Collaboration platform for the European connected and autonomous vehicle of the future

This EU grant opportunity is part of the Digital Europe Programme and is categorized under the AI Continent call, specifically the DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-AUTOMOTIVE topic. The primary goal is to enhance the competitiveness and leadership of the European automotive sector in its digital transformation. The initiative supports the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance (ECAVA) by creating a collaboration platform aimed at advancing software-defined vehicles, autonomous driving technologies, and related AI solutions, with a budget of 3.5 million euros allocated for this initiative.

Eligible applicants include a wide spectrum of stakeholders within the automotive sector, including manufacturers, technology providers, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), universities, and research institutes. The funding type is a grant specifically designated as a DIGITAL Simple Grant, following a single-stage submission that opens on November 4, 2025, and closes on March 3, 2026.

The project aims to achieve several significant outcomes, including the development of a strategic roadmap for automotive digital technologies, alignment on architectures and standards, creation of operational digital platforms for joint developments, and enhancement of collaboration within the automotive ecosystem. The expected applicant must demonstrate the ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder coordination, manage complex governance structures, and effectively partner with both industry and research areas.

This opportunity is considered highly strategic, addressing the need for European companies to develop their capabilities in core technology areas to avoid dependency on external tech giants. The call emphasizes the importance of collaboration in developing non-differentiating technologies that support broader innovation in the automotive sector. The application process and related evaluative criteria are detailed in the call documentation, which contains specific guidelines for eligibility, financial requirements, and project implementation stages.

In summary, this grant presents a unique opportunity for various stakeholders in the automotive industry to collaborate, innovate, and contribute to the digital transformation essential for maintaining European leadership in this critical economic sector.

This EU grant opportunity, under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) and the AI Continent (DIGITAL-2026-AI-09) call, aims to bolster the competitiveness and innovation leadership of the European automotive sector through digital transformation. The primary objective is to implement the Industrial Action Plan for the European Automotive Sector and support the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance (ECAVA).

The grant focuses on developing a collaboration platform for the European connected and autonomous vehicle of the future, specifically targeting the DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-AUTOMOTIVE topic. This is a DIGITAL Simple Grant with a budget of 3,500,000 EUR. The call follows a single-stage submission process, with the planned opening date on November 4, 2025, and a deadline of March 3, 2026, at 17:00 Brussels time. The indicative number of grants for this specific topic is 1.

The expected outcomes include:

A strategic roadmap for digital technology developments in the automotive sector, encompassing software, hardware, AI models and solutions, and autonomous driving technologies.
Defined agreements on high-level architectures and interfaces for these technologies.
A dynamic ecosystem of contributors and participants adopting the initiative’s outcomes.
Operational digital platforms supporting joint developments.
Defined processes, agreements, and roles ensuring a clear pipeline for building blocks from EU and national projects towards integration in series production, leveraging organizations like ECLIPSE SDV and COVESA.
A sustainable organizational and governance structure.

The scope of the action involves several key activities:

Supporting the management and coordination of joint developments under ECAVA by steering and coordinating research, innovation, and deployment projects, including those funded by the EU (e.g., Chips JU, CCAM and 2ZERO Partnerships), national sources, and industry-driven initiatives (e.g., Eclipse SDV Working Group, AUTOSAR, COVESA).
Driving alignment and consensus on common technology platforms by defining and updating a long-term strategic roadmap, supporting alignment on common architectures, building blocks, standards, interfaces, and tools, and identifying areas for collaboration in automotive AI development.
Supporting the incubation of joint developments by rolling out the common strategic roadmap, setting up certification and labeling processes, and disseminating outcomes to build a dynamic ecosystem.
Supporting the integration and maintenance of core joint developments based on a collaborative digital platform, including operating a repository and developer platform for jointly developed components and supporting the maintenance of common stacks by relevant organizations.

Conditions for application include:

Admissibility Conditions: The proposal page limit and layout must adhere to the guidelines described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System.
Eligible Countries: Eligibility is defined in section 6 of the call document.
Other Eligible Conditions: Additional eligibility conditions are detailed in section 6 of the call document.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Requirements are outlined in section 7 of the call document.
Evaluation and award: The submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are in section 9 of the call document. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is in section 4 of the call document.
Legal and financial set-up: The legal and financial aspects of the grants are described in section 10 of the call document.

Relevant documents for the application include:

Call document
Standard application form (DEP) available in the Submission System
Ownership control declaration
Model Grant Agreements (MGA), specifically the DEP MGA
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

There are also partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. The submission system is planned to open on November 4, 2025. For support, applicants are encouraged to consult the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, contact the IT Helpdesk for technical issues, and refer to the Online Manual for guidance.

In summary, this grant opportunity is designed to foster collaboration and innovation in the European automotive sector by supporting the development of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies. It aims to create a sustainable ecosystem for joint development, standardization, and deployment of advanced automotive solutions, with a focus on software, hardware, AI, and autonomous driving. The call encourages participation from a wide range of stakeholders, including research institutions, industry players, and SMEs, to contribute to the digital transformation of the automotive industry in Europe.

Other topics under the same call include:

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

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, based on the nature of the call and the DIGITAL programme, eligible applicants could include startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, and research institutes involved in the automotive sector, particularly those working on software, hardware, AI, and autonomous driving technologies. Public-private partnerships and other relevant organizations may also be eligible. Further details would be available in section 6 of the call document.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically a DIGITAL Simple Grant, as indicated by the "Type of action: DIGITAL-SIMPLE DIGITAL Simple Grants" designation. There are also DIGITAL Grants for Procurement and DIGITAL Coordination and Support Actions.

Consortium Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. However, given the scope of the action, which involves coordinating and steering various projects and initiatives, a consortium is highly probable. The partner search announcements also suggest that consortia are expected.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text. However, since it is an EU funding opportunity under the Digital Europe Programme, it is highly likely that the primary geographic eligibility is for entities located in the EU and potentially EEA countries. Section 6 of the call document would provide further details on eligible countries.

Target Sector: The primary target sector is the automotive industry, with a specific focus on digital transformation, connected and autonomous vehicles, software-defined vehicles (SDVs), in-vehicle computing architecture, and AI solutions for the automotive industry. The call also targets the health sector with topics related to digital health storage and tools, as well as solutions for cancer.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned in the provided text. However, the call is part of the Digital Europe Programme, suggesting that it primarily targets entities within the European Union.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project for this opportunity appears to be at the development and demonstration stages, with an emphasis on integrating building blocks into series production. The call aims to support projects that are building on existing industry-driven collaborations and are moving towards practical implementation and deployment.

Funding Amount: The funding amounts vary depending on the specific topic. The budget overview indicates the following:
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-AUTOMOTIVE: EUR 3,500,000
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-DS-HEALTH-STORAGE: EUR 17,500,000
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-DS-HEALTH-TOOL: EUR 5,000,000
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-ECAVA: EUR 1,000,000
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-GENAI-PA: EUR 1,800,000
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-SOLUTIONS-CANCER-STEP: EUR 14,400,000
DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-VIRTUAL-TESTBEDS-STEP: EUR 17,000,000

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 grants to support their projects.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text. The indicative number of grants for each topic is specified, which can give some indication of the potential success rate, but the actual rate will depend on the number of applications received.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. This information would likely be detailed in the call document.

Summary:

This funding opportunity, part of the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) under the AI Continent call (DIGITAL-2026-AI-09), aims to bolster the competitiveness and innovation leadership of the European automotive sector and accelerate its digital transformation. It supports the objectives of the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle Alliance (ECAVA) by fostering collaboration in areas such as software-defined vehicles, in-vehicle computing architecture, AI solutions, and autonomous driving. The call seeks to coordinate and steer relevant projects and initiatives in software, hardware, AI, and autonomous driving technologies, driving alignment on common standards and interfaces.

The action involves supporting the management and coordination of joint developments under ECAVA, driving alignment and consensus on common technology platforms, supporting the incubation of joint developments, and supporting the integration and maintenance of core joint developments based on a collaborative digital platform.

The call includes several specific topics with varying budgets, ranging from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 17,500,000, and is structured as a single-stage application process. The submission deadline is March 3, 2026. The funding is provided through DIGITAL Simple Grants, DIGITAL Grants for Procurement, and DIGITAL Coordination and Support Actions. The call is relevant to a wide range of stakeholders, including startups, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, and research institutes, particularly those involved in the automotive and digital technology sectors. The overall goal is to create a sustainable, industry-driven collaboration platform that promotes the broad uptake of innovative solutions and strengthens Europe's strategic autonomy in the automotive industry. There are also topics related to digital health, focusing on storage, tools, and solutions for cancer, indicating a broader scope within the AI Continent call.