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E&CE Head, Martin Hayes, has participated on the EU commission working group for the development of the new Digital Skills charter for Europe, a precursor to the Digital Europe programme 2021-2027. As part of the next long-term EU budget, the Commission is proposing that the Digital Europe programme will build the strategic digital capacities of the EU so that a wide scale deployment of digital technologies that can be used by Europe’s citizens and businesses is possible.

The Digital Europe programme will shape and support the digital transformation of Europe’s society and economy and will boost investment in supercomputing, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, and ensuring a wide use of digital technologies across the economy and society. Its goal is to improve Europe’s competitiveness in the global digital economy and increase its technological autonomy.

The charter calls on EU stakeholders to support:-

• The development of digital ecosystems where academia, research and industry from several Member States come together to innovate, teach and support the deployment of digital technologies. The establishment of these ecosystems of academic excellence will ensure a sufficient critical mass to be able to attract, teach and retain digital talent. Importantly, the synergies in these networks can deliver joint projects between universities and SMEs to support an accessible pathway to digitalisation

• The provision of specialised courses for life-long learning open to everyone, in order to update skills and competences related to fast-evolving digital technologies.

• The integration of digital subjects in other curricula, to mainstream digital technologies throughout the economy. This will contribute to deliver multidisciplinary as well different sectors and new business models.

• The reinforcement of teaching and technical staff, specialised in digital technologies. In this regard, EU networks for upskilling and also broadening the base of educators in digital can help support the upskilling of teaching staff. Furthermore, the provision of financial or flexibility incentives to graduates and PhDs will help attract them to the academic profession.

Please register your support for the charter at