Project Overview
Project Summary
HPCTRAIN operates through a structured implementation model that covers management and coordination, traineeship programme management, performance and impact assessment and outreach and dissemination.
The traineeship programme is delivered in two complementary phases. In the first phase, traineeship opportunities are offered within the consortium’s established HPC hosting entities, enabling rapid launch and testing of processes. In parallel, a second phase expands opportunities beyond the consortium by engaging third-party host organisations across Europe, including industry partners, SMEs, National Competence Centres and Centres of Excellence.
Candidates are assessed through a structured selection and allocation process, supported by the experience of established peer review and mobility frameworks. Each traineeship has an average duration of five months and is supported by a defined allowance structure to ensure accessibility and mobility across Europe.
Impact is continuously monitored through a dedicated performance and assessment methodology, including measurement of access to the labour market and industry mobility.
Clear milestones, including staged targets for traineeships offered and executed, provide transparency and accountability throughout the 48-month project lifecycle.
Through strong governance, structured quality assurance, strategic industry involvement and continuous outreach, HPCTRAIN ensures that its traineeship programme is highly responsive to Europe’s evolving digital and industrial priorities.
HPCTRAIN Objectives
The Traineeships
For Trainees
At the heart of HPCTRAIN is a structured, professional traineeship programme designed to connect emerging HPC talent with Europe’s leading supercomputing centres and innovative companies.
Each traineeship, with an average duration of five months, provides hands-on experience in real operational environments, from HPC infrastructure and system operations to applications development, data-intensive computing and industrial use cases
By combining technical excellence with real-world exposure, HPCTRAIN ensures that traineeships are not just academic exercises but professional stepping stones into Europe’s digital workforce.
Benefits for trainees
HPCTRAIN trainees gain:
- Practical, on-the-job experience with advanced HPC systems and technologies.
- Direct exposure to industry environments, working on real challenges with commercial and research impact.
- Access to Europe-wide professional networks, including HPC centres, National Competence Centres and industrial stakeholders.
- Enhanced employability, supported by structured mentoring and measurable outcomes related to labour market integration.
- Mobility and international experience, broadening both technical and professional horizons.
HPCTRAIN is helping to build a generation of young professionals equipped with the advanced digital skills and professional maturity they will need to contribute to successful research and industrial innovation.
For Industry
For industry partners, HPCTRAIN provides access to Europe’s emerging HPC talent pipeline. As demand for advanced computing, AI and data-driven innovation accelerates across sectors, companies increasingly require professionals who understand both high-performance computing technologies and real operational environments.
HPCTRAIN supports this need by connecting organisations directly with motivated, highly skilled trainees who can contribute meaningfully to ongoing projects while developing expertise aligned with industrial priorities.
By engaging as a host organisation, companies become active contributors to Europe’s digital skills ecosystem, helping shape the competencies of the future workforce while strengthening their own innovation capacity.
Benefits for Industry
Industry partners benefit from:
- Access to emerging HPC talent, trained in cutting-edge supercomputing technologies.
- Fresh perspectives and innovative approaches brought by motivated early-career professionals.
- Support in adopting and optimising HPC solutions, accelerating digital transformation and innovation capacity.
- Stronger links to Europe’s HPC ecosystem, including supercomputing centres and training networks.
- Contribution to workforce development, helping shape the next generation of digital specialists aligned with real labour market needs.
Through this two-way exchange, HPCTRAIN strengthens collaboration between academia, HPC centres and industry, reinforcing Europe’s digital technology supply chain while ensuring that skills development remains directly connected to industrial priorities.
Work Packages
HPCTRAIN is structured around four complementary strands of activity, designed to ensure quality, impact and long-term relevance for both trainees and industry partners.
Consortium
Project Details
Project number: 101136896
Project name: European HPC Professional Traineeship Programme
Project acronym: HPCTRAIN
Call: DIGITAL-EUROHPC-JU-2022-TRAINING-03
Topic: DIGITAL-EUROHPC-JU-2022-TRAINING-03-01
Type of action: DIGITAL JU Coordination and Support Actions
Granting authority: European High-Performance Computing Joint Undertaking
Project starting date: 1 January 2026
Project end date: 31 December 2029
Project duration: 48 months
Grant amount: € 5 million
Industry Advisory Board
Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) means the advisory board composed of members from the EuroHPC JU private members (ETP4HPC, DAIRO, QuIC), Industry section of the PRACE Council and other industrial representatives from different fields and company categories (SME, medium, large). This advisory board will link the project to the different industrial players and give advice on the scope and framework for the HPC professional traineeships.
Related Initiatives
HPCTRAIN is closely aligned with other leading European HPC training initiatives