Shaping the digital future with Horizon Europe
The Horizon Europe program recently announced new funding of over €290 million for research and development in the fields of data, computing, and artificial intelligence (AI). This significant increase in funding underscores the European Union's commitment to being at the forefront of the digital and technological revolution and to supporting the goals of the European Green Deal.
A key component of this initiative is the funding of projects aimed at developing unbiased AI systems and services. This also includes large-scale pilot projects in the areas of the Internet of Things (IoT) and next-generation edge computing.
The funding is allocated across a wide range of areas: €206 million is earmarked for projects that strengthen Europe's digital and technological competitiveness. A key focus is on research into AI and data solutions. Projects that utilize robotics data and AI solutions to improve energy and resource efficiency in production processes will receive particular attention.
In addition, research areas in AI, data, and robotics will receive €76 million. These funds will support projects that help robots handle non-repetitive tasks in everyday environments and promote their integration into industry and society. Further innovative projects will focus on accelerating and securing software development and applying photonics technologies to improve communication networks.
The remaining 70 million euros are earmarked for the development of cloud-to-edge servers, which will implement an open European cloud and edge computing architecture. In addition, advances in quantum sensing and the integration of two-dimensional materials into semiconductor technologies will be supported. The funding will be rounded out by annual European awards for open-source software and hardware.
Source: 5G.NRW; European Commission
Learn more?
Further information on the work program “Horizon Europe – Digital, Industry and Space 2023–2024” can be found here:
