Support the roll-out of EU Mobile Driving Licences

This EU grant opportunity, part of the Digital Europe Programme, is focused on supporting the roll-out of EU Mobile Driving Licences as part of a broader initiative to enhance digital identity solutions across Member States. The call, identified as DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-TECH-09-MDL, will open for submissions on October 9, 2025, and will close on December 9, 2025. The total budget for this initiative is €5 million, with the expectation of awarding three grants, indicating that individual grant amounts could range from approximately €1 million to €5 million.

Eligible applicants for this funding include issuers and verifiers of driving licences, which primarily consist of government authorities, public sector organizations, and possibly private entities involved in driving licence administration. The focus is on implementation, targeting organizations responsible for issuing and verifying these licenses under the EU Digital Identity framework. The project aims to facilitate the swift implementation of mobile driving licences and is crucial for all EU Member States to meet the regulatory requirement of providing digital driving licences by the end of 2030.

The initiative is framed within the context of the European Digital Identity Wallet, which aims to provide a harmonized digital identification solution across EU Member States. The European Commission has outlined the legal obligations for Member States to establish this digital infrastructure by the specified deadlines, thus this grant funding is vital for reducing the financial burden of such implementations while ensuring compliance with EU standards.

The application process is a single-stage submission, where complete proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. This opportunity also indicates a moderate to high level of competition due to the specific eligibility requirements and limited number of grants.

The overarching objective is to support projects that will develop the necessary technologies for mobile driving licence issuance and to ensure secure verification systems that adhere to EU interoperability standards. Additionally, the opportunity aims to enhance digital identity infrastructure, improve road safety, ease administrative burdens, and position the EU as a leader in secure digital identity solutions on a global scale. Organizations participating in this funding initiative will work towards the Digital Decade goal of providing 100% of European citizens with access to digital identification.

This EU grant opportunity, under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), specifically targets the "Accelerating the Best Use of Technologies" call (DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-TECH-09). It aims to support the roll-out of EU mobile driving licenses in Member States by providing grants to issuers and verifiers of these licenses, facilitating swift implementation. The call falls under the DIGITAL-SIMPLE DIGITAL Simple Grants action type, utilizing the DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based [DIGITAL-AG] model grant agreement.

The overarching objective is to facilitate the effective implementation of the European Digital Identity Regulation. This includes the provision by Member States of a harmonized EU Digital Identity Wallet by the end of 2026, fulfilling their legal obligations and contributing to the Digital Decade Target. The initiative also seeks the rapid adoption of the EU Digital Identity Wallet by citizens, public institutions, and businesses. Furthermore, it aims to showcase the EU Digital Identity Wallet as a global benchmark and provide funding for countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme to implement Wallets based on the EU Digital Identity Wallet technical specifications, supporting international acceptance, particularly in areas like travel.

The call builds upon the Regulation establishing the European Digital Identity Framework, adopted in spring 2024, which introduces a significant shift in the cross-border application of Digital Identity through the EU Digital Identity Wallet, expected in all Member States by the end of 2026. The period from 2025 to 2027 is crucial for transitioning from the current infrastructure to the new European Digital Identity Framework.

The European Commission will support the EU Digital Identity Wallet architecture and its European Trust Infrastructure, promoting adoption by ecosystem participants across Member States and in new business application domains. This aligns with the Digital Decade goal of providing 100% of European citizens with access to digital identification. The initiative leverages existing technical specifications, reference implementations, and the results of Large Scale Pilots, while also building on the success of eDelivery, eSignature, and eID Building Blocks used by Public Administrations (e.g., Import Control System, Business Registers Interconnection System, e-Justice, EU Sign, and the Once Only Technical System (OOTS)) and the Private Sector (e.g., providers of electronic signatures).

Supported digital service infrastructures to facilitate European cross-border digital transactions include: European Digital Identity and Trust Services Ecosystem Gateways, eID Component, EU Digital Identity Wallet, eDelivery, and eSignature. These infrastructures are defined, developed, adjusted, and maintained in collaboration with Member States to enhance digital solutions across policy domains, promote interoperability by design, and ensure accessibility for individuals with disabilities and older persons.

The call opened for submissions on October 9, 2025, with a deadline of December 9, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. It employs a single-stage submission model.

The call document and annexes include the CALL DOCUMENT, standard application form (DEP) available in the Submission System, DEP MGA (Model Grant Agreement), 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 two specific topics with allocated budgets:

DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-TECH-09-MDL DIGITAL-SIMPLE DIGITAL Simple Grants: Budget of 5,000,000 EUR, with an indicative number of 3 grants.

DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-TECH-09-WALLET DIGITAL-SIMPLE DIGITAL Simple Grants: Budget of 10,000,000 EUR, with an indicative number of 2 grants.

There are 5 partner search announcements available for collaboration on this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

To submit a proposal, applicants must access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, confirming their choice of action type and model grant agreement. Existing draft proposals can be accessed through the Funding & Tenders Portal.

Applicants are advised to carefully read all provisions before preparing their application. Support is available through the provided contact, the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual.

In summary, this grant opportunity aims to accelerate the adoption and implementation of EU mobile driving licenses and the broader EU Digital Identity Wallet framework. It targets issuers and verifiers of driving licenses, providing financial support to facilitate the transition to digital identity solutions. The initiative is part of the Digital Europe Programme and aligns with the EU's Digital Decade goals, emphasizing interoperability, accessibility, and the establishment of a secure and trusted digital environment for citizens and businesses across Member States.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call for proposals targets issuers and verifiers of driving licences. This suggests that eligible applicants could include government agencies, public sector organizations, and potentially private companies that are authorized to issue and verify driving licenses within EU Member States. The call also mentions eco-system participants, which could include technology providers, software developers, and other businesses involved in the digital identity space.

Funding Type: The primary financial mechanism is a grant, specifically "DIGITAL Simple Grants" and "DIGITAL Action Grant Budget-Based".

Consortium Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if single applicants are allowed. However, the partner search announcements suggest that collaboration is possible and potentially encouraged, but not necessarily mandatory.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is focused on EU Member States, as the call aims to support the roll-out of EU mobile driving licenses within these countries. The text also mentions funding for countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme to implement Wallets based on the EU Digital Identity Wallet technical specifications, which suggests eligibility may extend beyond the EU to associated countries.

Target Sector: The program targets the ICT sector, specifically focusing on digital identity, trust services, and digital service infrastructures. It also touches upon the transport sector through the focus on mobile driving licenses. Key areas include: European Digital Identity and Trust Services Ecosystem Gateways, eID Component, EU Digital Identity Wallet, eDelivery, and eSignature.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity explicitly mentions EU Member States as the primary target region. It also refers to countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme.

Project Stage: The expected maturity of the project is implementation and roll-out. The call aims to support the swift implementation of EU mobile driving licenses and the broader European Digital Identity Framework. This suggests that the underlying technologies and frameworks are already developed and the focus is on deployment and adoption.

Funding Amount: There are two specific funding amounts mentioned for the 2025 call:
DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-TECH-09-MDL: EUR 5,000,000 (with an indicative number of 3 grants)
DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-TECH-09-WALLET: EUR 10,000,000 (with an indicative number of 2 grants)

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by the "Open For Submission" status. The deadline model is single-stage.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support their projects.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage, as indicated by the "single-stage" deadline model.

Success Rates: The success rates cannot be accurately determined from the provided text. However, the indicative number of grants for each topic (3 for MDL and 2 for WALLET) provides some insight into the potential competitiveness of the call.

Co-funding Requirement: The information does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary:

This EU funding opportunity, part of the Digital Europe Programme, aims to accelerate the best use of technologies by supporting the roll-out of EU mobile driving licenses and the broader European Digital Identity Framework. The call targets issuers and verifiers of driving licenses within EU Member States, as well as countries associated with the Digital Europe Programme. The primary objective is to facilitate the effective implementation of the European Digital Identity Regulation and promote the rapid adoption of the EU Digital Identity Wallet by citizens, public institutions, and businesses.

The call focuses on two main topics: supporting the roll-out of EU Mobile Driving Licences (MDL) and the EU Digital Identity Wallet. The funding will be provided through DIGITAL Simple Grants, with a budget of EUR 5,000,000 allocated for the MDL topic and EUR 10,000,000 for the Wallet topic. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline of December 9, 2025.

Eligible applicants include issuers and verifiers of driving licenses, as well as other eco-system participants involved in the digital identity space. The projects should focus on implementation and roll-out activities, building on existing technical specifications and reference implementations. The supported digital service infrastructures include European Digital Identity and Trust Services Ecosystem Gateways, eID Component, EU Digital Identity Wallet, eDelivery, and eSignature.

The European Commission aims to facilitate the new EU Digital Identity Wallet architecture and its European Trust Infrastructure, as well as promote its adoption by eco-system participants in all the Member States as well as in new domains, with a focus on business applications. This will help implement the Digital Decade goal of providing 100% of European citizens with access to digital identification. The work will build on the existing technical specifications and reference implementation, and the results of the first round of Large Scale Pilots and aim to maintain the success of the eDelivery, eSignature and eID Building Blocks which have been taken up by Public Administrations (notably flagship applications of the Commission like the Import Control System, Business Registers Interconnection System, e-Justice, EU Sign, and the Once Only Technical System (OOTS)), helping provide 100% of key public services online (another Digital Decade goal) and the Private Sector (notably providers of electronic signatures) - both as Standards and through re-use of the reference implementations. In addition, the action should contribute to other relevant policy initiatives at EU level. Supported digital service infrastructures to facilitate European cross-border digital transactions include: