🌍 Call for Participation

Join the Consortium of the Skillman GenAI Academy

A European Flagship Initiative for Advanced Digital Skills in Generative AI


CLICK HERE to submit your application!




The Skillman GenAI Academy (SGA) is a large-scale European project to be submitted under the Digital Europe Programme’s DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-GENAI-ACADEMY-STEP call. The Academy aims to establish a transnational digital skills academy dedicated to Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) — one of the most transformative technologies of our time.

By embedding GenAI expertise into formal education, professional training, and public sector innovation, the Academy will equip learners and professionals across Europe with future-ready competences, support inclusion, and strengthen Europe’s digital autonomy.


🎯 What We Aim to Achieve

The Skillman GenAI Academy will:

  • Develop and deliver GenAI curricula and training programmes (EQF 3–7), co-designed with industry

  • Issue EBSI-ready digital micro-credentials, aligned with the European Learning Model (ELM), EQF and ESCO

  • Offer hands-on learning through internships, bootcamps, and cross-border mobility

  • Promote digital inclusion, gender equality, and outreach to underrepresented communities

  • Collaborate with AI Factories, EDIHs, research institutions, and public agencies

  • Contribute to policy innovation, monitoring of KPIs, and the Digital Decade strategy


🤝 Who We Are Looking For

To meet the strategic goals of the Academy and ensure a successful submission, we are forming a diverse and high-performing consortium from different eligible countries.

We invite applications from public and private organisations with expertise in at least one of the following areas:


🎓 Academic Institutions

-Universities and polytechnic institutes with GenAI, data science, or STEM programmes
-Providers of Bachelor, Master, or Doctoral degrees in AI-related disciplines

🧠 Research Organisations

-AI labs and research centres working on large language models, foundation models, HPC, or inference systems
-Institutions affiliated with EuroHPC, supercomputing clusters, or AI Factories

🏭 Industry & SMEs

-Businesses applying GenAI across sectors (manufacturing, health, education, government, creative industries)
-Startups offering AI-powered services or mentoring, internships, or practice-based learning

🧑‍🏫 VET and Training Providers

-Centres offering vocational and professional development training in digital/AI fields
-Organisations developing modular short-term or workplace-based programmes (EQF 3–5)

🏛 Public Sector Stakeholders

-National and local authorities developing AI strategies, policies, or public sector innovation pilots
-Regional digital development agencies and smart city actors

♿️ NGOs and Inclusion-Focused Entities

-Organisations supporting gender equality, disadvantaged youth, migrants, or persons with disabilities
-Foundations advancing inclusive access to digital and AI skills

🌐 Infrastructure Enablers

-Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), AI Factories, Technology Parks, accelerators
-Platforms facilitating HPC testing, piloting, and scaling of GenAI applications


✅ Benefits of Joining

Joining the Skillman GenAI Academy offers your organisation a unique opportunity to co-lead one of Europe’s most forward-looking initiatives in digital skills development. As part of a cross-sectoral consortium, you will help shape an EU-level strategy for Generative AI education that aligns with the Digital Decade 2030 goals and drives long-term impact across academia, industry, and the public sector. Your institution will collaborate with universities, research centres, SMEs, public bodies, and NGOs to co-develop and pilot cutting-edge curricula and micro-credentials, fully aligned with European frameworks such as EQF, ESCO, and EBSI. This engagement will not only strengthen your institutional capacity but also enhance your visibility in EU digital policy arenas—through participation in high-level roundtables, stakeholder events, and platforms like the Digital Skills and Jobs Platform. Furthermore, you will expand your transnational partnerships, opening new pathways for future collaboration under Horizon Europe, Erasmus+, and other EU programmes focused on digital transformation and AI-driven innovation.

Virtual Map - Call GenAI Academy

Virtual Map of the GenAI Academy Call

An interactive overview of the DIGITAL-2025-SKILLS-08-GENAI-ACADEMY-STEP call to create a digital skills academy in Generative Artificial Intelligence.

Main Objective

To establish an AI Skills Academy to address the current and future skills gap in the EU's strategic sectors. The goal is to strengthen the pool of AI specialists, with a particular focus on the development and application of Generative AI (GenAI), to increase the competitiveness of industries and the efficiency of the public sector.

The 3 Pillars of the Academy

1. Knowledge, Education & Training

Develop and offer a comprehensive range of training programs to create the necessary AI profiles.

  • Academic Programs: Bachelor's and Master's degrees specializing in AI and GenAI.
  • Short Courses: Intensive training for professionals (reskilling and upskilling).
  • Specific Training: Modules for key sectors (e.g., healthcare, manufacturing, finance).
  • Apprenticeship: Pilot program for full-time apprenticeships in AI.

2. Ecosystem Building

Act as a catalyst to attract, retain, and connect talent in the European job market.

  • Stakeholder Network: Create a network of companies, universities, research centers, and the public sector.
  • Talent Attraction: Promote scholarships to attract international talent.
  • Career Matching: Facilitate the connection between supply and demand for qualified AI jobs.
  • Events: Organize matchmaking, career days, and other networking initiatives.

3. Progress Measurement

Monitor the impact of activities and ensure the program's objectives are met.

  • KPI Monitoring: Collect and analyze data on key performance indicators (KPIs).
  • Data Collection: Implement mechanisms to track participants and their post-training career paths.
  • Reporting: Provide periodic reports to the European Commission on progress and results.
  • Market Analysis: Maintain a continuous analysis of the AI market's skill needs.

Key Call Data

€20M

Available Budget

48

Months (Indicative Duration)

≥ 6

Entities in Consortium

≥ 3

Participating Countries

Deadline for submission of proposals:

24 September 2025