Update on Cluster 4 - Digital       

While there are “Digital” opportunities right across the programme, the main opportunities under Cluster 4 on “Digital” are primarily focused around three Destinations.

   ·  Destination 3: Developing an agile and secure single market and infrastructure for data-services and             trustworthy artificial intelligence services

   ·  Destination 4: Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging enabling technologies

   ·  Destination 6: Digital and industrial technologies driving human-centric innovation

The 2025 Cluster 4 Work Programme is now published with calls opening in May/June and closing in September/October. Overall, the Work Programme represents an investment of over €1.3B.

In preparation for the Cluster 4 Calls, the Commission recently organised the on-line Info Days on 13/14 May. This event was recorded, and the recordings can be found here.

The three NCP projects in Cluster 4 (IDEAL-IST, NCP4Industry and COSMOS4HE) have also organised on-line brokerages that will remain open up until call deadlines.

   ·   Online brokerage by IDEAL-IST for calls DIGITAL-CNECT and DIGITAL-HADEA                                                          https://www.b2match.com/e/cl4-digital-2025     

   ·   Online brokerage by NCP4Industry for calls INDUSTRY and INDUSTRY-TWO-STAGE                                               https://www.b2match.com/e/horizon-europe-industry-2025-brokerage          

   ·   Online brokerage by COSMOS4HE for call SPACE https://www.b2match.com/e/horizon-europe-space-            2025-brokerage          

Update on the Chips Joint Undertaking

Activities under the Chips Joint Undertaking are split across the “Chips for Europe” initiative (introduced as part of the EU Chips Act) and the more traditional non-initiative or “ECS” part of the programme which focuses on annual calls for collaborative R&D projects.

Chips for Europe activities have focused on pilot lines, an EU-wide design platform and a network of Chips Competence Centres.

Under the pilot lines, five projects have been selected for support, representing an overall investment of approximately €3.7B. The five pilot lines are: -

  ·  FAMES (FD-SOI pilot line for Applications with non-volatile embedded Memories, RF & 3D integration for        European Sovereignty​) 

  ·  APECS (Advanced Packaging for Electronic Components and Systems and Heterogeneous) 

  ·  NanoIC (European pilot line for beyond 2nm leading edge system-on-chip leadership) 

  ·  WBG (Wide Band Gap materials pilot line) 

  ·  PIXEurope (Advanced Photonic Integrated Circuits Pilot Line for Europe)

Ireland is participating in three of the pilot lines (namely FAMES, NanoIC and PIXEurope) via the Tyndall National Institute.

The first steps in the implementation of a Design Platform involved a call for a “Platform Coordination Team” to manage the overall process. A consortium of 12 European partners, coordinated by IMEC, was successful in being selected as the Platform Coordination Team. The next step in the process is a call for the set-up and integration of “Design Enablement Teams” (DETs).  Selected DETs will support European chip designers, particularly start-ups and SMEs, by providing cloud deployment of Electronic Design Automation tools, customised design flow support, application engineering, access to Process Design Kits, expert design consultancy, and prototyping and fabrication services. This call opens on 4 June with a deadline of 30 July. Further information can be found here.

Chips Competence Centres are part of the European Chips Act, aiming to boost the semiconductor industry and enhance technical expertise. These centres provide access to design, pilot line facilities, and skills development, especially for SMEs and startups. They serve as a first point of contact, guiding users to the broader Chips JU infrastructure. At the end of 2024, the Commission announced the selection of 27 Chips Competence Centres across 24 Member States and Norway to enhance technical expertise and skills development in the semiconductor sector. Included in the selection was the Irish Chips Competence Centre, IC3. The Centre is expected to be launched in Q3 this year and is a joint effort between Tyndall, MCCI, MIDAS, UCD and NovaUCD.

In terms of the “non-initiative” part of the Chips JU (also referred to as the ECS or electronic components and systems) the 2025 call represents an EU investment of €230M with commensurate funding from the participating states. For the most part, this is a two-stage call; the stage 1 deadline has lapsed and the stage 2 deadline is 17 September.

The next edition of EFECS – the European Forum for Electronic Components and Systems, will take place in Malta, on 3/4 December, 2025, at the Hilton Hotel in St. Julian’s.

This year’s theme, Accelerate Innovation: Building European Competitiveness, puts the spotlight on value chain security, sustainability, and emerging market opportunities, all in the context of Europe’s strategic drive for technological sovereignty. Save the date and stay tuned for more updates!

Update on the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU)

The 2025 SNS work programme has been published and represents an EU investment of €128M. Two calls for proposals were recently published.

The first Call covering Stream B and Stream C, opened on 22 May 2025: it focusses on advancing Europe’s leadership in Beyond 5G and 6G technologies. A total of €104 million in EU funding has been allocated to support these R&I activities as part of the SNS JU R&I Work Programme 2025.

A second Call covering Stream D will open on 18 June 2025: it focusses on supporting advanced 5G/6G Trials and Pilots in Key Vertical Sectors. With a dedicated budget of €24 million, this call for proposals is expected to explore and demonstrate technologies and advanced applications and services in key vertical domains.

Both calls have a deadline of 18 September 2025.

An info day and brokerage event took place on Friday 23 May and all information is available at the event website.

There is also an on-line brokerage platform that can be accessed here.