Three academies have been designed to address challenges of sovereignty and competitiveness in quantum, AI and virtual worlds through a coordinated strategy.

The European Commission has launched three new digital skills academies in the fields of 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 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, according to the Commission. 

Jacob Sherson, the director of the European Quantum Readiness Centre at Aarhus University and coordinator of the new European Quantum Academy (EQA), 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 will receive €19.8m in funding, while 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. 

Over the course of the project, the EQA will aim to train at least 600 quantum professionals through advanced degree programmes, reach 5,000 learners through its wider activities and reserve 20pc of student travel grants for learners from underrepresented groups. It will also coordinate an educational pipeline via school outreach, doctoral training and professional upskilling. 

Sherson said, “The EQA, launched today alongside the GenAI and virtual worlds academies, is how that ambition becomes real on the ground, in classrooms, in cleanrooms, in companies, across every region of the continent. 

“The presence of Commission leadership and our sister academies here today reflects a shared understanding – Europe’s competitiveness in advanced digital technologies will be decided by the people we train and that training has to start now.”

Recognition

The ceremony also marked the European Digital Skills Awards 2026, which recognised five initiatives making a difference across the continent, spanning the full breadth of Europe’s digital skills challenges in areas such as upskilling, digital skills for education, inclusion in the digital world, women in ICT careers and cybersecurity skills. 

Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, said, “These awards celebrate more than excellence in digital skills – they celebrate Europe’s capacity to innovate, lead and shape its own technological future. 

“The awarded initiatives are helping people across Europe gain the skills needed to drive progress in critical technologies, strengthen our competitiveness and reinforce our digital sovereignty. By investing in talent, digital ambition and innovation, we are building a more resilient, future-ready Europe that can thrive and lead in the digital age.”

Don’t miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.