The coordinated academies in quantum, GenAI and virtual worlds represent one of Europe’s most ambitious digital skills initiatives to date.
The European Commission (EC) has announced the official launch of three new digital skill academies in quantum, GenAI and virtual worlds, which are designed to equip the region’s people with critical future-focused technology skills.
The announcement took place during the Digital Skills Awards 2026 ceremony, which was held in Brussels. The academies have been designed to address challenges of sovereignty, with the understanding that competitiveness in quantum, AI and virtual worlds cannot be achieved in isolation, but rather through a coordinated strategy.
Jacob Sherson, the director of the European Quantum Readiness Centre at Aarhus University and European Quantum Academy (EQA) coordinator said, “Today the European Commission, the EQA and our sister academies in GenAI and virtual worlds are in the same room because Europe has understood something important, technological sovereignty is not won technology by technology, but through a coordinated workforce strategy that spans them all.”
The quantum branch of the project received €19.8m in funding. 70 partner institutions and more than 100 affiliated organisations across Europe, will align to address the challenges that come with building quantum talent across the continent.
