The Datacom Industry Association (DIA) Launches New Open Challenge Fund to Accelerate Collaborative R&D, offering with up to €200,000 per project.
3rd November 2025 – The DIA today announced the launch of a new Open Challenge Fund, a private funding initiative designed to foster collaboration between industry and innovative Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and academic members. The fund aims to accelerate research and development (R&D) in critical datacom technologies, with a specific focus on areas such as sustainability and artificial intelligence (AI).
The program is open to academic or research organisation as well as SME members of the DIA, serving as a key attraction for new members. Applicants must be a Principal Investigator with a self-directed research position (e.g., professor, research scientist, postdoc) and must secure approval from their employer. Funded projects can receive between €25,000 and €200,000, with funds provided by DIA member organisations as a sponsorship albeit managed directly by the DIA office.
Read the full press release here (PDF)
Visit the DIA Open Challenge Fund page here
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