European Advanced Digital Skills Competitions

The European Advanced Digital Skills Competitions grant opportunity is part of the Digital Europe Programme, aimed at enhancing digital skills among young Europeans through competitive, project-based learning experiences. This initiative focuses on six key areas: Quantum technologies, Generative AI, Semiconductor design, Virtual Worlds, the Destination Earth initiative, and one supplementary area chosen by the consortium. The grant provides funding of up to €7 million for a single exceptional consortium that will develop and implement these competitions.

Eligible applicants include a consortium of legal entities such as universities, research institutes, tech companies, and industry associations from EU Member States, EEA countries, and countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme. The project expects to create engaging challenges relevant to societal and industrial needs, promoting skills development and awareness among student teams.

The funding mechanism is a non-repayable DIGITAL Action Grant, categorized under Coordination and Support Actions, with a single-stage application process. The call will open on November 4, 2025, with a deadline set for March 3, 2026. Only one grant will be awarded, making the competition highly competitive, with a success rate anticipated below 10%.

The project requires close collaboration with Sectoral digital skills academies and relevant stakeholders in the digital technology ecosystem. Key deliverables include well-defined competition rules, a comprehensive implementation road map, prize structures, and sustainability plans to ensure the competitions continue beyond the project duration.

Expected outcomes involve engaging young Europeans in digital technologies, increasing their creativity, and supporting project-based learning, while addressing significant societal challenges through innovation and education. This opportunity not only seeks to fill the digital skills gap in Europe but also aims to connect the next generation of talent with industry and research organizations.

This EU grant opportunity, under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), specifically targets Advanced Digital Skills (DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09). It is a DIGITAL Coordination and Support Action (DIGITAL-CSA) with a budget-based DIGITAL Action Grant (DIGITAL-AG). The call DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-COMPETITIONS has a budget of 7,000,000 EUR and DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-LEAGUE-OF-ACADEMIES has a budget of 7,200,000 EUR. The deadline is a single-stage process. The planned opening date is 04 November 2025, and the deadline is 03 March 2026 at 17:00:00 Brussels time. One grant is expected to be awarded for each call.

The expected outcomes include well-defined, up-to-date, and relevant challenges for the European Advanced Digital Skills Competitions, a competition rule book for participants and jury, a competition implementation roadmap, implementation and roll-out of the six competitions, and sustainability plans for the proposed competitions after the end of the project.

The objective is to use the European Advanced Digital Skills Competitions to engage young Europeans in cutting-edge digital technologies, support their creativity, expose them to project-based research and training, and connect them to the wider community of research organizations and industry players. Each competition will center around a challenge addressing a highly relevant societal or industrial challenge developed by a consortium of Europe’s most prestigious research institutes and industry partners. The consortia will work in close cooperation with the respective Sectoral digital skills academies and Initiatives to ensure buy-in and support from the relevant stakeholders in the ecosystem. The competitions will take place in the EU, where teams of students will compete in six digital areas, represented by the newly established Sectoral digital skills academies, the Destination Earth initiative, and an additional area to be chosen by the consortium. The competitions are expected to lead to greater innovation, allowing for the measurement and comparison of progress towards the ambitious goals set under each challenge.

The scope of this topic is to develop six challenges for the European Digital Skills Competitions in the four digital areas corresponding to the Sectoral digital skills academies (Quantum, GenAI, Chips, Virtual Worlds), the Destination Earth Initiative (see topic 4.2 of the DEP Work Programme 2025-2027), and one additional area to be developed by the consortium. The challenges will be designed to target three clear objectives: addressing a European societal-, technological, or industrial-relevant challenge, attracting a large participation of students and helping them develop their skills, and raising their awareness and understanding of team and project-based work as well as applied research and innovation in the respective digital technologies. Special attention will also be given to designing local and major tournaments. The consortium will also design attractive prize schemes and awards for the best challenges from the six areas. The selected project will cooperate closely with the Sectoral digital skills academies, the Destination Earth sectoral Initiative, and the respective industrial communities for the design of the competitions. It will also collaborate with the European League of Advanced Digital Skills Academies (see section 4.3 of the DEP Work Programme 2025-2027) for dissemination, communication, and public relations purposes concerning these competitions. Synergies should also be sought with other relevant initiatives, e.g., the Digital Education Hackathon.

The admissibility conditions include proposal page limits and layout, which are described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible countries are described in section 6 of the call document. Other eligible conditions are described in section 6 of the call document. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion are described in section 7 of the call document. The submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document. The legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in section 10 of the call document.

The call document and annexes include the CALL DOCUMENT, the Standard application form (DEP) available in the Submission System, the DEP MGA, DEP Work Programmes, DEP Regulation 2021/964, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, 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, and Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

There are 4 partner search announcements. LEARs, Account Administrators, or 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 be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

For help related to this call, applicants can use the Write to us form. Additional resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ Submission of proposals, the IT Helpdesk for technical questions, and the Online Manual for a step-by-step guide through the Portal processes.

In summary, this grant opportunity aims to foster digital skills among young Europeans by developing and implementing advanced digital skills competitions. The focus is on creating relevant and engaging challenges in key digital areas like Quantum, GenAI, Chips, and Virtual Worlds, as well as Destination Earth and one additional area. The selected project will involve collaboration with digital skills academies, industry partners, and other relevant initiatives to ensure the competitions are impactful and sustainable, ultimately contributing to a more digitally skilled workforce in Europe.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, the text mentions "a consortium of Europe’s most prestigious research institutes and industry partners" developing the challenges, and "teams of students" participating in the competitions. This suggests that research institutes, industry partners, and potentially educational institutions are eligible, and that student teams are the ultimate beneficiaries of the competitions. The mention of LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants also suggests that various types of organizations with legal entity validation are eligible.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a "DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based [DIGITAL-AG]". The call is also identified as a "DIGITAL-CSA DIGITAL Coordination and Support Actions".

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity appears to require a consortium. The description mentions that challenges are developed by "a consortium of Europe’s most prestigious research institutes and industry partners." The selected project will also cooperate with various academies and initiatives, implying a collaborative effort.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The competitions will take place in the EU, suggesting that the primary geographic focus is on the European Union. The text also refers to "European" societal, technological, or industrial challenges, further reinforcing the EU focus.

Target Sector: The program targets the digital sector, specifically focusing on advanced digital skills. The key areas mentioned are Quantum, GenAI, Chips, Virtual Worlds, and the Destination Earth initiative. It also touches upon education, research, and innovation within these digital technology domains.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on the European Union (EU).

Project Stage: The project stage is development and implementation. The scope involves developing six challenges for the European Digital Skills Competitions, creating competition rulebooks, developing an implementation roadmap, and implementing the competitions. It also includes sustainability planning, suggesting a focus beyond the immediate project timeframe.

Funding Amount: There are two topics mentioned with specific budgets:
DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-COMPETITIONS: €7,000,000
DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-LEAGUE-OF-ACADEMIES: €7,200,000

Application Type: The deadline model is single-stage, implying a one-time application process. The submission system is planned to be opened on the date stated on the topic header.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant. The grant will support the development and implementation of the digital skills competitions, including prize schemes and awards.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants for DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-COMPETITIONS and DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-LEAGUE-OF-ACADEMIES is 1 for each topic. This suggests a highly competitive environment.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary:

This European Union Digital Europe Programme call, Advanced Digital Skills (DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09), aims to boost digital skills among young Europeans by funding the development and implementation of the European Advanced Digital Skills Competitions. The call has two topics: DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-COMPETITIONS with a budget of 7,000,000 EUR and DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-LEAGUE-OF-ACADEMIES with a budget of 7,200,000 EUR. The competitions will focus on six digital areas: Quantum, GenAI, Chips, Virtual Worlds, Destination Earth, and one additional area to be chosen by the consortium. The goal is to create relevant and engaging challenges that attract student participation, enhance their skills, and promote awareness of teamwork, project-based work, and innovation in digital technologies.

The selected project, or projects, will be responsible for developing the competition challenges, creating rulebooks, implementing the competitions, and ensuring their sustainability. The projects will also collaborate with Sectoral digital skills academies, the Destination Earth initiative, industrial communities, and the European League of Advanced Digital Skills Academies.

Eligible applicants are expected to form a consortium, likely including research institutes, industry partners, and educational institutions. The competitions will take place within the EU, and the challenges should address European societal, technological, or industrial needs. The application process is single-stage, with a planned opening date of November 4, 2025, and a deadline of March 3, 2026. The funding is provided as a DIGITAL Action Grant, and the call falls under the DIGITAL Coordination and Support Actions.