LEADSx2030 launches to secure advanced digital skills for global competitiveness

03 October 2024 – Official Launch of LEADSx2030! Paving the Way for Europe’s Digital Future
Today marks the official launch of LEADSx2030, a €2 million initiative funded by the European Union, with a consortium of 6 partners and to be delivered during the period of 48 months. Designed to address the growing demands for Advanced Digital Skills (ADS) as Europe navigates the ever-evolving digital landscape. As the digital decade progresses, it is increasingly crucial to take concrete actions to meet the challenges of global competitiveness and ensure Europe remains at the forefront of digital innovation and talent development.
LEADSx2030 is the natural progression of the groundbreaking Leading Europe’s Advanced Digital Skills (LEADS) initiative, which over a period of 20 months laid the foundation for fostering Europe’s next generation of digital talent. The LEADS project equipped education and training providers with essential knowledge, guidance, and best practices for shaping Europe’s future ADS workforce. Building upon this legacy, LEADSx2030 will continue to drive progress, leveraging key investments from the European Commission’s DIGITAL Programme S04 to ensure Europe’s digital leadership.
Driving the impact of Europe’s Digital Decade
At its core, the role of LEADSx2030 is to ensure the sustainability and success of the DIGITAL Programme S04 by transforming data, knowledge, networks, and communities into tangible outcomes that enhance Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, and prosperity. The DIGITAL Programme’s ambitious target is to employ 20 million new ICT specialists by 2030, and LEADSx2030 will be integral to achieving this goal.
By acting as both a channel for collaboration among key stakeholders and an observatory for critical data points and insights, LEADSx2030 will ensure the SO4 ADS Cluster thrives. This initiative will translate findings into actionable policy recommendations, driving excellence in the development and execution of the programme.
A strong consortium driving success
Delivered by a consortium uniquely positioned to deliver effectively on the expected outcomes, bringing with them their extensive knowledge, networks and assets
- BluSpecs, a boutique consultancy leading the forefront of digital technology innovation, supporting a wide range of startup and SME support, with key clients including the European Commission, Enterprise Singapore, as well as leading European corporates and startups.
- EIT Digital one of the Knowledge Innovation Communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, with presence in 9 European countries and Silicon Valley (USA).
- HeadAI, a Finnish technology company providing solutions to automize data flows and predictive simulations across skill-related data platforms with over 20 years of experience in the cognitive and computational sciences.
- Trinity College Dublin with more than 400 years old, is the Ireland’s highest ranked university with over 18000 undergraduate and postgraduate students across their three faculties.
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid the largest Spanish technical university and influential higher education institution with more than 3000 faculty members and more than 38000 undergraduate students.
- DigitalEurope, a leading trade association representing digitally transforming industries in Europe, representing over 60 000 businesses that operate and invest in Europe, including 109 corporations and 38 national trade associations from across Europe.
LEADSx2030 is uniquely positioned to deliver impactful results. These organisations are leaders in the ADS ecosystem and bring continuity, expertise, and strategic vision to the programme. Their collective experience underpins an approach that prioritises sustainability, flexibility, and the effective coordination of key actors across Europe’s ADS landscape.
Building on the successes of previous initiatives such as the Data Space for Skills/Prometheus-X project, the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative, and the EIT Masters Programme, LEADSx2030 will further develop a dynamic and connected network of universities, training providers, companies, and ecosystem drivers.
LEADSx2030 Objectives
LEADSx2030 has outlined several key objectives to ensure its success and the continued development of Europe’s ADS capabilities:
- Provide continuous review of demand and supply changes related to ADS through an open and integrated market hub by supporting the key actors within the developing digital supply chains to plan for, cultivate and attract the talent they will require to develop the next generation of technologies and solutions within Europe, securing the future success.
- Provide specific mapping of the outputs of the DIGITAL SO4 funded actions to identify key results and success stories across key themes and provide integrated datasets across the whole cluster throughout the identification of the areas where companies like start-ups and SMEs will meet talent shortages but also develop the profiles for the citizen digital expert, those members of organisations who require the knowledge and skills for evaluating and coordinating digital technology integration and exploitation but do not require the hard skills like coding.
- Develop further the DIGITAL SO4 funded actions into a dynamic and connected network of actors to support their success, promote best practices and drive excellence across the board by providing practical guidelines for the translation of developed insights and data across the spectrum of stakeholders to enable change in advanced digital skills provision. Through its in-depth engagement with the ecosystem, it will transfer the best practice and enable private and public actors to lead from the front in skills.
- Develop the European network of actors around the DIGITAL SO4 ecosystem and provide opportunities for synergies across initiatives by working across education and training communities and tech developers to ensure that advanced digital skills are front and centre of all tech transfer activities and organisation development.
- Provide a targeted analysis, actions ad recommendations to support the delivery of the strategic policy objectives and widespread recognition of the Digital SO4 successes, and ultimately contribute to economic growth, as it promotes informed decision-making for example through the Integrated Data Hub and Dashboard, enabling businesses to identify opportunities and allocate resources efficiently.
A sustainable, long-term approach
The sustainability of LEADSx2030 is central to its mission. Throughout its four-year delivery and beyond, the programme will maintain momentum and ensure continued engagement with stakeholders. Key actions will be reviewed and refined annually at the LEADSx2030 Summit, bringing together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders to validate results, share recommendations, and foster cross-cluster collaboration.
At the heart of LEADSx2030 are three core areas of activity: Data, Ecosystem, and Recommendation Engines. These areas will guide the collection and analysis of data, the coordination of the DIGITAL ADS portfolio, and the facilitation of networks and partnerships with leading actors in Europe’s ADS sector.
A framework for the future
Through the establishment of an integrated data hub and dashboard, LEADSx2030 will provide real-time insights and analytics, supporting the wider Data Space for Skills initiative and aligning with European digital skills strategies. The initiative’s flagship annual report, coupled with ongoing analysis, will deliver actionable insights to stakeholders, ensuring the continuous refinement of strategies and policies.
To consolidate Europe’s digital future, LEADSx2030 will host an annual summit, fostering a robust ecosystem of collaboration and innovation. This event will serve as a platform for knowledge-sharing, networking, and the development of strategies to support the next generation of European digital talent.
A Bright Future for European Digital Talent
LEADSx2030 is committed to supporting the development of Advanced Digital Skills that will equip the future generation of European talent to lead the charge in enhancing Europe’s global competitiveness. With the backing of the European Commission, and the support of our partners and stakeholders, LEADSx2030 is confident in its ability to drive sustainable growth and success for Europe’s digital future.
Stay tuned for further updates as LEADSx2030 continues to shape the future of digital skills in Europe!
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About LEADSx2030
LEADSx2030 is a European initiative designed to maximise the impact of investments made under the DIGITAL Programme SO4. By leveraging data, knowledge, and networks, it aims to secure Europe’s global competitiveness and prosperity. Acting as both a coordination platform and observatory, LEADSx2030 distils insights into actionable policy recommendations for developing the SO4 ADS Cluster. With a focus on sustainability and continuous engagement, it builds on the success of previous projects, driving progress through annual cycles, including a flagship summit to validate results, share best practices, and foster collaboration across the Advanced Digital Skills ecosystem.
Learn more here: https://advancedskills.eu/
About LEADS
Throughout LEADS, we have supported 38 projects under the DIGITAL programme and have facilitated numerous workshops, policy forums, and expert sessions to enhance ADS knowledge and strategies. The consortium addressed evolving ADS needs, offering impactful policy guidance and strategic recommendations. It fostered cross-sector collaborations, leading to innovative digital skills education and training approaches, with its outputs, such as policy briefs and reports, continuing to shape ADS strategies across Europe.
Learn more here: https://leads.advancedskills.eu/