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As of 1 January 2025, the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) Network has officially expanded to welcome new hubs from Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, as well as Ukraine and Türkiye.
This marks a major milestone in strengthening digital transformation in the EU’s Enlargement region. These hubs will help local businesses, startups, and public institutions access cutting-edge technology, AI expertise and capacities, and funding, driving innovation and growth with a particular focus on AI. As part of the call for proposals, 18 projects were selected (7 from 5 WB partners, 5 from Türkiye, and 6 from Ukraine). The projects for the EDIHs in the WBs will start at the beginning of 2025 and will last four years. The budget of the call is €14.6 million, with €4.5 million going to the hubs in Ukraine, €4.5million going to hubs in Türkiye, €1.6million going to Serbia and €1 million going to Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia respectively.
Bringing the Western Balkans into the EDIH Network is a major step in their integration into the EU’s Digital Single Market and is part of the EU’s Growth Plan. The Growth Plan is facilitating Western Balkans’ closer links with the EU’s single market and provides for benefits already ahead of EU accession. Extending the EDIH network to Western Balkans is one of the Growth Plan’s measures that facilitates partners’ integration into the EU Digital Single Market and supports their digital transformation. Its benefits will be felt directly by SMEs, startups, and the public sector in the green and digital transitions.
For more information on the EDIH concept, the kick-off and prefinancing already received, etc. please refer to the source page of this announcement: https://enlargement.ec.europa.eu/news/new-european-digital-innovation-hubs-set-across-western-balkans-ukraine-and-turkiye-2025-01-30_en
For more information please also see: EDIH Network website; Completed call for proposals; Growth Plan for the Western Balkans