Digital Europe, with a total budget of €8.1 billion, is designed to support the digital transformation of European society in line with the European Union’s objectives for the period up to 2030. Serbia has been an associated member of this Programme since 2023, which means that legal and natural persons from the country can apply for funding under the same conditions as entities from EU Member States.
“Companies and institutions from Serbia have the opportunity to work on bridging the gap between research in digital technologies and their practical application, as well as to bring research results to the market for the benefit of citizens and businesses. Participation in this Programme includes access to EU-level digital infrastructures and networks, co-financing of implementation projects, capacity building and skills development, as well as integration into European value chains and standards”, representatives of the European Commission in Serbia explained to WeBalkans. They emphasise that beneficiaries of the programme in Serbia include public institutions, universities and R&D organisations, small and medium-sized enterprises, industrial associations or clusters, and local and regional authorities.
The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Government of Serbia, which is the main EU partner for the implementation of the programme, states that this membership represents an important step towards integration into the European digital space and enables institutions, companies and organisations to participate equally in projects with partners from the EU.
“Through this Programme, strategic projects are funded that contribute to the faster development of technological innovation and digital transformation, including the development of supercomputing or high-performance computing to address complex challenges; research into the possibilities of artificial intelligence with a focus on data exchange and the development of innovation hubs; strengthening cyber-resilience and protecting digital infrastructure; training in AI, cyber security and emerging digital technologies; as well as support for small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and public institutions in adopting digital technologies. A particular value of the Programme lies in the partnerships and consortia formed through public calls. These partnerships typically bring together many institutions and organisations from different European countries, enabling an intensive transfer of knowledge, good practices and technological innovations”, explains the Ministry.
One of the Programme’s beneficiaries is the European Hub for Digital Innovation in Serbia (Serbian European Digital Innovation Hub or S4AI HUB), which, with the support of Digital Europe, has helped numerous companies, start-ups and public-sector institutions to develop, test and implement innovative solutions and achieve digital transformation.
“Without the Programme’s support, these activities would be significantly slower and financially unattainable for many of our beneficiaries. Thanks to this support, we expect to soon test numerous solutions developed using artificial intelligence, provide training for a wide range of professionals, and achieve a measurable impact on digital transformation in Serbia. Our experts help beneficiaries assess their own capacity for digital transformation, offering free access to advanced AI infrastructure, high-performance computers and laboratories within our partnership, which allows companies to test and refine their solutions without major upfront investments. This is essentially a ‘Test Before Invest’ service, often a decisive step towards implementing artificial intelligence in their business processes”, explains Ivan Pavlović, project manager at S4AI HUB.
For the forthcoming period, they are preparing 23 different training programmes, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence in disaster-risk management and the development of RAG agents using large language models, to training on digital innovation for carbon-footprint management and ESG strategies, as well as specialised areas such as the use of AI in tourism, AI regulation, the basics of cyber security, access to finance, natural-language processing and intellectual-property protection.
“In this way, we create a link between domestic innovators and the European market, and all our activities contribute to strengthening Serbia’s digital capacities”, Pavlović adds.
Another example of support from the Digital Europe Programme in Serbia is CIPS – European Digital Innovation Hub in Belgrade, which is part of the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) that provide companies and public organisations with support in strengthening digital capacities and connecting with innovation ecosystems. As central points for digital innovation across all regions of Europe, EDIH hubs bring together technological experts to accelerate digital transformation across the continent.
In the coming period, until 2027, when the project ends, Digital Europe will support experimentation in the field of artificial intelligence, the development of cyber-security capacities, the development of advanced digital skills and interoperable digital public services in Serbia, as well as the identification and connection of potential partners and the delivery of training for future Programme beneficiaries.
The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Government of Serbia, which is the main EU partner for the implementation of the programme, states that this membership represents an important step towards integration into the European digital space and enables institutions, companies and organisations to participate equally in projects with partners from the EU.
“Through this Programme, strategic projects are funded that contribute to the faster development of technological innovation and digital transformation, including the development of supercomputing or high-performance computing to address complex challenges; research into the possibilities of artificial intelligence with a focus on data exchange and the development of innovation hubs; strengthening cyber-resilience and protecting digital infrastructure; training in AI, cyber security and emerging digital technologies; as well as support for small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and public institutions in adopting digital technologies. A particular value of the Programme lies in the partnerships and consortia formed through public calls. These partnerships typically bring together many institutions and organisations from different European countries, enabling an intensive transfer of knowledge, good practices and technological innovations”, explains the Ministry.
One of the Programme’s beneficiaries is the European Hub for Digital Innovation in Serbia (Serbian European Digital Innovation Hub or S4AI HUB), which, with the support of Digital Europe, has helped numerous companies, start-ups and public-sector institutions to develop, test and implement innovative solutions and achieve digital transformation.
“Without the Programme’s support, these activities would be significantly slower and financially unattainable for many of our beneficiaries. Thanks to this support, we expect to soon test numerous solutions developed using artificial intelligence, provide training for a wide range of professionals, and achieve a measurable impact on digital transformation in Serbia. Our experts help beneficiaries assess their own capacity for digital transformation, offering free access to advanced AI infrastructure, high-performance computers and laboratories within our partnership, which allows companies to test and refine their solutions without major upfront investments. This is essentially a ‘Test Before Invest’ service, often a decisive step towards implementing artificial intelligence in their business processes”, explains Ivan Pavlović, project manager at S4AI HUB.
For the forthcoming period, they are preparing 23 different training programmes, ranging from the use of artificial intelligence in disaster-risk management and the development of RAG agents using large language models, to training on digital innovation for carbon-footprint management and ESG strategies, as well as specialised areas such as the use of AI in tourism, AI regulation, the basics of cyber security, access to finance, natural-language processing and intellectual-property protection.
“In this way, we create a link between domestic innovators and the European market, and all our activities contribute to strengthening Serbia’s digital capacities”, Pavlović adds.
Another example of support from the Digital Europe Programme in Serbia is CIPS – European Digital Innovation Hub in Belgrade, which is part of the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) that provide companies and public organisations with support in strengthening digital capacities and connecting with innovation ecosystems. As central points for digital innovation across all regions of Europe, EDIH hubs bring together technological experts to accelerate digital transformation across the continent.
In the coming period, until 2027, when the project ends, Digital Europe will support experimentation in the field of artificial intelligence, the development of cyber-security capacities, the development of advanced digital skills and interoperable digital public services in Serbia, as well as the identification and connection of potential partners and the delivery of training for future Programme beneficiaries.
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