Grant DIGITAL Europe: Collaboration Platform for the European Connected and Autonomous Vehicle of the Future
Applications closed 04.11.2025. This call is closed.
The European Commission has launched the call DIGITAL-2026-AI-09-AUTOMOTIVE aimed at developing a large-scale collaboration platform for automotive manufacturers, research institutions and innovation companies. The programme DIGITAL Europe supports the creation of a strong digital ecosystem uniting software, hardware, artificial intelligence, high-level architectures and autonomous driving technologies.
Scope of the Call
The initiative focuses on technical and organisational alignment across the sector, including the development of shared standards, a strategic roadmap for digital automotive technologies, and transparent governance mechanisms. Selected projects are expected to accelerate the transition to software-defined vehicles, strengthen Europe’s technological leadership, and support industrial cooperation.
What the Programme Supports
- development of a joint strategic roadmap for digital technologies in the automotive sector;
- alignment of high-level architectures and standards for SDVs, hardware, AI systems and autonomous driving;
- creation and advancement of a digital collaboration platform to coordinate joint developments;
- harmonisation of standardisation approaches at EU and international level;
- incubation of joint developments and preparation for integration into series production;
- establishment of transparent governance, roles and processes for sector-wide collaboration.
Who Can Apply
Participation is open to consortia that may include automotive industry companies, research organisations, universities, standardisation institutes, technology associations and digital ecosystem actors.
Key Information
Programme: Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL)
Call: AI Continent (DIGITAL-2026-AI-09)
Opening date: 4 November 2025
Deadline: 3 March 2026, 17:00 Brussels time
Total budget (topic): EUR 3 500 000
How to Apply
Applications are submitted through the official Funding & Tenders portal. Full details and requirements are available on the call page.
More funding opportunities for businesses, researchers and innovation teams are available in the Grants section on the GetGrant service.
Frequently asked questions
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