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Call key data
Reference deployments of European cloud-edge services (industrial IoT Edge and Telco Edge developments)
Funding Program
Digital Europe
Call number
DIGITAL-2024-CLOUD-AI-06-EDGE
deadlines
Opening
29.02.2024
Deadline
29.05.2024 17:00
Funding rate
50%
Call budget
€ 30,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
€ 30,000,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The objective of this action is to setup one pilot demonstrating Telco Edge deployment and benefits obtained in key application areas and sectors.
Call objectives
Edge computing is the essential technology to cope with the requirement for highly distributed and decentralised data processing identified in the European Data Strategy. Edge computing will process and extract value from the ongoing data deluge triggered by the widespread deployment of connected objects and sensors, such as connected cars, home appliances or manufacturing robots. Because it is an emerging market, edge computing represents a significant opportunity for European leadership, in economic, competitiveness, sustainability and data sovereignty terms.
Specifically, Telco Edge deployment, i.e. the deployment led by telecom operators of joint 5G and edge deployments, has the potential to be a driving force behind the growth of ultra-low latency data processing enabled by edge computing.
Telco edge deployment – combined with industrial IoT edge solutions where appropriate – will ensure access to data services with low latency (few milliseconds) across the entire European continent, providing European digital infrastructures that meet the needs of citizens, businesses, and public administrations.
The objective of this action is to setup one pilot demonstrating Telco Edge deployment and benefits obtained in key application areas and sectors. Furthermore, this topic intends to incentivise the balanced deployment of climate-neutral highly secure edge nodes across the EU (as per the Digital Decade objectives), by focusing on integration and interoperability of Telco Edge and IoT Edge technologies (including open technical specifications and standards), and by targeting concrete use cases from a broad stakeholder base (including telecom operators, telecom equipment manufacturers, cloud service providers, and industrial IoT equipment providers). Wherever possible, this action should build on the results of the IPCEI on Cloud Infrastructures and Services (IPCEI-CIS). This action should foster integration of different edge solutions coming from the telecom and industrial sectors and ensure their effective interoperability, in view of overcoming siloed business strategies.
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Expected effects and impacts
- Deployments and Implementation of Edge solutions evenly distributed across the European territory and demonstration of its use in key applications and sectors.
- A robust strategic industrial cooperation in diverse Edge computing architectures and standards, critical to establishing a mature European supply chain.
- Demonstration of seamless interoperability, uptake and scaling-up of diverse edge computing solutions.
Expected results
Proposals for a pilot project should target the deployment, take-up and up-scaling of Telco Edge Cloud, including their hardware and software frameworks, focusing on far Edge and near Edge installations (for example as part of 5G deployments) under real life conditions, and demonstrating smooth interoperability with on-device and on premises Edge. Actions should showcase cross-border and balanced deployment across the EU and address key applications and sectors crucial for Europe’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy, such as industrial IoT.
Such systems will create value by demonstrating a tight technology integration that includes everything from the most constrained devices at the Edge, to the interaction with highly performant cloud, demonstrating seamless integration and seamless interoperability of Telco Edge developments with Industrial Edge solutions. Ultimately, the aim is to incentivize the realisation of an adequate European Edge nodes deployment density. In particular, the pilot project should avoid siloed approaches to edge computing technology developments.
The pilot project should be co-designed and co-created in close cooperation between all the stakeholders involved, representing the complete value chain of Edge and Cloud computing both from the telco edge (including industrial edge) on the supply side, and addressing innovative and concrete services and solutions on the demand side.
The pilot project should address, when necessary, the standardization efforts needed to drive a transparent interoperability among these diverse edge computing environments and clouds. The pilot project should as well, where possible, re-use components of Simpl, and in any case, ensure that its outputs feed into its associated Open-Source community.
The selected project should act as a showcase for the whole of the Union, providing examples of Edge nodes deployment at adequate densities, and show how it could be taken up in multiple application sectors by clearly demonstrating its added-value and its impact.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Moldova (Moldova), Albania (Shqipëria), Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bosna i Hercegovina / Босна и Херцеговина), Iceland (Ísland), Kosovo (Kosova/Kosovë / Косово), Liechtenstein, Montenegro (Црна Гора), North Macedonia (Северна Македонија), Norway (Norge), Serbia (Srbija/Сpбија), Türkiye, Ukraine (Україна)
eligible entities
Education and training institution, Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) / Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
Proposals must be submitted by minimum 3 independent applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.
To be eligible for funding, applicants must be:
- legal entities (public or private bodies)
- established in one of the eligible countries:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
- EEA countries (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein)
- other countries associated to the Digital Europe Programme (list of participating countries)
Specific cases:
Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of self-employed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).
International organisations — International organisations are not eligible, unless they are International organisations of European Interest within the meaning of Article 2 of the Digital Europe Regulation (i.e. international organisations the majority of whose members are Member States or whose headquarters are in a Member State).
EU bodies — EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.
Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.
Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’.
other eligibility criteria
Geographic location (target countries) Due to restrictions due to security: − the proposals must relate to activities taking place in the eligible countries (see above).
Projects involving EU classified information must undergo security scrutiny to authorise funding and may be made subject to specific security rules (detailed in a security aspects letter (SAL) which is annexed to the Grant Agreement).
Financial support to third parties is not allowed.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
project duration
between 30 and 36 months
Additional Information
Proposals must be submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System (accessible via the Topic page in the Search Funding & Tenders section. Paper submissions are NOT possible.
Proposals must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents:
- Application Form Part A — contains administrative information about the participants (future coordinator, beneficiaries and affiliated entities) and the summarised budget for the project (to be filled in directly online)
- Application Form Part B — contains the technical description of the project (to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded)
- Mandatory annexes and supporting documents (to be uploaded):
- detailed budget table/calculator: not applicable
- CVs of core project team: not applicable
- activity reports of last year: not applicable
- list of previous projects (key projects for the last 4 years) (template available in Part B): not applicable
- ownership control declarations (including for associated partners and subcontractors): applicable
Proposals are limited to maximum 70 pages (Part B).
Call documents
DIGITAL-2024-CLOUD-AI-06 Call documentDIGITAL-2024-CLOUD-AI-06 Call document(749kB)
Contact
Website
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