Insider Brief
- Sweden is joining European Skills Academies for Quantum and AI, with Nordita supporting the Nordic-Baltic Quantum Academy and Swedish organizations contributing to AI skills development.
- The European Quantum Skills Academy (EQA) brings together 73 partners and more than 100 affiliates across 23 countries, with a €19.8 million budget over 48 months and 50% direct EU funding.
- The AI Skills Academy initiative in Sweden will focus on AI education for sectors including healthcare and social care, with an emphasis on user participation, democratic principles and responsible technology use.
- Photo from Pexels by Efrem Efre.
PRESS RELEASE — As quantum technologies transition from the laboratory to the market, the demand for a highly skilled workforce has never been greater. To meet this challenge, EQA has officially launched to establish a comprehensive, pan-European ecosystem for quantum education and training. Nordita, the Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics in Stockholm, will play a key role in this initiative supporting the leadership of the Nordic-Baltic Quantum Academy — one of the EQA’s six regional quantum academies.
Supported by a total budget of €19.8 million over 48 months (with 50% of it directly financed by the European Union) the EQA is the largest community in quantum workforce development to date. The project unites 73 partners and over 100 affiliates spanning 23 European countries.
Aligning with the EU Quantum Europe Strategy, the EQA is designed to overcome fragmentation and ensure that quantum technology benefits all of Europe equally, thus fostering Europe’s technological sovereignty. These efforts align as well with the newly published Swedish strategy for quantum technology, in which Nordic Quantum — a network coordinated from Nordita — is highlighted as an example of collaboration in the Nordic region.
The fact that Sweden via Nordita and Stockholm University enters the newly established European Skills Academy is highly welcome, notes Director General and Sweden’s Science Council Katarina Bjelke.
Now, through the Nordic-Baltic Quantum Academy, Nordita ensures that Sweden and its neighbors remain deeply integrated into the European quantum landscape. By expanding access to experimental and digital infrastructures, the EQA will serve as Europe’s anchor for quantum skills, ensuring global leadership in a domain critical for future innovation and security.
“In WACQT, we fully support that Nordita takes this step towards coordinating quantum technology education in Sweden with Europe. Through EDU-WACQT and our graduate school we have established a foundation for QT-education in Sweden, which Nordita can take further.”, says Göran Johansson, Director of WACQT, Wallenberg Centre for Quantum Technology.
“Europe’s quantum future depends on skills as much as on breakthroughs, and Nordita is glad to draw on its long tradition as a Nordic enabler to help lay that foundation across the Nordic and Baltic region”, states Mikael Fogelström, Director of Nordita, Nordic Institute for Theoretical Physics.
European AI Skills Academy
Sweden, through Region Värmland and Experio Lab in collaboration with researchers affiliated with WASP-HS and other stakeholders, will participate actively in the European Skills Academy for EU. A welcome boost to Sweden’s AI ecosystem, and an opportunity to bring energy to this flagship in the AI Continent.
This initiative aims to create a dynamic and inclusive platform for education and skills development in the field of AI. The work is being carried out in partnership with regional and national networks as well as academic institutions, including Karlstad University, Linköping University, and in collaboration with researchers affiliated with WASP-HS. The initiative will foster critical and socially beneficial AI expertise across various sectors, with a particular focus on healthcare and social care. The project also ensures that user perspectives and democratic principles are incorporated into the design of the training initiatives.
“For AI to contribute to a more sustainable, equitable, and democratic welfare system, the technology and its use must be developed in collaboration with those affected by it. Through AISHA, we hope to strengthen the ability of healthcare professionals, patients, and service users to influence how AI is developed and used in healthcare and social care”, says Tomas Edman, Region Värmland/Experio Lab.
“Research shows that commercial actors are often given significant interpretive authority in matters concerning how artificial intelligence is understood, developed, and applied. AI competence should therefore not be understood solely as the ability to develop, procure, or use new technology, but also as an understanding of who defines the problems, interprets the results, and is given influence over decision-making processes”, states Petter Falk, Karlstad University (affiliated with WASP-HS).
Both EQA and AISHA-projects are part of Digital Europe Programme governed by the Swedish Agency for Digital Government (Digg). Swedish participation is enabled by national co-financing through Vinnova.
Learn more about the Digital Europe Programme:
The Digital Europe Programme | Shaping Europe’s digital future
Learn more about the Swedish coordination:
DIGITAL – Programmet för ett digitalt Europa | Digg