Revolutionizing education and nurturing AI skills for the cultural and creative industries
RenAIssance builds a transnational, AI-driven training framework so that AI-enhanced design education becomes an integral part of vocational and higher education across Europe: from skills intelligence to accredited curricula, pilots and policy.
- Programme
- Erasmus+ Alliances for Innovation · Blueprint for sectoral cooperation on skills
- Call · topic
- ERASMUS-EDU-2025-PI-ALL-INNO · BLUEPRINT
- Grant agreement
- 101246744 (lump sum)
- Duration
- 48 months · 1 Dec 2025 – 30 Nov 2029
- EU contribution
- € 4.99 million
- Coordinator
- University of Naples Federico II (CeSMA) · Prof. Flora Amato
- Consortium
- 12 partners · 8 EU countries
- Qualification levels
- EQF 3 – 8 · ESCO-aligned profiles · micro-credentials
A widening AI skills gap in European design
Generative design, computational creativity and AI-assisted fabrication are becoming industry standards in product design, architecture, fashion and craftsmanship. Yet most vocational and higher education programmes in these material-associated design disciplines have not incorporated AI-driven methodologies. The sector is caught between fast-moving tools and slow-moving curricula.
The numbers are stark. According to the Creative Pact for Skills (2025), 77.4% of cultural and creative industry stakeholders see AI integration as critical to growth, but 30.3% of design firms lack personnel with AI expertise, 36.1% cite high implementation costs and 69% point to limited access to funding. 78% of employers report difficulty recruiting design professionals with AI expertise (PEC, 2024). Freelancers and small creative enterprises, the backbone of European design, face barriers in accessing AI training that increase job precarity.
The risk is not only economic. Uncritical use of AI can flatten aesthetic diversity: models average their training data, systems trained on AI-generated content progressively impoverish creative output, and recommendation algorithms create echo chambers. In material disciplines, generative tools often ignore structural constraints, material properties and real production processes. RenAIssance starts from the premise that the question is not whether AI should be used in art and culture, but how: AI must be an extension of human capability rather than a substitute, and design education must teach that difference.
Five gaps the project addresses
- Limited AI literacy in design education
- No structured training pathways in AI-driven generative design, advanced personalisation and digital fabrication
- Fragmentation between traditional craftsmanship and AI-enhanced design workflows, which holds back small creative enterprises and independent designers
- Absence of AI-powered sustainability frameworks for material optimisation, circular design and eco-conscious production
- Cognitive biases in AI applications for design, calling for a humanistic, ethical approach
What RenAIssance sets out to achieve
The core objective is a transnational AI-driven training framework that equips designers, architects and digital creators with future-proof skills, so that AI-enhanced design education becomes an integral part of both vocational and higher education systems across Europe. Through an approach that is practical, hybrid, interactive and inclusive, the project will provide:
- A structured, sector-wide strategy to integrate AI into design education and professional development, addressing current and future skill demands.
- An immediate impact on design education and training by addressing urgent AI skills shortages in the first year.
- A collaborative network of VET providers, higher education institutions and industry stakeholders that keeps training industry-relevant.
- Cross-border knowledge exchange and best practices, harmonising AI design training across EU Member States.
- A scalable and sustainable framework that national education systems can adopt and incorporate into long-term skills policies.
- An AI-empowered workforce able to drive innovation in product design, architecture, fashion and digital media, to design sustainably, and to have AI-based design qualifications formally recognised across Europe.
Eight specific objectives
Develop a sector-wide AI skills strategy for the design domain of the CCI ecosystem
A validated skills strategy aligned with ESCO, EQF and the Pact for Skills, built on the Urgent AI Skills Gap Report, shaped in the CCIs Skills Strategy and Roadmap and consolidated in a transnational AI Competence Framework.
Design and pilot AI-enhanced training modules in VET and HE
Modular AI-driven training programmes covering EQF levels 3–8, piloted across at least eight EU countries and assessed for learning outcomes, industry validation and learner feedback.
Define and validate AI-driven occupational profiles and competencies
Updated occupational profiles for the design domain, formally validated by industry and accreditation bodies, from the AI-Guided Prototyping Technician (EQF 5) to the Computational AI Designer (EQF 8).
Address urgent AI skills gaps and deploy rapid training
Short intensive courses delivered by VET providers, universities and online platforms within the first twelve months, planned in three formats of one, two and three months.
Build a transnational AI training ecosystem for design
A large-scale partnership of VET providers, higher education, industry and policymakers, with a governance framework and an AI Education and Training Toolkit, that keeps training relevant beyond the project.
Integrate AI-driven sustainable design frameworks into training
AI-driven material optimisation, life-cycle assessment and circular design as a core part of the curriculum, in line with the European Green Deal.
Ensure formal accreditation and long-term adoption
Certification standards aligned with ESCO, EQF and Europass Digital Credentials, so that AI learning pathways are stackable, transferable and recognised across Member States.
Introduce ethical AI and SME adoption strategies
Bias mitigation, transparency and responsible AI in creative processes, plus cost-effective adoption pathways, mentoring and tailored modules for SMEs and micro-enterprises, which make up at least 30% of pilot participants.
From skills intelligence to accredited training
A phased, evidence-based method that moves from foresight to classroom to policy: skills intelligence and strategy first, then modular curricula and new occupational profiles, transnational pilots in at least eight countries, and finally integration into European and national qualification frameworks. Hands-on learning is central: every module combines practical exercises, case studies or lab work, and every programme ends with a real creative-industry project.
Skills intelligence and foresight
A Foresight Committee of design, architecture, manufacturing, arts, academia, policy, AI and fabrication experts guides data collection across eight countries, structured around ESCO. Scenario planning produces four normative scenarios for the sector by 2035–2040 and feeds the CCIs Skills Strategy and Roadmap.
Rapid training for urgent gaps
In the first year, Rapid Training Packs address the most pressing shortages: planned as a one-month Fundamentals course, a two-month Applied AI course with an industry-mentored capstone, and a three-month Advanced course with specialisation tracks in architecture, product design, fashion or media.
Modular curricula and new profiles
Flexible learning pathways for VET and higher education, mapped to EQF levels and aligned with ESCO for cross-border recognition. Four example profiles anchor the offer: Computational AI Designer (EQF 8), Creative AI Expert (EQF 7), AI-Driven Idea Generation Designer (EQF 6) and AI-Guided Prototyping Technician (EQF 5).
Transnational pilots and work-based learning
Curricula piloted in at least eight VET and higher education institutions, combined with AI-powered work-based learning: AI learning labs, virtual and hybrid internships, XR environments and learning analytics. A train-the-trainer programme certifies educators; learners receive Europass Digital Credentials.
Responsible, green and inclusive by design
Training is supplemented with a module on data ethics and responsible AI (privacy, bias, transparency, human oversight) guided by the AI Act and GDPR. Green AI methodologies embed material optimisation, waste reduction and circular economy principles; gender-responsive, accessible design ensures equitable participation.
Accreditation, policy and sustainability
A roadmap for long-term adoption, mechanisms to integrate AI competences into national qualification frameworks, EQAVET- and ESG-based quality assurance, a sectoral partnership governance framework and a funding plan, channelled through the Pact for Skills, the European Digital Education Hub, EPALE and Europass.
Learners, educators, businesses and policymakers
VET learners and providers
Vocational students and institutions in the design domain gain AI-enhanced curricula, rapid training packs and Europass Digital Credentials.
Higher education
Universities, design schools and universities of applied sciences adopt modular AI-driven programmes and new occupational profiles.
Designers, architects, artisans, digital creators
Entry-level and mid-career professionals in product design, architecture, craftsmanship, fashion and digital media move into AI-augmented roles rather than being displaced.
SMEs and micro-enterprises
A dedicated SME track with cost-effective tools, mentoring and customised modules; at least 30% of pilot participants come from SMEs or micro-enterprises.
Trainers and educators
Certified through a train-the-trainer programme with micro-credentials, covering AI-driven workflows, generative design, AI-enhanced assessment and responsible AI.
Accreditation bodies
Engaged to recognise AI-enhanced training through ESCO, EQF and Europass Digital Credentials, making pathways stackable across Member States.
Policymakers and sectoral bodies
National and European decision-makers, skills councils and networks such as the Pact for Skills receive the strategy, policy briefs and a Policy Advocacy Toolkit.
Women and underrepresented groups
Inclusive, gender-responsive and accessible training design, flexible learning paths, scholarships and accessibility-enhanced digital environments; at least 70 participants from groups with fewer opportunities.
Four years, seven phases
Each phase feeds the next: intelligence before curricula, rapid pilots before full pilots, validation before accreditation.
Milestones so far
- Kick-off meeting in Naples, 22–23 January 2026
- Cooperation Framework and Urgent AI Skills Gap Report (spring 2026)
- ALIGN and CO-DESIGN workshops and 97-stakeholder consultation (April–May 2026)
- CCIs Skills Intelligence Report and Skills Strategy (summer 2026)
- RenAIssance on stage at Creative Skills Week 2026, Brussels (September 2026)
Launch and set-up
Kick-off in Naples, Project Management Handbook, stakeholder mapping and Cooperation Framework, communication strategy and branding, Urgent AI Skills Gap Report.
Skills intelligence and sectoral strategy
AI skills mapping, Skills Intelligence Report, CCIs Skills Strategy and Roadmap, five hybrid workshops in Naples, Barcelona, Turku, Piatra Neamț/Iași and Amsterdam.
Rapid response to urgent gaps
Demonstrator projects, short modular AI programmes, rapid training pilots in at least eight countries, first-year evaluation.
Curriculum and training development
AI-enhanced design curricula at EQF 3–8, AI Education and Training Toolkit, train-the-trainer framework and pilots with 40+ trainers.
Pilots, work-based learning and validation
Pilots in at least eight VET and HE institutions, cross-border placements, structured feedback, final training models and certification framework.
Impact and long-term exploitation
Sectoral partnerships, certification standards, roll-out roadmap, funding plan, continuous improvement strategy, policy advocacy toolkit.
Final Conference in Naples
A 2.5-day closing conference presenting achievements, best practices, policy recommendations and sustainability strategies.
Measurable change for Europe's creative industries
RenAIssance is built to change how the design domain of Europe's cultural and creative industries learns, hires and works with AI, and to leave behind capacity rather than reports.
For learners and professionals
Rapid courses in year one, long-term pilots and cross-border placements, Europass Digital Credentials and micro-credentials, and increased employability and career mobility across design, fashion, digital media, architecture and cultural heritage.
For education institutions
A shift from traditional design training to AI-enhanced computational design: new and updated courses and study programmes, six programmes with practical placements, modernised hubs and labs, and at least ten institutions adopting the ecosystem model.
For industry and SMEs
Direct access to an AI-skilled workforce and support for AI-driven business models built on automation, customisation and immersive content, starting in product design, architecture and fashion and extending to media, performing arts and gaming.
For policymakers
AI competences recognised within ESCO and EQF, alignment with the Pact for Skills and the EU digital and green transitions, three policy recommendations and an evidence-based model that national and regional authorities can reuse.
Building on European work
RenAIssance builds on and connects with previous initiatives: CYANOTYPES (skills gaps and the digital transition in the CCIs), MOSAIC (Centre of Vocational Excellence in arts, crafts and design), Craft 4.0 (3D printing and digital modelling for crafts) and Cutting Edges (virtual production in film education). Results are shared through the Pact for Skills, the European Digital Education Hub, EPALE, Europass and open repositories so that other institutions and creative sectors can replicate them.
Human-centred AI, by design
- Bias and fairness: bias detection, diverse datasets and periodic audits of AI-generated outcomes.
- Transparency and accountability: documented AI decision processes, ethics training for learners and educators, a grievance mechanism.
- Privacy: learner data handled under GDPR with anonymisation, encryption and informed consent.
- Creative integrity: guidelines for ethical AI use, human–AI collaboration and clear labelling of AI-generated outputs.
- Human oversight: AI as an assistive tool that never autonomously dictates learning outcomes.
- Gender and inclusion: gender-responsive training design, intersectional analysis, mentorship for women and underrepresented groups.
Anchored in European frameworks
- Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills and the Pact for Skills: a sector-wide AI skills strategy and a large-scale partnership for the design domain.
- European Skills Agenda: AI and digital competences integrated into design education, contributing to upskilling 60% of adults by 2030.
- Digital Education Action Plan 2021–2027: AI embedded in VET, HE and professional training with micro-credentials via Europass.
- AI Act and the Ethical Guidelines on AI in teaching and learning: fairness, transparency, inclusivity and human-centred AI.
- European Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan: AI-powered sustainability modules on material optimisation, life-cycle assessment and circular design.
- ESCO, EQF, EQAVET and ESG: profiles and programmes mapped for cross-border recognition, with European quality assurance.
Follow the project's progress
Research findings, events and public deliverables are announced on our LinkedIn page and in the news section.