Digital solutions for regulatory compliance through data

Digital Europe call DIGITAL-2026 funds pilot projects to develop automated, privacy-preserving digital solutions for regulatory compliance reporting across sectors. Indicative topic budget €8,500,000 with project grants €2,000,000 to €5,000,000 awarded as DIGITAL lump sum grants at a 50% funding rate. Applicants must form multi-beneficiary consortia with at least three independent legal entities from three eligible countries and projects have a 24-month duration. Single-stage submission is via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal with planned opening 21 April 2026 and deadline 1 October 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time.

AI Continent | DIGITAL-2026-AI-DATA-10-COMPLIANCE

Call for proposals — Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL)

What it funds:pilot projects (3 to 4 expected) that develop and demonstrate automated, privacy-preserving digital solutions to streamline regulatory reporting and compliance across selected sectors (examples: environment, agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare, energy). Projects must address governance, technical, legal and processing aspects, be open source, interoperable with government systems, and include data governance, APIs, ML monitoring and secure identification (European Digital Identity Wallet where applicable).

Typical project budget and form:Lump sum grants. Requested grant per project: between €2,000,000 and €5,000,000. Total topic budget: €8,500,000. Funding rate used for lump-sum calculation: 50% ¹.

1. 1Who can apply: legal entities (public or private bodies, research organisations, SMEs etc.) established in eligible countries; multi-beneficiary consortia are mandatory (minimum 3 independent beneficiaries from 3 different eligible countries).
2. 2Project duration: up to 24 months.
3. 3Deadline and timetable: call opens 21 April 2026; single-stage deadline 1 October 2026, 17:00 Brussels time; evaluation October-November 2026; grant signature expected May-June 2027.

Key scope and requirements:focus on automated regulatory reporting from aggregated to transaction-level data; strong emphasis on privacy-preserving technologies, secure data transmission, access controls and audit trails; alignment with Common European Data Space concepts where possible; systems must be open source, scalable, user-centric and interoperable with public administration systems; avoid overlap with existing EU initiatives (e.g. Digital Product Passport).

Eligibility and formalities:proposals submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the DEP application forms. Proposals limited to Part B page limit (70 pages). Legal entity validation and Participant Register PICs required. Specific topic conditions include mandatory multi-beneficiary composition and restrictions related to protection of European digital infrastructures; public authorities participation and pillar assessments are addressed in the call documentation.

Evaluation and funding model:single-stage evaluation against Relevance, Implementation and Impact (individual thresholds 3/5, overall 10/15). Grants awarded as lump sums fixed at signature, with prefinancing and final payment rules as per the Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call document, timeline, conditions, templates and detailed budget rules are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Call fiche and call document

Opportunity summary

Call identifier:DIGITAL-2026. Call title: AI Continent. Programme: Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL). Type of action: DIGITAL-LS (DIGITAL Lump Sum Grants). Planned opening date: 21 April 2026. Deadline: 1 October 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Single-stage submission. This call funds 3–4 pilot projects that demonstrate streamlining regulatory reporting through automated and trusted sharing of compliance data across sectors with high administrative burden (examples in the call: agriculture, environment, manufacturing, healthcare, energy). Projects must implement technical, governance, legal and processing aspects and demonstrate live use cases under realistic operational conditions. Projects must prioritise privacy-preserving technologies, robust data governance, security, interoperability with government systems and open-source delivery. Lump sum grants are the funding instrument and the call foresees an estimated budget of €8,500,000 for the topic, with typical project grants between €2,000,000 and €5,000,000 per project. Applicants must submit proposals electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; PART A is filled in the portal and PART B must be uploaded as the provided PDF template. Full call documentation (call document, application templates, Annexes and Model Grant Agreement for Lump Sum Grants) is available on the topic page in the Funding & Tenders Portal Topic page. The call document contains full terms, eligibility, evaluation and award criteria and legal/financial provisions Call document ¹.

Eligible Applicant Types:The call is open to legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries. Explicitly mentioned or implied eligible applicant types include: national and regional public authorities and regulatory agencies, private enterprises (SMEs and large companies), startups, research organisations and universities, non-profit organisations, data sharing organisations, providers of compliance data, providers of data-space services and technology providers, and consortiums including these entities. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed sole traders where that legal form exists. International organisations are not eligible except International organisations of European Interest as defined in the Digital Europe Regulation. Affiliated entities may participate where linked to beneficiaries. Associated partners, subcontractors and third parties giving in-kind contributions may participate in specific roles. Entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment (and entities they own or control) are explicitly excluded from any role in the action (see call document for ownership and control/security restrictions).

Funding Type:Primary financial mechanism: Lump Sum grant (DIGITAL Lump Sum Grants). The grant is an action grant reimbursing fixed lump sum contributions for completed work packages rather than reimbursements of actual project costs. The lump sums are established on the basis of the detailed budget table/calculator submitted with the proposal and fixed in the Grant Agreement. Funding model and the Model Grant Agreement in use are the DIGITAL Lump Sum Grant templates (DIGITAL-AG-LS).

Consortium Requirement:Consortium mandatory: Multi-beneficiary applications are required. Minimum consortium composition: at least three independent beneficiaries (not affiliated entities) established in three different eligible countries. Multi-beneficiary applications are mandatory for this topic and the consortium composition rules in section 6 of the call document apply. A coordinator must be designated to submit and manage the grant. Consortium agreements are required/recommended to manage internal arrangements, IP, payments and liabilities.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Geographic eligibility: legal entities established in eligible countries, specifically EU Member States and non-EU countries that are listed as participating countries or associated to the Digital Europe Programme (EEA/associated countries where association is in force). The call document refers to the list of participating countries; beneficiaries must register in the Participant Register (PIC). Some security-related restrictions may exclude entities established in certain third countries or entities controlled from certain third countries; consult Appendix 4 of the Digital Europe Work Programme 2025-2027 and the call document for ownership/control and security restrictions.

Target Sector:Thematic target sectors explicitly identified in the scope: agriculture, environment, manufacturing, healthcare and energy. The call also targets regulatory reporting across sectors where compliance reporting causes significant administrative burden. Cross-cutting sectors include public administrations and regulatory agencies as stakeholders. Technological areas: artificial intelligence (ML/AI for automated monitoring and reporting), privacy-preserving technologies (PETs), data capturing technologies, automatic transmission and APIs, cloud storage and encryption, data spaces and interoperability, identity/trust services (European Digital Identity Wallet and electronic seals/ledgers), data governance and data catalogue usage (Common European Data Spaces concepts).

Mentioned Countries:The call documentation references EU Member States and 'eligible countries' which include EU Member States and non-EU countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme or listed as participating countries (EEA/associated countries). No specific non-EU country names are listed in the topic text; the call relies on the standard list of participating/associated countries published in the call document and Funding & Tenders Portal. If in doubt, consult the Funding & Tenders Portal participating countries list for the Digital Europe Programme.

Project Stage:Expected project maturity: demonstration and validation under realistic operational conditions. Projects must design, implement and demonstrate pilot use cases (live demonstrations) addressing governance, technical, legal and processing aspects. Typical maturity: from advanced development/validation of components through demonstration and pre-commercial deployment; projects should be ready to implement live pilots and perform evaluations under realistic conditions within the 24-month project duration.

Project Duration:Fixed project duration for this topic: 24 months (as set in the call document).

Funding Amount:Topic budget: indicative total €8,500,000 for the topic (budget year 2027). Indicative number of grants: 1–2 across some tables and 3–4 projects expected in the descriptive text; call text consistently expects three to four demonstrators. Individual project grant request range: between €2,000,000 and €5,000,000 per project. Funding rate and calculation: lump sum grants with an effective funding mechanism based on a 50% funding rate for DIGITAL Lump Sum Grants; the exact lump sum amounts are fixed by the granting authority at award based on the detailed budget table/calculator and the lump sum authorising decision.

Application Type:Call submission method: open single-stage call (one submission deadline). Submission must be electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal submission system. Part A (administrative) is entered online; Part B (technical description) must be prepared using the official template downloaded from the Submission System, assembled and re-uploaded as PDF. Mandatory annexes and supporting documents must be uploaded in the slots provided. Paper submissions are not accepted.

Nature of Support:Beneficiaries will receive monetary support in the form of lump sum grant payments (prefinancing, possible additional prefinancing, interim payments if applicable, and final payment of the balance) paid to the coordinator for distribution to beneficiaries. The call also mandates non-financial elements: expectation of open-source deliverables, interoperability with government systems, compliance with European data standards, and dissemination/communication obligations. Projects must provide demonstration, technical deliverables, reports, KPIs and participate in dissemination events.

Application Stages:Number of stages to obtain funding: single-stage submission followed by one-step evaluation. Successful proposals are invited to grant preparation (procedural stage), including legal entity validation and financial capacity checks before signature. Overall: 1 submission stage + administrative grant preparation steps (effectively two distinct phases: evaluation and post-selection grant preparation).

Success Rates:Success rate: not explicitly published in the call text. Indicative number of grants: the call lists available budget €8,500,000 and expects to deliver three to four projects; with typical project sizes €2–€5M, expected funded projects are likely 2–4 depending on awarded sizes. Final success rates depend on number and quality of proposals; the call reserves the right not to award all funds. Historically, Digital Europe topical success rates vary by call and competition but can be low due to limited budget and high demand; applicants should not assume high probability and should prepare competitive, well-justified proposals aligned to award criteria.

Co-funding Requirement:Co-funding: the call uses lump sum grants where the funding rate is set at 50% for the action type. The beneficiary requested grant amount must reflect a project budget that complies with eligibility and cost eligibility rules; co-funding (other resources, own contributions, or income generated) should ensure a balanced project budget. For certain actions or beneficiaries (e.g. SMEs), other funding rates may apply for specific DIGITAL action types, but for this specific topic the funding rate is 50% as stated. Financial contributions to the action by beneficiaries or third parties may be necessary to reach the total project cost. The lump sum must be justified with the detailed budget table/calculator and must follow EU eligibility rules even though actual costs are not reported as a basis for reimbursement.

Application Templates and Structure:Application forms: The Application Form (DEP) comprises Part A (administrative data captured in the Portal) and Part B (technical description uploaded as PDF). Page limits: Part B is limited to 70 pages; standard formatting rules apply (A4, min. Arial 9pt, margins etc.). Mandatory annexes include the detailed budget table/calculator (DEP LSII) used to compute lump sums; annex templates and the standard application form are available in the Submission System. Part B structure (template) must be followed and normally contains: project summary, 1) Relevance (objectives, policy synergies), 2) Implementation (maturity, workplan, resources, project management, risks), 3) Impact (outcomes, dissemination, competitiveness, societal benefits, environmental sustainability), 4) Work plan, work packages, activities, resources and timing (WP descriptions, milestones, deliverables, purchaser/subcontracting details), 5) Ethics, 6) Declarations and Annexes. The Call Document and Annexes set admissibility rules, eligibility, evaluation criteria, award thresholds and templates for reporting and deliverables. Applicants must use the templates available in the Submission System exactly and upload mandatory annexes in their assigned slots. Detailed budget table/calculator is mandatory for lump sum calculation and must comply with basic eligibility conditions for actual cost grants (e.g. procurement rules for purchases/subcontracting).

1. 1Admissibility and submission: electronic submission only via the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. Proposals must be complete, contain Part A and Part B and mandatory annexes, and respect the 70-page limit for Part B. Proposals exceeding page limits will have excess pages disregarded.
2. 2Eligibility: applicants must be legal entities established in eligible countries (EU Member States or associated/participating countries). Minimum consortium: 3 independent beneficiaries from 3 different eligible countries. Natural persons are not eligible (except self-employed sole traders). International organisations are not eligible except those of European interest.
3. 3Security and ownership restrictions: the call is subject to restrictions for protection of European digital infrastructures; entities assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network communication equipment (and entities they own or control) are not eligible for any role. Ownership and control declarations and guarantees may be required for certain participants.
4. 4Ethics and security: projects must comply with highest ethical standards, GDPR and may require ethics review. Projects involving classified information require facility security clearance and relevant security deliverables. Project tasks involving EU classified information have additional constraints and may not be funded at the highest classification levels.
5. 5Open-source and interoperability requirements: systems developed must be open-source, interoperable with existing government systems and adhere to European data standards and specifications; collaboration with data-space service providers and preference for open-source solutions are emphasised.
6. 6Deliverables and KPIs: each project must deliver legal identification of administrative burden, one or more use cases implemented under realistic operational conditions, live demonstrations and a final report outlining results, methodologies and findings. KPIs include number of use cases completed, successful live demonstrations, participation by regulatory authorities, number of stakeholders reached and dissemination activities.
7. 7Funding mechanics: lumpsum grants with 50% funding rate. Project grants between €2,000,000 and €5,000,000. Total topic budget €8,500,000. Lump sums fixed at award based on detailed budget table/calculator. Prefinancing normally paid after grant signature; reporting, payments and recoveries governed by the Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement.

Evaluation and award:standard one-stage submission and one-step evaluation. Award criteria and thresholds: Relevance (max 5, threshold 3), Implementation (max 5, threshold 3), Impact (max 5, threshold 3); overall pass score 10/15. Some award sub-criteria normally present in DIGITAL calls (e.g. digital supply chain strengthening, financial obstacles, environmental sustainability) are explicitly not applicable for this topic as noted in the call document. Multi-beneficiary applications are mandatory and specific conditions for consortium composition apply. After evaluation, successful proposals will be invited to grant preparation, which includes legal entity validation, financial capacity checks and any required security or ethics clearances; invitation to grant preparation is not a formal commitment until legal checks are finalised and the Grant Agreement is signed.

Administrative & financial compliance:Applicants must register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC before submission. Financial and operational capacity checks will be performed during grant preparation and may result in additional conditions (e.g. prefinancing guarantees, enhanced financial responsibility regimes or additional monitoring). The call document highlights rules on ineligible participants, exclusion grounds, and the no-double-funding rule. For lump sum grants, the detailed budget table/calculator is mandatory and the lump sum must be calculated according to the lump sum methodology provided by the granting authority; if the budget table contains ineligible costs, the grant may be reduced. Subcontracting should normally be limited and must follow best value for money rules; subcontracting beyond 30% of total eligible costs must be justified.

Templates and application structure (high level):The application uses the DEP Application Form. Part A: online administrative forms (project metadata, participants, budget summary, declarations). Part B: detailed technical proposal using the official Part B template from the Submission System. Part B structure: cover page and project summary; 1) Relevance (objectives, policy alignment, synergies), 2) Implementation (maturity, implementation plan, quality assurance, risk management, capacity), 3) Impact (expected outcomes, dissemination & communication, societal and competitiveness benefits, environmental sustainability), 4) Work plan & work packages (detailed WPs, tasks, deliverables, milestones, timing), 5) Other (ethics, security), 6) Declarations. Annexes: detailed budget table/calculator (mandatory for lump sum calculation), CVs if requested, list of previous projects if required, other annexes mandated by the call. Templates for Annex 1 (Description of Action), Annex 2 (Estimated budget / lump sum breakdown) and model Lump Sum Model Grant Agreement are available in Portal Reference Documents. Part B is limited to 70 pages; supporting documents uploaded as annexes do not count towards this page limit.

How the proposal will be assessed against award criteria:evaluators will check alignment with topic objectives (relevance), the maturity and feasibility of the implementation plan and consortium capacity (implementation) and the expected outcomes, KPIs, dissemination and impact for public administrations and businesses (impact). The proposal must show clear pilot use cases with quantifiable compliance metrics, a realistic path to demonstrating automation of reporting and secure data exchange with regulatory authorities, and avoidance of overlap with ongoing initiatives (e.g. Digital Product Passport, Customs reform). The proposal must incorporate privacy-preserving approaches, robust access control and audit trails, machine-readable/executable representations of reporting requirements where relevant, and integration plans for the European Digital Identity Wallet when available.

Success tips and mandatory technical requirements:Design proposals for end-users with accessibility and usability in mind; ensure open-source delivery and compliance with European data standards; include integration points and APIs for real-time compliance/self-compliance checks; demonstrate privacy-preserving solutions and data governance frameworks (data stewardship, lifecycle and quality management); show explicit engagement with regulatory authorities and reporting entities; select legislative areas with clear, quantifiable compliance metrics that can be assessed automatically; plan scalability and high transaction throughput; provide data catalogue alignment using precisely defined Common European Data Spaces concepts where possible; document how the project will avoid overlapping existing EU initiatives.

Summary — What is this opportunity about and how to explain it

This Digital Europe call (AI Continent topic DIGITAL-2026) funds multi-partner pilot projects that demonstrate how automated, privacy-preserving and trusted data exchange can streamline regulatory compliance reporting for EU legislation across priority sectors (agriculture, environment, manufacturing, healthcare, energy). It supports projects that combine AI/machine learning, data capture, privacy-enhancing technologies, secure transmission, cloud storage and strong data governance to reduce administrative burden by automating reporting and enabling direct, machine-readable/executable channels between reporting entities and regulatory authorities. Projects must be open source, interoperable with government systems, adhere to European data standards and demonstrate real operational pilots with live demos. The instrument is a Lump Sum grant under the Digital Europe Programme, with project budgets expected between €2M and €5M, total topic budget €8.5M, multi-beneficiary applications mandatory (min. 3 independent beneficiaries from 3 eligible countries), single-stage submission with evaluation against relevance, implementation and impact. Applicants should prepare a complete Part A in the Portal and a Part B PDF following the DEP template, include the detailed budget table/calculator for lump sum calculation, and be ready for legal, financial and security/ethics checks at grant preparation.

For full legal, evaluation and administrative rules, and to download the application templates and detailed budget table/calculator, use the official topic page and the call document on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Topic page Call documentation ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Primary source: Call document and topic page for DIGITAL-2026 on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (Digital Europe Programme). See the official PDF call document and annexes at ec.europa.eu and the topic webpage ec.europa.eu.

Overview

This call for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme DIGITAL-2026 funds projects developing digital solutions to streamline regulatory reporting via automated and trusted sharing of compliance data. It targets reducing administrative burdens for enterprises by automating compliance processes with EU legislation, such as environmental regulations. The call expects 3-4 projects addressing governance, technical, legal, and processing aspects.

Part of Specific Objective 2 of the Digital Europe Programme, it aligns with the vision to make Europe an AI continent by integrating AI into strategic sectors and deploying solutions for regulatory compliance through data. Projects must test solutions for transmitting compliance information, from aggregate data like balance sheets to detailed data like transactions.

Key Objectives and Expected Impact

Objectives include leveraging technologies like data capturing, automatic transmission, analysis, cloud storage, encryption, and privacy-preserving methods to ensure data security and trust. Projects must identify administrative challenges in sectors such as agriculture, environment, manufacturing, healthcare, and energy, and enable direct communication with regulatory agencies for automated updates.

• Streamline regulatory reporting through automated data sharing.
• Address governance, technical, legal, and processing aspects.
• Target legislations with quantifiable compliance metrics, avoiding overlaps with initiatives like Digital Product Passport or Customs reform.
• Incorporate European Digital Identity Wallet and trust services where available.
• Prioritise open-source, interoperable, scalable systems adhering to EU standards.

Scope and Technical Requirements

Activities focus on technical aspects including privacy-preserving technologies, APIs for real-time compliance checks, machine learning for monitoring, integration with Common European Data Spaces, robust access controls, audit trails, and collaboration with data space providers like the European Commission's Simpl programme. Systems must be user-friendly, scalable, and include comprehensive data governance frameworks.

Eligibility and Who Can Apply

Legal entities established in EU Member States (including OCTs) or associated countries (EEA countries and those associated to Digital Europe). Multi-beneficiary applications are mandatory with a minimum of 3 independent applicants from 3 different eligible countries. Natural persons are ineligible except self-employed persons. EU bodies (except JRC) cannot participate. High-risk suppliers of mobile network equipment are excluded.

Targeted Stakeholders:National and EU authorities, regulatory agencies, public and private entities, businesses, data sharing organisations, universities.

Funding Details

Total Budget:€8,500,000 for 2027.

Project Budget:€2,000,000 to €5,000,000 per project.

Type of Action and Funding Rate:DIGITAL Lump Sum Grants at 50% funding rate.

Indicative Number of Grants:2.

Duration and Timeline

Outcomes, Deliverables and KPIs

• Legal identification of administrative burdens in selected sectors.
• Implemented use case under realistic conditions.
• Live demonstration of the use case.
• Final report on results, methodologies, and findings.
• Dissemination to stakeholders like public administrations and SMEs.

KPIs:Number of use cases completed; successful live demos; participation of regulatory authorities; stakeholders reached; dissemination events.

Evaluation Criteria

Note:Certain sub-criteria (digital supply chain, financial obstacles, environmental sustainability) are not applicable. Proposals must be max 70 pages (Part B). Detailed budget table required.

Submission and Documents

Single-stage submission via EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Key documents:Call document, Application Form Part A/B, Detailed budget table (DEP LSII), Lump Sum MGA. Full details in sections 5-11 of call document.

Official portal:EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Call document: Call Fiche.

Additional Conditions

• Restrictions for protection of EU digital infrastructures apply.
• Equipment costs: depreciation only.
• Ethics and security reviews required.
• No financial support to third parties.
• Consortium agreement recommended.

Admissibility:Proposal page limits in Part B of Application Form. Full eligibility, financial/operational capacity, and exclusion criteria in call document sections 6-7. Contact: Write to us or IT Helpdesk.

Footnotes

1. 1All details from official EU Funding & Tenders Portal and call fiche. Work programme: Digital Europe 2025-2027.