A new report, jointly published by EIT Health and EIT Digital, challenges the idea that coding skills alone drive success in Europe’s AI startup ecosystem
The AI Skills and Occupations in the European Start-up Ecosystem report provides new insights into how a combination of technical, sector-specific, and soft skills is a huge part of Europe’s AI start-up ecosystem to drive innovation, particularly in healthcare and engineering.
The research uses data from over 23,000 professionals working across 3,600 AI startups. While strong programming and machine learning skills are common, the report finds that the most successful experiences are the ones that combine these capabilities with deep sector knowledge and interdisciplinary soft skills, such as communication, teamwork, and project management.
The need for more than technical skills
As AI startups typically have strong foundations in programming and machine learning, the EIT Health and EIT Digital report makes it clear that technical skills alone are no longer enough.
Those AI startups that perform best usally combine technical knowledge with a deep understanding of specific industries, such as healthcare, engineering, or manufacturing. Skills like communication, project management, and cross-disciplinary collaboration are also proving just as important in driving innovation.
The findings suggest that real innovation depends on both digital literacy and wider, applied capabilities that mirror the complex needs of each sector. As a result, simply increasing the number of professionals with general IT knowledge is unlikely to be enough to move AI innovation forward.
Regional insights
The report compares performance across different regions of Europe, showing that those with more interdisciplinary skills consistently outperform regions with similar technical baselines. For example, Eastern European AI startups often have a strong background in information and communications technology (ICT). But their innovation output sometimes falls behind due to a lack of sector-specific knowledge and soft skills.
The report recommends that education systems and up skilling programmes across Europe better align with the needs of local industries. Personalising education and training to applied, interdisciplinary skills could unlock new potential in underperforming regions and help close innovation gaps across the continent.
The study also identifies certain skill areas that are underrepresented within the AI startup ecosystem. Regulatory and audiovisual expertise, both essential to the real-world deployment of AI, especially in healthcare are lacking. This creates a barrier to the bigger adoption and trust in AI systems, particularly in regulated industries where ethical and legal compliance is key.
The AI workforce
This latest report builds on earlier work by EIT Health, including its 2020 publication, “Transforming Healthcare with AI,” which emphasised the need to prepare the healthcare workforce for digital transformation. As AI continues to reshape industries, the need for professionals who can close the gap between technology, science, and business is more important than ever.
Through its training programmes, EIT has already helped up skill over 1.3 million learners and supported nearly 10,000 ventures, showing its role as a key player in Europe’s innovation ecosystem.
The future of AI in Europe
As the European Commission’s AI Continent Action Plan gains attraction, the report’s findings are important. By identifying the skill sets that matter most and highlighting where gaps still exist, this research provides insight into how to strengthen Europe’s position in the global AI race.
