Sectoral digital skills academies: Digital Skills Academy in GenAI

The DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-GENAI-ACADEMY-STEP grant is part of the EU's Digital Europe Programme and is focused on addressing the AI skills gap by establishing a Generative AI (GenAI) Skills Academy. The grant aims to empower students and professionals in sectors such as SMEs, startups, and the public sector with the necessary skills to develop and deploy AI technologies. The funding type is a lump sum grant with a budget of 7 million euros for this initiative, which is expected to run for 3 to 4 years.

Eligible applicants include higher education institutions, industry partners (especially SMEs and startups), research organizations, and vocational education and training institutions from EU member states and associated countries. A consortium of at least six entities from three eligible countries is required for participation, and applicants must co-fund 50% of their project costs.

The application process is an open call with a single-stage submission. Proposals must be submitted by September 2, 2025. The project stage will focus on developing and validating education and training programs targeted at AI specialists.

Expected outcomes include comprehensive academic curricula, short-term training opportunities, partnerships between academia and industry, and initiatives designed to ensure inclusivity in skills training. The academy will also collaborate with existing AI initiatives in Europe and integrate resources with the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform.

In summary, this grant opportunity is a strategic effort to advance AI skills in Europe, focusing on Generative AI, and fostering collaboration across various sectors to enhance digital transformation initiatives.

This EU grant opportunity, DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-GENAI-ACADEMY-STEP, falls under the DIGITAL call, specifically Advanced Digital Skills (DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08). It aims to establish an AI Skills Academy focused on Generative AI (GenAI). The type of action is DIGITAL-LS, which stands for DIGITAL Lump Sum Grants, and the Model Grant Agreement (MGA) type is DIGITAL Lump Sum Grant [DIGITAL-AG-LS]. The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline model. The opening date was April 15, 2025, and the deadline for submission is September 2, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time. The budget for this topic is 7,000,000 EUR for the year 2025, and the indicative number of grants to be awarded is 1.

The primary objective of this grant is to address the current gap in European AI and GenAI capabilities. Most large AI models are developed outside the EU due to easier access to computing power, datasets, and skilled personnel. The AI Skills Academy aims to empower students, sector specialists, and ICT professionals in SMEs, startups, and the public sector with the skills needed to develop, deploy, and apply AI models and applications. This initiative directly supports the AI Innovation package launched in January 2024 and the upcoming Apply AI Strategy. The academy will closely coordinate with and support the AI Factories initiative, which is deploying a tailor-made supercomputing service infrastructure.

The scope of the AI Skills Academy involves creating a one-stop-shop for activities that support or develop educational and training schemes. The focus is on two main areas: (1) skills related to the AI Factories facilities, complementing the EuroHPC Virtual Training Academy, and (2) skills for the uptake and deployment of AI, particularly GenAI, in key economic sectors. The academy will develop and implement learning modules and short-term training on AI foundation model development, AI inference processes, data science, AI and GenAI deployment, and the use of supercomputers for AI. These modules can be integrated into academic curricula at various levels and for various target groups. The academy may also conduct activities to educate the general public on the safe and responsible use of AI and GenAI technologies. Collaboration with existing initiatives like the AI-on-Demand Platform, Networks of Excellence in AI, European Digital Innovation Hubs, and EuroHPC Factories is expected.

Expected outcomes and deliverables include:

Comprehensive academic curricula designed across different levels and for different target groups, implemented at European level. These curricula can be complete academic programs or smaller modules integrated into larger programs.
Modular short-term training curricula for sector specialists, designed and piloted through relevant training courses at regional or local levels, including targeted training for SMEs and the public sector.
Partnerships and collaboration frameworks between academia, industry (including SMEs), and research institutions to facilitate the large-scale European-wide roll-out of academic programs and short-term trainings.
Facilitated joint educational initiatives and events with industry and research institutions, such as on-the-job experiences, laboratories, mentorship schemes, internship programs, summer schools, bootcamps, visits to facilities, and career days.
Support, integration, and visibility schemes, with attention to the participation of female students and professionals, talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and people with disabilities.
Training initiatives for teaching staff, such as “Teach-the-teacher” modules for university, VET, and secondary-education teachers.
Communication and awareness-raising activities, including social media campaigns, career orientation, and “technology deep dive sessions” for secondary education students and the general public.
A dedicated landing page on the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform to disseminate activities, events, and initiatives of the academy.
Reports on the impact of the academies’ activities, based on a KPI assessment scheme, and recommendations for policy and investments.
Additional deliverables specific to individual academies’ activities.

Conditions for application include:

Admissibility Conditions: Proposal page limit and layout are described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form in the Submission System.
Eligible Countries: Described in section 6 of the call document.
Other Eligible Conditions: Described in section 6 of the call document.
Financial and operational capacity and exclusion: Described in section 7 of the call document.
Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual.
Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document.
Evaluation and award: The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document.
Legal and financial set-up of the grants: Described in section 10 of the call document.

Relevant documents include:

Call Document
Standard application form (DEP) available in the Submission System
Detailed budget table (DEP LSII)
Lump Sum MGA
DEP Work Programmes
DEP Regulation 2021/964
EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment
EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement
Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual
Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions
Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

There are also partner search announcements available on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

The call aims to address the shortage of AI expertise within the EU by establishing a skills academy. This academy will focus on providing comprehensive training and educational resources related to AI and GenAI, targeting students, professionals, and the general public. The initiative seeks to foster collaboration between academia, industry, and research institutions to ensure the effective deployment and adoption of AI technologies across various sectors, ultimately contributing to the digital transformation of the EU. The academy will act as a central hub for AI skills development, offering a range of activities from curriculum design to practical training and public awareness campaigns.

Eligible Applicant Types: The call targets undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students, as well as current and future sector and ICT specialists in SMEs, startups, and the public sector. The call encourages participation from academia, industry (including SMEs), and research institutions. European Universities alliances are also encouraged to participate as consortia. Government agencies can be part of the consortium. Vocational Education Training (VET) institutes with a PIC number can apply. Nonprofit organizations are also eligible as consortium partners.

Funding Type: The funding type is a DIGITAL Lump Sum Grant (DIGITAL-LS).

Consortium Requirement: The call requires a consortium. The minimum requirements of the consortium composition are indicated in the Call for proposals section 6. There is no maximum number of partners that can participate within a single consortium.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The call focuses on the digital transformation across the EU. The eligibility rules are indicated in the Call for proposals section 6. Generally, applicants from non-EU countries can join the consortia. Entities from non-EU countries that are associated to the Digital Europe Programme are eligible to receive funding. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) located in third countries that are not associated to the Digital Europe Programme can participate in consortia but are not eligible to receive funding.

Target Sector: The program targets the ICT sector with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI), specifically Generative AI (GenAI), quantum computing, and virtual worlds. It also targets the education and training sector, aiming to develop digital skills.

Mentioned Countries: Türkiye is mentioned in the Q&A section, clarifying that there is no specific requirement about participation of Türkiye. The eligibility criteria in terms of eligible countries and consortium composition are indicated in the Call for proposals section 6. The primary geographic focus is the European Union (EU).

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on development and implementation of educational and training schemes. This includes designing comprehensive academic curricula, modular short-term training curricula, and facilitating joint educational initiatives.

Funding Amount: The budget for the DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-GENAI-ACADEMY-STEP topic is EUR 7,000,000. The budget for the DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-QUANTUM-ACADEMY-STEP topic is EUR 10,000,000. The budget for the DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-VIRTUAL-WORLDS-ACADEMY-STEP topic is EUR 10,000,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call with a single-stage submission process. The submission session is now available for DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-QUANTUM-ACADEMY-STEP, DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-GENAI-ACADEMY-STEP, DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-VIRTUAL-WORLDS-ACADEMY-STEP.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in the form of a lump sum grant.

Application Stages: The application process is a single-stage process.

Success Rates: The indicative number of grants for each topic is one.

Co-funding Requirement: Beneficiaries must fulfill a 50% co-funding requirement. The funding not provided by the European Commission can be obtained by own resources, income generated by the action (e.g. by programme fees), or financial or in-kind contributions from third parties. There will be no financial audit nor financial reporting on the self-funded amount. Reporting of Lump Sum based grants is solely technical and based on assessment of completion of actions.

This opportunity is a call for proposals under the DIGITAL Europe Programme, specifically targeting advanced digital skills. The call aims to establish digital skills academies in the areas of Generative AI (GenAI), quantum computing, and virtual worlds. The primary objective is to address the skills gap in these emerging technologies within the European Union, where many of the leading AI models and related technologies are developed outside of Europe. The AI Skills Academy will contribute to the objectives of the AI Innovation package launched in January 2024 and support the upcoming Apply AI Strategy part of the Political Guidelines of the President of the European Commission. The call seeks to empower students, sector specialists, SMEs, startups, and the public sector with the necessary skills to develop, deploy, and apply AI models and applications. The academies will focus on skills related to AI Factories facilities and the uptake and deployment of AI and GenAI in key economic sectors.

The expected outcomes include comprehensive academic curricula, modular short-term training curricula, partnerships between academia and industry, and initiatives to support the participation of women, talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and people with disabilities. The academies are expected to conduct communication and awareness-raising activities and establish a dedicated landing page on the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform.

The funding is provided as a lump sum grant, with a budget of EUR 7,000,000 for the GenAI academy and EUR 10,000,000 each for the quantum and virtual worlds academies. The projects are expected to last for 48 months, and consortia must secure 50% co-funding from their own resources or other sources. The call is open for submission with a deadline of September 2, 2025. The call encourages participation from a wide range of stakeholders, including higher education institutions, vocational training institutes, research institutions, SMEs, startups, and public sector organizations. The evaluation process will assess the soundness of the implementation plan and the efficient use of resources.