Deep Tech Talent Training Prize winners announced!

Seven winners have been chosen for the prestigious Deep Tech Talent Initiative Training Prize, showcasing excellence in deep tech training education.

The Deep Tech Talent Initiative Training Prize has awarded a total of 440,000 euros to the applicants who have demonstrated excellence in addressing a targeted training challenge under two prize categories (Partner Training and Targeted Training).

Having collectively trained over 70,000 trainees, the successful applicants not only receive a prize fund, but as winners, their training offer also receives a quality seal from the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative.

Introducing the winners

 

Category 1 – Partner Training:

Partnerships are crucial for the Deep Tech Talent Initiative in Europe. They take various forms, like collaborations between training providers and employers, regional groups addressing innovation needs, or multiple actors uniting for a particular market or societal cause to nurture deep tech talents and technologies.

UiT The Arctic University of Norway: for the programme, ‘Big Data and AI for Environmental, Ecological and Biological Science’, training 58 new talents within area group one: Information Technologies and Connectivity. (1st place)

Commercialization Reactor (Sia Fng Invest): for the programme, ‘CR: Deep Tech Creation-to-Capital Cycle’, training 96 new talents within area group two: Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing. (1st place)

 

Category 2 -Targeted Training:

This category recognises exceptional individual trainers specialising in specific Deep Tech training methods. These methods can focus on underrepresented groups like women, disadvantaged individuals, or those re-entering the job market. They might also cater to unmet training needs in the market.

Junior Achievement Europe: for the programme, ‘JA Company Programme with AI Components Integrated’, training 69,575 new talents within area group one: Information Technologies and Connectivity (1st place).

Generation Spain: for the programme, ‘Empowering Europe’s Youth: Bridging the Skills Gap in Robotics Automation for a Digital Future’, training 85 new talents within area group two: Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing (1st place).

G-LAB S.r.l social enterprise: for the programme, ‘Focus on the Invisible’, training 53 new talents within area group three: Life Sciences and Green Technologies (1st place).

Generation Ireland: for the programme, ‘Women in Tech: Bridging the Gender Skilling Gap with Generation Ireland’s IT Support and Cybersecurity Program’, training 46 new talents within area group one: Information Technologies and Connectivity (2nd place).

Campus Biotech Digital: for the programme, ‘Biotechnology and Life Sciences; Advanced Manufacturing’, training 80–90 new Pledgers within area group three: Life Sciences and Green Technologies (2nd place).

 

Deep Tech training and upskilling is crucial to address skill shortages, promote innovation, and support the growth of industries reliant on deep tech, employability and increase competitiveness across Europe.

 

The challenge

Applicants were tasked with addressing a challenge that fell into one of the four area groups:

• Information Technologies and Connectivity
• Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing
• Life Sciences and Green Technologies
• Digital Experiences and Future Internet

The proposed programmes underwent a quality check as part of the application process, to verify whether the courses met the criteria to be included on the EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative platform.

A panel of independent experts assessed all eligible applications, based on several criteria, including excellence; novelty and innovation; quality; and efficiency of implementation, impact and strategic fit.

 

About the Deep Tech Talent Training Prize

The Deep Tech Talent Training Prize honours top organisations dedicated to improving skills, fostering diverse training collaborations and creating inclusive training programmes in deep tech. It recognises and rewards outstanding contributions from training providers, universities and industry partners addressing challenges in deep tech education.

The prize was open to all EIT Deep Tech Talent Pledgers who are supporting the goal of training one million talents in deep tech by 2025.

These awards are vital for creating specific educational resources needed to fill skill gaps, drive innovation and strengthen industries relying on deep tech. This helps improve job opportunities and competitiveness across Europe.

By encouraging collaboration and diversity, the selected training programmes greatly benefit the long-term success and global competitiveness of the deep tech industry. This ensures a skilled workforce capable of adapting to rapid technological changes, while promoting inclusivity for people from diverse backgrounds.

Award ceremony

To celebrate all the winners an official award ceremony was held 23 November 2023
Location: Casa Milà (La Pedrera), Pg. de Gràcia, 92, 08008 Barcelona, Spain (Auditorium).

Featuring a keynote address from Professor Petia Radeva Head of the Consolidated Research Group “Artificial Intelligence and Biomedical Applications (AIBA), University of Barcelona).

Also, a dynamic panel discussions centred on best practices in deep tech education.

Meritxell BASSOLAS

AI Programs Coordinator, Computer Vision Center

PhD Dario COTTAFAVA

Interdisciplinary researcher, lecturer in Turin and Barcelona

Montse GUARDIA GUELL

Co-Founder, Big Onion

Ricard JIMENEZ

Scientific Director of Industrial Technology, Eurecat

Andrea PAINDELLI

Smart Water Product Expert, Agbar-Veolia Group

Brendan ROWAN

Managing Consultant – Tech, Policy and Skills, BluSpecs

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