Poland's Digital Ministry Wins PLN 151 Million EU Grant for Public-Sector AI Hub

The Ministry of Digital Affairs has received PLN 151 million in funding for its "AI Hub for Public Administration" project. The money comes from the Centrum Projektów Polska Cyfrowa (Poland's Digital Poland Projects Centre) and is meant to build a central hub for developing and deploying artificial intelligence across the state.

What was awarded

According to CRN Polska, the funding goes to the Ministry of Digital Affairs under the FERC programme. The EU funds website says the project carries the number FERC.02.04-IP.01-0001/26, and the allocation for the entire call was exactly PLN 151 million, the same amount that was awarded.

The call was non-competitive. Only an entity on the list of projects designated for this mode in the FERC programme could apply, so the ministry had no rivals. This mode also offers no protest after a negative assessment, though here the assessment was positive.

What the AI Hub is for

As CRN describes it, the hub is to be a collaboration platform for public administration, academia and technology experts. It will be used to create, test, deploy and scale AI solutions meant to improve the work of government offices, data analysis and the handling of administrative processes.

The call description lists two components: an educational and community one, and an implementation one. The project is also meant to raise technological competence in the country and build partnerships. It plans to use PLLuM models from the HIVE AI initiative.

Partners and Hive AI follow-up

CRN writes that cooperation with research institutes will matter, including NASK - PIB and the IDEAS Research Institute, headed by Prof. Piotr Sankowski. Universities are also set to take part, among them AGH, Wrocław University of Science and Technology and the University of Poznań.

The AI Hub will continue NASK's work from the Hive AI project. That includes preparations for deploying Polish large language models in the mObywatel app and work on a chatbot.

What it means

For government offices and the companies supplying them, this signals that the state wants to develop AI in administration around its own models and a central platform, as part of coordinated central-level action. Specific products, rollout dates at individual offices and the spending schedule do not follow from the sources, however, so for now what is known is mainly the amount, the partners and a horizon of mid-2029.