Digital Europe Programme – European Digital Innovation Hubs Expansion Call

Digital Europe Programme – European Digital Innovation Hubs Expansion Call is sponsored by European Commission. Completes and expands the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs in associated countries, reinforcing AI focus.

European Digital Innovation Hubs | Shaping Europe’s digital future European Digital Innovation Hubs European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) are one-stop shops supporting companies and public sector organisations to respond to digital challenges and become more competitive.

EDIHs support companies to improve business/production processes, products, or services using digital technologies by: Providing access to technical expertise and testing, as well as the possibility to 'test before invest' providing innovation services, such as financing advice, training, and skills development that are central to successful digital transformation helping companies tackle environmental issues, in particular the use of digital technologies for sustainability and circularity.

EDIHs combine the benefits of a regional presence with the opportunities available to a pan-European network. This regional presence leaves them well-placed to provide the services local companies need, through the local language and innovation ecosystem.

The European coverage of the network facilitates the exchange of best practices across hubs in different countries as well as the provision of specialised services across regions when the required skills are not locally available. Following the adoption of the Digital Europe Programme work programme (DIGITAL) (.

pdf) , the first restricted call for EDIHs has been completed with 136 projects chosen and most hubs operational in January 2023. A second call was launched to supplement the selection of EDIHs and to fill the gaps in the Network which resulted in the selection of a further 15 hubs. These further hubs will likely be operational by mid 2023.

Under this programme, 50% of the funding is provided by DIGITAL, and the other 50% is provided by the Member States, associated countries, their regions and/or private sources. National governments and regional authorities played a central role in the selection process of the EDIHs by identifying suitable candidate EDIHs to respond to the European calls for proposals.

High-quality candidate EDIHs, for which no DIGITAL funding was available, have received a Seal of Excellence. Some of these will be funded by their Member States or region and once they are operational, they can also become part of the network of EDIHs.

Recognising the importance of continuous learning for businesses, particularly small- and medium-sized enterprises, mid-caps, and startups, the 2025 AI Continent Action Plan intends to rely on the EDIHs network to increase their skills and training services with practical AI courses for various technical and non-technical backgrounds and specific industries.

In October 2025, the Commission has announced a selection of 83 EDIHs to renew and expand the EDIH network in EU Members States and associated countries with a reinforced AI focus. A total of 102 EDIHs, which include the 83 for funding, will also receive the STEP Seal, which recognises high-quality proposals operating to support strategic technologies. This initiative complements the vision of the Apply AI Strategy .

As Experience Centres for AI, the EDIHs will support EU’s AI first policy, which means that companies should be encouraged to apply AI as part of the solution, while evaluating its potential benefits and risks. The EDIHs will also promote the adoption and integration of European AI solutions to foster the growth of the EU domestic AI ecosystem.

With the EDIH network the European Commission wants to build a vibrant community of hubs and other stakeholders fostering networking, co-operation, and knowledge transfer activities between EDIH, SME and mid-caps, the public sector and the other relevant stakeholders and initiatives.

The Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) is supporting the achievement of this goal, through managing the web presence of the network, and hosting appropriate software platform and tools, including the online catalogue of EDIHs . The EDIH network web portal includes tools to assess the performance of the EDIH network, gauging the impact that EDIHs have on the digital maturity of the organisations they support.

To this end, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission has developed a Digital Maturity Assessment tool which can be used by all EDIHs to measure the progress of Digital Maturity of their customers. The Digital Maturity Assessment tool is available in the section of the web portal reserved for registered EDIHs.

European Digital Innovation Hubs and other initiatives Many EDIHs include organisations that are part of Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) or European Industrial Clusters (EIC). EDIHs should develop a strong connection with other networks, including EEN, EIC and Start-up Europe, to provide a seamless service to SMEs within local and regional ecosystems.

A guidance document (PDF) is under development to provide good practices and further detail on this cooperation.

FAQ: Digital Innovation Hubs Synergies between shared and direct management funds – Commission notice Follow the Commission's work on tech and digital @DigitalEU €204 million funding for projects boosting innovation in business digitalisation, digital skills, health, public and automotive sectors Commission announces renewed funding for 83 European Digital Innovation Hubs that will support the EU’s AI First policy Digital Europe Programme amended to accelerate the Commission’s digital ambitions Scaling Digital Health Solutions: Connecting TEFs, EDIHs and DIGITAL for Health Innovation EDIH Summit 2026: Strengthening the AI Innovation Ecosystem From Test to Field: Connecting AI, Robotics and Digital Services for Agri-Food SMEs Info session: AI Continent (DIGITAL-2026-EDIH-AC-09) - Materials available FAQ: European Digital Innovation Hubs Evaluation Results of the calls included in Call 1 of the DIGITAL Europe Programme Info session: AI Continent (DIGITAL-2026-EDIH-AC-09) - Materials available Digital Decade 2025 - Digitalisation of Business in the EU Member States Work Programme 2025-2027 of the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) Ecosystem for AI innovation in Europe Explore the Commission's AI ecosystem, where through initiatives like European Digital Innovation Hubs, AI Factories, or the AI Skills Academy, we foster innovation and drive Europe's leadership in AI.