Smart Networks and Services Call for Proposals 2025 is officially launched

Brussels,14 April 2025

Smart Networks and Services Call for Proposals 2025 is officially published

Today the Smart Network and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) publishes its fourth Call for proposals on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal The Call will open on 22 May 2025, and participants can submit their proposals online until 18 September 2025.

On 11 April 2025, the Smart Networks and Services Joint Undertaking (SNS JU) Governing Board adopted its amended Research & Innovation (R&I) Work Programme 2025, announcing €104 million of EU funding for its fourth Call (1^st Call of 2025) to advance 6G Research and Innovation.

The SNS JU plays a key role in the implementation of an ambitious investment package, by managing an EU budget of EUR 900 million for the period 2021-2027. The private sector will contribute with equal resources over the same period. This Fourth Call will expand on the 80 SNS JU projects that were selected from the first three SNS JU call for proposals.

Potential applicants will have the opportunity to learn more and ask questions at the SNS JU Call 4 Information Day, taking place on 23 May 2025. They can also share their ideas and find partners by attending the SNS brokerage event that will take place on 23 May 2025 and by joining the SNS brokerage platform.

“This Work Programme represents a crucial step in Europe’s journey towards 6G leadership,” said Erzsébet Fitori, Executive Director of the SNS JU. “By bringing together European vertical industries, academia, and research institutions, we’re not just developing technology – we’re building Europe’s digital future with a focus on sustainability, security, and societal impact.”

Retained projects from this Call will support research and innovation activities through two complementary streams:

Stream B: Advanced research for revolutionary and evolutionary technology advancements, including Topics on 6G Disruptive Technologies.
Stream C: Development of a 6G Telco Cloud and service platform experimental infrastructure

The main highlights of the 2025 R&I Work Programme include:

A reinforced focus on key technological topics targeting medium to higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), while also exploring 6G disruptive technologies and long-term R&I starting at low TR.
Alignment with the European Commission’s white paper “How to master Europe’s digital infrastructure needs?”, and especially on the vision towards Connected Collaborative Computing (3Cs) Networks to support Telco-Edge-Cloud convergence.
Dedicated Topics on terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks unification as well as on the integration of photonics systems and optical networks into the 6G architecture.
Continued emphasis on wireless communication technologies, artificial intelligence as well as on trust, security, reliability and privacy-enhancing technologies with dedicated Topics on those areas.
A set of activities with focus on microelectronics, particularly on “Front End Module” (FEM) development
International cooperation between EU and US on 6G under the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC)

Achieving broader impact

Sustainability of Future Networks and Services – Europe’s contribution to Key Value Indicators. Europe is leading the development of Key Value Indicators (KVIs) to measure the sustainability of 6G technology and presenting how 6G can contribute to a more sustainable Europe. By qualifying and quantifying KVIs, Europe can design and develop networks and services that align with sustainability goals, provide value to industry and benefits to the society and the environment.
Advancing 6G Standardisation. Creating a significant impact on standardisation activities remains one of the key objectives of the SNS R&I Work Programme. 3GPP is accelerating the development of 6G standards, with a study work phase starting in 2025. This marks a significant step towards shaping the future of wireless communication technology by developing strong capabilities towards valorisation of SNS results in relevant 6G standardisation bodies.

Large-scale trials and pilots with vertical sectors with a focus on Industry/Manufacturing, Media, Transportation/Logistics, Emergency and Safety Services, and Health will be implemented through Stream D via a later Call within 2025. The Call for Stream D Proposals will be subject to an amended SNS JU R&I Work Program 2025 to be published in 2025.

The SNS JU Call 4 publication announcement follows the successful implementation of previous calls, which have already committed over €500 million to boost beyond 5G and 6G research and innovation across Europe.

You can download the 2025 Research and Innovation Work Program (containing the details of the 2025 calls for proposals) here.