The European Commission opened a new set of calls for proposals under the 2023-2024 Work Programmes of the Digital Europe Programme with a focus on advanced digital skills.
Ensuring that the EU has at least 20 million ICT specialists employed while promoting gender balance in this field is critical for a successful digital transformation and therefore a core objective of the EU 2030 Digital Compass. €42 million in funding will be invested in projects contributing to reaching this target by 2030.
The upcoming call will help design and deliver education programmes in the area of advanced digital skills for developers and users of advanced digital technologies. These will be created by consortia of education, business, and research organisations. In addition, a coordination and support action, with €2 million worth of investment, will help analyse the advanced digital skills needs in Europe in the key digital areas and strategic sectors.
To help address the lack of cybersecurity professionals in the EU, €10 million is being invested in the launch of the Cybersecurity Skills Academy. This will fund the implementation of new trainings and the scale-up of successful ones with a special focus on the needs of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and public administration.
An Information Day will be organised on 12 December 2023. More information and registration details can be found on the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform.
The deadline for this call is 21 March 2024. More information as regards applying for grants for these calls for proposals and the relevant topics is available online.