Deadline: 06-Oct-2026
The European Commission is seeking grant applications to support projects that modernise road transport infrastructure and advance digitalisation across the TEN-T network. The call has a total available budget of €20,000,000 and supports works that enable the deployment of highly automated and autonomous vehicles in real operating conditions.
The call focuses on digital infrastructure, autonomous vehicle test beds, control centres for remote supervision, vehicle positioning systems, communication with infrastructure and emergency services, road event recording, and smart transport systems. Eligible applicants include public and private legal entities established in EU Member States, overseas countries and territories, and countries associated with the CEF Programme.
What is this European Commission Road Transport Digitalisation Call?
This European Commission call supports road transport infrastructure projects that help deploy new technologies on the TEN-T network.
The funding is focused on practical works that enable highly automated and autonomous vehicles to operate in real transport environments.
It supports the transition from mature technologies to full-scale deployment, rather than early-stage research and innovation.
Main Purpose of the Call
The main purpose of the call is to modernise road transport infrastructure and support the digitalisation of road mobility.
The programme aims to help the TEN-T network become ready for autonomous vehicles, smart transport systems, advanced communication infrastructure, and safer digital road operations.
It supports infrastructure that enables vehicles to communicate, position themselves accurately, interact with emergency services, transmit data, and operate safely in complex road environments.
Total Funding Available
The total funding available for this call is €20,000,000.
The funding supports works related to deployment of new technologies and infrastructure for highly automated and autonomous vehicles.
Focus Areas and Priorities
The call focuses on digital road infrastructure and autonomous vehicle deployment.
Key focus areas include:
- Road transport infrastructure modernisation
- TEN-T network digitalisation
- Deployment of new technologies
- Transport innovation
- Autonomous vehicle infrastructure
- Highly automated vehicles
- Test beds for autonomous vehicles
- Commercial deployment of autonomous driving systems
- Control centres for remote supervision
- Digital infrastructure for vehicle positioning
- Vehicle-to-infrastructure communication
- Interaction with emergency services
- Automatic transmission of driving data
- Recording of road events
- Accident and near-accident recording
- Road infrastructure modifications
- Smart transport systems
- EU harmonised digital infrastructure
- C-ROADS infrastructure
- Sovereign digital systems
Key Concepts Explained
TEN-T Network
The TEN-T network is the European Union’s Trans-European Transport Network.
It includes major roads, railways, ports, airports, inland waterways, terminals, and urban nodes that support mobility, trade, and connectivity across Europe.
This call supports projects located on the core, extended core, or comprehensive TEN-T network, including urban nodes.
Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous vehicles are vehicles that can perform driving tasks with limited or no human intervention.
This call focuses on infrastructure that enables highly automated and autonomous vehicles to operate safely and effectively in real road conditions.
Road Transport Digitalisation
Road transport digitalisation refers to the use of digital technologies to improve road safety, traffic management, vehicle communication, positioning, and transport efficiency.
It may include communication systems, data transmission, remote supervision, digital road infrastructure, and smart transport services.
Control Centres for Remote Supervision
Control centres support the remote supervision of highly automated vehicles.
They may include IT systems that allow operators to assist vehicles in complex, unusual, or unexpected situations.
The call supports the establishment of such control centres, but not the construction of physical transport management centre buildings.
C-ROADS
C-ROADS refers to EU harmonised digital infrastructure used to support cooperative intelligent transport systems.
Applicants should explain how their projects use EU harmonised digital infrastructure such as C-ROADS where relevant.
What Types of Projects are Supported?
The call supports works that deploy technologies for autonomous and highly automated road transport.
Eligible project types may include:
- Digital road infrastructure deployment
- Infrastructure for autonomous driving systems
- Test beds for autonomous vehicles
- Commercial deployment of autonomous vehicle technologies
- Control centres for remote supervision
- IT systems for highly automated vehicle support
- Vehicle positioning infrastructure
- Infrastructure communication systems
- Emergency service interaction systems
- Driving data transmission systems
- Road event recording systems
- Limited road infrastructure adaptations
- Smart transport systems on the TEN-T network
Projects should demonstrate readiness for real operation and deployment.
Deployment Rather Than Research
This call is not intended for early-stage research and innovation activities.
Projects should focus on mature technologies that are ready to move toward real-world deployment.
Applicants should clearly show that their proposed activities support practical implementation, not experimental research only.
Projects may complement initiatives funded under Horizon Europe, but they should focus on deployment within transport infrastructure.
Control Centre Support
The call supports control centres equipped with IT systems for the remote supervision of highly automated vehicles.
These systems may help operators intervene or provide support in complex or unexpected driving situations.
Eligible elements may include digital systems, supervision platforms, communication tools, and operational IT components linked to autonomous vehicle deployment.
However, the construction of physical buildings such as transport management centre structures is not supported.
Digital Infrastructure Support
The call supports digital infrastructure that enables autonomous and highly automated vehicles to operate safely.
Supported digital infrastructure may include systems for:
- Accurate vehicle positioning
- Communication with surrounding infrastructure
- Interaction with emergency services
- Automatic transmission of driving data
- Recording of accidents
- Recording of near-accidents
- Monitoring of road events
- Smart transport operations
Applicants should explain how the infrastructure will function in real operating conditions.
Road Infrastructure Modifications
Limited road infrastructure modifications may be supported where they are essential for autonomous vehicle deployment.
Examples may include extending merging lanes or making targeted road changes that help autonomous vehicles operate safely.
Applicants should clearly justify why any physical road modification is necessary for deployment.
The modification should be proportionate and directly linked to the autonomous vehicle use case.
Eligible Locations
Projects may be located on the TEN-T road network.
Eligible locations include:
- Core TEN-T network
- Extended core TEN-T network
- Comprehensive TEN-T network
- TEN-T urban nodes
Infrastructure outside the TEN-T network may be included only if applicants justify its benefits to the TEN-T system.
Applicants should clearly describe the project location and its connection to the TEN-T network.
Use of EU Harmonised Digital Infrastructure
Applicants must explain how their projects use EU harmonised digital infrastructure where relevant.
This may include systems such as C-ROADS.
Applicants should also explain the use of sovereign systems where applicable.
The proposal should show how the project aligns with European digital infrastructure approaches and supports interoperability.
Who is Eligible?
Eligible applicants include public and private legal entities.
Applicants must be established in:
- EU Member States
- Overseas countries and territories
- Countries associated with the CEF Programme
Eligible applicants may include road authorities, transport infrastructure managers, public transport authorities, technology providers, mobility operators, municipalities, urban node authorities, and private infrastructure developers.
How the Call Works
The European Commission provides funding for works that deploy new road transport technologies on the TEN-T network.
Applicants submit proposals explaining the technology, infrastructure, deployment location, operational model, expected benefits, and contribution to digitalisation and autonomous vehicle readiness.
Projects should demonstrate how they will support real operation of highly automated or autonomous vehicles and improve the performance of smart transport systems.
How to Apply
Applicants should first confirm that the project is located on the TEN-T network or clearly benefits the TEN-T system.
They should then define the autonomous vehicle or digital transport infrastructure to be deployed.
The application should explain how the project supports real operation, how mature the technology is, and how the infrastructure will contribute to safer, smarter, and more efficient road transport.
Applicants should also describe how EU harmonised digital infrastructure and sovereign systems will be used where relevant.
Suggested Application Steps
- Confirm that the applicant is an eligible public or private legal entity.
- Confirm that the project is located on the TEN-T network or justified by its benefits to the TEN-T system.
- Identify whether the project supports autonomous vehicle deployment, digital infrastructure, control centres, or smart transport systems.
- Explain why the technology is mature enough for deployment.
- Describe the works to be funded.
- Define the real operating conditions in which the infrastructure will be used.
- Explain how the project supports highly automated or autonomous vehicles.
- Describe any control centre or remote supervision system.
- Explain how digital infrastructure will support positioning, communication, emergency interaction, and data transmission.
- Justify any road infrastructure modifications, such as merging lane extensions.
- Explain how EU harmonised digital infrastructure such as C-ROADS will be used where relevant.
- Describe how the project complements existing European initiatives, including Horizon Europe projects where applicable.
- Prepare a clear implementation plan and budget.
- Submit the application through the official European Commission or CEF Programme process.
Why It Matters
Road transport is changing rapidly as digital technologies, automation, and intelligent transport systems become more important.
Autonomous and highly automated vehicles require reliable infrastructure, communication systems, positioning tools, emergency service interaction, and remote supervision systems.
This call matters because it helps prepare the TEN-T network for the next generation of road mobility.
By funding deployment-ready infrastructure, the programme supports safer roads, better traffic management, innovation, and the commercial use of autonomous driving systems.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Applicants should avoid submitting projects that focus mainly on research rather than deployment.
The call supports works for mature technologies, not early-stage research and innovation activities.
Applicants should not request funding for the construction of physical transport management centre buildings.
Proposals should avoid vague references to autonomous driving without explaining the infrastructure required for real operation.
Projects outside the TEN-T network should not be included without a clear justification of their benefits to the TEN-T system.
Applicants should also avoid failing to explain how EU harmonised digital infrastructure and sovereign systems are used where relevant.
Tips for Strong Applications
A strong application should clearly show that the project is ready for deployment and not limited to experimentation.
Applicants should describe the specific infrastructure being deployed and how it supports autonomous or highly automated vehicles.
The proposal should explain the project’s location within the TEN-T network and its contribution to smart transport systems.
Control centre projects should focus on IT systems and operational supervision capacity, not physical building construction.
Digital infrastructure projects should clearly describe vehicle positioning, communication, emergency interaction, data transmission, and event recording functions.
The strongest proposals will demonstrate maturity, interoperability, practical deployment value, and measurable benefits for the TEN-T network.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the purpose of this European Commission call?
The call supports projects that modernise road transport infrastructure and advance digitalisation on the TEN-T network, especially for highly automated and autonomous vehicles.
2. How much funding is available?
The total funding available for this call is €20,000,000.
3. What types of projects are supported?
The call supports works related to digital infrastructure, autonomous vehicle test beds, remote supervision control centres, vehicle positioning systems, communication systems, smart transport systems, and limited road infrastructure modifications.
4. Does the call support research projects?
No. The call supports deployment of mature technologies for real operation rather than research and innovation activities.
5. Are control centres eligible?
Yes. Control centres equipped with IT systems for remote supervision of highly automated vehicles may be supported. However, the construction of physical buildings such as transport management centre structures is not supported.
6. Can projects be outside the TEN-T network?
Projects may be located outside the TEN-T network only if applicants clearly justify their benefits to the TEN-T system.
7. Who can apply?
Eligible applicants include public and private legal entities established in EU Member States, overseas countries and territories, and countries associated with the CEF Programme.
Conclusion
The European Commission’s road transport digitalisation call provides €20,000,000 to support deployment-ready infrastructure for autonomous and highly automated vehicles on the TEN-T network.
The call funds works related to digital infrastructure, remote supervision systems, vehicle positioning, communication with infrastructure and emergency services, road event recording, and smart transport systems.
Applicants should present technically mature, deployment-focused proposals that clearly support real operation, use harmonised European digital infrastructure where relevant, and demonstrate clear benefits for the TEN-T transport system.
For more information, visit European Commission.
