MERIT collaborates with the initiative LEADS

On February 24, MERIT’s coordinator Ilker Demirkol (UPC) and Outreach manager Cristina Baghiu (DIZNE) attended the first Coordination and Supporting Activities (CSA) meeting organised by the LEADS CSA project. 

The LEADS project, in the context of the Digital Europe Programme, aims to deliver insights into the changing Advanced Digital Skills (ADS) demands within a dynamic technological development context and current digital transformation to equip the education and training communities by providing roadmaps and guidelines. LEADS activities ensure that all interventions related to advanced digital skills are in line with gaps present in the market, working closely with industries for the uptake of training, reskilling, and upskilling the workforce and communities.

The meeting had also the participation of EU representatives (project officers and policy officers) of the 8 current Advanced Digital Skills projects: AI and Health, CyberSecPro, DIGITAL4Business, DIGIQ, DIGITWIN4CIUE, DS4Health, ManagiDITH and MERIT. The objective was to share potential best practices among all master programs, such as launching our Board of Advisors call in this community, and to find relevant advisers and different perspectives that will support our objectives. Joining forces with other projects will help create a collaborative structure across the projects, ensuring the most significant impact can be achieved within the Advanced Digital Skills elements.
All participants agreed on the continuous collaboration to seek synergies via the implementation of a series of regular meetings, including a face-to-face meeting to be held in Brussels in Autumn 2023 and the creation go working groups on Programme Design & Accreditation, SME engagement, Communications & Recruitment, Funding & Sustainability, Digital Engagement and Impact Management.