The Government requests expressions of interest to identify projects of Spanish companies that are integrated into a Project of Common European Interest of Infrastructures and Cloud Services of next generation

The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, in collaboration with the Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI), has published a request for expressions of interest in order to identify projects of Spanish companies that can be integrated into an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) of Infrastructures and Services in the Cloud. IPCEI are large-scale collaborative projects that promote common European interests.

The objective of the IPCEI is the development in Europe of next-generation cloud technological capabilities, including edge computing capabilities, creating a competitive platform, accessible from anywhere in the European Union, and laying the foundations for the European data economy. The project will support the construction of a pan-European, sovereign, secure, interoperable, multi-purpose and vendor-neutral data processing infrastructure that is interconnected, distributed and scalable in Europe, leveraging existing national initiatives and resources that are relevant.

The companies whose projects are identified as integrable in the IPCEI will participate, in particular, in the development and deployment of perimeter computing capabilities that offer low latency (real-time computing) and high capacity; they will also be part of the design of secure, interoperable and accessible middleware platforms to form a continuum of interconnected cloud capabilities at European level that allow the development and implementation of ultra-secure, real-time and energy-efficient cloud services. The identified companies can be integrated into a collaboration scheme with national partners and partners from other Member States.

Las empresas proponentes deberán acreditar su trayectoria de ejecución de proyectos de I+D+I en España y garantizar que las actividades de I+D+I vinculadas al IPCEI se ejecutarán en España.

In order to qualify as part of a potential IPCEI, proposals must be quantitatively and qualitatively important, i.e. they must be particularly large in size and scope and/or involve a very high level of technological or financial risk. The final validation of the participation of the companies would be carried out within the coordinated process between the States of notification of State aid to the European Commission of the IPCEI. The IPCEI is expected to begin its implementation in 2022 and end in 2026.

This invitation to show of interest is complementary to the one presented last Wednesday, June 23, to create the Spanish hub of the European project GAIS-X, to constitute European public data spaces.

The European Union (EU) has taken up the need to invest in a new generation of infrastructure and cloud services in various strategies such as Europe’s ‘Digital Compass’, the European Data Strategy and the Joint Declaration of the Member States on the Construction of the Next Generation Cloud in Europe of 15 October 2020.

In the case of Spain, the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, in the Connectivity, Cybersecurity and Boost component of 5G, foresees an investment of 500 million euros for the participation of Spain in multi-country projects for the deployment of Cross-Border Digital Infrastructures. Participation in IPCEI cross-border digital infrastructure projects is also an objective of the Plan for Digital Connectivity and Infrastructure

The deadline for the presentation of expressions of interest will end on July 23, 2021. The full text of the request for expressions of interest is available in this link.