Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
The Connecting Europe Facility is a key EU funding instrument to promote growth, jobs and competitiveness through infrastructure investment at European level.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
This topic targets actions that support investments in challenging areas, where market forces alone will not deliver 5G services with the necessary quality of service.
Detailed Call Description
The overall goal of this call is to leverage the needed private investment in order to establish a full pan-European road and railway network of 5G corridors by the end of the CEF programme (2027).
This topic targets actions that support investments in challenging areas, where market forces alone will not be capable of delivering 5G services with the required quality of service.
Applicants may apply for grants for works, including studies, related to project costs covering the following categories:
- Deployment of passive network elements including civil works, e.g., ducts, dark fibre, 5G radio stations, towers, masts and/or pylons.
- Deployment and installation of active network elements, e.g., antennae, storage and computing capabilities such as network controllers, routers, switches, exchanges, edge MEC/node etc.
- Deployment and installation of specific track side devices (e.g., road, rail) for CAM use cases, such as sensors, cameras etc. for traffic monitoring purposes, including connected road-side units.
- Studies for preparatory works, such as network planning, to be deployed as part of proposed works within the same application.
The 5G connectivity infrastructure deployment proposed for funding under this call may encompass both passive and active network elements along transport paths.
In the case of passive network infrastructure deployment projects consisting mainly of fiber backhauling, the proposal should clearly demonstrate the concrete plans for its use in the context of 5G infrastructure and services, in particular with regard to the installation of the necessary equipment and associated facilities enabling the interconnection with points of presence and points of access to 5G stations and other relevant network elements (e.g., edge nodes).
Proposals must not cover more than 15% of the total length of all the TEN-T comprehensive corridors of the same category (road, rail or waterways) per Member State concerned by the proposal and other projects funded by the CEF Digital programme.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The costs will be reimbursed at the funding rate fixed in the Grant Agreement (maximum 50% for the costs of studies, maximum 70% for the costs of works in outermost regions, and maximum 30% for all other costs categories (‘project funding rate’)).
Applications for a higher project funding rate (maximum 50%), can be accepted if the project concerns cross-border links with integrated management.
For Works actions: project budgets (maximum grant amount) are expected to be around €10 000 000 to €25 000 000 per project.
Thematic Categories
- Education and training
- Information and Communication Technologies
- Information Technology
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Transport
Eligibility for Participation
- Central Government
- Large Enterprises
- Local Authorities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)
- non-EU countries (except for topics with restrictions; see below): countries associated to the CEF Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature (list of participating countries).
Consortium composition
Proposals for both topics must be submitted by a consortium composed of minimum of 2 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from minimum 2 different eligible countries, or a Member State and associated or third country.
Exceptionally, for 5G corridor projects crossing the border with a third country, or terminating at a port with maritime connections to other EU Member States, minimum 2 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from at least one eligible country.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Department of Electronic Communications – State Department for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy
Website: https://bit.ly/39IYcFZ
Address: 286 Strovolou Avenue, Strovolos, PO Box 24647, 1302 Nicosia
Telephone: +357 22814854/22814846
Fax: +357 22321925
Email: info.dec@dec.dmrid.gov.cy
Contact person:
Mr. Nikos Ioannou
Electronic Communications Officer
Telephone: +357 22814875
Fax: +357 22321925
Email: nioannou@dec.dmrid.gov.cy
EU Contact Point
European Health and Digital Executive Agency:
https://hadea.ec.europa.eu/index_en