New technologies and innovation: digitalisation of road transport - works

CEF-T-2026 is a CEF Transport call to modernise TEN-T road infrastructure and deploy digital works enabling commercial pre-deployment and operation of highly automated vehicles, funding IT equipment for remote supervision, precise positioning and V2I communication and limited road geometry changes while excluding vehicles and R&I activities. The total indicative budget is €20,000,000 with a maximum EU contribution per project of €10,000,000, a recommended minimum request of €1,000,000, funding rates of up to 50% (70% in outermost regions), and projects must be completed by 31 December 2030. Eligible applicants are legal entities established in EU Member States or countries associated to the CEF programme, single-beneficiary applications are accepted, and projects must be located on or justified for the TEN-T network. Applications are submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal by 06 October 2026 (17:00 CET) and must include Part A, Part B (max 120 pages), a detailed budget per WP, and a mandatory Environmental Compliance File.

Call: CEF 2 Transport - Actions related to smart and interoperable mobility - General envelope

Deadline: 06 October 2026

What it funds:construction and deployment of infrastructure (works) to support commercial pre-deployment and real operation of highly automated/autonomous road vehicles on the TEN-T network and urban nodes. Eligible investments focus on two categories: (1) IT control centres and remote supervision equipment (not building construction) and (2) digital infrastructure for precise vehicle positioning, vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, automated driving data transmission and event recording. Limited complementary road geometry works may be funded if strictly necessary. Projects should explain use of EU-harmonised/sovereign digital infrastructure ¹.

Funding:Call budget €20,000,000 total. Maximum EU contribution per grant €10,000,000; applicants are encouraged to request at least €1,000,000. Funding rate: up to 50% of eligible works costs (up to 70% in outermost regions).

1. 1Who can apply: legal entities (public or private bodies) and international organisations established in eligible countries (EU Member States and countries associated to CEF).
2. 2Consortiums: multi-beneficiary or single beneficiary proposals accepted; affiliated entities allowed; natural persons generally not eligible.
3. 3Ineligible: funding for vehicles, vehicle equipment or alternative fuels infrastructure is excluded.

Application notes:single-stage electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal. Project duration for works must not extend beyond 31/12/2030. Standard CEF eligibility, procurement, environmental compliance and documentation requirements apply (detailed budget table per WP, environmental compliance file, letters of Member State support, timetable/Gantt, etc.).

Footnotes

1. 1C-ROADS platform: Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems harmonisation initiative C-ROADS.

Call and administrative summary

Call title:CEF 2 Transport - Actions related to smart and interoperable mobility - General envelope. Topic identifier: CEF-T-2026. Type of action: CEF Infrastructure Projects (CEF Action Grant Budget-Based, CEF-AG). Call opening: 18 June 2026. Submission deadline: 06 October 2026, 17:00 CET. Available budget for this topic: €20 000 000 (indicative). Submission method: single-stage electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Objective and scope

Objective:modernise transport infrastructure and enhance the digitalisation of road transport on the TEN-T network. Scope: works only (infrastructure investments). The topic targets infrastructure for deployment of highly automated/autonomous vehicles for commercial pre-deployment and operation, where technology is sufficiently mature and no Research & Innovation activities are funded. Two main groups of eligible infrastructure works are described: (1) Establishing control centres limited to IT equipment for remote supervision and remote support of highly automated vehicles (construction of buildings such as TMCs is not funded). (2) Deploying digital infrastructure for accurate vehicle positioning and communication with the surrounding environment, including emergency services interaction and automatic transmission and recording of driving data and events (accidents, near-accidents). Where needed, limited and justified physical modifications to road geometry (for example extending merging lanes) can be supported if necessary to achieve automated vehicle deployment objectives. Projects must explain how they will use EU-harmonised frameworks (for example C-ROADS) and sovereign digital infrastructure, and may be complementary to Horizon Europe demonstration projects. Projects may be located on the TEN-T core, extended core, comprehensive network and urban nodes; road sections outside TEN-T are allowed only with justification of positive TEN-T network effects. Funding excludes vehicles, vehicle equipment and alternative fuels infrastructure. The funded infrastructure should comply with Directive 2010/40/EU as amended by EU 2023/2661.

Key compliance and reference documents:Applicants must follow the Call Document, CEF Regulation 2021/1153, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, the Model Grant Agreement and the Portal Online Manual. Complementarity with Horizon Europe CCAM large-scale demonstrations should be explained where relevant ¹.

Eligibility and applicant types

Legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries (EU Member States including OCTs and countries associated to the CEF programme) are eligible. International organisations are eligible. Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed persons where national law does not provide separate legal personality. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate if their representatives can undertake legal obligations. EU bodies (except the Commission Joint Research Centre) cannot be beneficiaries. Exceptional participation of entities from other countries may be accepted if deemed essential for project implementation.

1. 1Eligible Applicant Types: public bodies, national/regional/local authorities, SMEs, large enterprises, research organisations, universities, non-profit organisations, international organisations, project promoters and operators (legal entities). Associated partners, subcontractors and third parties in other roles may participate but only beneficiaries/affiliated entities can receive grant money.
2. 2Funding Type: grant (budget-based action grant under CEF-AG).
3. 3Consortium Requirement: no mandatory multi-beneficiary consortium composition is specified for this topic (Consortium composition: Not applicable in the topic text). Single-beneficiary or multi-beneficiary proposals are accepted, but consortium roles and governance must be described clearly.
4. 4Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): entities established in EU Member States (including OCTs) and countries associated to the CEF programme; projects must be implemented in eligible countries (TEN-T network sections in these countries).
5. 5Target Sector: transport (road), intelligent transport systems, digitalisation, autonomous vehicles, communications and positioning infrastructure. Cross-cutting aspects include safety, interoperability, security and climate resilience.

Project technical requirements and permitted activities

Permitted activities (works) cover:procurement and deployment of IT equipment for remote supervision/control centres; procurement and deployment of digital positioning and communication infrastructure enabling accurate vehicle localisation and data exchange with infrastructure, other vehicles and emergency services; infrastructure enabling automatic transmission of driving data and event recording; limited road geometry modifications strictly necessary to enable autonomous vehicle deployment (e.g. merging lane extensions) where justified. Not eligible: purchase of vehicles, vehicle equipment and alternative fuels infrastructure; construction of buildings (e.g. TMC buildings) is excluded – funding covers IT equipment only, not building shells. Applicants must explain compatibility with EU-harmonised frameworks (e.g. C-ROADS) and sovereign digital infrastructure and describe complementarity with Horizon Europe CCAM/demonstration activities when relevant.

Network location:Projects can be located on TEN-T core, extended core and/or comprehensive network sections and urban nodes. If some works are outside TEN-T, a justification and demonstration of positive TEN-T effects are required.

Project maturity, duration and financial features

1. 1Project Stage: works for deployment and commercial (pre-)deployment—expected maturity: demonstration/pre-deployment to early commercial operation (development/validation/demonstration/commercialisation depending on the proposal); R&I activities are excluded.
2. 2Duration: works projects maximum project duration should be 31/12/2030 (so projects must finish by end of 2030).
3. 3Funding Amount: available budget for this topic €20,000,000. Applicants are strongly encouraged to request at least €1,000,000 of EU contribution. Maximum EU contribution per grant agreement: €10,000,000. Proposals requesting more than €10,000,000 will be declared ineligible.
4. 4Funding Rates: budget-based actual cost grant. Funding rate for works: up to 50% of eligible costs (up to 70% for works located in outermost regions).
5. 5Form of Grant: budget-based actual cost reimbursement. VAT is not eligible. Indirect costs flat-rate: 0% of eligible direct costs (categories A–D except volunteers and exempt categories).
6. 6Co-funding Requirement: yes — applicants must provide the complementary funding (own resources, third-party funding, other grants). Financial maturity and a clear financing plan must be demonstrated; applicants are encouraged to show stable and sufficient resources. The call encourages bundling related projects to achieve efficient project size.

Application process and admissibility

Submission is electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. The application is single-stage (one submission) with evaluation in one step. Application structure: Part A (administrative forms filled online) and Part B (technical description uploaded as PDF using the Portal template). Mandatory annexes include detailed budget table per work package (Excel), timetable/Gantt chart, letters of support / Member State agreement where applicable, environmental compliance file (ECF) and lists of previous projects and activity reports unless exempt. Part B page limit: 120 pages. The detailed budget per WP must be consistent with the online summary budget. Applicants must confirm mandate to act for all applicants and will sign a Declaration of Honour at grant signature. Access to the Portal requires registration and a PIC. Support contacts: CINEA-CEF-TRANSPORT-CALLS@ec.europa.eu and IT Helpdesk via the Portal.

Admissibility checks and documents to upload:Mandatory: Application Form Part A and Part B, detailed budget table per WP, timetable/Gantt chart, environmental compliance file (ECF), letters of support/member state agreement (when relevant). Activity reports and list of previous projects where required. Ensure readability, A4, Arial >=9, margins >=15 mm. Proposals exceeding 120 pages will have excess pages disregarded. All applicants and affiliated entities must be registered and validated in the Participant Register.

Evaluation, award criteria and selection

Evaluation procedure:one-stage submission and single-step evaluation. Evaluators perform admissibility and eligibility checks, operational and financial capacity checks, then evaluate proposals via an evaluation committee assisted by experts. Evaluation phases: individual evaluation, consensus, and panel review. Ranking based on scores and award criteria. Invitation for grant preparation does not constitute funding commitment; legal and financial checks follow before signature.

1. 1Number of Application Stages: 1 (single-stage submission) + post-evaluation grant preparation dialogue (finer negotiation before signature).
2. 2Award Criteria and weights (each criterion max 5 points; thresholds noted): Priority and urgency (5, threshold 3), Maturity (5, threshold 3), Quality (5, threshold 3), Impact (5, threshold 3), Catalytic effect (5, threshold 3). Overall maximum score: 25. Overall pass threshold: 15 and must meet individual thresholds.
3. 3Tie-breaking order for equal scores: (1) Priority and urgency score, (2) Maturity, (3) Catalytic effect, (4) Impact, (5) Quality, then ascending order of recommended EU contribution.

Financial and administrative checks, reporting and payments

Financial capacity checks are performed via documents uploaded to the Participant Register; public bodies, Member State organisations and international organisations are normally exempt. If financial capacity is insufficient, measures may be requested (enhanced financial responsibility regime, prefinancing guarantees, staged prefinancing, reduced/no prefinancing). Prefinancing typically 25–50% and is paid after entry into force or after receipt of the prefinancing guarantee if required. Reporting: interim financial reports and progress reports; final calculation of eligible costs may lead to recoveries. Payments to the coordinator only. Liability and recovery regimes are established in the Grant Agreement. Prefinancing bank guarantees normally required from the coordinator and issued by an approved financial institution established in the EU (exceptions considered case-by-case). Certificates may be requested depending on grant size and type.

Operational requirements and templates

Applicants must provide detailed project management and quality assurance arrangements, a Gantt/timetable, detailed budget table per work package (Excel template), environmental compliance file (ECF template), letters of support / Member State agreement template (if relevant) and the standard Annexes required by the Portal. The Portal provides the Application Form Part B template (Technical Description) and Annex templates including the detailed budget per WP, timetable (Gantt chart), environmental compliance file and letter of support templates. Project management costs should not exceed 10% of total project costs; costs above will be rejected during grant preparation.

Risk, compliance and exclusions

Exclusion grounds include bankruptcy/insolvency, tax/social security breaches, grave professional misconduct, fraud/corruption/terrorism-related offences, significant deficiencies under previous EU contracts or grants, creation of entities to evade obligations, or resisting audits. Entities subject to EU restrictive measures or EU conditionality measures are ineligible. Applicants must declare compliance with eligibility and absence of exclusion grounds; false statements may lead to sanctions.

Success rates and competitiveness

Success rates are not published for this specific topic. With an indicative budget of €20 million, requested project sizes are encouraged to be at least €1 million and capped at €10 million; selection will depend on quality, maturity and alignment with call priorities. Given limited budget and competitive scoring thresholds, applicants should expect competition and design high-quality, mature, cost-effective proposals with strong Member State support and readiness to start implementation promptly.

Practical recommendations for applicants

1. 1Demonstrate maturity: show procurement status, permits and authorisations, confirmed co-financing and readiness to start so the Maturity criterion scores highly.
2. 2Provide Member State support letters where the project benefits national/regional network plans; include MS agreement template signed where applicable.
3. 3Explain compliance with EU-harmonised digital frameworks (for instance C-ROADS) and sovereign digital infrastructure and interoperability standards.
4. 4Include a clear environmental compliance file (ECF), addressing EIA/SEA/Habitats/Water Framework Directive issues and attach competent authority declarations where relevant.
5. 5Prepare a comprehensive detailed budget per WP consistent with the Portal Part A online summary and ensure project management costs do not exceed 10% of total costs.
6. 6If the project covers road sections outside TEN-T, provide a robust justification demonstrating positive effects on TEN-T network functioning.
7. 7Highlight catalytic effect: show how the CEF contribution removes specific financial or market barriers and mobilises additional public/private funding.

Administrative contacts and support

For technical or call-related questions (non-IT):CINEA-CEF-TRANSPORT-CALLS@ec.europa.eu. For Portal/IT technical support: Funding & Tenders Portal IT Helpdesk via the Portal. Use the Topic page Q&A and Portal Online Manual for guidance; consult call updates published on the Topic page.

Mentioned countries and geographic scope

The call text explicitly targets EU Member States (including OCTs) and countries associated to the CEF programme. No individual Member States are singled out in the topic text. Projects may also involve neighbouring countries exceptionally if essential for implementation, but beneficiaries must be established in eligible/associated countries as specified in the call documentation.

Extracted structured answers to developer questions

Eligible Applicant Types:public bodies, regional and local authorities, SMEs, large enterprises, universities, research institutes, non-profit organisations, international organisations, and other legal entities established in eligible countries; affiliated entities can participate and receive funds if validated; associated partners may participate without funding.

Funding Type:grant (CEF Action Grant - budget-based, actual cost reimbursement).

Consortium Requirement:other than legal entity eligibility, the topic does not mandate a minimum consortium composition; both single-beneficiary and multi-beneficiary proposals accepted. If cross-border sections are targeted, joint applications and evidence of cross-border coordination are strongly recommended.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States (including OCTs) and countries associated to the CEF Programme; projects must be implemented in eligible countries and on TEN-T network sections or justified sections outside TEN-T with positive TEN-T effects.

Target Sector:transport (road), digitalisation of road transport, cooperative intelligent transport systems, autonomous and highly automated vehicle infrastructure (positioning, communications, control centre IT), ITS, safety and interoperability.

Mentioned Countries:no specific Member States listed; scope targets EU Member States and countries associated to CEF. Region: European Union / CEF participating countries.

Project Stage:expected maturity is implementation of deployment-ready technologies for commercial pre-deployment and operation (demonstration/validation to early commercial operation); R&I per se is excluded.

Funding Amount:topic budget €20,000,000; recommended minimum request around €1,000,000; maximum EU contribution per grant €10,000,000.

Application Type:open call; single-stage submission via Funding & Tenders Portal; not rolling; applicants submit full proposals by the single deadline.

Nature of Support:monetary (grant funds reimbursing eligible costs) — budget-based actual cost grant; no financial support to third parties is allowed for this topic; non-monetary support (technical guidance from EU) may be available through project management but not as direct grant.

Application Stages:1 (single-stage submission) followed by grant preparation dialogue if successful; overall evaluation consists of individual evaluation, consensus and panel review (three evaluation phases).

Success Rates:not published for this specific topic. Given limited budget and typical demand in CEF Transport topics, expect competitive selection; success depends on meeting thresholds across all award criteria and ranking within available budget.

Co-funding Requirement:yes — applicants must provide co-funding / complementary financing; grant covers up to 50% of works costs (70% in outermost regions). Demonstrate confirmed financing sources and financial capacity.

Application templates and structure (how the application forms look)

Application Form structure:Part A: administrative forms filled online (applicant data, participants, budget summary, declarations). Part B: Technical Description (use the Portal template). Mandatory annexes: detailed budget table per work package (Excel template), timetable/Gantt chart (template), environmental compliance file (ECF template), letters of support / Member State agreement template, activity reports and list of previous projects (where applicable). Part B content sections include project description, priority and urgency, maturity, quality, impact (including CBA if required), catalytic effect, work plan and WPs, ethics and security, declarations and annex list. Part B page limit: 120 pages (evaluators will disregard extra pages).

1. 1Part B template sections to prepare (as per Portal template): Cover page and project summary; 0 Project description; 1 Priority and urgency (TEN-T relevance, EU added value); 2 Maturity (readiness, permits, procurement and financial maturity); 3 Quality (cost-effectiveness, resources, consortium & governance, risk management, communication); 4 Impact (CBA / simplified CBA, socio-economic, environmental); 5 Catalytic effect (financial gap, leverage); 6 Work plan and WPs (detailed tasks, deliverables, milestones, resources); 7 Other (ethics, security); 8 Declarations; Annexes (budget per WP, Gantt, ECF, letters of support, previous projects, activity reports, CVs as applicable).
2. 2Detailed budget table per WP (Excel): 7 sheets including Start, Work packages, Participants, DB table, summaries and consistency checks. Budget must be consistent with online Part A summary and rounded down to the nearest thousand for the proposal. Use separate WP lines for works, studies, and special budget categories as required.
3. 3Environmental Compliance File (ECF) template: includes Development Consent, EIA Directive compliance (Annex I/II screening), SEA Directive, Habitats Directive (Natura 2000) declarations, Water Framework Directive, and competent authority declarations where needed.

Applicants should not delete tags in templates, must respect font and margin rules (Arial >=9, A4, margins >=15 mm), and must upload documents in the correct submission slots in the Portal. Use the Online Manual and Topic Q&A for guidance.

Comprehensive summary — What is this opportunity about and how to explain it

This CEF Transport call topic finances construction/installation works to enable deployment of highly automated vehicles on the TEN-T network by investing in digital and limited supporting physical infrastructure. It targets non-research deployment-ready technologies to support commercial pre-deployment and real operation: IT equipment for remote supervision/control centres (without funding building shells), and digital positioning and communication infrastructure enabling precise localisation, data exchange, emergency services interaction and automated recording of driving events. Limited road modifications strictly necessary for autonomous operation are eligible if fully justified. The action is a budget-based EU grant reimbursing eligible costs up to 50% (70% for outermost regions), with a project cap of €10 million and an indicative topic budget of €20 million. Applications must be submitted in a single-stage via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, following the Part A and Part B templates and mandatory annexes (detailed budget per WP, Gantt, environmental compliance file, letters of support where relevant). Evaluation uses five equally weighted award criteria (Priority and urgency, Maturity, Quality, Impact, Catalytic effect) with individual and overall thresholds. Projects should prioritise readiness, interoperability with EU-harmonised frameworks (for example C-ROADS), Member State support, clear financing and demonstrated catalytic leverage to mobilise further investment. Compliance with environmental and permitting rules, clear risk mitigation, and coherent procurement and maintenance strategies are essential. Successful proposals will enter grant preparation where legal, financial and operational checks will be conducted prior to signature.

Actionable next steps for applicants:register organisation and obtain a PIC in the Participant Register; check eligibility and national association to CEF; prepare Part A and Part B using Portal templates; complete mandatory annexes including the detailed budget per WP and the ECF; secure letters of support from Member State authorities when relevant; demonstrate procurement and permitting readiness; and ensure clear co-financing and financial capacity documentation for grant signature.

Submission resources:Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System, Online Manual, Model Grant Agreement, Call document and annexes accessible via the Topic page on the Portal. For call-specific help contact: CINEA-CEF-TRANSPORT-CALLS@ec.europa.eu.

Key links:Topic page: ec.europa.eu and C-ROADS reference for harmonised cooperative ITS approaches. C-ROADS Call document and templates ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Call document and topic details are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal topic page: ec.europa.eu. The C-ROADS platform contains technical specifications and harmonisation information relevant to cooperative ITS deployment: c-roads.eu.

Opportunity Overview

This Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Transport call aims to modernise transport infrastructure and enhance the digitalisation of road transport on the TEN-T network to support the commercial (pre-)deployment of highly automated vehicles ¹. The focus is strictly on infrastructure investments for mature technologies, excluding Research & Innovation activities ².

What Can Be Funded

Funding is available for works in two specific areas:establishing control centers (IT equipment for remote supervision, not building construction) and deploying digital infrastructure for accurate vehicle positioning and communication with the environment ³.

Key Eligible Activities:1. IT equipment for remote supervision of autonomous vehicles in challenging situations ⁴. 2. Digital infrastructure for precise positioning and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication ⁴. 3. Systems for automatic transmission of driving data and incident recording (accidents/near-accidents) ⁴. 4. Limited road modifications (e.g., extending merging lanes) strictly necessary for autonomous vehicle deployment ⁴.

Projects must utilise EU harmonized (e.g., C-ROADS) and sovereign digital infrastructure ². Support is explicitly NOT provided for vehicles, vehicle equipment, or alternative fuels infrastructure ².

Who Should Apply

Eligible applicants are legal entities (public or private) established in EU Member States or countries associated with the CEF Programme, such as Ukraine and Moldova ¹. Potential beneficiaries include road managers, mobility agencies, technology companies, telecom operators, and regional/local authorities ⁴.

A consortium is NOT required; single-beneficiary applications are accepted ¹. Projects must be located on the core, extended core, or comprehensive TEN-T network, including urban nodes ².

Funding Details & Conditions

The grant is a budget-based actual cost grant, reimbursing only eligible costs actually incurred ². The maximum project duration for works is capped at 31/12/2030 ².

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals are evaluated against five criteria, each with a maximum of 5 points and a minimum pass score of 3 points: Priority and urgency, Maturity, Quality, Impact, and Catalytic effect ².

To be considered for funding, a proposal must achieve at least 15 points overall and meet the individual threshold for each criterion ². Priority is given to projects with high urgency, maturity, and cross-border impact ².

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal ². Part B (technical description) is limited to a maximum of 120 pages ².

1. 1Application Form Part A (online administrative data)
2. 2Application Form Part B (technical PDF)
3. 3Detailed budget table per WP (Excel)
4. 4Activity reports of the last year
5. 5List of previous projects (last 4 years)
6. 6Timetable/Gantt chart
7. 7Letter of support (Member State Agreement)
8. 8Environmental compliance file (mandatory for all applications)

The Environmental Compliance File is mandatory and must cover development consent, EIA, SEA, Habitats, and Water Framework Directives ².

Footnotes

1. 1ScientifyRESEARCH: Call details and eligibility criteria for CEF-T-2026.
2. 2Euro-Access: Official call fiche and funding parameters for CEF Transport 2026.
3. 3DevelopmentAid: Grant objectives and eligible sectors for road transport digitalisation.
4. 4VLEVA: Detailed breakdown of eligible activities and technological requirements for autonomous vehicle infrastructure.