European UnionDeadline PassedNon-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
Large-scale pilots for supply end-to-end infrastructures integrating device, network computing and communication capabilities for Telco Edge Cloud deployments, as a basis for Connected Collaborative Computing Networks (3C networks) (RIA)
Developing an agile and secure single market and infrastructure for data‐services and trustworthy artificial intelligence services (Destination 3)
Funding Amount
€75.0M - €75.0M
Deadline
02/10/2025
Eligible Organization Types
Non-profit, Private Business, Research Institution, Public Institution, Other
Trusted by
What is the Large-scale pilots for supply end-to-end infrastructures integrating device, network computing and communication capabilities for Telco Edge Cloud deployments, as a basis for Connected Collaborative Computing Networks (3C networks) (RIA) Call?
Grant Description
This research and innovation action will fund a large-scale pilot to build and validate an end-to-end Telco Edge Cloud infrastructure (the 3 C Network – Connected Collaborative Computing) across Europe. It addresses the convergence of connectivity (5 G/5 G advanced) with edge and cloud computing, develops open orchestration platforms, integrates AI for resource optimization, ensures security, privacy, energy efficiency and interoperability, and demonstrates solutions in operational environments ...
Required Results for Successful Funding
Expected Outcomes
Project results are expected to:
• Strengthen European industrial ecosystems for the 3 C Network and pave the way for future large-scale demand-side pilots in vertical sectors (e.g., industrial virtual worlds for automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, agriculture, electronics; mobility; energy; smart communities; health)
• Forge strategic industrial cooperation among network, data processing, telecom, cloud, edge and vertical sector stakeholders to create new revenue streams via open platforms and an industrial open telco edge cloud ecosystem
• Define cooperation mechanisms with Open Internet Stack actions to inform block-level requirements, ensure integration and support testing of jointly developed solutions
• Realize a European vision of advanced digital infrastructures converging connectivity with interoperable edge and cloud services
• Demonstrate clear commitment from major European telecom, cloud and edge providers to industrialize pilot results, adapt business models and plan for long-term deployment
• Establish an end-user advisory group to guide pilot design, collect broad user requirements and validate solutions through demonstrations
• Strengthen European industrial ecosystems for the 3 C Network and pave the way for future large-scale demand-side pilots in vertical sectors (e.g., industrial virtual worlds for automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, agriculture, electronics; mobility; energy; smart communities; health)
• Forge strategic industrial cooperation among network, data processing, telecom, cloud, edge and vertical sector stakeholders to create new revenue streams via open platforms and an industrial open telco edge cloud ecosystem
• Define cooperation mechanisms with Open Internet Stack actions to inform block-level requirements, ensure integration and support testing of jointly developed solutions
• Realize a European vision of advanced digital infrastructures converging connectivity with interoperable edge and cloud services
• Demonstrate clear commitment from major European telecom, cloud and edge providers to industrialize pilot results, adapt business models and plan for long-term deployment
• Establish an end-user advisory group to guide pilot design, collect broad user requirements and validate solutions through demonstrations
Funded areas
Scope Requirements
Proposals must:
• Target convergence of 5G/5G-advanced connectivity with edge and cloud computing to establish EU sovereign telco edge cloud infrastructure
• Deliver end-to-end integrated infrastructures with broad stakeholder participation (operators, vendors, integrators, AI and wireless experts, IoT platform providers, SMEs and start-ups)
• Research and prototype at scale across the supply side, complementing Digital Europe and IPCEI-CIS reference deployments
• Develop open orchestration, federation, multi-cloud portability, and cloud-native NFV approaches with AI-driven closed-loop automation
• Address trade-offs in edge-node density/placement, latency, capacity, cost and energy efficiency
• Ensure security, privacy by design, compliance with ecological footprint control and Non-Terrestrial Network integration
• Define open access policies, IP ownership and resource-access rules for project and post-project sustainability
• Align with EU/TRBS standards and open-source frameworks, contribute to 6G and Web 4.0 standardisation
• Showcase results in small-scale demos scalable in future work programmes
• Build synergies with SNS JU (Streams C/D), IPCEI-CIS, Digital Europe, Connecting Europe Facility, Open Internet Stack, and other complementary EU R&I actions
• Coordinate with EuroHPC and emerging European processor architectures across the compute continuum
• Target convergence of 5G/5G-advanced connectivity with edge and cloud computing to establish EU sovereign telco edge cloud infrastructure
• Deliver end-to-end integrated infrastructures with broad stakeholder participation (operators, vendors, integrators, AI and wireless experts, IoT platform providers, SMEs and start-ups)
• Research and prototype at scale across the supply side, complementing Digital Europe and IPCEI-CIS reference deployments
• Develop open orchestration, federation, multi-cloud portability, and cloud-native NFV approaches with AI-driven closed-loop automation
• Address trade-offs in edge-node density/placement, latency, capacity, cost and energy efficiency
• Ensure security, privacy by design, compliance with ecological footprint control and Non-Terrestrial Network integration
• Define open access policies, IP ownership and resource-access rules for project and post-project sustainability
• Align with EU/TRBS standards and open-source frameworks, contribute to 6G and Web 4.0 standardisation
• Showcase results in small-scale demos scalable in future work programmes
• Build synergies with SNS JU (Streams C/D), IPCEI-CIS, Digital Europe, Connecting Europe Facility, Open Internet Stack, and other complementary EU R&I actions
• Coordinate with EuroHPC and emerging European processor architectures across the compute continuum
Additional Conditions for Applicants
Special Conditions
• Participation restricted to legal entities in EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Canada, Israel, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom
• Entities controlled by non-eligible countries or assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network equipment may only participate under strict guarantees that protect EU strategic autonomy and exclude access by non-eligible parties
• An advisory group of end users must be established to collect, discuss and validate user requirements via small demonstrations
• Integration of gender dimension is optional, not mandatory
• Proposals must comply with Horizon Europe admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation, and MGA conditions as described in Work Programme General Annexes A–G
• Applications must use the HORIZON-RIA application form and adhere to page limits, layout and submission rules in the Funding & Tenders Portal
• Entities controlled by non-eligible countries or assessed as high-risk suppliers of mobile network equipment may only participate under strict guarantees that protect EU strategic autonomy and exclude access by non-eligible parties
• An advisory group of end users must be established to collect, discuss and validate user requirements via small demonstrations
• Integration of gender dimension is optional, not mandatory
• Proposals must comply with Horizon Europe admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, exclusion, evaluation, and MGA conditions as described in Work Programme General Annexes A–G
• Applications must use the HORIZON-RIA application form and adhere to page limits, layout and submission rules in the Funding & Tenders Portal
Important dates
Open from: 10/06/2025
Deadline:02/10/2025
Application period has ended
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