The EU Commission has set out two strategies, to harness the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), drive adoption in key industries and put Europe at the forefront of AI-driven science.
The Apply AI Strategy sets out how to speed up the use of AI in Europe’s key industries and the public sector. The AI in Science Strategy focuses on putting Europe at the forefront of AI-driven research and scientific excellence.
“I want the future of AI to be made in Europe,” said EC president Ursula von der Leyen: “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. We will drive this ‘AI first’ mindset across all our key sectors, from robotics to healthcare, energy and automotive.”
The Apply AI Strategy aims to harness AI’s transformative potential by driving adoption of AI across strategic and public sectors including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, energy, mobility, manufacturing, construction, agri-food, defence, communications and culture. It will also support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with their specific needs and help Industries integrate AI into their operations.
Concrete measures include establishing AI-powered advanced screening centres for healthcare and supporting the development of frontier models and agentic AI tailored to sectors such as manufacturing, environment and pharmaceuticals.
To boost AI adoption and support these measures, the Commission is mobilising around €1 billion. In the future, new initiatives in areas like finance, tourism, and e-commerce could complement these sectors.
The strategy will help boost EU capabilities to unlock societal benefits, from enabling more accurate healthcare diagnoses to enhancing the efficiency and accessibility of public services. It encourages an AI first policy, so more companies consider AI as a part of the solution to tackle challenges, while taking into careful consideration the benefits and the risks of the technology.
The strategy also addresses cross-cutting challenges: accelerating time-to-market by linking infrastructure, data, and testing facilities; strengthening the EU workforce to be AI ready across sectors; and launching a Frontier AI initiative to support innovation by bringing together Europe’s leading AI actors. The renewal and deployment of the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs, transformed into Experience Centres for AI, will give companies privileged access to the EU AI innovation ecosystem.
To coordinate action, the Commission is launching the Apply AI Alliance, a forum bringing together industry, the public sector, academia, social partners and civil society. An AI Observatory will monitor AI trends and assess sectorial impacts.
In parallel, the Commission has launched the AI Act Service Desk to help ensure smooth implementation of the AI Act.
AI in Science Strategy
Alongside Apply AI, the AI in Science Strategy positions the EU as a hub for AI-driven scientific innovation. At its centre is RAISE – the Resource for AI Science in Europe, a virtual European institute to pool and coordinate AI resources for developing AI and applying it in science.
Strategic actions include:
- Excellence and talent: measures to attract global scientific talent and highly-skilled professionals to ‘Choose Europe‘. This includes €58 million under the RAISE pilot for Networks of Excellence and Doctoral Networks to train, retain and attract the best AI and scientific talent.
- Compute: €600 million from Horizon Europe to enhance and expand access to computational power for science. This investment will secure dedicated access to AI Gigafactories for EU researchers and startups.
- Research funding: aims for doubling Horizon Europe’s annual investments in AI to over €3 billion, including doubling funding for AI in science.
- Data: support for scientists to identify strategic data gaps and gather, curate and integrate the datasets needed for AI in science.
The Commission’s Joint Research Centre is contributing to both strategies, producing technical assessments, sectoral studies, and a new report on AI’s impact on science and research practices.
Statement by Commissioner Zaharieva on the AI in Science strategy
Factsheets: Apply AI, AI in Science & AI@EC
Questions and answers: Apply AI & AI in Science
