Information for Associated Countries

This space is dedicated to European Digital Innovation Hubs from Associated Countries. The aim of this page is to, not only present useful information regarding call for proposals and grant agreement preparation, but also to provide guidance and support for the successful launch and operation of new hubs. EDIHs from Associated Countries will find in this page all available material on past and upcoming informative webinars, including presentation slides and recordings of the sessions.

Key documents to support and guide the process of the proposal elaboration:

On 16 December 2025 at 10:00 AM, the European Commission will organise an Info Day for future EDIHs in Switzerland dedicated to the DIGITAL Europe Programme call DIGITAL-2026-EDIH-AC-09 (AI Continent).

The session will provide prospective applicants with essential information on the call, including guidance on how to prepare and submit a strong proposal. Participants will also have the opportunity to engage in Q&A sessions throughout the event.

The link to join the session and further practical information are available on the HaDEA event page.

On 11 June 2025, HaDEA organised a webinar on grant management, providing the new European Digital Innovation Hubs with useful information and rules on operational, financial, and legal aspects.

The Eighteen Hubs from Albania, N. Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Türkiye, Kosovo and Montenegro, selected for funding under the DIGITAL-2023-EDIH-04 call, had the opportunity to participate in this insightful webinar.

The session included information on:

• HaDEA’s role in supporting DEP funding projects

• Financial management of DEP projects

• Q&A session

• Legal aspects of DEP projects

To access the recording and the replies to all your questions please visit the event page here. 

On the 30th of April of 2025, DG CNECT and the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) organised the 2025 Call for Proposals for the EDIH Network in Associated Countries Information Day. 

The Info Day covered the following topics: 

• DIGITAL-2025-EDIH-AC-08-COMPLETION-STEP: Completion of the initial Network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs)

• DIGITAL-2025-EDIH-AC-08-CONSOLIDATION-STEP: Consolidation of the Network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs with reinforced AI focus)

This session was dedicated to clarifying details of the call, such as indicative timeframe, objectives, scope and co-funding considerations. Similarly, it provided an in-depth analysis of STEP and the Participant Portal, explaining the application and evaluation process and the submission system.

During this session participants were able to not only ask any pending questions they may have had but also gather additional details on how to prepare a proposal, officially register their organizations, verify their alignment with laws and regulations, and make sure they have the financial capabilities to apply. 

The recording of the session is available here.

The presentations of the Info Day are now available: 

• DIGITAL-2025-EDIH-AC-08- Policy Context

• Legal validation and Financial capacity assessment

• Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP)

• Submitting a successful proposal via the Funding & Tenders Portal

• Support with proposal preparation

Further information

Please note that the Call opened on the 15th of April and the deadline for submission is the 2nd of September. 

Detailed guidelines and application documents can be found on the official page of the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

The European Digital Innovation Hubs - Associated countries (EDIHs with reinforced AI focus) (DIGITAL-2025-EDIH-AC-08) call has been concluded.

This initiative aims to further strengthen the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs by focusing on advancing Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities within the network. It offers an excellent opportunity for your Hub to consolidate its position and continue contributing to the digital transformation across Europe.

Please take note of the following key details:

• Call Reference: DIGITAL-2025-EDIH-AC-08-CONSOLIDATION-STEP

• Eligibility: listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme

• Deadline for Submission: 02 September 2025

Detailed guidelines and application documents can be found on the official page of the EU Funding and Tenders Portal.

Three webinars took place to onboard European Digital Innovation Hubs from Associated Countries took place in 2025. 

Webinar 3 -12 March 2025

The slides of the session are available here. 

The recording of the session is available here.

Webinar 2: 24 February 2025

The slides of the session are available here.

The recording of the session is available here. 

Webinar 1: 30 January 2025

The slides of the session are available here.

The recording of the session is available here

On 25 July 2024 an informative webinar was held with representatives from the 18 selected new EDIHs.

The informative webinar focused on the Grant Agreement Preparation process for the EDIHs in Associated Countries, including detailed information on the legal validation and financial capacity assessment, as well as on the process to be followed until the final signature of the Grant Agreement. Additionally, the Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) provided an overview of all the services offered to the EDIH Network, which the new 18 EDIHs will be able to take advantage of.

The slides of the session are available here:

• Legal and Financial validation process
• Description of Action - detailed overview of the process and the tools
• DTA services

The recording of the session is available here.

On 20 February, a webinar was held on the Digital Europe Call (DIGITAL-2023-EDIH-04-ASSOCIATED) ‘Network of European Digital Innovation Hubs – Associated Countries’. 

The webinar offered pre-selected candidates a deep dive into the Call and its application process. This was complemented by insight into the hands-on experience and good practices from already established EDIHs that shared tips and ‘dos and don’ts’ on how to prepare and submit a successful proposal. In addition, the Digital Transformation Accelerator (DTA) presented specific support measures offered to the DIGITAL-2023-EDIH-04-ASSOCIATED call applicants and to the EDIH Network. 

The recording of the session is available here.

Two informal meetings took place in 2023 with representatives of countries that have either signed, or are intending to sign, an association agreement with the EU for the Digital Europe programme.

Second meeting - 28 September 2023

Please access the presentation that was shared during the meeting EDIH-AssociatedCountries presentation-28.09.2023.pdf as well as a quick introduction to the DTA team and services for the EDIH Network DTA General presentation-Associated countries-28.09.2023.pdf.

Additionally, the recording of the session is available here: https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/edihs-associated-countries-information-session-20230928-0744-1

First meeting - 12 July 2023

Access the presentation (pdf) shared during the meeting and the template (pdf) for the description of the national digitalisation strategy. An editable version of the template is available for download at the end of this page.

You can also watch the recording of the online meeting at this link:  https://webcast.ec.europa.eu/edihs-associated-countries-information-session-20230712 

The Network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (DIGITAL-2023-EDIH-04) call launched under the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL), opened the 20th December 2023 and closed the 10th April 2024.

All the information of this call is published on the Funding and Tender portal of the European Commission.  

The general work programme can be downloaded from this page.

The workprograme is complemented by the call description, available in this link. 

According to the the workprogramme "Associated Countries are requested to designate a number of potential EDIHs geographically spread (in case they will have more than one EDIH) over the country, that respond to the demand of industry and public sector while taking into account existing assets and National priorities. They have to be selected through an open and competitive process in accordance with national procedures, administrative and institutional structures."

The selection resulted in a designation letter that potential EDIHs had to attach to their proposal submitted to the European Commission call.

Please note that in preparation for this EDIH call, the European Commission had organised a cycle of online workshop addressing the different aspects of the process. All the relevant information can be found on this page:

• First informal meeting with Associated Countries

• Second informal meeting with Associated Countries

• Webinar Network of European Digital Innovation Hubs – Associated Countries

The proposals that will be selected in the EDIH call for Associated Countries will sign a grant with the European Commission. To do this, all the entities participating in the proposal will have to register in the Funding and Tender portal as participants, and receive a "Participant Identification Code" (PIC).

The steps to follow are described here.

Registering as participant does not entail any obligation for the entity, and can significantly reduce the time needed to sign a grant with the European Commission.

The European Commission will be assisted, in the evaluation of proposals for the EDIH call, by external experts. We ask each Associated Country to nominate one "national expert" which is knowledgeable on the situation of the country in terms of digitalisation needs, and that can contribute to evaluate fairly the proposals received.

To work as an expert for the European Commission, (s)he will have to register as an expert in the portal. The various steps needed are explained here.  On the same link you find also all the information about contracts and remuneration of experts.

Registering as an expert does not entail any obligation, but is necessary to work in the evaluation of any call for proposals of the European Commission.  

The call closed the 10th April 2024 and, as a result, 18 new EDIHs offering a wide range of specialised digital transformation services will join the EDIH network from the following countries: Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine and Kosovo.

All applicants have been informed of the assessment results and the grant agreements must be signed by the end of 2024.

Find the detailed call results here.