Deployment of cutting-edge multi-modal AI-based solutions in medical imaging

The EU grant opportunity titled "Deployment of cutting-edge multi-modal AI-based solutions in medical imaging" is part of the Digital Europe Programme under the call DIGITAL-2026-AI-09. It aims to support the development and deployment of AI technologies in healthcare, specifically focusing on cancer imaging applications. The grant has a budget of €14,400,000, with one expected grant to be awarded. The application period opens on November 4, 2025, and closes on March 3, 2026.

The expected outcomes include the creation of new data services for the Cancer Image Europe platform, multi-centre validation of AI-driven solutions, deployment of innovative AI applications in medical imaging, and training for healthcare professionals. The primary objectives are to accelerate the uptake of EU AI solutions, develop healthcare data infrastructure, ensure compliance with the European Health Data Space (EHDS), and conduct studies to validate these technologies.

Eligible applicants include small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), healthcare organizations, research institutes, and universities, with the requirement for a consortium approach due to the project's complexity. The funding type is a non-repayable grant aimed at covering various project costs, including personnel, infrastructure, and training.

The project is intended for initiatives already in the validation and demonstration stage, focusing on real-world clinical adoption. Co-funding is required, typically up to 50% of eligible costs. While specific success rates are not mentioned, the highly specialized nature of the call suggests competitiveness, likely falling between 10% and 39%. The application process is single-stage, requiring comprehensive proposals within the specified timeframe.

Overall, this initiative represents a significant investment in advancing AI technologies in healthcare, with the aim to improve patient care and facilitate innovation in cancer treatment through validated and effective AI solutions. The call emphasizes collaboration and alignment with existing health data infrastructures to ensure interoperability and compliance with European regulatory frameworks.

This EU grant opportunity, titled "Deployment of cutting-edge multi-modal AI-based solutions in medical imaging," falls under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) and the AI Continent (DIGITAL-2026-AI-09) call. It is a DIGITAL-SME Digital SME Support Action with a DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based [DIGITAL-AG] type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA). The deadline model is single-stage, with a planned opening date of November 4, 2025, and a deadline of March 3, 2026, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcomes of this grant are:

New data services and user tools for the Cancer Image Europe platform, focusing on data curation/inclusion by data providers, data quality assurance and compliance checks, and risk/security management. These services should align with agreed standards, procedures, and requirements, including the framework of the European Health Data Space.

Multi-centre validation of AI-driven solutions in medical imaging, including evidence generation for clinical utility and cost efficiency.

Deployment of multi-modal, cutting-edge AI-driven solutions in medical imaging within healthcare and research settings. These solutions should leverage different types of data, including at least one imaging modality and one other data type (e.g., genomics, other omics, laboratory results, real-world data), building upon the achievements of the Cancer Image Europe platform.

Training and upskilling of medical imaging personnel and/or healthcare professionals in the deployed technology and its further use.

The objectives of this grant are to:

Accelerate the adoption of EU AI-driven solutions ready for deployment in healthcare settings for patient care and research, facilitating a paradigm shift towards personalized medical solutions.

Facilitate the deployment of EU cutting-edge AI-driven solutions in medical imaging, combined with other health data, to increase efficiency and improve patient outcomes, leveraging the Cancer Image Europe platform.

Further develop the data, testing, and validation services and user tools of the Cancer Image Europe platform, aligning with the legal and technical framework of the European Health Data Space. This includes supporting the development and uptake of EU cutting-edge multi-modal AI-based solutions in medical imaging (including Deep learning and Generative AI solutions) for healthcare.

Ensure alignment and inter-operability of the Cancer Image Europe platform with the HealthData@EU infrastructure of the EHDS.

Conduct multi-centre validation studies of promising medical imaging-based and multi-modal AI solutions for screening, early detection, diagnosis, and care, generating evidence for clinical utility and cost-effectiveness.

The scope of this grant involves building on, extending, and leveraging the Cancer Image Europe platform to facilitate the uptake of EU AI-driven solutions in medical imaging (including Machine Learning and Generative AI) for clinical deployment. This includes upskilling healthcare professionals and generating evidence to evaluate the performance of deployed AI solutions and engage patients.

The action should also enhance the Cancer Image Europe platform by deploying tools, application programming interfaces (APIs), and interfaces that enable high-quality data services for platform users. These solutions should cover data quality assessment (including security), data access and analysis, and services for AI developers to support their regulatory compliance pathway, including the EHDS Regulation, if applicable. Data services will provide comprehensive data quality assessment, including security, data access, and analysis. Specifically, tools will ensure that datasets federated in Cancer Image Europe are fully compliant with EHDS, utilizing Health DCAT-AP for metadata descriptions and adhering to the data quality and utility label standards set by the EHDS Regulation.

The action should also consider synergies and cross-fertilization of tools with other relevant health data infrastructures, such as HealthData@EU, 1+Million Genomes (1+MG), Intensive Care Unit data infrastructure, the European Virtual Human Twins Initiative, and UNCAN.eu platform, to facilitate the integration and processing of different types of health data. Outcomes of EU-funded projects dealing with other imaging modalities, such as digital pathology (e.g., BigPicture project), should be considered. Synergies with ongoing AI-related activities of the Health Data Access Bodies (HDABs) in the EHDS, the SHAIPED project, and the TEF-Health project should be leveraged.

The conditions for this grant include:

1. 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.

2. Eligible Countries, described in section 6 of the call document.

3. Other Eligible Conditions, described in section 6 of the call document.

4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion, described in section 7 of the call document.

5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes, described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.

5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds, described in section 9 of the call document.

5c. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement, described in section 4 of the call document.

6. 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 for the year 2025 includes several topics:

DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-AUTOMOTIVE - DIGITAL-SIMPLE: DIGITAL Simple Grants, Budget: 3,500,000 EUR, Single-stage, Indicative number of grants: 1, Opening date: 2025-11-04, Deadline: 2026-03-03

DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-DS-HEALTH-STORAGE - DIGITAL-GP: DIGITAL Grants for Procurement, Budget: 17,500,000 EUR, Single-stage, Indicative number of grants: 1, Opening date: 2025-11-04, Deadline: 2026-03-03

DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-DS-HEALTH-TOOL - DIGITAL-SIMPLE: DIGITAL Simple Grants, Budget: 5,000,000 EUR, Single-stage, Indicative number of grants: 1, Opening date: 2025-11-04, Deadline: 2026-03-03

DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-ECAVA - DIGITAL-CSA: DIGITAL Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: 1,000,000 EUR, Single-stage, Indicative number of grants: 1, Opening date: 2025-11-04, Deadline: 2026-03-03

DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-GENAI-PA - DIGITAL-CSA: DIGITAL Coordination and Support Actions, Budget: 1,800,000 EUR, Single-stage, Indicative number of grants: 1, Opening date: 2025-11-04, Deadline: 2026-03-03

DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-SOLUTIONS-CANCER-STEP - DIGITAL-SME: Digital SME Support Actions, Budget: 14,400,000 EUR, Single-stage, Indicative number of grants: 1, Opening date: 2025-11-04, Deadline: 2026-03-03

DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-VIRTUAL-TESTBEDS-STEP - DIGITAL-SIMPLE: DIGITAL Simple Grants, Budget: 17,000,000 EUR, Single-stage, Indicative number of grants: 2, Opening date: 2025-11-04, Deadline: 2026-03-03

There are 6 partner search announcements available. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics after logging into the Portal, as well as any user having an active public Person profile.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated on the topic header. For help related to this call, contact the provided email or URL. Additional support is available through the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual.

In summary, this EU grant opportunity aims to enhance the Cancer Image Europe platform by integrating AI-driven solutions for medical imaging. It seeks to improve data services, ensure compliance with the European Health Data Space, and promote the deployment of cutting-edge AI technologies in healthcare settings. The grant also emphasizes the importance of training healthcare professionals and conducting multi-centre validation studies to demonstrate the clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of AI solutions. The call encourages collaboration and synergy with other relevant health data infrastructures and projects to maximize the impact and integration of AI in cancer imaging and healthcare.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is specifically targeting Digital SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) through the DIGITAL-SME action type. However, the general eligibility criteria are described in section 6 of the call document, which would likely include a broader range of entities depending on the specific requirements outlined therein. LEARs, Account Administrators or self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics after logging into this Portal, as well as any user having an active public Person profile.

Funding Type: The primary funding type is a grant, specifically a DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based [DIGITAL-AG]. There are also DIGITAL Simple Grants and DIGITAL Grants for Procurement.

Consortium Requirement: While not explicitly stated, the scope of the action, particularly the multi-centre validation studies and deployment of multi-modal solutions, suggests that a consortium approach is highly encouraged, if not required. The partner search announcements further support this.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The eligible countries are described in section 6 of the call document. Given that it is part of the Digital Europe Programme, it is highly likely that the geographic eligibility includes EU member states and potentially associated countries.

Target Sector: The program targets the following sectors: health, ICT, artificial intelligence, biotech/medtech, pharma/healthcare, software services, innovation, and DeepTech. Specifically, it focuses on the deployment of AI-driven solutions in medical imaging, including Machine Learning and Generative AI, for cancer screening, early detection, diagnosis, and care.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the call refers to "Cancer Image Europe platform" and "European Health Data Space," implying a focus on the European Union.

Project Stage: The project stage is primarily focused on deployment, validation, and upscaling. The call aims to accelerate the uptake of AI solutions ready to be deployed in healthcare settings, conduct multi-centre validation studies, and upgrade existing platforms.

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

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

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants. The call also includes elements of non-monetary services such as training and upskilling of healthcare professionals.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The success rates are not explicitly mentioned. However, the indicative number of grants for each topic is provided, which can be used to estimate the potential success rate based on the expected number of applications.

Co-funding Requirement: The need for co-funding is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text. This information would likely be detailed in the call document.

Summary:

This EU funding opportunity, under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) and the AI Continent (DIGITAL-2026-AI-09) call, aims to boost the use of AI in medical imaging for cancer care. The call focuses on enhancing the Cancer Image Europe platform by developing new data services and tools, ensuring data quality and security, and supporting AI developers in meeting regulatory requirements, particularly those related to the European Health Data Space (EHDS).

The core objective is to accelerate the deployment of EU-developed AI solutions in healthcare settings for improved patient care and research. This involves conducting multi-centre validation studies of AI-driven solutions for cancer screening, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment, with the goal of generating evidence for their clinical utility and cost-effectiveness.

The scope includes upgrading the Cancer Image Europe platform with tools and APIs for high-quality data services, ensuring compliance with EHDS standards, and fostering interoperability with other health data infrastructures like HealthData@EU. The call encourages synergies with related projects and initiatives, such as BigPicture, SHAIPED, and TEF-Health.

The funding is provided through DIGITAL Action Grants, DIGITAL Simple Grants and DIGITAL Grants for Procurement, with varying budgets allocated to different topics within the call, ranging from €1 million to €17.5 million. The application process is single-stage, with a planned opening date of November 4, 2025, and a deadline of March 3, 2026.

The call is primarily targeted at Digital SMEs, but other entities may be eligible as detailed in the call document. Successful projects will contribute to the digital transformation of healthcare, enabling personalized medical solutions and improving patient outcomes through the use of cutting-edge AI technologies in medical imaging.