INESC-ID is a partner in AISHA – Artificial Intelligence Skills Hub Academy, a Digital Europe Programme initiative to build a pan-European ecosystem of Generative AI and advanced AI skills.

AISHA was designed to tackle the growing gap between AI’s rapid transformation of industries and public services and the capacity of education systems to keep pace. It will do so by building a European programme of education and training to equip students, professionals, SMEs and public administrations with the skills to develop and use AI responsibly and effectively. Coordinated by Inspiring Futures Europe, AISHA brings together 42 full and associated partners across Europe. The consortium launched the project at a kick-off meeting on 20 and 21 May at Sapienza Università di Roma, where partners aligned on a shared vision and implementation plan for the next four years.

Over 48 months, AISHA will develop a common standard for AI skills and qualifications and create training pathways across higher education, vocational training and the workplace. A European AI apprenticeship programme, with scholarships and targeted initiatives to support women and underrepresented groups, is also planned. A digital platform, the GenAI@EU Skills Hub, will make training opportunities and skills pathways discoverable across Europe. AISHA also aims to lay the foundations for an EU Knowledge Hub and Centre of Excellence for AI education and skills, designed in coordination with the European Commission’s AI Office.

Inês Lynce, President of the Board of Directors, who leads INESC-ID’s participation, explains: “INESC-ID has joined the AISHA consortium to help close the Generative AI skills gap. By leading the project’s policy, accreditation, and skills-mapping efforts, the institute directly connects its AI research with EU policy, establishing a direct line with the European Commission and the AI Office to shape future digital education”. The INESC-ID team also includes Arlindo Oliveira, Rodrigo Rodrigues and Luísa Coheur, alongside Sílvia Castro, working closely with INESC Brussels Hub — the office representing the INESC institutes in Brussels — represented by Ricardo Migueis and Korina Kominou, which will be central to the institute’s policy engagement work.

“INESC-ID has joined the AISHA consortium to help close the Generative AI skills gap. By leading the project’s policy, accreditation, and skills-mapping efforts, the institute directly connects its AI research with EU policy, establishing a direct line with the European Commission and the AI Office to shape future digital education,” says Inês Lynce.

“The kick-off stood out for the genuine energy and shared sense of purpose among partners from across Europe,” adds Luísa Coheur, who represented the institute in Rome.

Follow AISHA’s progress on LinkedIn.
More information on the Inspiring Futures Europe website.

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