Digital Education: Public-private partnerships for ethical design, development and use of Artificial Intelligence tools in education and training

Overview

Supports transnational public-private partnerships to design, develop, and deploy ethical AI tools in formal education and training, aiming to improve teaching and learning while ensuring scalability and transferability across EU Member States and associated countries.

Who Can Apply

Consortia of public and private entities, including educational institutions, research organizations, businesses, and public authorities from eligible countries. Proposals must involve at least three organizations from three different eligible countries.

Funding Details

• Total budget: Not specified.
• Funding rate: Up to 75% of eligible costs for public bodies and non-profit organizations; up to 60% for private for-profit entities.
• Grant amount: No fixed minimum or maximum; proposals must demonstrate value for money and scalability.
• Co-funding: Required from applicants, with rates varying by entity type.

What Is Funded

• Development and deployment of AI-based educational tools with a strong pedagogical foundation.
• Activities ensuring ethical, trustworthy, and inclusive AI design and use in formal education and training.
• Policy experimentation to test relevance, effectiveness, and potential impact of AI tools at a European scale.
• Mutual learning and evidence-based policy support through transnational cooperation.

Technology / Maturity Requirements

• TRL (Technology Readiness Level): Proposals must target TRL 7 (system prototype demonstration in operational environment), TRL 8 (system complete and qualified), or TRL 9 (actual system proven in operational environment).

Key Dates

• Open date: 2026-01-05
• Deadline: 2026-04-07T22:00:00Z (Brussels time)
• Evaluation period: April – July 2026
• Notification to applicants: October 2026
• Grant agreement signature: By January 2027

Application Process (High-Level)

• Single-stage submission via the [Funding & Tenders Portal](https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal).
• Part B of the application (Technical Description) limited to 40 pages, including a list of relevant previous projects.
• Proposals evaluated against criteria outlined in the call document, with thresholds for scoring.

Post-Award Obligations

• Reporting on project progress, financials, and outcomes as specified in the grant agreement.
• Dissemination of results to support mutual learning and policy development at the European level.
• Compliance with lump-sum grant management rules, including verification of deliverables.

Geographic Scope & Language

• Eligible countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, Switzerland.
• Application language: English.

Notes

• Proposals must demonstrate transferability and scalability across EU Member States and associated countries.
• Focus on formal education and training; informal or non-formal settings are excluded.
• Partnerships must include both public and private entities to ensure ethical and pedagogical alignment.
• Detailed budget tables and standard application forms are required as part of the submission.