Hundreds of millions for cyber security and semiconductor production

The EU Commission has announced the allocation of new funding for digital projects amounting to several hundred million euros. As part of the Chip Act, for example, the Joint Undertaking for Chips has announced calls for proposals to support semiconductor research and innovation initiatives.

The EU funds available for these tenders amount to a total of 325 million euros. The Joint Undertaking (JU), which is generally intended to promote the development and application of innovative nanoelectronic chip technologies and systems made in Europe, is a public-private partnership. The Commission therefore expects the EU funds to be topped up by additional funding from the countries participating in the JU.

According to the Brussels-based government institution, the tender round is intended to further support the European semiconductor industry by setting up a pilot line for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Such semiconductors use light to process and transmit information at higher speeds while consuming less energy. This is considered crucial for the next generations of high-performance computers, fast internet and data centers. The funding institute also intends to use the money to support chip competence centers in the participating EU countries, which will primarily involve SMEs. In addition, a cloud-based online design platform will be created to enable users such as universities and start-ups to design and develop new semiconductors.

Combating disinformation as part of cyber security

At the same time, the Commission has published a call for funding of over 210 million euros within the Digital Europe program for projects to strengthen cybersecurity. 35 million euros are reserved for the protection of large industrial plants and critical infrastructures (Kritis). The same amount is to flow into the use of "state-of-the-art technologies and tools in the field of cybersecurity". The lion's share of 55 million euros is earmarked for educational activities to strengthen the skills of employees and citizens. 12.8 million euros are to be invested to maintain the establishment, support and expansion of national and cross-border cybersecurity operations centers.

25 million euros have been released for activities to facilitate the deployment of various multinational projects by consortia for a European digital infrastructure. A further 20 million euros will be made available for the development of local digital twins, i.e. digital simulations of municipalities. 8 million will support the work of European digital media observatories to fund independent regional clusters to analyze and combat disinformation on the Internet.

The funds provided are comparatively manageable in the semiconductor sector. In 2023, the Commission approved an overarching aid program worth billions in order to become less dependent on Taiwan, for example, in the development of microelectronics and chips. The federal and state governments alone have pledged around 4 billion euros for complex innovation projects as part of this program. Much less money has been invested in cybersecurity so far. In May 2020, for example, the EU provided 49 million euros to promote new developments in this area and in data protection.

(mki)