Digital Europe Programme now open to Switzerland

To gauge the interest of Swiss research and innovation stakeholders in the DEP, the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) conducted a survey in 2019 in collaboration with other federal offices and partners. The results of the survey clearly showed that respondents were very interested in topics related to digital transformation:

• In high-performance computing (HPC), Switzerland was a member of the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking from 2019 to 2020. It was also involved in the procurement of Europe's most powerful HPC infrastructure, LUMI, in Finland, which came into operation in 2022. The institutions that took part in the survey agreed that Switzerland's exclusion from these activities would have serious consequences, as it would prevent access to the European HPC ecosystem, which is essential for creating scientific and industrial value.
• The promotion of artificial intelligence (AI) within the DEP framework also received broad approval from the survey respondents, particularly with regard to strengthening Switzerland's global competitiveness. By investing in key AI resources such as data pools and algorithm libraries, the DEP is creating a solid foundation for innovation and technological sovereignty in Europe.
• The demand for advanced digital skills was particularly high among private-sector respondents, highlighting the need for skilled workers who can use the latest digital technologies. The survey revealed a clear interest in Switzerland in internships, long-term courses and specialised further training at competence centres, universities and businesses, particularly in AI, HPC and quantum technologies.
• In providing and accelerating the best use of technologies, one of the priorities is to enable companies, particularly SMEs, to access advanced digital capacities through European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs). These provide access to digital solutions, expertise and a European network. This strengthens the innovative capacity of businesses and makes it easier for them to enter the European market. Respondents expressed great interest in using EDIHs to play an active role both in obtaining such digital services and in providing them to national and regional stakeholders.

Open calls

From 2025 to 2027, Swiss organisations will be eligible to participate in all DEP calls for proposals in high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, advanced digital skills, and providing and accelerating the best use of technologies. The launch of a successor programme after 2027 is currently being reviewed at EU level.

The first calls for proposals for 2025 are already open and accessible to Swiss organisations, including universities, public entities, NGOs, research institutions and businesses:

• The HPC call is aimed at institutions or consortia wishing to establish an AI Factory Antenna linked to selected AI Factories, thereby enabling access to HPC resources and AI services throughout Europe (HORIZON-EUROHPC-JU-2025-AIFA-01).
• Calls for proposals in the field of AI aim to strengthen European AI capabilities, for example through data spaces, digital solutions for regulatory compliance and the use of GenAI in the public sector (DIGITAL-2025-AI-08).
• Calls for proposals for advanced digital skills aim to establish sectoral digital skills academies in quantum technologies, generative AI and virtual worlds to strengthen Europe’s talent pool in the digital sector (DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08).
• Providing and accelerating the best use of technologies promotes the best possible application of digital technologies. This could be achieved, for example, through a European network of factcheckers or of safer internet centres (DIGITAL-2025-BESTUSE-08).

Access to important networks and resources

Participation in the DEP offers Swiss businesses and research institutions new funding opportunities in the field of digitalisation. It also strengthens international partnerships and opens up access to important pan-European networks and resources. This can help to accelerate Switzerland’s digital transformation and strengthen the digital skills required for it. Furthermore, by participating in the DEP, Switzerland can further expand its digital innovation capabilities and become better integrated in the European digital landscape.