breakdown may be adjusted without formal amendment through transfers between participants and budget categories, provided no substantive or important changes to the action description occur. Changes to volunteer budget categories, lump sum budget categories, categories with higher funding rates or eligibility ceilings always require amendments. Additions of subcontract amounts not originally provided may require amendment or simplified approval.

Eligible and Ineligible Costs

Eligible Cost Categories:A. Personnel costs including employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons and SME owners. A.2. Costs for natural persons working under direct contracts other than employment contracts. A.3. Costs for seconded persons. A.4. SME owner and natural person beneficiary work calculated as unit costs. B. Subcontracting costs calculated as actual costs incurred, awarded using usual purchasing practices ensuring best value for money with no conflict of interests. C. Purchase costs including travel and subsistence (actual costs), equipment (full capitalised costs), and other goods, works and services (actual costs). D.2. Studies including preparatory work required prior to supplier contracts, marine ground surveys and permit applications. D.3. Synergetic elements related to energy or transport sectors improving socio-economic, climate or environmental benefits (maximum 20 percent of eligible costs). D.4. Works in outermost regions. E. Indirect costs at 0 percent flat-rate of eligible direct costs.

Ineligible Costs:VAT is always ineligible. Return on capital, dividends, debt and debt service charges, interest owed, currency exchange losses, bank costs and excessive or reckless expenditure are ineligible. In-kind contributions by third parties, costs declared under other EU grants (except in Synergy actions with proper coordination), costs for normal administration activities, costs for EU institution staff, and activities not in eligible countries are ineligible. Activities during grant suspension periods are not eligible.

Application Process and Required Documents

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal before the deadline. Submission is a two-step process: creating an EU Login user account and registering the organisation in the Participant Register, then submitting the proposal through the Portal Electronic Submission System. All beneficiaries, affiliated entities and associated partners must register in the Participant Register before submission.

Application Form Structure:Part A contains administrative information about participants and summarised budget (filled online). Part B is the technical description (downloaded template, completed and uploaded as PDF). Part C contains additional project data for Works topics (filled online). Proposals are limited to maximum 120 pages in Part B.

Mandatory Annexes and Supporting Documents:Detailed budget table per work package, activity reports of last year (unless exempted), list of previous projects for last 4 years, timetable or Gantt chart, letters of support from all Member States benefitting from the project, ownership control declarations signed by participating entities, security compliance declarations (for Works proposals), security guarantees approved by respective authorities if applicable, declaration from coordinator on behalf of consortium that planned infrastructure addresses market failure, business plan financial spreadsheet (for Works proposals), and other annexes as required.

Payment and Reporting Arrangements

Prefinancing:An initial prefinancing of 30 percent is typically paid 30 days from entry into force or when financial guarantee is provided, whichever is latest. Additional prefinancing may be requested during implementation based on prefinancing report showing use of previous payment.

Interim and Final Payments:Interim payments are made for approved periodic reports during project implementation. Final payment is calculated after project completion based on total accepted EU contribution, with no-profit rule applied. Payment of balance occurs 90 days from receiving final periodic report.

Reporting Requirements:Beneficiaries must report continuously on action progress using the Portal Continuous Reporting tool. Periodic technical reports and financial statements must be submitted according to the schedule in the Data Sheet. Financial statements must detail eligible costs and contributions for each budget category and for final payment include revenues. All eligible costs incurred should be declared even if exceeding estimated budget amounts.

Record-Keeping Requirements:Beneficiaries must keep records and supporting documents for at least 5 years after final payment (or 3 years for grants not exceeding €60,000). Records must prove proper action implementation and substantiate cost amounts declared, including contracts, invoices and accounting records. For personnel costs, monthly time declarations signed by the person and supervisor are required. Records must be made available upon request or in context of checks, audits or investigations.

Additional Conditions and Requirements

Supply Chain Security:Applicants must explain how they ensure supply chain security regarding availability of components, technologies, systems and knowhow required in planning, acquisition, construction, operation, maintenance and repair of backbone infrastructure. Measures to avoid dependency on high-risk suppliers must be clearly described.

Consortium Agreement:A written consortium agreement is required covering internal organisation of consortium, management of Portal access, distribution keys for payments and financial responsibilities, additional rules on background and results rights, settlement of internal disputes, and liability arrangements between beneficiaries. Internal arrangements must not contain provisions contrary to the grant agreement.

Member State Agreement:Letters of support from all Member States benefitting from the project must be included, confirming agreement to application submission and indicating any additional comments.

Sustainability and Maintenance:Proposals must describe follow-up strategy after EU funding ends, including maintenance and continued operation of investments. Duration, periodicity, components, financing and responsible actors must be specified. Expected post-investment infrastructure ownership changes and mechanisms for long-term cooperation and sustainability must be described.

Double Funding Prohibition:Strict prohibition applies against double funding from the EU budget except in EU Synergies actions. Cost items may not be declared under multiple EU grants. Projects must be clearly separated for each grant without overlaps. Applicants must confirm that neither the entire project nor any parts have benefitted from or will be submitted for other EU grants.

No-Profit Rule:Grants may not generate profit, meaning the sum of revenues plus EU grant cannot exceed total eligible costs. If profit occurs, it will be deducted from the final grant amount.

Communication and Visibility:Unless otherwise agreed, beneficiaries must promote the action and its results by providing targeted information to multiple audiences. Communication activities must acknowledge EU support and display the European flag emblem with funding statement. Any activity with major media impact must inform the granting authority in advance. Activities must use factually accurate information and include required disclaimer regarding views and opinions.

Conflict of Interests:Beneficiaries must take all measures to prevent situations where impartial and objective implementation could be compromised for reasons involving family, emotional life, political affinity, economic interest or other direct or indirect interest. Any situation constituting or likely to lead to conflict of interests must be formally notified to the granting authority immediately.

Support and Assistance

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal provides comprehensive guidance through the Online Manual, Frequently Asked Questions, and helpdesk support. For call-specific questions, applicants should submit enquiries no later than 10 days before the submission deadline. Non-IT questions should be directed to HADEA-CEFDIGITAL-CALLS@ec.europa.eu. For technical portal issues, contact the IT Helpdesk through the webform. Additional information is available through the HaDEA website and the Portal Topic page, which will be used to publish updates during the call period.

Information Session:HaDEA organises an info session on 26 March 2026 from 09:30 to 12:30 CET covering both CEF-DIG-2026-SMART-CABLES and CEF-DIG-2026-GATEWAYS calls. Speakers from DG Connect and HaDEA provide in-depth information on call topics, evaluation and award processes. The session is online with live streaming, no prior registration required.

Key Considerations for Applicants

Applicants should note that the submission system closure on the deadline cannot be extended regardless of technical problems. Completing applications well in advance is essential. All participants must ensure eligibility conditions are met at proposal submission and maintained throughout project implementation. Any changes in ownership control, legal status or other eligibility factors must be reported immediately. Funding decisions are not commitment until various legal checks are completed during grant preparation. Non-compliance with agreement terms may result in grant reduction, suspension or termination.

Footnotes

1. 1This call implements Article 136 of EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509 and Article 11(4) of CEF Regulation 2021/1153, which allow ownership control restrictions to protect EU security and strategic interests in digital infrastructure.