European Advanced Digital Skills Competitions DIGITAL-2026-SKILLS-09-COMPETITIONS

The European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) has launched a call for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme to fund projects that strengthen advanced digital skills in line with the EU's Digital Decade and Competitiveness Compass goals. The European Advanced Digital Skills Competitions initiative will serve as a catalyst for engaging young European people in cutting edge digital technologies. The competitions will support their creativity and connect them to the wider community of research organisations and industry players with the aim to address a highly relevant societal or industrial challenge. There will be six competitions each covering one of the following areas: AI, Virtual Worlds, quantum, semiconductors, the Destination Earth initiative as well as an additional area chosen by the consortium. The selected project will define at least three challenges for each competition. These challenges will address significant European or local societal, technological, and/or complex industrial issues, developed in close collaboration with Europe's leading research institutions and industry partners. Each challenge should involve multiple competing teams. These teams must include students from tertiary education institutions or equivalent, representing at least four different education and training institutions across four different EU Member States or countries associated with the DIGITAL Programme. Teams may also consist of students from a single institution. The active participation of women in the teams is strongly encouraged. The consortium is expected to design challenges, produce rulebooks, develop roadmaps, create communication strategies, organise an Award Ceremony in Brussels, and deliver a sustainability plan to ensure the competitions continue beyond the project's duration. The funding supports coordination and support actions with a 100% funding rate. The expected project duration is 48 months with a maximum available budget of EUR 7,000,000 per project.