AISHA Consortium Meets in Rome to Start Building the European AI Skills Academy

Around 70 participants met at Sapienza University of Rome to turn AISHA’s shared ambition into practical priorities for training, cooperation and measuring results.

The AISHA consortium held its kick-off meeting in Rome on 20^th and 21^st May 2026, hosted at Sapienza University of Rome’s Center for Data Science and Complexity for Society. Around 70 participants from partner organisations attended in person to begin shaping the joint work behind the European AI Skills Academy.

HaDEA’s project officer, Aleksandra Małecka, joined in person, providing guidance on implementation and contributing to the project’s development from the outset. Giulia Carsaniga of the European Commission’s AI Office participated remotely, setting the work in the wider context of Europe’s AI policy priorities and the need for skills to support responsible adoption.

Working sessions explored three connected areas: knowledge, education and training; building the ecosystem; and measuring progress. Partners discussed how these areas should inform one another, linking evidence on skills needs with programme design, practical delivery and evaluation.

A recurring theme was that AI training must respond to different learners and workplaces. Students, SME employees, managers, public-sector staff and trainers need different combinations of technical understanding, practical experience and judgement. Participants favoured modular learning pathways, sector-specific activities and workplace learning, with credentials demonstrating acquired competences and practical achievements rather than attendance alone.

The discussions also addressed how AISHA will know whether its activities make a difference. Partners emphasised combining indicators with feedback from learners and employers, so evaluation can inform improvements during implementation. A foresight exercise looking towards 2030 explored how education and institutions can adapt to rapid AI development, and why governance and responsible-use competences belong alongside technical skills.

Coordinated by Inspiring Futures Europe and co-funded by the Digital Europe Programme, AISHA runs from May 2026 to April 2030, bringing together 30 partners and 12 associated partners across 19 countries. The meeting helped translate this broad partnership into priorities for coordinated delivery.

The kick-off was followed on 22 May by Building the European AI Skills Ecosystem – Enhancing Competences and Nurturing Talent, hosted by Istat in Rome. That public event extended the conversation beyond the consortium, including an exchange between Gianluca Misuraca, MEP Brando Benifei, and Mario Nobile (Director General of the Agency for Digital Italy - AgID) on connecting skills development with coherent AI regulation.