EIT to skill one million tech innovators – Join the pledge!
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) has announced the launch of the Deep Tech Talent Initiative – inviting partners to join its efforts to skill one million people within deep tech fields over the coming years.
The Deep Tech Talent Initiative was unveiled today at the conclusion of the EIT’s INNOVEIT WEEKS event series, Europe’s largest innovation event of the year. Deep tech stakeholders are now invited to express their interest to join the Pledge and invest in the talent pool for Europe’s future.
The Deep Tech Talent Initiative is a pioneering programme that will skill one million people within European deep tech fields over the next three years. Deep Tech innovations – cutting-edge technology solutions combining fields of science and engineering in the physical, biological and digital spheres – are indispensable in creating solutions to the most pressing global challenges. However, Europe lacks the talent and skilled labour force necessary to properly leverage the new technologies to enable its green and digital transition.
The EIT aims to address this gap, in line with the European Commission's New European Innovation Agenda, by developing a strong deep tech talent pool across all Member States. As Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem, the EIT is best placed to mobilise its network of 3 400+ partners and 70+ hubs across Europe to develop state-of-the-art deep tech education programmes. The new initiative will not only ensure the development of a skilled labour force, but also the retention of high-growth companies active in the deep tech fields to maintain and expand their operations in Europe.
Fostering, attracting, and retaining deep tech talents is crucial to enable the green and digital transitions and harness a new wave of innovation in line with the New European Innovation Agenda. As Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem, along with its network of 3 400 partners across Europe, the EIT is best placed to develop the deep tech education programmes the EU needs and to train 1 million European talents under the Deep Tech Talent Initiative. The initiative will ensure that Europe is in the vanguard of global cutting-edge technological advancements, and I encourage all European deep tech stakeholders, from educators and employers to Member States, to make a Pledge to support it.’
Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
The new programme will be open to all European talents from all education levels, from secondary school students through to higher education students, professionals and entrepreneurs, and all education and training providers. It will have a particular focus and incentives ensuring a strong participation of women, as well as countries with lower innovation capacity. The initiative was launched on 11 October at the EIT Summit in Brussels – the culmination of the EIT's flagship event series, INNOVEIT WEEKS – which attracted over 6 000 attendees across ten events throughout Europe.
The EIT has been at the forefront of integrating education into the innovation landscape through the support and services we offer to thousands of innovators, students, and entrepreneurs. The EIT Community is now ready to scale its best practices and offer new industry-led education programmes in deep tech fields, to secure the future of Europe’s competitiveness. We call on the European innovation community and our partners to join our skills initiative and to help identify, create, scale up, and roll out a full array of deep tech education opportunities for all Europeans.
Nektarios Tavernarakis, Chair of the EIT Governing Board
The Deep Tech Talent Initiative will build on the EIT's existing entrepreneurship education activities, including those already targeting tech skills, among others, the EIT Label degrees, the European Battery Alliance Academy, and the EIT Higher Education Initiative, which together have trained more than 15 000 talents in 2022 alone.
Pledge to join the initiative
By encouraging partners to make a Pledge, the EIT will connect public and private organisations, industry representatives, education providers and investors to help achieve the initiative's aim. This Pledge system will allow potential partners and sponsors to support the initiative, as well as help identify the best existing deep tech courses and training.
Those wanting to join the development of the skills programme will be able to choose which category of support they would pledge to, e.g., training provision, programme content development, financial support, dissemination. EIT Manufacturing, an EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community, will be coordinating the implementation of the initiative on behalf of the EIT Community.
The Deep Tech Talent Initiative website and Pledge form can be found here
INNOVEIT WEEKS 2022 sees record levels of participation
Alongside the announcement of Deep Tech Talent Initiative, the EIT Summit also featured the 2022 EIT Award Ceremony, with full information on the finalists available here. The Summit, which took place in Brussels, Belgium, was the final event in the EIT's flagship event series, INNOVEIT WEEKS, featuring ten events across Europe.
As Europe's largest innovation event of the year, INNOVEIT WEEKS put the EIT on full display with:
- 10 policy-led events spread across Europe, from Stockholm to Paris, from Bilbao and Athens
- A total of 6 000 top industry players, EIT-supported entrepreneurs, policymakers, students, and other innovators attending either in person or online
- Over 175 speakers ranging from experts, start-ups, first class innovators, and leaders
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