NextTechTalents Kickoff Meeting – June 11th, 2025
The NextTechTalents kick-off meeting successfully took place in a virtual setting on 11 June 2025. During the meeting, partners introduced their institutions, shared their areas of expertise, and discussed their planned contributions to the project’s work packages. Representatives from the European Commission also provided valuable guidance and outlined expectations for talent ecosystem projects under Horizon Europe.
The project
The NextTechTalents project aims to establish a European talent ecosystem that supports early-stage researchers in the deep tech sector. Over the next 28 months, the consortium will develop personalised training systems, foster academia–industry collaboration, and enhance the employability and career prospects of young researchers. The project is closely aligned with Action 4 of the European Research Area (ERA) policy agenda and contributes to the implementation of the European Framework for Research Careers and the European Charter for Researchers.
In addition to designing a structured training programme and implementation handbook, the project will establish a knowledge hub, engage stakeholders through workshops and mentoring sessions, and develop tools to support researcher mobility and skills development. The initiative places strong emphasis on open science, research impact, and collaboration across sectors.
The consortium
The NextTechTalents consortium brings together eight partners from five countries: Austria, Ireland, Latvia, Romania, and Slovenia. The partners represent universities, innovation hubs, IT clusters, and research institutes. Together, they offer expertise in AI, training design, stakeholder engagement, digital innovation, and project management.
The consortium includes MINDS & SPARKS (Coordinator), Babeș-Bolyai University, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Munster Technological University, Cluj IT Cluster, Digital Innovation Hub Slovenia, and Impact Hub.
Links
LinkedIn channel: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nexttechtalents-project
X channel: https://twitter.com/NextTechTalents
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NextTechTalents-Project
Keywords
Talent ecosystem, deep tech, early-stage researchers, training system, researcher careers, European Research Area, research policy
