Ahead of the EIT Education and Skills Days on 15-16 October, we will be bringing you a series of interviews with our sponsors. For our first interview, we spoke to EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Pledger, VAIMEE, about their mission, why they wanted to sponsor the event, and their thoughts on the deep tech sector.
VAIMEE is a University of Bologna spinoff whose mission is to develop a platform, the Milky Data Way, that makes it easier to build Interoperable Digital Twins driven by real-time, heterogeneous, non-structured and dynamic data. Milky Data Way uses the Web of Things to interact with real-world Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and Knowledge Graphs for interoperable data sharing and orchestration of software agents. VAIMEE is also developing Agorà, the Agritech Oracle, a Digital Twin for precision agriculture that can predict how much water crops need, from the field level to an entire landscape. Agorà doesn’t need sensors which helps keep costs low, but it can work with multi-vendor devices such as soil moisture sensors, CRNS sensors, or weather stations, if needed, providing farmers with the best irrigation scheduling for any crop, in any soil, anywhere in the world.
Driven by a research spirit and a conviction that education is the foundation for innovation, VAIMEE knew that sponsoring the EIT Education and Skills days was a natural step for them for two reasons. Firstly, because it gives them the opportunity to share their experience in building interoperable digital solutions, and secondly, it gives them a chance to learn from other actors across Europe.
VAIMEE hope that the Education and Skills Day will help spark curiosity and create connections, saying that if participants leave the event with new perspectives, new partnerships, or even just one new question to pursue, then the event has achieved its purpose. For the wider community, they hope the event’s impact will be a stronger commitment to openness, collaboration, and education as the true pillars of deep tech innovation.
“We see this as a moment to amplify dialogue, exchange practices, and build bridges between research, industry, and education.”
VAIMEE believes that one of the main skills gap in deep tech lies in the translation of cutting-edge research into usable, real-world solutions. They acknowledge that many young professionals master theory but they lack actual experience with interoperable systems, standards, and cross-domain applications. To help bridge this gap, they run initiatives and projects that provide hands-on training that merges technical depth with practical implementation:
- ISWADcourse (Interoperable Semantic Web Application Development) provides a practical introduction to Linked Data technologies and their applications, equipping learners with the knowledge and tools of the Semantic Web. Focusing on real-world use cases, this course combines theory and practice to help participants explore the potential of Dynamic Linked Data
- AgriTwix is a project that aims to overcome the limitations of current agricultural education by developing and implementing cutting-edge Digital Twins of various crop plants to enrich the educational experiences of agronomy students through a VR experience.
But VAIMEE understand that deep tech is not just about code or algorithms; it’s about imagining new ways to connect technologies with human and societal needs. They nurture this balance by designing educational experiences where problem-solving and creativity are embedded in technical training, and their team also reflects this approach. They bring together people with diverse backgrounds and skills, from agronomy to computer science, from design to economics. It’s this combination of technical depth and multiple perspectives fosters collaboration, adaptability, and curiosity alongside expertise.
“Diversity is not always easy to manage, but it is precisely what allows us to look at challenges from different angles and to develop more creative and effective solutions.”
When it comes to shaping the future of talent development, VAIMEE recognise that collaboration between industry, education, and government is essential. And when these three forces align, ecosystems can be created where knowledge transfer is not just linear but circular, and constantly enriched by feedback loops. VAIMEE see the future of talent development as co-designed and co-owned, where each stakeholder contributes a unique perspective.
“Industry brings problems and real-world constraints, education providers prepare the next generation of professionals, and governments ensure the enabling conditions.”
However, to make a meaningful impact in the deep tech ecosystem it’s vital that these three parts of the puzzle stay open, stay interoperable, and avoid building closed systems, whether technological, institutional, pr pedagogical. VAIMEE highlighted that systems should be designed with users, not just for them, and that it’s important to remember that technology is a means to an end, not the goal.
“The real impact comes when it empowers people and communities to solve their challenges.”
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