Sectoral digital skills academies: Quantum Skills Digital Academy (DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-QUANTUM-ACADEMY-STEP)

Quantum technologies have the potential to accelerate the creation of imminent solutions to global societal challenges and drive economic growth. In order to position the EU as a global leader in the development of quantum technologies and to stimulate their industrial applications, interdisciplinary training is needed, especially for domain professionals who do not necessarily have an education in quantum physics and engineering.

The Quantum Digital Skills Academy will serve as a single, central entity providing specialised quantum technologies training and hands on experience at different levels, and will play an important role in contributing to the objectives of the European Declaration on Quantum Technologies in the domain of quantum skills development and training (https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/european-declaration-quantum-technologies)

The Quantum Digital Academy will offer tailored training opportunities at different levels that bridge the gap between traditional disciplines and quantum technologies. It will organise tutorials and hands-on activities for non-quantum experts to gain practical experience on a quantum computer and develop activities like summer schools that enable students from neighbouring areas to acquire specialised knowledge in quantum technologies. Furthermore, it will provide support for education and training activities of research and development projects in quantum computing, quantum simulation, quantum communication, and quantum sensing and metrology¹ and accelerate its knowledge transfer to industry.

Deliverables

• Comprehensive academic curricula designed across different levels and for different target groups, implemented at European level (curricula encompass complete academic programmes or consist of smaller modules to be injected into larger programmes).
• Modular short-term training curricula for sector specialists designed and piloted trough relevant training courses at regional or local levels, including targeted training for SMEs and public sector.
• Partnerships and collaboration frameworks established between academia, industry (including SMEs) and research institutions to facilitate and promote the large-scale European-wide roll-out of the academic programmes and short-term trainings. Facilitated joint (practical) educational initiatives and events with industry and research institutions, such as on-the-job experiences in companies’ premises, and laboratories, mentorship schemes, internship programmes, summer schools, bootcamps, visits to facilities, career days.
• Support, integration, and visibility schemes implemented, with particular attention aimed at the participation of female students and female professionals in education and training activities, as well as talented young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and people with disabilities.
• Training initiatives addressing teaching staff, such as “Teach-the-teacher” training modules targeted at university, VET and secondary-education teachers.
• Different communication and awareness-raising activities carried out, e.g. through social media, including career orientation activities or “technology deep dive sessions” targeted at secondary education students and the general public.
• A dedicated landing page integrated in the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform, where all activities, events and initiatives of the academy are disseminated.
• 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.

Consortium should be composed of a minimum 5 entities (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from a minimum 3 different eligible countries.

The grant will be a lump sum grant. This means that it will reimburse a fixed amount, based on a lump sum or financing not linked to costs. The amount will be fixed by the granting authority on the basis of the estimated project budget and a funding rate of 50%.