Commission launches €323M calls under the Connecting Europe Facility

Today, the Commission has opened the fourth set of calls for proposals worth €323 million under the digital strand of the Connecting Europe Facility programme (CEF Digital).

The new calls aim to speed up the deployment of fast, secure, and sustainable advanced infrastructures, contributing to the development of backbone connectivity, 5G networks, and quantum communication.

€128 million of funding under the Backbone Connectivity for Digital Global Gateways call for studies and for works will support the deployment of backbone connections, mainly via submarine and terrestrial cables. Such connections will improve the performance and resilience of connectivity networks within the EU, with its islands, remote and outermost regions, sparsely populated areas, as well as with third countries. The call is in line with the Recommendation on the security and resilience of submarine cable infrastructures and the Global Gateway strategy.

The 5G Large-Scale Pilots call for smart communities and for corridors, worth €105 million, will fund the deployment of 5G standalone infrastructure, underpinning the vision for a connected, collaborative computing network identified in the White Paper ‘How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?.’ It will unlock the full potential of 5G to enable innovative services in smart communities and along transport corridors, such as the Connected and Automated Mobility (CAM).

The actions funded with €90 million under the European Quantum Communication Infrastructures (EuroQCI) call will finance the interconnection of national quantum communication infrastructure networks across borders (developed at the national level with the support of the Digital Europe programme), as well as the connections between the EuroQCI‘s ground and space segments.

Eligible entities can apply to these calls for proposals until 13 February 2025 at 17.00h.

For more information: European Commission