Sectoral digital skills academies: Virtual Worlds Skills Academy (DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-VIRTUAL-WORLDS-ACADEMY-STEP)

Virtual worlds blend physical and digital worlds in real-time for a variety of purposes such as designing new prototypes, virtualising entire cities or for different types of simulations. Virtual worlds are a fast-evolving technology, gaining ground in more and more areas of our lives. The recently adopted “EU initiative on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds: a head start in the next technological transition” presents all the various opportunities virtual worlds can bring to many industrial and societal sectors and citizens in their daily lives.

The Virtual Worlds Skills Academy will reinforce the talent pool needed to achieve the aspirations of the EU to pioneer the development of the various building blocks of virtual worlds, such as extended reality, 3D graphics, content creation, computer vision, AI, interactive media, modelling and industrial applications (digital twins), digital identity, data privacy and big data.

Virtual worlds require a highly interdisciplinary approach, bringing together various technologies and disciplines. In order to generate high-level expertise, one focus of the academy will be to cover education and trainings that encompass all necessary technological blocks of virtual worlds (such as extended reality, blockchain, AI, data, edge computing, high-performance computing, 3D graphics, interactive media, content creation, computer vision, modelling and industrial applications (digital twins), digital identity, data privacy and big data) as well as creative designs and/or other related disciplines (law, ethics, design, etc.). In addition, the academy will offer training for sector specialists (e.g. in the automotive industry, healthcare, education, cultural and creative sectors and industries) to equip them with the necessary knowledge to deploy virtual worlds in their sectors and realise its benefits. Furthermore, the Virtual Worlds Academy will also develop training for the basic understanding of virtual worlds technologies to empower citizens and raise awareness of the opportunities and risks of virtual worlds in daily life.

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 of 6 (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from a minimum of 4 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%.