Frequently Asked Questions for Pledgers

Those interested are invited to submit their pledge on the website and sign the pledge document.

After the initial registration, the Pledgers can proceed to providing information about the courses offered on the platform of the Initiative via the Quality Check.

Courses offered may take place online, offline or in a hybrid format. It is not a pre-requisite that the language of the course is English.

International Exposure

The Deep Tech Talent Initiative is the first European educational platform that offers courses in deep tech areas at all levels.
Courses and initiatives offered by Pledge members can gain international exposure and help attract wider audiences to the programs displayed on the website of the Initiative.

Knowledge and networking hub

Pledge members will have access to up-to-date information and know-how on deep tech skills training on a regular basis through annual events organized by the EIT Community, that will also offer them a chance to find new partners for their training programs.
The platform of the Initiative will feature additional tools that Pledgers may benefit from, including:
1) Tools to match individual skill needs with available training and for matching pledgers of resources with users and learners
2) A technology radar and foresight tools for rapidly identifying emerging deep tech technologies and applications; and
3) Tools to track and visualise the progress of the Deep Tech Talent Initiative.

Financing opportunities

By joining the pledge, members will have the chance to find out first about relevant funding opportunities offered by the EIT Community and other funding partners.

Pledgers are invited to join forces with the EIT Community and contribute to skilling, re-skilling and upskilling of 1 000 000 people in deep tech areas.
Education and Training providers can launch new training programmes or adjust their existing training to match the ambitions and requirements of the Initiative. Member States or Institutions can produce strategic objectives for their region or launch/modify funding calls in support of the initiative. Funding organisations can contribute by creating a dedicated Call for Proposals, either through a new programme or through modifying existing programmes.
All Pledge members will be expected to upload information about their commitments to the DTTI platform. In addition, they will be requested to report basic information to the EIT on a regular basis on their training activities implemented in line with their Pledge.

The minimum criteria cover the following points:

• A proven deep tech sub-sector focus
• Courses should not contain or use protected Intellectual
• Property or copyrighted content and materials that are not lawfully granted
• The training programme should contain at least 50 hours or more guided learning hours combined. In the case of courses aimed at learners under 18, the minimum requirement is for 25 hours of learning
• Students should be issued with a verifiable certificate of achievement or qualification from the training provider or the qualification’s regulator

• Pupils, especially young women, in secondary education with an interest in (deep) tech
• Students of Higher Education with a need for more specific training in deep tech
• Adult Learners in companies and on the job market who need additional skills in deep tech

The minimal requirement of 50 hours learning was set with inclusivity in mind. The initiative would like to offer a chance for everyone – regardless of their existing level of deep tech and the financial and social situation of the trainee – to gain skills and knowledge in deep tech. By allowing relatively shorter programs to take part, those who wish to take a very first step towards deep tech can also join Europe’s largest deep tech talent training initiative.

The certification criteria means that all participants need to receive a certificate proving that they participated in the program. Certifications do not necessarily need to provide new qualifications.

The certification criteria means that all participants need to receive a certificate proving that they participated in the program. Certifications do not necessarily need to provide new qualifications.

Not all the Pledgers categories are expected to offer a list of courses.

Detailed information about the courses will be needed by Education and Training Providers after signing the pledge.  Pledgers are requested to make an application for any course they wish to publish on the platform.

Each course will undergo a quality-checking process to verify if the course details fulfil the Deep Tech Talent Initiative requirements.

Education and Training providers can launch new training programmes or adjust their existing training to match the ambitions and requirements of the Initiative.

When signing the pledge, organisations are committing to recording and reporting the data required by the initiative. This includes:

• Course name
• Course summary
• Weblink
• Deep tech technologies covered
• Deep tech sectors covered
• EIT-label certified (yes/no)
• Other certification (submit name)
• Educational level: secondary / upper secondary / tertiary / post graduate / vocational / continuing
• Successful graduates:
  • Names of successful graduates
  • Group age
  • Gender
  • Nationality
  • Residence
  • Consent of parent or guardian (if applicable).

The Definitions document is a non-exclusive list and will be updated regularly in line with the emerging deep technologies on the market, and with the support of the EIT Knowledge Innovation Communities and the Pledger Community. If you would like to propose a new area of deep tech, please email info@eitdeeptechtalent.eu. In the meantime please choose the area that most closely matches your technology.

Once a pledge is submitted the pledge target is locked.

Large organisations, such as universities, may wish to pledge multiple times for different departments of their organisation. Pledgers are identified by their PIC (Participant Identification Code) and only one pledge can currently be submitted per PIC.

Learners that have completed an approved course, listed on the DTTI website should be included in reporting. Learners that have completed training and are residents of EU Member States and affiliated countries will count towards the pledge targets.

Residents of EU Member states count towards the pledge targets. To be clear:

• EU nationals and residents – yes, these learners count towards the pledge target.
• EU nationals, but not EU resident – no, these learners do not count towards the pledge target
• Non-EU Nationals, but EU resident –  yes, these learners count towards the pledge target.
• Non-EU nationals and not EU resident –  no, these learners do not count towards the pledge target

In addition to the existing and freshly initiated trainings in the field of deep tech, the EIT and its Innovation Communities will provide support for the development of new curricula in deep tech. Calls will be announced to Pledge members on an annual basis and will also be published on the website.

Participation in the Deep Tech Talent Initiative does not exclude the possibility to apply for other calls from the EIT Community.

Deep tech is defined as a classification of organisation or a start-up, with the expressed objective of providing technology solutions to deep societal challenges. They present scientific or engineering challenges requiring lengthy research and development, and large capital investment before successful commercialisation.

The Deep Tech Talent Initiative has developed a quality check for the training programmes targeted under the Deep Tech Talent Initiative. In addition, a Definitions document that identifies the fifteen deep tech technologies currently under the scope of the programme is available.

Please note that the Definitions document is a non-exclusive list and will be updated regularly in line with the emerging deep technologies on the market, and with the support of the EIT Knowledge Innovation Communities and the Pledger Community. 

Each person who completes a Deep Tech Talent Initiative course that meets the minimum requirements will be added to the sum of trained individuals. The trainees will be reported by the Pledging organisations. It is the responsibility of the Pledger to make sure that the reporting is accurate.