News
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has launched InvestAI, an initiative to mobilise €200 billion for investment in AI, including a new European fund of €20 billion for AI gigafactories. This large AI infrastructure is needed to allow open, collaborative development of the most complex AI models and to make Europe an AI continent.
The EU's InvestAI fund will finance four future AI gigafactories across the EU. They will be specialised in training the most complex, very large, AI models. Such next-generation models require extensive computing infrastructure for breakthroughs in specific domains such as medicine or science. The gigafactories will have around 100 000 last-generation AI chips, around four times more than the AI factories being set up right now.
The gigafactories funded through InvestAI will be the largest public-private partnership in the world for the development of trustworthy AI. The goal is that every company, not only the biggest players, can access large-scale computing power to build the future.
InvestAI will include a layered fund, with shares of different risk and return profiles. The EU budget would derisk the investment of other partners. The Commission's initial funding for InvestAI will come from existing EU funding programmes which have a digital component, such as Digital Europe Programme and Horizon Europe, and InvestEU. Member States can also contribute by programming funds from their Cohesion envelopes.
More information on the context and other AI-related initiatives by the EU can be found in the Commission press release.
myOverview
Stay informed about Horizon Europe, Digital Europe & EDF, filtered on what matters to you.
Only for stakeholders located in Flanders
ESA Space Solutions has opened a call for proposals on space-enabled solutions for resilient electricity grids, in collaboration with ENTSO-E. The call supports proof-of-concept studies and pilot projects that address challenges in grid resilience and operational continuity.
Read moreThe Start2Def 2026 selection process opened on 4 November 2026. Belgian startups and small SMEs can submit proof-of-concept ideas for one of two defence-related challenges.
Read moreThe European Commission and ESA have launched a new website for the Earth System Science Initiative (ESSI). The site brings together collaborative research on climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean health and other environmental challenges. It presents participating projects, scientific alliances and emerging results from EU- and ESA-supported research.
Read moreThe launch of the 2027 calls for proposals under the Defence-related Research Action (DEFRA) programme has been postponed until Spring 2027. As a result, the information days initially scheduled for 23 and 24 November 2026 will also be postponed. A revised timeline will be communicated as soon as it becomes available.
Read moreTestimonial
Circusol is an Innovation Action project funded under a cross-cutting work programme part of Horizon 2020. Circusol aims at unleashing the full potential of circular business models, in particular Product-Service Systems, in simultaneously delivering real environmental, economic and user benefits. By that, Circusol aims to establish solar power as a spearhead sector in demonstrating a path driven by service-based businesses towards a circular economy in Europe.
A strong Flemish partnership in new Horizon 2020 project on circular economy business demonstrators, including VITO (Coordinator), IMEC, Ecopower cvba, Futech bvba, PV Cycle aisbl and Daidalos Peutz bvba.
