Trinity Business School Professors Laurent Muzellec and Na Fu, along with Dr Julie Byrne from the Trinity School of Social Work & Social Policy, have been awarded an EU funding grant of €250,000 as part of a consortium of nine research partners, for a project entitled, "Leading European Advanced Digital Skills (LeADS)".

Launched today, LeADS is the first Digital Europe Digital Skills Coordination and Support Action which sets the programme at the forefront of Europe’s current digital skills strategy. Its main goal is to provide insights into the changing advanced digital skills (ADS) demands within a dynamic technological development context and current digital transformation.

The DIGITAL programme is funding €580 million for developing Advanced Digital Skills over 7 years to support the design and delivery of specialised programmes for future experts in key capacity areas like data and Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, quantum and High Performance Computing (HPC). LeADS will support the productive deployment of the Advanced Digital Skills funds to ensure that upskilling and reskilling opportunities are provided to drive future European competitiveness and digital sovereignty.

The Consortium is formed by nine partners that nucleate significant strength in the design and delivery of international studies related to business, technology, and digital skills. Trinity Business School’s Centre for Digital Business and Analytics (CDBA) is a leader in the creation and dissemination of knowledge surrounding digital business and business analytics, and therefore is well poised to contribute to this research.

Together with nine consortium partners (BluSpecs, IDC Italia SRL, Maggioli S.p.A., Universidad Politécnica De Madrid, Trinity College Dublin, Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute at the Technical faculty of University of Southern Denmark, Martel Innovate, Alliance for the Internet of Things Innovation BV, and the Big Data Value Association /DAIRO - Data, AI and Robotics aisbl), LeADS will create a sustainable, dynamic and scalable ecosystem that fosters the exchange of good practices and support the digital transformation of the education sector at the European level by boosting innovation and expanding advanced skills capacities in the workforce and society.

Professor Laurent Muzellec, Professor in Marketing and founder and director of Trinity Centre for Digital Business said: “It is great to have the Trinity Business School and our colleagues from the School of Social Work and Social Policy participating in this strategic project for Europe but also to Ireland. The digital sector is undergoing a revolution that will lead to a transformative change in our lives. Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity or Quantum can enable economic and social prosperity in the years to come but this occurs when we have enough well-trained workforce that can meet the demands to bring these technologies to a market reality. Of course, ICT specialists are required but also other members of the workforce, like Senior Executives or HR Department within companies, that need to understand the potential of these technologies. The LeADS project is really about matching the educational offer to future market demands.”

Dr Na Fu, Associate Professor of Human Resource Management at Trinity Business School, said:

“We were delighted to receive the funding support from the Europe Digital Programme along with other eight partners involving academic, IT companies and consulting firms. Emerging technologies have a huge impact on how we work and live. What is more important is how people and technology interact, collaborate and support for building a better world. This project will enable a group of people like us, from multiple disciplines who are passionate about good changes, to better understand how we can prepare students, workers, and users adapt to and use the technologies for good purposes. This project will also help the EU to further improve education during the digital transition to be inclusive, competitive, and sustainable. We are very glad to have this great opportunity to make this happen."

Dr Julie Byrne commented:

"Equipping people with the digital skills they need for work and life is essential for social inclusion and one of the ways we can ensure the meaningful participation of our citizens in Europe’s digital future. Like many of the pressing issues that face our societies, enhancing digital skills lies at the intersection of disciplines and the collaborative approach of this project will allow us to share our expertise to address this common goal."

For more information, visit: advancedskills.eu