Two-day event on 15–16 October will focus on talent attraction, development and retention, with the Women in Digital Index 2026 and Women in Digital Forum recommendations presented in Dublin.

Brussels, [21] September 2026. Digital Talent EU Days 2026 will take place on 15–16 October at Trinity Business School in Dublin, bringing together policymakers, employers, education and training providers, national authorities, researchers and civil society to discuss how Europe can build the digital workforce needed for a competitive Europe. 

The event comes as Europe works towards its Digital Decade target of 20 million ICT specialists by 2030, while current projections point to around 12.4 million by the end of the decade. The programme is organised around four tracks covering talent attraction, talent development, talent retention and cross-cutting issues, connecting Europe’s skills needs with workforce participation, career progression and competitiveness. 

Women remain significantly underrepresented, accounting for around 19% of ICT specialists in the EU. The Women in Digital Summit, now in its second edition and held as part of Digital Talent EU Days, will bring new evidence and policy discussion on where women enter, progress and are lost across the digital talent pipeline. 

One of the key outputs to be revealed during the Dublin event will be the Women in Digital Index 2026, measuring women’s progression across STEM education, ICT education, digital employment, leadership and the enabling environment. The new edition builds on the 2025 Women in Digital Index and Annual Report, which placed the EU average at 51.7 out of 100. Sweden recorded the highest score at 76.2, followed by Estonia and Ireland at 68.0. 

The programme will also include findings and recommendations from four Women in Digital Forum Thematic Working Groups: TWG3 - Reprogramming Skills: VET as a Catalyst for Women’s Digital Transitions; TWG4 on Intersectional Approaches; TWG5, Bridging the STEM–Digital Career Gap; and TWG6, Women Shaping the AI Economy.

As Brendan Rowan, Connecting Women in Digital Coordinator put it: ”The mission is clear and the data doesn’t lie - we have to increase dramatically our digital talent pipelines and without more women in digital roles we will fall very short.” 

Between 250 and 300 participants are expected over the two days. Further analysis of Europe’s digital talent pipeline is developed in the Euractiv op-ed Hired, trained, gone: Europe's digital talent problem | Euractiv

Digital Talent EU Days 2026 is organised by Connecting Women in Digital and the Advanced Digital Skills SO4 Cluster, in partnership with the European Commission, Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and local partners including the Irish Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition and BlockW. 

A recognised event of the Irish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2026 | Partner event of the European AI Innovation Month

Attendance is free and places are limited. Register at digitaltalentdays.eu. 

About Connecting Women in Digital

Connecting Women in Digital is a Digital Europe Programme initiative working to strengthen women’s participation and progression in Europe’s digital sector. The project combines data, policy analysis and stakeholder expertise through the Women in Digital Forum, Thematic Working Groups, national actions and best-practice mapping, and the annual Women in Digital Summit. 

Press contact: Dorottya Csák Head of Communications at 28DIGITAL, project partner of Connecting Women in Digital. Images, logos and spokespeople for interview available on request