Innovation and Networks Executive Agency

Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Telecom: €32 million to improve European digital services

INEA ceased operations on 31 March 2021. The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) was established on 1 April 2021 to take over its legacy portfolio as well as additional EU funding programmes.

Creation date: March 3, 2016

The European Commission launched today a call for proposals under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) Telecom making €32 million of EU funding available for the deployment of European Digital Service Infrastructures (DSIs). Interested applicants from all EU Member States as well as Iceland and Norway may submit their proposals in the areas of Business Registers Interconnection System (BRIS), Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) and eProcurement.


This call is the first one under the 2016 CEF Telecom Work Programme. Two more calls will be open this year: one in mid-May and one in mid-September. They will cover additional areas, from Public Open Data to eInvoicing. In 2016, CEF Telecom will provide  in total up to €70 million funding through grants for European Digital Service Infrastructures.


The funding will be allocated to those eligible proposals which best meet the award criteria as specified in the work programme and call texts.

 

Areas covered by CEF Telecom call for proposals

The current CEF Telecom call (CEF-TC-2016-1) invites proposals to undertake actions contributing to the deployment of European Digital Service Infrastructures in three different areas, each with an indicative maximum budget:

 

A Virtual Info Day providing information on the call and application process will take place on 17 March.

 

How to apply?
Applicants should submit their proposal through the dedicated proposal submission system, accessible from the individual call webpages on the 2016 CEF Telecom Calls main page. All call documents and additional background information are also available on the individual call webpages.


When will the grants be awarded?
The evaluation of the proposals is expected to start in early summer 2016. The results of the evaluation and the decision on allocation of the grants will be announced in autumn 2016.


Who is the contact point for this call?
The Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA) manages the call for proposals and follows up the technical and financial implementation of the projects with the beneficiaries, providing technical expertise and high quality programme implementation.


Follow INEA on Twitter @inea_eu to stay informed about the latest call developments. A helpdesk is also available to answer your questions on the call for proposals.


About Digital Service Infrastructures (DSIs)
CEF Telecom funding supports projects of common interest for the deployment of Digital Service Infrastructures (DSIs) across the EU. These are based on mature technical and organisational solutions to support exchanges and collaboration between citizens, businesses and public authorities. The vision is to create European networks of digital services that will make the Digital Single Market work in practice.
CEF supports basic and re-usable digital services, known as building blocks, as well as more complex digital services. The building blocks can be combined with each other and integrated with the more complex services.


Building blocks supported so far include: eIdentification, eSignature, eInvoicing, eDelivery, and Automated Translation. Consult the full catalogue of reusable digital services.


More complex digital services being supported include very areas such as safer internet, access to reusable public sector information, cyber security, eHealth, and online dispute resolution.


The list of digital services supported by CEF is available in the Annex of the Telecom Regulation.