EU STEM Coalition - Virtual Roundtable (Deep Tech Talent Initiative & position paper)

Part 1: Deep Tech Talent Initiative (DTTI)

Background: The DTTI is a new initiative of EIT that was launched as part of the Innovation Agenda. It aims to deliver 1 million 'Deep Tech Talents' in the coming 3 years. The DTTI was first announced and discussed (based on limited information available) during the Thematic Meeting in May 2022 and re-discussed during the General Assembly in September 2022 (in the week of the official launch). The EU STEM Coalition was tasked with collecting more information on the approach taken by EIT and provide a recommendation to the member organisations. 

After a short welcome and introduction by Geert Asselbergs (coordinator EU STEM Coalition) the word was given to Mr. Marian Belko, head of the Entrepreneurship Education Section at the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT). Mr. Belko presented a brief overview of the current state of affairs of the DTTI. After this, the floor was opened for a round of questions from the members present. The questtions focused on the pro's and con's of pledging support, clarification of the funding model and requirements for initiatives to be considered eligible. Not all questions can be answered at the current stage.

After the presentation the meeting continued with a 'behind close doors' discussion session. The coordinator of the EU STEM Coalition gave a brief presentation of the information that became available since the General Assembly (see slides), in particular regarding the funding model, activity requirements and timeline. The floor was then opened on the members for reactions and discussion. The discussion focused on:

• Should or shouldn't the STEM platforms enter a pledge?
• How should the EU STEM Coalition position itself vs. this new initiative?
• Is the approach taken by EIT meeting the needs on the ground?

The meeting report of the internal discussion will be kept confidential on the request of the participants. For more info, please contact the EU STEM Coalition secretariat via the contact information below.

Part 2: Position paper

The coordinator presents the main changes that were introduced in the new draft (v6) compared to the one that was discussed during the General Assembly. The changes and inclusions were based on the input collected during the discussion session at the General Assembly and input submitted by mail after that event. Most of the changes are minor in scope and relate to the overall tone and message of the paper (for a full overview see the meeting presentation). 

The members agree that this version can be published after the final input has been integrated. The secretariat will provide several version (including a slide deck / infographic-style version for use in more general meetings).