Celebrating Europe’s digital talent and the launch of new Digital Skills Academies
On 30th of June, the Digital Skills EU Days 2026 brought the European digital skills community together in Brussels for a milestone moment: the European Digital Skills Awards 2026 and the official launch of three new Digital Skills academies in Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Technologies and Virtual Worlds.
Co-hosted by the European Commission (DG CONNECT) and HaDEA, the ceremony gathered EU-funded projects, policymakers, education providers and industry experts to recognise outstanding initiatives and unveil a new generation of academy-type actions funded under the Digital Europe Programme.
The evening opened with a warm welcome from Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice‑President of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, followed by a keynote from Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice‑President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness.
Recognising impact on the ground
The European Digital Skills Awards 2026 celebrated projects and organisations that are helping learners, workers and citizens across Europe acquire essential digital competences, from basic skills to cutting‑edge specialisations.
For LEADSx2030 and the wider Advanced Digital Skills (ADS) cluster, the ceremony was more than a celebration: it was a live snapshot of how DIGITAL projects are already driving real‑world impact, and a reminder that data, evidence and coordination need to stay tightly connected to practice on the ground.
Launching three new Digital Skills Academies
Following the awards, Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director‑General at DG CONNECT, moderated a high‑level panel to officially launch three new Digital Skills Academies in Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Technologies and Virtual Worlds.
These academies are designed to build advanced training capacity in some of Europe’s most strategic technology fields, complementing existing efforts in areas such as data, cloud, cyber and high‑performance computing and supporting the EU’s Digital Decade 2030 targets.
Why this matters for LEADSx2030
The launch of the Digital Skills Academies is a pivotal moment for LEADSx2030 and the wider ADS cluster. Our work focuses on understanding where advanced digital skills are most needed, analysing and supply and providing guidance on how Europe can build sustainable, high-impact Ads programmes.
The new academies turn that evidence into capacity. By creating dedicated training ecosystems in AI, quantum and virtual worlds and connecting them with existing academies in cybersecurity and high-performance computing, Europe is starting to build the scalable infrastructure needed for specialist talent.
This is a key moment for the Advanced Digital Skills ecosystem. Our work focuses on mapping demand, understanding how ADS actions are implemented, and supporting a more coordinated, evidence‑based governance framework for advanced digital skills.
The new academies provide the large‑scale training infrastructure that can turn these insights into concrete capacity: programmes that respond to labour‑market needs, academy networks that reduce fragmentation, and structured pathways for learners and professionals in quantum, AI and virtual worlds. In other words, they are critical partners in closing the gap between Europe’s ambitions and the talent required to deliver them.
Key takeaways
Startup panels, cluster meetings and the Awards ceremony itself all pointed to the same conclusion: Europe is not short on technology, it is short on the tools, partnerships and programmes that help technology stick and scale.
As we continue to analyse ADS demand and support coordination across the ADS cluster, the European Digital Skills Awards and the launch of the academies mark an important step towards a more connected talent ecosystem, one where data, policy and training capacity work together to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty and competitiveness.