• The Large-Scale Partnership for the Digital Ecosystem (digital-LSP) is the Pact for Skills initiative bringing together stakeholders committed to the up- and reskill of the European workforce.

• The digital-LSP offers access to relevant funding opportunities to enhance digital skills, insights on best practices related to upskilling and reskilling, and matchmaking sessions within the community.

• The event on 25 January will officially kick off the digital-LSP and host a matchmaking session for open calls in digital skills.

European digital sovereignty and ambitions rely on the effective cultivation, attraction, and retention of talented individuals encompassing a diverse range of skills. However, a substantial number of European companies seeking ICT specialists continue to face recruitment challenges. A lack of qualified personnel with requisite skill sets is impeding investments for up to 85% of EU firms, with SMEs encountering even greater difficulties in filling ICT vacancies.

DIGITAL SME addresses this issue by coordinating the Large-Scale Partnership for the Digital Ecosystem (digital-LSP). A flagship initiative gathering more than 150 stakeholders dedicated to equipping the European workforce with both basic and advanced digital competencies, the digital-LSP will help stakeholders excel in the digital economy and the European Single Market remain competitive.

The event is dedicated to present and potential members and will offer a detailed overview of the Large-Scale Partnership functionalities and its funding opportunities for members.

The first session will showcase the mission and objectives, as well as its work plan for 2024. The second will introduce funding opportunities for digital-LSP members and the experiences of some of the following Blue Print Projects within the digital ecosystem:

• The Artificial Intelligence Skills Alliance (ARISA project)
• The Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation on Blockchain Skill Development (CHAISE project)
• The Cybersecurity Skills Alliance (REWIRE project)

The event foresees also a matchmaking session mainly focused on Erasmus+ Alliances for Innovation – Lot 1 and Lot 2 (deadline 7 March 2024) and on the fifth set of calls for proposals under the DIGITAL Europe Programme to support Advanced Digital Skills (deadline 21 March 2024).

The digital-LSP in detail

Recognizing the role that digital skills play in economic growth, the digital-LSP has been created to merge stakeholders from the public sector, the private and industrial sectors (SMEs and larger companies) as well as education providers.

Members will have the opportunity to exchange insights on the latest trends in digital technologies, anticipate digital skills needs, and update curricula and training courses, thus maximizing the impact of Erasmus+ projects’ results, as well as their tools.

Collaboration among members will be facilitated through matchmaking sessions whenever funding for digital skills becomes available thanks to EU funding programs, such as DIGITAL Europe, Horizon Europe, and Erasmus+.

DIGITAL SME welcomes stakeholders to join the digital-LSP here. For media inquiries and further information, please contact digitallsp@digitalsme.eu.