Partnerships

28Digital (EIT)

28Digital (EIT)

Partnership website: https://28digital.eu/

28digital is the new name of EIT Digital since 2025. This is however not just a rebranding exercise but also signifies a moderate shift in their approach. It will from now on be centered around 3 keywords:  

  • Talent: development of digital skills and entrepreneurship
  • Tech
  • Trust and build relationships with the other members of 28Digital: it has the same kind of structure as before with a  headquarter and regional hubs. These offices liaise with their ecosystem which consists of European corporations, SMEs, startups, universities and research institutes, where students, researchers, engineers, business developers and investors address the technology, talent, skills, business and capital needs of digital entrepreneurship. This way new promising businesses are created or there is collaboration on EU-projects.

If you want to know more about their guidance, training,  financing, etc. or if you want to become a partner, please have a look at their website. if you want to know more about their open and upcoming calls you can click here

background information: The European Commission finances each knowledge and innovation community (KIC) of the EIT for a period a maximum 15 years. Afterwards it needs to finance itself through the benefits of its investments and other sources of funding. EIT digital reached this milestone in 2025 and to mark this transition, they decided to rename themselve. The name 28DIGITAL draws inspiration from this idea of a ‘28th regime’ (alternative to the regime/rules of the 27 member states). It is meant to be a truly European framework where digital innovation, talent and entrepreneurship can thrive across the Single Market. The number 28 also symbolises perfection in mathematics, as it is equal to the sum of its divisors (1 + 2 + 4 + 7 + 14 = 28) – a concept rooted in number theory, the foundation of cryptography, quantum algorithms, and supercomputing benchmarks.  

What are partnerships?

Partnerships group the EC and private and/or public partners, to coordinate and streamline the research & innovation initiatives and funding in some selected key domains.

How to use partnerships?

  • orientation
    Partnerships publish strategic documents, e.g. outlining the main research and innovation challenges or key focus points.
  • networking
    Partnerships often organise events, such as info days, brokerage events, etc. Meet potential partners and learn about the nuances that are not visible in the official documents.
  • ecosystem analysis
    Partnerships typically have an advisory board, and publish impact studies of previous actions. These are good sources of information to uncover the main R&D&I players in the domain.
  • steering the agenda
    Partnerships collaborate with the EC on outlining the strategy and the future funding opportunities in their domain, based on input from industry, academia, and other stakeholders.
Author Do you have an additional question? Or spotted a mistake? Don't hesitate to contact me!
Image of Pascal Verheye
Pascal Verheye

pascal.verheye@vlaio.be

Testimonial

image of ERC grants awarded to professor Inez Germeys

ERC grants awarded to professor Inez Germeys

Professor Inez Germeys leads the Center for Contextual Psychiatry at KU Leuven, which is a large multi-disciplinary research group focusing on the interaction between the person and the environment in the development of psychopathology. She has received a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator grant (INTERACT) and Proof of Concept grant (IMPACT). With these grants professor Germeys and her team researched a new mobile self-management therapy for patients with a psychotic disorder. The Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in Daily Life (ACT-DL) was further developed for the clinical environment. In line with that the Horizon 2020 IMMERSE project aims to thoroughly evaluate strategies, processes, and outcomes of implementing a digital mobile mental health solution.