Europe launches Apply AI and AI in Science strategies to accelerate adoption and research
The European Commission has introduced two complementary strategies to strengthen Europe's position in AI: the Apply AI Strategy and the AI in Science Strategy. The goal is direct: speed up AI use in key sectors and lead in AI-driven research.
"I want the future of AI to be made in Europe. Because when AI is used, we can find smarter, faster, and more affordable solutions. AI adoption needs to be widespread, and with these strategies, we will help speed up the process. Putting AI first also means putting safety first," said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
Apply AI Strategy: from pilots to production
Apply AI targets deployment across healthcare, energy, mobility, manufacturing, agriculture, defence, and communications. It supports both large enterprises and SMEs to integrate AI into daily operations.
- €1 billion for initiatives such as AI-powered healthcare screening centres and sector-specific AI models (manufacturing, environmental management, pharmaceuticals).
- Apply AI Alliance to coordinate industry, academia, public institutions, and civil society.
- AI Observatory to track technological trends and assess sector impact.
- AI Act Service Desk to support implementation of the EU AI Act and compliance planning. See the official overview of the EU AI Act.
AI in Science Strategy: accelerating discovery with RAISE
Running alongside Apply AI, the AI in Science Strategy focuses on research. At its centre is RAISE (Resource for AI Science in Europe), a virtual institute to consolidate and coordinate AI resources for scientific use.
- €58 million (RAISE pilot) to fund Networks of Excellence and Doctoral Networks to grow AI talent.
- €600 million (Horizon Europe) to expand access to computational power for researchers and startups.
- Doubling AI-related funding under Horizon Europe to over €3 billion.
- Initiatives to identify data gaps and improve access to high-quality datasets for reproducible, benchmarkable research.
- Technical assessments and studies from the Commission's Joint Research Centre on AI's impact in science and research.
What this means for scientists, PIs, and research managers
- Map your projects to the new funding lines. Track calls under Horizon Europe and the RAISE pilot. Prepare proposals that pair domain expertise with AI methods and clear validation plans.
- Plan compute early. Document GPU/CPU requirements, data flows, and privacy constraints to leverage expanded computational access.
- Upgrade data readiness. Prioritise curation, documentation, and provenance. Build pipelines that surface data gaps and include bias/quality audits.
- Engage with the Apply AI Alliance to align with sector needs, find partners, and share best practices. This is useful for translational projects and consortia formation.
- Prepare for compliance. Use the AI Act Service Desk to align risk classification, documentation, and evaluation methods with the EU AI Act.
- Invest in people. Tap Doctoral Networks and Networks of Excellence to build talent pipelines. Complement with focused team training on modern AI workflows and tooling. For role-based upskilling, explore our curated AI courses by job.
Key dates and next steps
- End of October: Commission to present a Data Union Strategy to improve access to high-quality, structured data for businesses and researchers.
- 3-4 November (Copenhagen): AI in Science Summit, co-organised by the Commission and the Danish Presidency, to launch key initiatives under the AI in Science Strategy, including the RAISE pilot.
"Europe is well positioned to become an AI continent. With the Apply AI Strategy, we will help our companies and key sectors, from manufacturing to healthcare and the public sector, use AI to deliver real benefits for EU citizens, reinforce our competitiveness, and strengthen our technological sovereignty," said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.
Featured image credit: European Commission
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