Awarding Europe’s Top Deep-Tech Trainers

The EIT Community has announced the winners of its  Deep Tech Talent Training Prize, awarding a total of EUR 440,000  to honour seven top organisations dedicated to improving skills, fostering diverse training collaborations and creating inclusive training programmes in deep tech. 

The prize recognises and rewards outstanding contributions from training providers, universities and industry partners addressing challenges in deep tech education and bridging Europe’s skills gap.

The prize award ceremony, held in Barcelona, included a keynote speech by Professor Petia Radeva (University of Barcelona), and a panel discussion on best practices in deep tech education, with speakers from high-quality education providers and industry representatives. In addition, the ceremony provided ample opportunities for all participants of the event to build connections with and within the EIT Deep Tech Talent ecosystem including the wider EIT Community and EIT alumni.

Meet the winners

A panel of independent experts assessed all eligible applications, based on three thematic areas: Information Technologies and Connectivity; Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing; and Life Sciences and Green Technologies.

The following organisations were awarded the prize within two categories: 

Category 1: Partner Training
This category includes partnerships  between training providers and employers, regional actors coming together to address regional innovation ecosystem needs, or even ecosystem actors coming together for a specific market or societal need. The winners of this category are: 

• UiT The Arctic University of Norway: for the programme, ‘Big Data and AI for Environmental, Ecological and Biological Science’, first place in the area group Information Technologies and Connectivity, training 58 new talents.
• Commercialization Reactor (Sia Fng Invest): for the programme, ‘CR: Deep Tech Creation-to-Capital Cycle’, first place in the area group Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing, training 96 new talents. 

Category 2: Targeted Training
This category awards individual training providers who have addressed challenges in deep tech training, such as learners who are often underrepresented in deep tech fields (e.g., women, people with disadvantaged backgrounds, individuals re-entering the job market, etc.), or may address an immediate market or training need that is underdeveloped. The winners of this category are: 

• Junior Achievement Europe: for the programme, ‘JA Company Programme with AI Components Integrated’, first place in the area group Information Technologies and Connectivity, training 69,575 new talents. 
• Generation Spain: for the programme, ‘Empowering Europe’s Youth: Bridging the Skills Gap in Robotics Automation for a Digital Future’, first place in the area group Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing, training 85 new talents. 
• G-LAB S.r.l social enterprise: for the programme, ‘Focus on the Invisible’, first place in the area group Life Sciences and Green Technologies training 53 new talents. 
• Generation Ireland: for the programme, ‘Women in Tech: Bridging the Gender Skilling Gap with Generation Ireland’s IT Support and Cybersecurity Program’, second place in the area group Information Technologies and Connectivity, training 46 new talents. 
• Campus Biotech Digital: for the programme, ‘Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Advanced Manufacturing’, 2^nd place in the area group Life Sciences and Green Technologies, training 80–90 new talents.

Deep Tech training and upskilling is crucial to address skill shortages, promote innovation, and support the growth of industries reliant on deep tech, employability and increase competitiveness across Europe. 

This milestone helps Campus Biotech Digital team to be motivated to keep on moving forward to meet the needs and expectations of out learners and expand the opportunities that we offer them

Elmira Abezivanova, Campus Biotech Digital

We are committed to build an innovation capacity in big data in environmental sciences, sustainability and the circular economy, a mission that we think it is crucial for the future of our planet and society. Our mission in clear: to nurture and empower innovation across academic and business fields, focusing on vital areas like big data

Zola McGoldrick, UiT The Arctic University of Norway 

This awards go beyond our course. It emphasises the impact of deep tech in a time where technological change is happening faster than ever. It is about empowering the individuals to navigate the digital landscape and fostering a community of forward-thinkers

Spartaco Santi, G-LAB 

By encouraging collaboration and diversity, the selected training programmes contribute to the long-term sustainability and global competitiveness of the deep tech sector. This ensures a skilled workforce capable of navigating the rapid evolution of technology while fostering inclusive participation from individuals with diverse backgrounds.

ABOUT THE DEEP TECH TALENT INITIATIVE

The Deep Tech Talent Initiative is an ambitious program led by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and its Knowledge and Innovation Communities to develop a strong deep tech talent pool in Europe. By skilling one million people in deep tech fields, the initiative aims to address the skills gap and enable the green and digital transition in Europe. The Deep Tech Talent Training Prize is a crucial step in expanding the initiative's community and driving towards the goal of training one million talents by the end of 2025.