A new Call for proposals on ‘Reinforcing skills in semiconductors’ from the Digital Europe Programme (DIGITAL) has been published under the Work Programme 2023-2024 to support Advanced Digital Skills.
Background
The new Work Programme 2023-24 recently adopted by the European Commission allocated €909.5 million aiming to reinforce the EU’s critical digital capacities by focusing on key areas such as climate and environment protection technology, data, AI, cloud, cybersecurity, advanced digital skills, and deployment for the best use of these technologies.
In particular, in order to fill the significant shortage of sector specialists using advanced digital technologies and ICT specialists, it is necessary to increase the pool of pupils who would be ultimately interested to study STEM and ICT, with a special focus on girls and women who are vastly underrepresented in the digital field. Also, the share of students choosing ICT and notably semiconductors disciplines is too low to satisfy the demand required by the labour market.
Reinforcing skills in semiconductors Call
The new Call on ‘Reinforcing skills in semiconductors’ has been published to support Advanced Digital Skills, focusing on the shortage of sector specialists using advanced digital technologies and ICT specialists, and especially on girls and women and semiconductors disciplines:
- Goal: the main aim of this call will be to define a platform among Vocational and Educational Training (VET) centres and to develop a European Semiconductors Skills Academy; a European network of higher education institutions and relevant industries, including start-ups and SMEs in microelectronics, to address the shortage of semiconduc Jtors specialists
- Type of action: Simple Grants
- Process: single stage Call
- Opening of the Calls: 11 May 2023
- Deadline for application: 26 September 2023 17:00:00 Brussels time
Expected Outcome
Concerning the projects addressing the Academic network (point I in scope above)
- Definition of the required curricula using the ECTS system with capacity for around 500 students/year across at least 5 Member States, for BSc and MSc levels.
- A scholarship programme for selected semiconductors students enrolled in the common curriculum at BSc and MSc levels.
- On-the-job experiences for undergraduate students in companies involved in the consortium.
- Upgrade of laboratories used for the teaching activities delivered by the project.
- Communication initiatives toward the public, including social media.
More about the budget, the conditions, and the submission on the funding and tender portal here.