UN
University of Naples Federico II
🇮🇹 Naples, ItalyCoordinator. One of Europe's oldest universities, coordinating the project through CeSMA and the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology.
Coordinator WP1 · WP5
The alliance
Twelve partners, eight countries, one blueprint
Universities and design schools, a research centre, FabLabs and digital-craft studios, a regional development agency, a consulting boutique and the European VET network: RenAIssance brings together everyone needed to take AI skills from research to the classroom, the studio and the workshop.
🇮🇹 Italy🇫🇮 Finland🇪🇸 Spain🇬🇷 Greece🇷🇴 Romania🇳🇱 Netherlands🇧🇪 Belgium🇵🇹 Portugal
Partners
Who is in the alliance
The consortium is built along the knowledge triangle of the creative industries: higher education, vocational training and making, business support, and a European network to carry the results to policy.
Higher education institutions
TU
Turku University of Applied Sciences
🇫🇮 Turku, FinlandBrings expertise in media, communication and design education and pedagogical innovation. Leads the project's digital and social media engagement and the production of communication materials.
Leads T7.2 · T7.4
EL
Elisava, Barcelona School of Design and Engineering
🇪🇸 Barcelona, SpainSpain's first school of design (1961), attached to UVic-UCC. Through Elisava Research it brings design methodologies, user-centred research, AI and digital design, prototyping and systems thinking. Leads the curriculum-building work package and designs the first-year rapid upskilling programmes.
Leads WP4 · T3.2
LAB
LAB University of Applied Sciences
🇫🇮 Lahti / Lappeenranta, FinlandA Finnish university of applied sciences with more than 9,800 students, taking part through its Institute of Design and Fine Arts. Contributes design education and research, training materials and curricula, and work-based learning with industry partners.
Curricula · pilots · placements
VET providers, FabLabs and digital craft
ME
Medaarch
🇮🇹 Cava de' Tirreni, ItalyDesign studio and accredited vocational training provider (est. 2007) that developed Italy's first EQF level 5 qualification in digital fabrication and runs the Centro per l'Artigianato Digitale, a centre for digital craftsmanship aligned with the New European Bauhaus. Leads the rapid-training work package, the CCIs Skills Strategy and the roll-out roadmap.
Leads WP3 · T2.3 · T2.4 · T6.3 · T6.5
WA
Waag Futurelab
🇳🇱 Amsterdam, NetherlandsIndependent institute for technology and society with more than 30 years of co-design, digital fabrication and responsible technology; home of the first FabLab in the Netherlands, the TextileLab and Fabricademy. Takes part through Waag Academy. Leads the impact and long-term exploitation work package and the interactive learning materials and toolkits.
Leads WP6 · T4.2
TM
TMDC — Taller para la Materialización y Desarrollo de Conceptos
🇪🇸 Barcelona, SpainIndustrial coworking space active since 2016, where designers and makers work with digital fabrication, wood and metal, with a vision rooted in the circular economy and the New European Bauhaus. Brings hands-on capacity building in digital fabrication and sustainability-driven production to the training programmes and pilots.
Rapid training · pilots · placements
ÁR
Escola Artística e Profissional Árvore
🇵🇹 Porto, PortugalArt-based education cooperative (Escola das Virtudes) and the oldest UNESCO-associated school in Portugal, teaching more than 450 students through project-based learning in graphic and product design, multimedia, animation and fashion. Brings curriculum innovation and AI-driven learning to vocational and artistic education.
VET curricula · pilots · dissemination
Research, business support and regional development
AC
Athena Research Center / Corallia
🇬🇷 Maroussi (Athens), GreeceCorallia, a unit of the Athena Research Center, has operated since 2005 as think tank, incubator, accelerator and cluster facilitator, supporting the growth of more than 500 companies and 300 startups. Leads the evaluation of the rapid training pilots, the cross-border work-based learning placements and the structured feedback from educators, students and industry.
Leads T3.4 · T5.2 · T5.3
NE
North-East Regional Development Agency
🇷🇴 Piatra Neamț, RomaniaDriving regional development in North-East Romania since 1999, with more than 240 staff and over 1,500 EU-funded projects managed. Its Regional Studies Center (2010) adapts vocational training to labour-market needs and digital adult education. Leads the skills intelligence work package and the train-the-trainer programme.
Leads WP2 · T4.4
IC
Iniziativa Cube
🇮🇹 Naples, ItalyStrategic management consulting boutique with more than 40 years of experience and over 500 clients, and financial partner of the EDIH Heritage Smart Lab. Brings business advisory, SME financing and exploitation planning, and leads the financial sustainability and funding strategy.
Leads T6.4
European network
Ef
EfVET — European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training
🇧🇪 Brussels, BelgiumThe pan-European umbrella association of VET providers (est. 1991): more than 300 members in 37 countries, representing around 1,500 VET providers, 200,000 professionals and 2 million learners. Leads communication and dissemination for the full four years and the policy advocacy for AI integration in national education strategies.
Leads WP7 · T6.6
Who leads what
Work package leadership
| Work package | Lead partner | Months |
|---|---|---|
| WP1 · Project management and coordination | University of Naples Federico II | M1–M48 |
| WP2 · AI-driven CCIs skills intelligence and sectoral strategy | North-East Regional Development Agency | M1–M12 |
| WP3 · Urgent AI skills gap analysis and rapid training | Medaarch | M1–M12 |
| WP4 · AI-enhanced design curriculum and training development | Elisava | M12–M24 |
| WP5 · AI training implementation and validation in HE, VET and industry | University of Naples Federico II | M24–M42 |
| WP6 · Impact and long-term exploitation | Waag Futurelab | M24–M48 |
| WP7 · Communication and dissemination | EfVET | M1–M48 |
How we work together
Governance
A light but clear structure keeps twelve organisations moving in the same direction for four years.
General Assembly
The consortium's decision-making body: one representative and one vote per partner, chaired by the coordinator and governed by the Consortium Agreement.
Project Management Team
The coordinator and representatives appointed by the General Assembly oversee execution, prepare decisions and coordinate risk management, meeting online every three months.
Work package leaders
Each work package is steered by its lead partner, who reports to the Project Management Team; partners report to their work package leader.
Consortium meetings
January 2026 · Naples
Kick-off meeting
Hosted by the University of Naples Federico II on 22–23 January 2026 with all twelve partners.
Month 18 · Piatra Neamț
Project meeting 1
Hosted by the North-East Regional Development Agency: progress assessment, milestone review and risk management.
Month 30 · Turku
Project meeting 2
Hosted by Turku University of Applied Sciences: aligning work packages and building synergies.
Month 42 · Barcelona
Project meeting 3
Hosted by Elisava: finalising results, sustainability strategies and long-term funding.
Month 48 · Naples
Final Conference
A 2.5-day closing conference presenting achievements, best practices, policy recommendations and sustainability strategies.
Want to work with the alliance?
Local Cooperation Platforms are opening in every partner country for education providers, companies, makers and public authorities.