The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) announced the launch of the Deep Tech Talent Initiative at the INNOVEIT EIT 2022 Summit in Brussels on October 11, encouraging its 3,400 partners and the European innovation community to join its efforts to train one million people in the EU in the fields of advanced technologies over the next three years.

Created in 2008 in the wake of the financial crisis and integrated into the Horizon Europe framework program within its “Innovative Europe” pillar 3, the EIT aims to articulate research, innovation and education in order to strengthen Europe’s capacity for innovation through Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).

There is a shortage of talent and skilled labor in Europe to properly leverage new technologies to enable its green and digital transition.

On July 5, 2022, the European Commission unveiled the new European Innovation Agenda, with the ambition of making Europe a world leader in innovation. The EIT, as Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem, has an important role to play in this flagship strategy, and is best placed to mobilize its network of over 3,400 partners and more than 70 hubs across Europe to develop cutting-edge deep technology education programs. It therefore invites deep tech stakeholders to express their interest in joining the initiative and investing in the talent pool for Europe’s future.

Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, who announced the launch of the initiative, commented:

“Fostering, attracting and retaining deep tech talent is essential to enable the green and digital transitions and harness a new wave of innovation in line with the new European Innovation Agenda.”

She added:

“The initiative will ensure that Europe is at the forefront of cutting-edge global technological advances, and I encourage all European deep tech stakeholders, from educators and employers to member states, to commit to supporting it.”

The Deep Tech Talent Initiative

Deep Tech innovations, cutting-edge technological solutions combining the fields of science and engineering in the physical, biological, and digital domains, are critical to creating solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges.

The Deep Tech Talent Initiative will not only develop a skilled workforce, but will also enable high-growth companies active in deep tech fields to maintain and expand their operations in Europe. This pioneering program will be open to European talent at all educational levels, from high school students to higher education students, professionals and entrepreneurs, as well as to all education and training providers. Special attention will be paid to ensuring a strong participation of women as well as countries with a lower innovation capacity.

The EIT will link public and private organizations, industry representatives, education providers, and investors to achieve the initiative’s goal.

The Deep Tech Talent Initiative will build on EIT’s existing entrepreneurial education activities, including those already targeting technology skills, among others, the EIT Label Degrees, the European Battery Alliance Academy, and the EIT Higher Education Initiative, which have produced more than 15,000 talents by 2022.

Those interested in participating in the development of this skills program will be able to choose the category of support they wish to engage in, e.g., training delivery, program content development, financial support, dissemination. EIT Manufacturing, an EIT Knowledge and Innovation Community, will coordinate the implementation of the initiative on behalf of the EIT community.

Nektarios Tavernarakis, chairman of the EIT Steering Committee, concludes:

“EIT has been at the forefront of integrating education into the innovation landscape through the support and services we provide to thousands of innovators, students and entrepreneurs. The EIT Community is now ready to scale up its best practices and deliver new industry-led education programs in the deep technology fields to ensure Europe’s future competitiveness. We call on the European innovation community and our partners to join our skills initiative and help identify, create, develop and deploy a full range of deep tech education opportunities for all Europeans.”

Translated from Deeptech : L’EIT veut former 1 million de talents européens d’ici 2025 dans le cadre de la Deep Tech Talent Initiative