Networking and coordination of national HPC Competence Centres

The grant opportunity titled "Networking and Coordination of National HPC Competence Centres" is a Coordination and Support Action under the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking as part of the Digital Europe Programme. The call identifier is DIGITAL-JU-EUROHPC-2025-NCC-01-02. Its primary objective is to coordinate and support a network of National Competence Centres (NCCs) for High Performance Computing (HPC) across Europe, aiming to enhance collaboration and share best practices, knowledge, and training amongst these centres.

The initiative is scheduled to open for applications on July 29, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is September 30, 2025. The funding will be awarded as grants, with amounts ranging from €1,000,000 to €2,000,000, contributing to a total budget of €22,000,000 for the year 2025. The funding is designated for consortia that demonstrate capabilities to coordinate the network of NCCs, suggesting that eligible applicants may include universities, research institutions, and public bodies experienced in HPC or network coordination.

A single-stage submission process is required for this open call, focusing on cooperation among multiple countries. The geographic eligibility likely encompasses all EuroHPC Joint Undertaking participating states, which include EU member states, EEA countries, and associated countries. The target sector is primarily HPC, including its application in fields like artificial intelligence and public sector digitalization.

While the general summary indicates the project's operational stage as one of coordination, specific details such as success rates or co-funding requirements are not explicitly stated in the provided data. The call seeks to address community needs and enhance training and matchmaking opportunities, forming a communication platform for NCCs to promote knowledge exchange, best practices, and resources.

In summary, this grant opportunity aims to strengthen the European HPC network by funding consortia that will facilitate knowledge sharing, training development, and the proliferation of HPC technologies and methodologies across various domains, emphasizing the importance of collaboration among established NCCs.

This is a call for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) focusing on National Competence Centres for High Performance Computing (HPC). The call identifier is DIGITAL-JU-EUROHPC-2025-NCC-01, specifically targeting DIGITAL-JU-CSA DIGITAL JU Coordination and Support Actions. The type of Model Grant Agreement is DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based [DIGITAL-AG].

The call follows a single-stage submission process with a planned opening date of July 29, 2025, and a deadline of September 30, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The central objective of this action is to coordinate and support the network of National Competence Centres (NCCs) for HPC, establishing a single focal point at the European level. This Coordination and Support Action aims to maximize existing European HPC knowledge and expertise by facilitating the sharing of applications, best practices, knowledge and information, networking, and training across NCCs. The selected consortium will liaise and align activities under the guidance of the Coordinator of the Networking and Coordination of AI Factories/ AI Factories project and establish effective cooperation with other European initiatives, particularly those focusing on European training and skills for HPC, such as the EuroHPC Academy and the European Master for HPC.

The scope of the action involves coordinating and supporting the NCCs for HPC. Expected activities include establishing a communication platform, facilitating dialogue, promoting the objectives of the initiatives, and organizing events and workshops on relevant topics for NCCs. These activities should leverage the synergies and complementarity strengths of the initiatives. The action also aims to identify and communicate potential training solutions, successful services, and tools available from the NCCs network. It should support and assist in addressing requests and/or needs of their communities, for example, by service facilitation and matchmaking between relevant European initiatives or by supporting the exchange of knowledge and best practices between NCCs.

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 also described in section 6 of the call document.

Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are detailed 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 itself, application form templates (Standard application form (DEP) available in the Submission System), Model Grant Agreements (DEP MGA), and additional documents such as EuroHPC JU GB Decision No. 26/2025 amending the Joint Undertaking's Work Programme and Budget for the year 2025 (Amendment No 4), EuroHPC JU GB Decision No. 28/2025 approving the launch of a call for proposals on National Competence Centres, EuroHPC JU regulation 2021, 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.

The total budget for this topic is EUR 22,000,000 for the year 2025. The funding is divided into two categories: DIGITAL-JU-CSA DIGITAL JU Coordination and Support Actions and DIGITAL-JU-SIMPLE DIGITAL JU Simple Grants. The contribution for DIGITAL-JU-CSA ranges from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 2,000,000, while the contribution for DIGITAL-JU-SIMPLE ranges from EUR 10,000,000 to EUR 20,000,000. The indicative number of grants is 11.

There are currently 0 searches for partners to collaborate on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The submission system is planned to open on the date stated in the topic header.

For help related to this call, applicants can contact ri@eurohpc-ju.europa.eu. Additional resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ for proposal submissions, the IT Helpdesk for technical issues, and the Online Manual for a step-by-step guide through the Portal processes.

In summary, this call aims to establish a coordinated network of National Competence Centres for HPC across Europe. It seeks to fund projects that will facilitate communication, collaboration, and the sharing of knowledge and resources among these centres. The goal is to maximize the impact of European HPC expertise and infrastructure, particularly in areas such as training, skills development, and the application of HPC technologies to various challenges. The call is structured as a Coordination and Support Action, emphasizing the importance of networking and collaboration to achieve its objectives.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call is open to consortia. The specific types of organizations that can be part of a consortium are not explicitly mentioned in the provided text, but given the focus on National Competence Centres (NCCs) for HPC, eligible applicants likely include universities, research institutions, HPC centers, and other organizations with expertise in high-performance computing.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a "DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based [DIGITAL-AG]" and a "DIGITAL JU Coordination and Support Actions" (DIGITAL-JU-CSA). There are also "DIGITAL JU Simple Grants" (DIGITAL-JU-SIMPLE).

Consortium Requirement: A consortium is required. The text mentions "the selected consortium" will undertake the activities.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility appears to be focused on European entities, given the emphasis on National Competence Centres (NCCs) and maximizing European HPC knowledge and expertise across Europe. The call aims to coordinate and support the network of NCCs at the European level.

Target Sector: The target sector is High Performance Computing (HPC). The call focuses on coordinating and supporting National Competence Centres (NCCs) for HPC, facilitating the sharing of applications, best practices, knowledge, and information, networking, and training within the HPC domain. It also touches on Artificial Intelligence (AI) through its connection with the "Networking and Coordination of AI Factories/ AI Factories project".

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on Europe as a region. The call is targeted towards National Competence Centres (NCCs), implying that eligible countries are those with established NCCs for HPC, likely within the EU and associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on coordination and support, which suggests a mature stage where existing National Competence Centres (NCCs) are already established. The call aims to enhance collaboration, share best practices, and improve training, indicating activities beyond the initial research or development phases.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the call is EUR 22,000,000. The contributions range from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 2,000,000 for DIGITAL-JU-CSA actions and EUR 10,000,000 to EUR 20,000,000 for DIGITAL-JU-SIMPLE grants.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process. The planned opening date is 29 July 2025, and the deadline is 30 September 2025.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a grant to support their coordination and support activities.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants is 11. The success rate cannot be determined without knowing the expected number of applications.

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

Summary:

This EuroHPC Joint Undertaking call, part of the Digital Europe Programme, aims to bolster the European HPC ecosystem by providing grants to consortia that will coordinate and support the network of National Competence Centres (NCCs) for High Performance Computing. The primary goal is to maximize the impact of European HPC expertise by facilitating the sharing of applications, best practices, knowledge, and training across these NCCs. The selected consortium will be responsible for establishing a communication platform, fostering dialogue, promoting the initiatives' objectives, and organizing relevant events and workshops. The call also emphasizes the importance of identifying and communicating potential training solutions, successful services, and tools available within the NCC network. The successful applicant will also assist in addressing the needs of their communities through service facilitation and matchmaking with other European initiatives, as well as supporting the exchange of knowledge and best practices. The call has a total budget of EUR 22,000,000, with individual grants ranging from EUR 1,000,000 to EUR 2,000,000 for Coordination and Support Actions and EUR 10,000,000 to EUR 20,000,000 for Simple Grants. The application process is a single-stage submission, with a deadline of 30 September 2025. This initiative is designed to strengthen Europe's position in the global HPC landscape by fostering collaboration, enhancing training, and promoting the widespread adoption of HPC technologies and expertise.