EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Call for Training Proposals 2025

The EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative has announced the launch of its Call for Training Proposals 2025 for organisations to collaborate on training deep tech talent by enhancing or expanding deep tech training programmes to train people in the EU and associated countries.

The Call for Training Proposals is launched by the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union. Proposals must support trainings in one of the 15 deep tech areas specified on the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative website. They should be aimed at developing training for audiences including students of higher education with a need for more specialised training, and adult learners who need additional skills in deep tech, and ensure inclusivity, especially for those scoring low in terms of advanced digital skills levels, according to the Digital Economy and Society Index.

Through this call, the Initiative has allocated a maximum funding up to EUR 1M, with each consortium able to request up to EUR 60 000.

The Call

This Call is seeking proposals from organisations looking to expand or enhance upon existing deep tech training programmes. Improvements may include digitalisation, enhancing accessibility, scaling up, fostering international collaboration, localising content to different languages, establishing new academia-industry-NGO-government partnerships, or updating programmes with more ambitious and impactful KPIs, among other.

The Call for Training Proposals 2025 has three main objectives:

• Increase the number of people trained in deep tech in Europe. These should come from the following learner categories covered by the Initiative:
  • Students of Higher Education with a need for more specialised training in deep tech;
  • Adult learners in companies and on the job market who need additional skills in deep tech.
• Expand, improve and diversify the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative training catalogue;
• Foster collaboration between the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Pledgers (400 as of February 2025)

Who can apply?

The EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Call for Training Proposals 2025 is open to a diverse range of entities, including educational institutions, non-profits, start-ups, and companies, and specifically designed to engage a wide array of organisations committed to pioneering the future of deep technology education and skill development across Europe.

Proposals must involve a consortium of at least two entities, demonstrating a collaborative approach to deep tech training. Consortium members must come from at least two different eligible countries with at least one partner coming from a Member State. Additionally, all applicants must have signed the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Pledge and been approved as a Pledger two weeks before the call deadline.

What makes a successful proposal?

Successful proposals are expected to deliver the following outcomes:

• Bridging the Deep Tech Skills Gap: The proposals should describe efforts to reach a goal of at least 300 trained learners by end 2025, of which at least 30% women.
• Fostering Creativity and Innovation in Deep Tech Curriculum Design: Support the development of innovative training methodologies that encourage creativity, problem-solving, and critical thinking among participants. Any type of training can be envisaged: online, onsite, hybrid, workshops, seminars, master and doctoral programmes, summer or winter schools, if they meet the outlined criteria.
• Enhancing Programme Appeal and Reach: Focus on empowering underrepresented groups through training programmes, such as increasing women’s participation, attracting other under-represented minorities, or ensuring inclusivity across all EU members states, especially EIT RIS-eligible countries – those with moderate or emerging innovation capacity, as defined by the European Innovation Scoreboard.
• Adhering to the Quality Check standards and specified mandatory criteria.
• Collaborative Efforts: Applications must involve a consortium of at least two entities, demonstrating a collaborative approach to deep tech training. All partners must be or become pledgers of the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative.

Implementation of the successful proposals will be structured in two phases to optimise development and impact:

• Phase 1 focuses on enhancing, improving, expanding, or updating, and validating deep tech training content and programmes
• Phase 2 involves the launch and execution of the training programmes

Discover more about this call, by participating in:

• Call Info Session: 26 February, 15:00 CET. Register here
• Call Matchmaking Session: 6 March, 15:00 CET. Register here
• Call Q&A Session: 17 March, 15:00 CET. Register here

Key dates and deadlines:

• Call publication: 13 February 2025
• Call opening: 25 February 2025 at 10:00 CET (Register here)
• Call deadline: 8 April 2025, 17:00 CEST
• Communication of results: May 2025
• Start of the projects: 30 June 2025

How to apply 

Interested organisations are encouraged to read the full Call text and documents available now. To access the online registration platform, please register first on the system.

Apply Here

Deadline: 8 April 2025, 17:00 CEST