On October 8, 2025, the European Commission announced two pivotal artificial intelligence (AI) development strategies: the "Apply AI Strategy" and the "AI in Science Strategy." These strategies aim to accelerate AI adoption in industry and scientific research. They position Europe to maintain a competitive edge in the global AI landscape.
The Apply AI Strategy serves as the EU’s overarching industrial framework for AI. It focuses on increasing AI adoption across key sectors. The strategy allocates €1 billion in funding and adopts an "AI first policy" to drive innovation. It revolves around three core pillars. First, it introduces sectoral flagships to promote AI use in ten critical industries, including healthcare, robotics, manufacturing, defense and security, aerospace, transportation and automotive, telecommunications, energy, climate and environment, agriculture, and media and creative industries. Second, it addresses cross-sector challenges by supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in adopting AI. The strategy transforms European Digital Innovation Hubs into Experience Centres for AI, serving as entry points to the EU’s AI innovation ecosystem. It also establishes an AI Skills Academy to develop a skilled AI workforce and hybrid talent. The Frontier AI Initiative emphasizes general-purpose AI models, AI agents, specialized small models, and digital twins, leveraging the computational power of AI Factories and AI Gigafactories to accelerate progress. Third, it establishes a unified governance mechanism by converting the existing AI Alliance into the Apply AI Alliance. An AI Observatory will monitor trends and industrial impacts. The strategy prioritizes guidelines for high-risk AI system classification and practical guidance for the AI Act.
The AI in Science Strategy centers on the Resource for AI Science in Europe (RAISE) initiative. It aims to enhance the impact, quality, and productivity of European scientific research. The strategy promotes "Science for AI" to support foundational research and "AI in Science" to advance AI applications across diverse scientific fields. It introduces an AI in Science Action Plan to pave the way for RAISE. This plan outlines targets for computational resources, data access, talent development, and research funding.
Both the Apply AI Strategy and the AI in Science Strategy align closely with the EU’s existing AI policies. They represent the next phase of the EU’s AI Continental Action Plan. These strategies establish a dual-track approach, bridging foundational research and broad industrial applications. They lay a robust foundation for Europe’s future innovation in AI.