The Digital Skills EU Days 2026 will take place in Brussels from 29 June to 1 July with a series of working meetings and events focusing on advancing digital skills across Europe and fostering collaboration among stakeholders.

On 30 June, we invite you to join the public programme, featuring the European Digital Skills Awards 2026 ceremony and the launch of the Quantum, GenAI and Virtual Worlds Skills Academies. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, will open the public event with a keynote speech and present the awards.

The European Digital Skills Awards 2026 ceremony will reveal the five winners across the categories: Digital Upskilling @ Work, Digital Skills for Education, Inclusion in the Digital World, Women in ICT Careers and Cybersecurity Skills. From 220 applications to 25 finalists, the ceremony will spotlight impactful initiatives from across Europe.

Following the awards, a high-level panel session with Renate Nikolay, Deputy Director-General, DG CONNECT, European Commission, will bring together experts for a discussion on the vision for the Digital Skills Academies, which aim to bridge critical talent gaps in key technological areas such as Quantum, AI, Virtual Worlds, Cybersecurity and High Performance Computing (HPC).

In addition to the public programme, the Digital Skills EU Days will host two key annual working meetings bringing together major digital skills stakeholders and projects from across Europe: the National Coalitions for Digital Skills and Jobs will exchange good practices and contribute to discussions on the Digital Decade, while the Digital Europe Programme will convene DEP projects to discuss strategic priorities and ongoing actions.

Digital Skills EU Days Public Programme

European Digital Skills Awards 2026 ceremony and the launch of the Digital Skills Academies 

SQUARE Brussels Meeting Centre

Agenda

• 14:00 – 14:45 Registration and coffee
• 14:45 – 15:00 Welcome
• 15:00 – 15:10 Keynote speech by Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
• 15:10 – 16:30 European Digital Skills Awards 2026 Ceremony
• 16:30 – 17:15 High-level panel discussion: Digital Skills Academies
• 17:15 – 18:30 Networking cocktail reception

Register here to join the on-site event.