The European Commission had a call for proposals under the Digital Europe Programme, with a budget of EUR 102,8 million dedicated to cybersecurity deployment activities.
The call aimed to support the creation of National Security Operations Centers (SOCs), launch Cross-Border SOC platforms, strengthen the SOC ecosystem, develop advanced key technologies, and implement EU cybersecurity legislation and national strategies.
The European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC) manages the funded projects, which were open to businesses, SMEs, public administrations, and other entities from EU Member States and EEA countries. Funding rate of projects was 50%-100%.
Duration of the projects: 36 months
The deadline for the proposals was March 27th, 2025 17:00:00 CET.
The calls are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Detailed overview and instructions can be found from the call document.
The Digital Europe Programme supports investments in high-performance computing, cloud technology, data and AI, cybersecurity, and advanced digital skills.
| Topic | Budget (€) | Indicative amount per project (€) | Funding rate % |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-07-KEYTECH – Development and Deployment of Advanced Key Technologies Strengthening cybersecurity capabilities through the adoption of groundbreaking technologies. This involves the integration and deployment of innovative tools, systems and services for threat detection, incident response, malware defence, vulnerability management and data protection. |
35,000,000 | 3,000,000–5,000,000 | 50 / 75 (SMEs) |
| DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-07-LARGEOPER – Preparedness Support and Mutual Assistance, Targeting Larger Industrial Operations and Installations Complementing established platforms or creating a national platform that serve as a reference point and provide services such as penetration testing and threat assessments for providers of essential services and critical infrastructures, as well as other actors. |
35,000,000 | 3,000,000–5,000,000 | 100 |
| DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-07-CYBERSEC-02 – Support for Implementation of EU Legislation on Cybersecurity and National Cybersecurity Strategies (2024) Capacity building and the enhancement of cooperation in cybersecurity at the technical, operational and strategic levels, particularly within the framework of existing and forthcoming EU cybersecurity legislation, including the NIS2 Directive, the Cybersecurity Act, and the Directive on attacks against information systems. |
20,000,000 | 2,000,000–4,000,000 | 50 |
| DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-07-SOC – National SOCs Establishing or enhancing National SOCs, in particular with cutting-edge tools for monitoring, interpreting and proactively managing cyber events, in close collaboration with relevant entities such as CSIRTs. Capacity building for new or existing National SOCs, e.g., equipment, tools, data feeds etc. |
5,800,000 |
1,000,000–2,000,000 |
50 |
| DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-07-SOCPLAT – Enlarging existing or Launching New Cross-Border SOC Platforms Creating or strengthening cross-border SOCs across the EU to facilitate data sharing on cybersecurity threats across multiple Member States, equipped with a highly secure infrastructures and advanced data analytics tools for detecting, gathering and storing data on cybersecurity threats, analysing this data, and sharing and reporting CTI, reviews and analyses. Sharing of Threat Intelligence between National SOCs, and information sharing agreements with competent authorities and CERTs. |
5,000,000 | 2,000,000–3,000,000 | 50 |
| DIGITAL-ECCC-2024-DEPLOY-CYBER-07-SOCSYS – Strengthening the SOC Ecosystem Complements the creation of National SOCs and Cross-Border SOC platforms by increasing engagement and collaboration between the industry SOCs and public sector and between the National SOCs and Cross-Border SOC platforms. Leading towards an increased data sharing and better detection capability for cyber threats in order to foster interoperability, identify what data could be shared and how or what are the requirements. |
2,000,000 | up to 2,000,000 | 100 |
The call “Post-Quantum Cryptography Transition”, with the budget of €23.4 million, was open for proposals until November 20th 2024. Projects will get funding of up to €6 million.
The expected outcomes of the call are including enhancing post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, providing user-friendly implementation tools, facilitating a secure transition to post-quantum encryption, integrating post-quantum algorithms into applications, showcasing implementations on diverse platforms and offering recommendations for widespread adoption across the EU.
Last updated: 29.04.2025
