Backbone connectivity for Digital Global Gateways - Studies
Funding for studies on EU backbone connectivity linking Member States, islands, and third countries to enhance digital infrastructure resilience.
This call funds studies for deploying or upgrading backbone digital networks connecting EU Member States, islands, and neighboring countries. It supports preparatory work like marine surveys and permits for submarine cables. Projects improving resilience and security of key submarine cable areas will be prioritized.
Likely relevant for
- Telecommunications infrastructure planners
- Digital infrastructure researchers
- EU cross-border connectivity projects
- Submarine cable deployment studies
- Policy makers in digital resilience
Project signals
What it funds
- Studies for deployment or significant upgrade of backbone digital networks connecting at least two Member States or Member States with islands/outermost regions/overseas territories
- Connectivity between Member States and third countries including accession and neighborhood countries
- Preparatory activities such as marine ground surveys and permit applications for submarine cables
- Studies supporting follow-up deployment of cable projects of European interest for 2028-2034
Expected outcomes
- Improved quality and maturity of EU backbone network development
- Enhanced resilience and security of submarine cable connectivity in key CPEI areas
Who can apply / participate
- Unclear or not stated - see call document section 6
- Unclear or not stated - see call document for consortium requirements
- Projects must connect at least two Member States or Member States with islands/outermost regions/overseas territories or third countries including accession and neighborhood countries
- Eligibility conditions described in section 6 of the call document
- Specific eligible applicant types
- Consortium composition rules
Must check before shortlisting
- Eligibility of applicant types and countries per call document
- Specific scoring criteria related to CPEI Areas 1-13
- Budget and funding rate details
Money
Total budget of approximately EUR 180 million for 2026 covering both studies and infrastructure projects under the CEF-DIG-2026-GATEWAYS call.
- Total budget for CEF-DIG-2026-GATEWAYS-STUDIES — 180000000EURShared budget with infrastructure projects under the same call
Application notes
- Single-stage submission model.
- Proposal page limits and layout described in Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System
- Eligibility and admissibility conditions detailed in sections 5 and 6 of the call document
- Financial and operational capacity requirements in section 7
- Submission and evaluation processes in sections 8 and 11
- Award criteria and scoring in section 9
- Legal and financial setup in section 10
- Submit proposals using forms inside the Submission System, not topic page documents
- Include detailed budget tables, Gantt charts, letters of support, and ownership declarations as required
- Follow guidance on participation with ownership and control restrictions
- Check call document for detailed eligibility and evaluation criteria
- Priority scoring for projects contributing to resilience in CPEI Areas 1-7
- Budget shared with related infrastructure projects under the same call
Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 22 Jun 2026, 13:43 UTC. Use this as a shortlisting aid; the official call text remains authoritative.
Related calls
These funding calls are closely related and may be worth considering as part of the same funding landscape.
Official source text
Fine print from the EU source record. Expand when you need the original wording.
Topic description
Expected Impact: The expected impact of the supported project include: • Improved quality and maturity of future EU backbone networks development, in particular CPEIs. Objective: Studies related to the deployment/significant upgrade of backbone networks that address risks, vulnerabilities and dependencies in the EU backbone infrastructure. Scope: Support will be given to studies for the deployment of backbone connectivity meeting one of the following conditions: • connect at least two Member States. In the case of terrestrial backbones, only cross-border segments necessary to connect national backbones will be funded; • connect a Member State with one or several of its islands, outermost regions, or overseas countries and territories; • connect one or several Member States and third countries, including accession and neighbourhood countries, directly, or indirectly via other cable infrastructures linked to the Union. Proposals should specify whether they contribute to the resilience and security of submarine cable connectivity in CPEI Areas 1-13 (except Areas 8 and 10), and in particular Areas 1-7 from the CPEI list published in February 2026 , as projects with such characteristics will be scored positively under the evaluation criterion ”Priority and Urgency”. The following activities can be funded: • all preparatory work required prior to signing a contract with a supplier, such as marine ground surveys for submarine cables and the application for any required permits; • studies for possible follow up/deployment of cable projects of European interest during the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028-2034 are also eligible.
Conditions and documents
Conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: described in section 5 of the call document
2. Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System
3. Eligible countries: described in section 6 of the call document
4. Other eligibility conditions: described in section 6 of the call document
5. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: described in section 7 of the call document
6. Submission and evaluation processes: described in sections 8 and 11 of the call document and the Online Manual
7. Award criteria, scoring and thresholds: described in section 9 of the call document
8. Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: described in section 4 of the call document
9. Legal and financial set-up of the grants: described in section 10 of the call document
Application form and annexes:
Proposals (including annexes and supporting documents) must be submitted using the forms provided inside the Submission System (NOT the documents available on the Topic page - there are only for information).
Application form (Part A and B)
Detailed budget table per Work Package
Additional documents
Support information
For help related to this call, please contact HaDEA CEF DIGITAL CALLS Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – Submission of proposals . IT Helpdesk – Contact the IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. Online Manual – Step-by-step online guide through the Portal processes from proposal preparation and evaluation to reporting on your ongoing project. Valid for all 2021-2027 programmes.
Raw budget overview
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