COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Progress report on multi-country projects Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions State of the Digital Decade 2025: Keep building the EU's sovereignty and digital future
Date: 2025-06-16
Institutions: Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology, European Commission
Subjects: EU Member State, EU programme, European Joint Undertaking, consortium, digital single market, digital technology, innovation, project of common interest

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 16.6.2025  SWD(2025) 292 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Progress report on multi-country projects Accompanying the document Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions State of the Digital Decade 2025: Keep building the EU's sovereignty and digital future {COM(2025) 290 final} - {SWD(2025) 290 final} - {SWD(2025) 291 final} - {SWD(2025) 293 final} - {SWD(2025) 294 final} - {SWD(2025) 295 final}  
 
 
PROGRESS REPORT 
ON MULTI-COUNTRY 
PROJECTS 

 
 
 
 
Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 3 

1. 

Existing European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs) ....................................................... 5 

1.1 Alliance for Language Technologies (ALT-EDIC) ....................................................................... 5 

1.2 Local Digital Twins towards the CitiVERSE - EDIC ..................................................................... 7 

1.3 EUROPEUM-EDIC...................................................................................................................... 8 

2. 

European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs) in preparation ............................................ 9 

2.1  Progress  towards  setting  up  the  Innovative  Massive  Public  Administration  interConnected 
Transformation Services EDIC (IMPACTS-EDIC) .............................................................................. 9 

2.2 Progress towards setting up the Cybersecurity Skills Coalition EDIC ....................................... 9 

2.3 Progress towards setting up the Digital Commons EDIC ........................................................ 10 

2.4 Progress towards setting up the Agri-Food EDIC ................................................................... 10 

2.5 Progress towards setting up the Genome EDIC ..................................................................... 11 

2.6 Progress towards setting up the Cancer Image Europe (EUCAIM) EDIC ................................ 11 

2.7 Progress towards setting up the EDIC for Mobility and Logistics ........................................... 12 

2.8 The possible set-up of the EU Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA) EDIC .................................... 12 

3. 

Important Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) .................................................... 11 

3.1 IPCEI on Microelectronics and Communication Technologies (IPCEI-ME/CT) ....................... 11 

3.2. IPCEI on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI-CIS) .............................. 12 

3.3. IPCEI in Microelectronics (IPCEI-ME) .................................................................................... 12 

3.4. Potential IPCEI candidates ..................................................................................................... 12 

4. 

Joint Undertakings ................................................................................................................... 13 

4.1 Chips Joint Undertaking (the former Key Digital Technologies (KDT) JU) .............................. 13 

4.2 European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) ................................ 14 

Date 2025 

2025 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Introduction 

This  report  looks  at  the  progress  of  selected  multi-country  projects  (MCPs)  and  European  Digital 
Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs) between May 2024 and May 2025. As background, we first outline the basic 
concepts linked to MCPs and EDICs, as outlined in the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 Decision1. 

Governance structure for multi-country collaboration 

The  Digital  Decade  Policy  Programme  2030  (DDPP)  translates  the  vision  of  a  digitally  enabled  society 
into  a  concrete  set  of  targets  driving  the  deployment  of  the  EU’s  strategic  digital  capacities.  Together 
with the targets, the  DDPP establishes a governance structure enhancing collaboration between the 
EU  and  its  Member  States  to  identify  weaknesses  and  propose  common  solutions.  Multi-country 
projects (MCPs)  are  large-scale projects facilitating the achievement  of the digital targets set  out  in 
Article 4 of the DDPP Decision, including the EU and the Member States’ financing. MCPs are one of 
the  building  blocks  of  this  governance  structure,  providing  a  tool  to  drive  the  collective  investment 
efforts in high priority areas outlined in the DDPP Decision Annex.  

Characteristics of multi-country projects:  

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

enable large-scale projects that one single Member State could not develop on its own;   

pool resources to achieve economies of scale and increase impact;   

help reduce the digital divide between Member States;   

support an interconnected, interoperable and secure Digital Single Market;   

build ecosystems of excellence big enough to attract and retain talent;   

implement flagship initiatives for which cooperation among Member States is important.  

Areas of activity for multi-country projects, as listed in the Annex to the DDPP Decision:  

a)  European common data infrastructure and services;  
b)  endowing the Union with the next generation of low-power trusted processors;  
c)  developing the pan-European deployment of 5G corridors; 
d)  acquiring  supercomputers  and  quantum  computers,  connected  with  the  European  high 

performance computing (EuroHPC);  

e)  developing  and  deploying  ultra-secure  quantum  and 

space-based  communication 

infrastructures;  

f)  deploying a network of security operations centres;  
g)  connected public administration;  
h)  European blockchain services infrastructure;  
i) 
European digital innovation hubs (EDIHs);  
j)  high-tech partnerships for digital skills;  
k)  skills and training in cybersecurity;  
l)  other  projects  which  meet  all  the  requirements  set  out  in  Article  11  and  which  become 
necessary to achieve the general objectives of the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030 over 
time due to emerging social, economic or environmental developments.  

1  DECISION  (EU)  2022/2481  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  PARLIAMENT  AND  OF  THE  COUNCIL  of  14  December  2022  establishing  the  Digital 
Decade Policy Programme 2030 

3 

 
 
Instruments through which MCPs can be implemented, under Article 11 of the DDPP Decision, are the 
Joint Undertakings (JUs), European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs), EU’s agencies, Important 
Projects of Common European Interest (IPCEIs) and independent actions of the Member States. Since 
the  adoption  of  the  DDPP,  collaboration  between  Member  States  and  the  Commission  has  been 
stepped  up  through  the  implementing  mechanism  introduced  by  the  DDPP,  namely  the  European 
Digital  Infrastructure  Consortium  (EDIC).  This  new  legal  instrument  combines  the  benefits  of  a  rapid 
and flexible set-up and the leading role of the Member States in the EDICs’ set-up and operations.  

As reflected in this Annex, the list of areas of activity for multi-country projects remained stable in the past 
year, allowing Member States and the European Commission to progress on the  many large-scale projects 
that  were  already  advancing  the  EU’s  technological  capacities  in  these  sectors. Concerning  the  individual 
initiatives, the main developments described below have taken place since May 2024. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Implementation of the  EDICs  established  in 2024,  namely the Alliance for Language Technologies 
EDIC,  the  Local  Digital  Twins  towards  the  CitiVERSE  EDIC,  and  the  EUROPEUM-EDIC.  There  have 
been  incorporations  at  national  level  and  launch  events;  and  directors  have  assumed  office,  and 
first projects have been launched. 

Further  EDICs  are  currently  in  preparation,  and  more  initiatives  are  under  consideration  for 
becoming EDICs. 

The  IPCEI  on  Microelectronics  and  Communication  Technologies  (IPCEI-ME/CT)  and  the  IPCEI  on 
Next  Generation  Cloud  Infrastructure  and  Services  (IPCEI-CIS),  approved  mid  and  late  2023,  are 
now fully operational.  

The Chips JU and the EuroHPC JU are progressing further to deliver on their expanded objectives. 

In addition to the development of individual projects and infrastructures, efforts are undergoing to support 
the development of the EDIC ecosystem. To this end, the first Annual EDIC Gathering is planned for autumn 
2025. This event aims to harness synergies, foster knowledge exchange, help identify solutions to common 
challenges and facilitate strategic discussion among the stakeholders about the future of the EDICs. 

4 

 
1. Existing European Digital 

Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs) 

1.1 Alliance for Language Technologies (ALT-EDIC) 

The Alliance for Language Technologies EDIC (ALT-EDIC) was established by the Commission on 7 February 
2024 through Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2024/458. 

With the seat in Villers-Cotterêts, France, the ALT-EDIC started with 11 founding Members States (Bulgaria, 
Croatia,  France,  Greece,  Ireland,  Italy,  Latvia,  Lithuania,  Netherlands,  Poland  and  Slovenia).  Six  observing 
Member  States  were  part  of  the  consortium  (Austria,  Denmark,  Estonia,  Malta,  Romania  and  Slovakia). 
Since May 2025, 17 Member States are members of the EDIC (those above plus Spain, Czechia, Denmark, 
Hungary,  Luxembourg  and  Finland),  and  eight  Member  States  are  participating  as  observers  (those  above 

5 

 
 
plus Belgium, Cyprus and Portugal, except Denmark, which became a full member). The region of Flanders 
has been a full member since March 2025.  

In 2024, the ALT-EDIC focused on: (i) coordinating the participation of the EDIC in funding mechanisms; (ii) 
seeking  data  availability  in  each  participating  country;  (iii)  providing  guidance  to  relevant  institutions  and 
companies  interested  in  provisioning,  deploying  and  using  solutions  based  on  large  language  models 
(LLMs); and (iv) seeking practical steps to integrate the Language Data Space into their services on offer.  

The  official  launch  conference  of  the  EDIC  took  place  in March  2025  and  presented  the  objectives  of  the 
ALT-EDIC  and  outlined  its  strategic  priorities.  The  role  of  ALT-EDIC  is  to  implement  the  MCP:  Alliance  for 
language  technologies  in  the  European  Union  –  ALTEU.  This  falls  under  the  European  common  data 
infrastructure  and  services  area  of  activity  listed  in  the  DDPP  Annex.  The  ALT-EDIC  seeks  to  improve 
European  competitiveness,  increase  the  availability  of  European  language  data  and  uphold  Europe’s 
linguistic  diversity  and  cultural  richness.  This  will  support  the  creation  of  LLMs,  which  are  advanced  AI 
models that excel in understanding and generating human-like language. These capabilities, cutting across 
several  applications,  are  key  to  the  AI  transformation.  It  is  therefore  important  for  the  EU  to  ensure  that 
these  models  embrace  the  linguistic  diversity  of  the  EU.  Furthermore,  initiatives  to  create  and  share 
available  datasets  for  languages  must  contribute  to  improving  the  capabilities  of  AI  models  in  addressing 
the  linguistic  needs  of  smaller  Member  States  and  language  communities  with  limited  language  data, 
empowering  users  to  engage  with  digital  content  in  their  native  languages.  The  supply  of  high-quality 
language data will be key for the EU’s model developers. 

As  part  of  its  efforts  to  support  the  European  Data  Strategy,  the  Commission  will  make  high-quality 
language data from the European institutions available, covering all official European languages. 

Finally, as advanced models can effectively handle multiple types of data simultaneously (text, audio, video, 
images,  code,  etc.),  ALT-EDIC  will  also  open  up  possibilities  for  more  holistic  and  comprehensive  AI 
applications across various domains. 

The ALT-EDIC’s action plan focuses on the five thematic areas described below. 

•  Data:  develop  a  central  platform  for  European  language  resources  and  collect  high-quality  data 
sets, building on the Language Data Space. Creating strategic data for low-resource languages will 
be a particular focus.  

• 

Existing  language  models:  gather  open-source  models,  fine-tune,  reduce  and  optimise  them  for 
use  in  European  SMEs,  and  provide  methodologies  for  their  evaluation,  certification  and 
normalisation.  

•  New  language  models:  launch  new  open-source  models  (including  models  with  multimodal 
capabilities), efficiently coordinate access to EuroHPC computers for EU companies and industries, 
and provide support to public and private experts to develop new models.  

• 

• 

Evaluation,  certification,  and  normalisation:  provide  methodologies  to  address  potential 
discrimination and bias introduced by natural language processing.  

Ecosystem:  develop  a  start-up  incubator  for  businesses  participating  in  the  EDIC,  promote  links 
between  industry  and  research,  act  as  a  key  player  of  the  EU  Coordinated  plan  on  AI,  bring 
together and strengthen the Language Technologies (LT) community, provide dedicated support to 
institutions for investing in LT, and develop cultural programmes based on AI for language. 

ALT-EDIC has been fully operational since the beginning of January 2025, following the appointment of its 
director  and  staff.  The  first  quarter  of  2025  marked  the  start  of  two  projects  funded  under  the  Digital 
Europe Programme and coordinated by ALT-EDIC, with an additional project currently in preparation. 

6 

 
1.2 Local Digital Twins towards the CitiVERSE - EDIC 

The Local Digital Twins – CitiVERSE EDIC was established on 7 February 2024 by Commission Implementing 
Decision (EU) 2024/459. 

The  founding  Member  States  on  the  statutes  were  Croatia,  Czechia,  Estonia,  France,  Latvia,  Portugal, 
Slovenia and Spain. Before the Commission Decision was published, Belgium, Luxembourg and Slovakia also 
joined the original notification and are considered founding Member States. The constituent assembly was 
held on 12 December 2024 at the seat of this EDIC (Valencia, Spain), where three new Member States (Italy, 
the Netherlands and Ireland) joined. The legal establishment process finished in March 2025. 

The LDT-CitiVERSE-EDIC  delivers on the Commission’s priorities  for the digital and  green transitions and 
the  New  European  Bauhaus.  This  EDIC  will  contribute  to  the  European  common data  infrastructure  and 
services  area  of  activity,  with  a  focus  on  the  transversal  Data  Space  for  Smart  Communities,  and  Climate 
Neutral  Cities  initiatives.  It  will  ensure  an  open  digital  infrastructure  environment  and  foster  an  industrial 
ecosystem for digital twins and a market  for EU SMEs and industry. It will also  carry out targeted training 
activities for digital smart city solutions. Strategic business and policy priorities for the LDT-CitiVERSE-EDIC 
concentrate on the activities below. 

• 

• 

• 

Technical developments: design, development, deployment, and scale-up of EU infrastructures for 
digital twins; implement  the  common EU architecture blueprint  for the Smart  Communities  Data 
Space;  develop  AI-based  solutions  for  Smart  Communities;  establish  sustainable  mechanisms  for 
EU  infrastructure;  create  and  run  an  open-source  community  for  Smart  Communities;  and  liaise 
with  existing  EU  infrastructures  like  Destination  Earth  and  the  Euro  High  Performance  Computer 
Joint Undertaking. 

Cooperation: determine opportunities for Member States digital transformation with  the support 
of  Local  and  Regional  Digital  Maturity  Assessment  System  (LORDIMAS);  implement  an  EU-based 
data  strategy  and  common  governance;  set  out  funding  schemes  and  draft  joint  procurements; 
develop  an  active  digital  strategy;  cooperate  with  other  relevant  EU  initiatives  (e.g.  European 
Digital 
Innovation  Hubs  (EDIHs),  Scalable  Cities,  EU  mission  100  climate  neutral  cities, 
eGovernment, European electronic identification (eID), EU Product passport). 

Communication and dissemination: capacity-building and concerted actions; assistance to cities in 
the  process  of  introducing  and  implementing  Digital  Twins;  transfer  of  knowledge  in  relation  to 
scale-up solutions across Europe; share expertise and coordinate mechanisms for an interoperable 
EU (including standardisation). 

This  EDIC  aims  to  enrol  40  cities  in  the  new  structure,  becoming  the  first  pan-European  common  digital 
infrastructure  serving  Smart  Communities.  The  initial  roadmap  for  the  LDT-CitiVERSE-EDIC  includes  two 
action groups: Infrastructure and Projects. 

The  Infrastructure  group  will  develop  the  initial  business  plan  after  an  agreement  on  the  main 
infrastructures relevant to the LDT-CitiVERSE-EDIC. It will collaborate on the ongoing procurements for the 
EU  LDT  Toolbox  and  focus  on  synergies  with  existing  official  networks  of  the  Commission,  the  Barcelona 
Supercomputing Center, the European Committee of the Regions, Living-in.EU and other EDICs. The group’s 
first initiative has been to develop the first Simplified Interoperable Middleware Platform (SIMPL)-based EU 
data space (for Smart Communities). 

The Projects group will coordinate efforts in projects relevant  to the EDIC and prepare joint proposals  for 
call  for  proposals,  in  particular  Digital  Europe  Programme  calls,  and  ensure  an  inclusive  approach  to 
member cities in the EDIC. 

7 

 
1.3 EUROPEUM-EDIC 

The European Blockchain Partnership and European Blockchain Services Infrastructure EDIC (EUROPEUM-
EDIC)  was  created  on  21 May  2024  by  Commission  Implementing  Decision  (EU)  2024/1432  with  nine 
members  (representing  Belgium,  Croatia,  Cyprus,  Italy,  Greece,  Luxembourg,  Portugal,  Romania  and 
Slovenia). Poland joined shortly after the creation of the EDIC, and Spain joined in early 2025, increasing the 
number of members to 11. Other Member States, including Sweden, have also indicated their intention to 
join as observers, and others could join at later stage. The seat of the EDIC is in Brussels, Belgium. 

The mission of EUROPEUM-EDIC is to establish the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) and 
operate  it  in  order  to  deliver  EU-wide  cross-border  services,  in  particular  public  services.  The  EDIC  will 
therefore contribute to the European blockchain services infrastructure MCP area of activity. EUROPEUM-
EDIC  should  also  support  cross-border  cooperation  between  public  authorities  on  decentralised 
technologies,  facilitate  the  interoperability  of  solutions  with  other  technologies,  including  at  protocols, 
smart contracts, and applications level, and contribute to creating better conditions for innovation. 

EUROPEUM-EDIC  intends  to  move  EBSI  to  its  production  phase  in  2025.  It  will  provide  a  sovereign 
infrastructure for  supporting cross-border, national and local services. It will help reinforce public services 
and the implementation of policies by providing capacity and trust models for sharing and verifying a large 
range of certification and credentials, for instance in the area of education. It will support the creation of 
new types of registries for managing the rights of businesses and organisations, for instance, to enable the 
operational verification of rights of brand owners for anti-counterfeiting purposes. The model developed in 
collaboration  with  the  European  Union  Intellectual  Property  Office  (EUIPO)  can  apply  to  various  other 
applications, like the implementation of digital product passports. 

8 

 
 
 
2. European Digital Infrastructure 
Consortia (EDICs) in preparation 

Innovative  Massive  Public 
2.1  Progress  towards  setting  up  the 
Administration  interConnected  Transformation  Services  EDIC  (IMPACTS-
EDIC) 

Following  the  pre-notification  of  the  IMPACTS-EDIC  submitted  in  May  2023,  the  consortium  submitted  its 
formal  application  in  December  2024;  this  was  coordinated  by  Greece  and  the  other  founding  members 
(Croatia, Hungary and Poland). Cyprus and the Netherlands requested to join as observers. The assessment 
is ongoing; consultation of the Digital Decade Committee on the draft Commission decision  is expected in 
2025. 

The  IMPACTS-EDIC  aims  to  connect  public  administrations  to  provide  advanced  public  services  across 
Europe. It is considered to be the operational arm of the Interoperable Europe Act, leveraging investment in 
joint development and the deployment of interoperability solutions and cross-border services. 

The  IMPACTS-EDIC  intends  to  develop  reusable,  digital  solutions  for  public  administrations  that  will  help 
implement  EU  policies  that  can  be  further  disseminated  through  the  Interoperable  Europe  Board  (the 
governance  body  established  by  the  Interoperable  Europe  Act).  In  addition,  the  IMPACTS-EDIC  aims  to 
contribute to the priorities of the Interoperable Europe Agenda by providing solutions and implementing 
actions  identified  in  the  annual  strategic  roadmap.  IMPACTS-EDIC  contributes  to  the  Connected  Public 
Administration MCP area of activity. 

Several  work  streams  aim  to  contribute  to  the  creation  of  innovative  public  services  and  new  reusable 
interoperable solutions, exploiting existing European and national initiatives, namely: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

European Trans-border Information Architecture (BOARD-IA); 

data analytics platform for public administration in the EU; 

a platform for the co-creation of cross-border public services; 

a regulatory sandbox for data exchange among Member States; 

EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDIW) a secure, personalised and user-controlled tool enabling citizens 
to prove their identity, and share documents, and sign digitally.    

secure and interoperable cross-border network for the exchange of data; 

zero  distance  public  administration, aiming to  ensure that citizens and businesses have access to 
necessary  public  services  and  information  with  minimal  administrative  barriers  and  delays, 
regardless of location. 

Meanwhile,  a  consortium,  composed  of  Greece  as  the  coordinator  and  Croatia,  Finland,  Hungary, 
Luxembourg,  Poland  and  Portugal,  is  supported  through  a  Coordination  and  Support  Action  (under  the 
Digital  Europe  Programme’s  2024  work  programme).  The  consortium  will  create  a  roadmap  and pave  the 
way for another MCP (INVEST CSA). 

2.2 Progress towards setting up the Cybersecurity Skills Coalition EDIC 

The Communication on the Cybersecurity Skills  Academy proposes governance through an EDIC. Greece is 
leading the efforts to develop the Cybersecurity Skills Coalition EDIC (CSC-EDIC) as part of a consortium that 

9 

 
also includes Cyprus, Austria, Croatia and Slovenia.  The formal application is expected to be submitted  by 
Q3 of 2025, and the EDIC should be operational by the end of 2025. 

The  CSC-EDIC  intends  to  contribute  to  addressing  cybersecurity  skills  gap  in  Member  States,  thereby 
reinforcing  the  competitiveness,  growth,  and  resilience  of  the  EU.  This  commitment  is  set  out  in  the 
Communication of the Commission to the European Parliament and  the Council ‘Closing the cybersecurity 
talent gap to boost the EU’s competitiveness, growth, and resilience (‘The Cybersecurity Skills Academy’)2. 
The EDIC will be dedicated to supporting key organisations, including the European Commission, European 
Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), and the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), in 
the  effective  implementation  of  the  Cybersecurity  Skills  Academy  initiative.  The  CSC-EDIC  also  aims  to 
carry  out  proactive  actions  to  promote  the  upskilling  and  reskilling  of  professionals,  with  a  particular 
emphasis on the needs of Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) and public administrations in the area 
of  cybersecurity.  The  CSC-EDIC  will  help  develop  competencies  that  align  with  emerging  market  needs, 
focusing  on  cybersecurity  skills  that  address  the  requirements  of  recently  adopted  EU  legislation  and 
initiatives,  including  the  NIS2  Directive,  the  Cyber  Resilience  Act  and  the  European  Action  Plan  on  the 
Cybersecurity of Hospitals and Healthcare providers. 

2.3 Progress towards setting up the Digital Commons EDIC 

The  informal  working  group  for  the  Digital  Commons  EDIC  is  chaired  by  France.  The  working  group  is 
composed  of  a  core  group  of  Member  States  (France,  Germany  and  the  Netherlands),  with  Belgium  and 
Slovenia  as  observers.  The  working  group  expects  to  send  a  full  formal  application  to  set  up  an  EDIC  by 
Q3 of 2025. The host country of the EDIC will be France. 

The  Digital  Commons  EDIC  aims  to  pursue  these  overall  objectives:  (i)  build  a  European  community  for 
digital commons; (ii) facilitate access to funding; (iii) support the maintenance, development and scale-up 
of digital commons; (iv)  enhance the public contribution to strategic commons; (v)  participate in digital 
commons projects. 

The EDIC’s  concrete missions include: (i) acting as a  one-stop shop for different  stakeholders, such as the 
open-source  communities,  developers,  adopters,  and  promoting  the  use  of  open-source  digital  solutions; 
(ii)  becoming  an  incubator  for  the  development  and  maintenance  of  strategic  digital  commons;  and  (iii) 
accelerating the roll-out and implementation of joint projects, such the European digital workplace (based 
on France and Germany’s Open Desk/La Suite Numérique). 

The Digital Commons EDIC aims to contribute to the following MCP areas of activity: (i) European common 
data infrastructure and service; and (ii) Connected public administration. It will also contribute to some of 
the general objectives of the  DDPP (Article 3), such as promoting a  human-centred, inclusive transparent, 
secure  and  open  digital  environment  and  ensuring  digital sovereignty. The  EDIC  will  create  synergies  with 
the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). 

2.4 Progress towards setting up the Agri-Food EDIC 

The working group on Agri-Food EDIC chaired by France  began work in November 2023. It submitted the 
pre-notification  in  summer  2024.  France,  Belgium,  Croatia,  Italy,  and  Romania  signed  the  pre-notification 
with the intention to become a member. Austria, Germany, Spain, Latvia, Netherlands and Slovenia intend 
to  become  observers.  There  are  more  countries  participating  in  the  working  group.  The  submission  of  a 
draft application to the Commission is envisaged by Q3 of 2025. 

The  Agri-Food  EDIC  is  expected  to  seize  the  opportunities  of  digital  and  data  technologies  to:  (i)  reduce 
administrative burdens  on the agri-food sector; (ii) strengthen competitiveness and  the sustainability of 

2 COM/2023/207 final 

10 

 
 
the  sector;  and  (iii)  improve  data  availability  and  sharing.  A  central  element  of  its  work  will  be  the 
implementation  of  a  digital  Farm  ID  in  line  with  the  EU  Digital  Identity  Wallet  /  eID  system,  which  is 
expected  to  reduce  the  administrative  burden  on  Business-to-Business  and  Business-to-Government 
exchanges especially in cross-border contexts, and to harness the power of AI. It is planned to capitalise on 
existing and future assets, including the forthcoming Common European Agricultural Data Space. The Agri-
Food EDIC will contribute to the European common data infrastructure and services MCP area of activity. 

2.5 Progress towards setting up the Genome EDIC 

On  31 March  2023,  the  special  group  of  national  representatives  in  the  1+  Million  Genomes  initiative 
endorsed  the  principal  approach  of  creating  an  EDIC  to  run  the  future  European  Genomic  Data 
Infrastructure (GDI). 

The 1+MG initiative aims to enable secure access to genomics and the corresponding clinical data across 
Europe for better research, personalised healthcare and health policymaking. The GDI project co-funded 
under  the  Digital  Europe  Programme  will  set  up  the  European  Genomic  Data  Infrastructure  by  2026.  In 
2024,  five  countries  achieved  the  technical  capability  to  provide  secure  access  to  genomic  datasets  and 
linked health data. The future EDIC aims to ensure the sustainable operation of the European Genomic Data 
Infrastructure in  line with  an  agreed data  governance and  a  mandate  drawn up by Member States in the 
EDIC  statutes.  The  Genome  EDIC  should  contribute  to  the  European  common  data  infrastructure  and 
services MCP area of activity. 

In  June  2023,  nine  Member  States  (Belgium,  Bulgaria,  Czechia,  Denmark,  Estonia,  Croatia,  Luxembourg, 
Spain and Finland) pre-notified an EDIC application. Luxembourg provisionally offered to host the EDIC. The 
governmental  group  in  Pillar  I  of  the  GDI  project,  gathering  representatives  from  more  than  20  Member 
States, acts as the EDIC informal working group. Besides the reflection on the requirements and features of 
the  future  EDIC,  the  group  works  on  the  data  governance  and  legal  arrangements  for  the  European 
Genomic Data Infrastructure and its alignment with the European Health Data Space. In March 2024, a task 
force  in  the  working  group  was  launched  and  started  to  work  on  the  EDIC  application. Complex  legal 
discussions are still ongoing about the EDIC’s role and its compliance with the EU data protection rules on 
genomic  data.  Member  States  that  are  ready  to  commit  to  setting  up  the  EDIC  are  expected  to  sign  a 
statement of intent by the summer of 2025. 

2.6 Progress towards setting up the Cancer Image Europe (EUCAIM) EDIC 

The  Cancer  Image  Europe  platform  (established  under  the  EUCAIM  project  funded  under  Digital  Europe 
Programme)  will  be  a  cross-border,  interoperable,  and  secure  infrastructure.  It  will  link  and  make  large 
amounts  of  cancer  image  data  and  linked  clinical  information  available  to  clinicians,  researchers  and 
innovators. Its goal is to support developing, benchmarking, testing and piloting innovative AI-based tools 
for personalised cancer diagnosis and treatment. As of January 2025, a pilot infrastructure with prototype-
federated  learning  is  available,  and  new  cancer  image  databases  from  additional  sites  and  countries  are 
being  added.  A  final  release  of  the  platform  is  planned  for  the  end  of  2025.  Establishing  an  EDIC  would 
ensure  the  sustainable  operation  and  long-term  viability  of  the  Cancer  Image  Europe  data  infrastructure 
after  the  EUCAIM  project  ends.  This  solution  would  also  enable  alignment  and  connection  with  the 
European Health Data Space regulatory framework. 

The working group on EUCAIM EDIC was launched on 3 August 2023. Spain, France, Italy, Latvia and Czechia 
participate with officially nominated representatives. Portugal, Lithuania, Norway, Croatia, Greece, Germany 
and Belgium participate as observers or are represented by institutions participating in the EUCAIM project. 
Spain is the coordinating country, and the seat of the EDIC should be in Valencia. The EUCAIM EDIC aims to 
contribute  to  the  European  common  data  infrastructure  and  services  MCP  area  of  activity. The  pre-
notification  of  the  EDIC  application  was  submitted  to  the  European  Commission  on  21 January  2025  by 
Spain, France and Latvia. 

11 

 
2.7 Progress towards setting up the EDIC for Mobility and Logistics 

In  June  2023,  the  Netherlands,  Finland  and  Germany  submitted  a  pre-notification  for  a  Mobility  and 
Logistics Data EDIC, later renamed EDIC for Mobility and Logistics (EDIC M&L). 

The  EDIC  for  Mobility  and  Logistics  aims  to  contribute  to  the  effective  implementation  of  the  European 
common data infrastructure and services MCP area of activity, with a focus on the mobility and transport 
sector.  It  seeks  to  boost  the  deployment  of  data-  and  AI-driven  innovations  by:  (i)  supporting  the 
coordinated  deployment  of  cross-border  use  cases  (e.g.  freight  visibility  in  multimodal  logistics  chains, 
traffic  management);  and  (ii)  bringing  together  Member  States  and  key  actors  to  share  knowledge  and 
coordinate and  draw up  collective agreements as a  basis for sustainable digital infrastructure for mobility 
and logistics. 

There is a group of 11 Member States that are interested in becoming members: Austria, Germany, Spain, 
Finland,  France,  Ireland,  Italy,  Netherlands,  Lithuania,  Sweden  and  Slovakia.  Since  2023,  this  group  has 
made  significant  progress  in  preparing  a  formal  application.  Other  private  and  public  organisations  have 
expressed their interest to participate in the initiative. At this stage, the Netherlands is expected to host the 
EDIC, and Spain and Italy have confirmed their intention to become members, subject to formal approval. 

2.8 The possible set-up of the EU Startup Nations Alliance (ESNA) EDIC 

The  EU  Startup  Nations  Standard  (EU  SNS)  initiative  was  launched  in  March  2021  with  the  aim  of 
mobilising Member States to deliver  the best framework conditions and regulatory  environment for start-
ups. Member States take action within their national powers in eight areas of policy (the eight ‘standards of 
excellence’)  set  out  in  the  political  declaration  of  the  EU  SNS3  signed  by  ministers  from  27  countries  (all 
Member States  (except  Hungary) and Iceland) in March 2021. To move from its political aspirations to an 
operational  reality,  a  legal  entity  –  the  Europe  Startup  Nations  Alliance  (ESNA)  -  was  established  in 
December 2021 under Portuguese law. 

ESNA  is  a  first-of-a-kind  approach  driven  by  Member  States  to  address  the  fitness  of  the  regulatory 
framework for start-ups. ESNA has a full-time management board and EUR 8.5 million funding for its first 
four years of operations. To date,  21 of the 27 signatory countries have completed the formal process for 
joining ESNA. ESNA’s 21 member countries now represent 86% of the EU’s GDP and 93% of its population, 
and they are home to 82% of the EU’s unicorns. In addition, Ukraine joined ESNA in 2024 with non-voting 
rights.  

Since  summer  2024,  discussions  about  a  transformation  of  ESNA  into  an  EDIC  have  been  gaining 
momentum.  This  includes  preparing  draft  statutes  for  the  EDIC  and  mobilising  political  support  (via  the 
European Council TELCO Working Group)  for the transition of ESNA into an EDIC. Moreover, at the end of 
2024, ESNA secured a grant of EUR 1 million from Horizon Europe to support scaling up its operations and 
prepare for transitioning to an EDIC. Subject to confirmation of broad Member State support, ESNA aims to 
submit  a  formal  EDIC  proposal  to  the  Commission  in  late-Q2  or  Q3  of 2025.  If  set  up, the  EDIC  would be 
well-positioned to contribute to MCP areas of other projects, under point (l) of the DDPP Annex. 

3 https://startupnationsstandard.eu/files/SNS-declaration.pdf  

12 

 
 
3. Important Projects of Common 

European Interest (IPCEIs) 

3.1  IPCEI  on  Microelectronics  and  Communication  Technologies  (IPCEI-
ME/CT) 

In June 2023, the Commission approved the IPCEI-ME/CT jointly prepared and notified by 14 Member States 
(Austria,  Czechia,  Finland,  France,  Germany,  Greece,  Ireland,  Italy,  Malta,  the  Netherlands,  Poland,  Romania, 
Slovakia and Spain). The IPCEI involves 68 projects from 56 companies, which closely cooperate with more than 
40  associated  companies,  including  from  other  Member  States  (Belgium,  Hungary,  Latvia,  Portugal,  and 
Slovenia) and Norway. In total, 20 European countries are involved. In addition, around 600 indirect partners, 
companies and organisations have collaboration agreements with one or more direct participants of the IPCEI-
ME/CT and therefore benefit from its dissemination activities. 

The  IPCEI-ME/CT  is  now  fully  operational,  and  participants  gathered  at  the  two-day  general  assembly  in 
November  2024,  the  biggest  project’s  event,  to  discuss  technical  aspects,  report  on  activity,  and 
networking. Reporting  to  the  Commission  on  the  current  activities  is  due  in  July  2025,  and  the  next  general 
assembly is scheduled for November 2025. 

11 

 
 
 
Member States will provide around EUR 8 billion in public funding, which is expected to unlock  an additional 
EUR 13 billion in private investment. 

The IPCEI-ME/CT concerns research and development projects covering microelectronics and communication 
technologies  across  the  whole  value  chain  from  materials  and  tools  to  chip  designs  and  manufacturing 
processes.  These  projects  aim  to  enable  the  digital  and  green  transitions  by  creating 
innovative 
microelectronics  and  communication  solutions  and  by  developing  energy-efficient  and  resource-saving 
electronics systems and manufacturing methods. They contribute to the technological advancement of many 
sectors, including communications, autonomous driving, AI and quantum computing.  

3.2. IPCEI on Next Generation Cloud Infrastructure and Services (IPCEI-CIS) 

In  December  2023,  the  Commission  approved,  under  State  aid  rules,  the  IPCEI  on  Next  Generation  Cloud 
Infrastructure  and  Services  (IPCEI-CIS).  The  initiative  was  jointly  notified  by  seven  Member  States  (France, 
Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain). 

Participating  Member  States  support  the  initiative  with  up  to  EUR 1.2  billion  in  public  funding  for  the 
implementation of 19 highly innovative projects. Moreover, the initiative is expected to stimulate an additional 
EUR 1.4 billion in private investment. IPCEI-CIS has already launched around 120 projects across Europe. 

Beyond  IPCEI-CIS  direct  participants,  the  wider  IPCEI-CIS  ecosystem  includes  over  90  indirect  partners, 
including large, medium, and small businesses, start-ups, and research institutions from five more EU Member 
States (Belgium, Croatia, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Slovenia). 

IPCEI-CIS is the first IPCEI in the cloud and edge computing domain. It is developing the first interoperable and 
openly  accessible  European  data  processing  ecosystem,  the  multi-provider  cloud  to  edge  continuum.  It  will 
develop  data  processing  capabilities  and  software  and  data  sharing  tools  that  enable  federated,  energy-
efficient  and  trustworthy  cloud  and  edge  distributed  data  processing  technologies  and  related  services.  The 
innovation  provided  by  the  IPCEI-CIS  will  open  up  a  wide  new  range  of  possibilities  for  European  businesses 
and the public, advancing the digital and green transitions in Europe. 

The IPCEI-CIS will be a key initiative in driving the adoption of the technology that is necessary to achieve two 
of  the  Digital  Decade’s  targets:  (i)  75%  of  EU  companies  using  cloud,  AI  or  big  data;  and  (ii)  10 000  climate 
neutral highly secure edge nodes deployed across Europe by 2030. 

3.3. IPCEI in Microelectronics (IPCEI-ME) 

The first IPCEI in Microelectronics was approved in December 2018, with 32 participants from five countries: 
Germany,  France,  Italy  and  the  United  Kingdom,  and  Austria  (which  joined  the  IPCEI-ME  in  July  2019). The 
overall approved State-aid funding came to around EUR 1.9 billion with an additional EUR 6.5 billion of private 
investments.  All  companies  completed  their  respective  projects’  activities  by  2024. A  number  of  Member 
States and companies that participated in the IPCEI-ME are now also involved in the IPCEI-ME/CT (see Section 
3.1). 

3.4. Potential IPCEI candidates 

On 27 November 2024, the high-level meeting of the Joint European Forum for IPCEI endorsed the proposal of 
participating Member States to start working on the design of three IPCEI candidates in the field of digital (and 
one more in the area of clean tech). IPCEI candidates in the field of digital: 

- 

IPCEI-AI: Continuum of federated and distributed Artificial Intelligence services: this IPCEI will aim to 
develop  and  deploy  next  generation  AI  technologies  to  create  a  first  ever  Artificial  Intelligence  (AI) 
ecosystem  for  Europe,  facilitating  the  access  of  EU  industry  to  federated  computing  resources  and 
open, reusable and scalable AI foundation models;  

12 

 
- 

- 

IPCEI-ECI: Deploying large-scale federated Edge computing infrastructure and services: this IPCEI will 
aim to deploy a sovereign next generation of federated edge-node compute infrastructure that will be 
the necessary technological foundation for the European digital Single Market;  
IPCEI-AST:  Advanced  Semiconductors  Technologies:  This  IPCEI  will  aim  to  create  a  novel  European 
ecosystem  of  highly  innovative  semiconductor  technology  applications  that  addresses  the  most 
strategic requirements of the EU industrial sectors boosting the EU’s competitiveness and resilience.     

4. Joint Undertakings 

4.1 Chips Joint Undertaking (the former Key Digital Technologies (KDT) JU) 

The Chips JU was set up under Council Regulation (EU) 2021/2085  and its amendment, Council Regulation (EU) 
2023/1782.  It  entered  into  force  at  the  same  time  as  the  Chips  Act  on  21 September  2023.  The  Chip  JU’s 
former  name  is  KDT  JU  –  KDT  JU  provided  extensive  support  for  industrially-driven  research,  technology 
development, and innovation in the area of electronic components and systems. The new Chips JU’s scope was 
extended in order to implement the main part of the Chips for Europe Initiative set up under the Chips Act, 
namely: (i) setting up a chips design platform; (ii) enhancing existing advanced pilot lines and developing new 
ones;  (iii)  building  capacity  for  accelerating  the  development  of  quantum  chips  and  associated 
semiconductor technologies; and (iv) establishing a network of competence centres across the EU. 

The  Chips  JU  is  a  tripartite  partnership  composed  of  the  Commission  (representing  the  EU),  participating 
states (Member States and countries associated to Horizon Europe and/or the Digital Europe Programme) and 
private  members,  i.e.  three  industry  associations:  Aeneas,  Inside  and  European  Platform  on  Smart  System 
Integration (EPoSS). It receives funding from Horizon Europe (up to EUR 2.725 billion) and  the  Digital Europe 
Programme (up to EUR 1.450 billion). Participating states match this amount, and the private members commit 
to contributing at least EUR 2.5 billion. 

In the framework of the Chips for Europe Initiative, in 2024, the Chips JU has, through open calls, selected five 
pilot  lines.  These  are  backed  by  EU  funding  of  EUR 1.85  billion  from  the  Horizon  Europe  and  Digital  Europe 
programmes and complemented by matching funding from the participating states. These pilot lines focus on 
five key areas: (i) beyond 2 nm leading-edge system-on-chip; (ii) fully depleted silicon-on-insulator applications; 
(iii)  advanced  packaging;  (iv)  wide-band  gap  materials;  and  (v)  photonic  integrated  circuits.  Additionally,  six 
framework  partnership  agreements  have  been  signed  for  pilot  lines  focusing  on  quantum  chip  technology. 
These pilot lines are expected to be implemented via specific grant agreements with an allocation of EUR 145 
million in funding and a matching amount from the participating states. 

To strengthen the European chip design ecosystem, the  initiative plans for the development of a cloud-based 
design  platform. For this purpose, a  platform  coordination  team has been selected to assist  the  Chips JU in 
procuring the platform, to select design enablement teams, and to provide financial and technical support to 
fabless  start-ups.  A  European  network  of  competence  centres  in  semiconductors  was  created,  with  the 
selection of 31 competence centres across all Member States and Norway, backed by around EUR 100 million 
in EU funding, to be matched by participating states. 

The Chips JU also continues to support R&D collaborative projects with Horizon Europe funding for  electronic 
components  and  systems.  Beyond  the  general  open  Innovation  Actions  (IA)  and  Research  and  Innovation 
Actions  (RIA)  calls  based  on  the  Strategic  Research  and  Innovation  Agenda,  topics  include:  (i)  calls  for 
for  software-defined  vehicles  and  sustainable 
automotive  hardware  components; 
manufacturing; and (iii) a joint call with South Korea. These topics were backed by total EU funding of EUR 216 
million in 2024 and supplemented by participating states and industry. 

frameworks 

(ii) 

The  Chips  JU’s  role  is  key  to  achieving  the  Chips  Act’s  objectives,  in  particular,  to  bridge  the  gap  between 
research, innovation and production, thereby facilitating the commercialisation of innovative ideas. 

13 

 
4.2 European High Performance Computing Joint Undertaking (EuroHPC) 

The EuroHPC JU is the initiative making it possible to  carry out MCP initiatives in the area of supercomputing 
and  quantum  computing.  It  does  so  by  developing,  deploying,  extending,  and  maintaining  an  EU  world-
leading  federated,  secure,  and  hyper-connected  supercomputing,  quantum  computing,  service,  and  data 
infrastructure.  The  EuroHPC  JU  enables  Member  States  to  coordinate  their  supercomputing  strategies  and 
pool their investments together to acquire supercomputers and quantum computers. They can then deliver 
concrete  services  across  Europe  to  a  wide  range  of  academic,  industrial,  SME  and  public  users  with 
applications  that  impact  people’s  everyday  lives  and  the  challenges  affecting  the  planet.  This  approach  is 
necessary as the purchase and ownership of supercomputers and quantum computers requires high levels of 
investments from both the public and the private sectors. The estimated costs are as follows: 

•  mid-range supercomputer –investment per system: EUR 30-50 million 

• 

• 

high-end supercomputers –investment per system: EUR 150-500 million; 

quantum computers (as stand-alone machines or as accelerators of supercomputers) –investment per 
machine: EUR 50-250 million. 

To date, the EuroHPC JU has already procured nine supercomputers, located across Europe: (i) LUMI – Finland; 
(ii)  Leonardo  –  Italy;  (iii)  MareNostrum  5  –  Spain;  (iv)  MeluXina  –  Luxembourg;  (v)  Karolina  –  Czechia;  (vi) 
Discoverer – Bulgaria; (vii) Vega – Slovenia; (viii) Deucalion – Portugal; and (ix) Jupiter – Germany. Through the 
EuroHPC Access Calls, these supercomputers are available to users from the public sector, industry or academia 
regardless of their location in Europe. 

In 2024, the EuroHPC JU received a new mandate to develop and run AI factories. They will be centred around 
EuroHPC  supercomputing  facilities  and  will  support  the  growth  of  a  highly  competitive  and  innovative  AI 
ecosystem in Europe. In December 2024, the JU selected the first seven sites that will host the first European AI 
Factories  to  be  deployed  in  2025  across  Europe.  These  sites  are  in  Finland,  Germany,  Greece,  Italy, 
Luxembourg, Spain and Sweden. 

14