EuroHPC Virtual Training Academy (EVITA): HPC Training for Everyone

The EuroHPC Virtual Training Academy (EVITA) project aims to provide a structured online platform and curated material catalogue to showcase high-quality HPC knowledge in Europe. In order for the EVITA project to be able to provide high-standard training material, discussions about structure, style, and applicability to university and industry sectors are essential. Industry, in particular, is of high importance in this discussion in order to broaden perspectives, given that the consortium of the EVITA project is mainly composed of research institutions and HPC providers.

The EVITA project introduces the Competence and Qualification Framework (CQF) that defines a unified and modular learning structure. In the CQF, modules are basic stand-alone training units, which are peer-reviewed and tagged using the Skill Tree of the HPC Certification Forum (HPC CF). Modules contain knowledge covering one or more skills and can be learned in one to four hours (including independent study time) if the learner meets the prerequisite knowledge mentioned in the module. The CQF defines that one or more modules can be used by instructors or training providers to be turned into courses, which, in addition to the material, also include a curated survey after the course as well as an examination to gain a course certificate. Ultimately, this material is free to be used by any instructor teaching students and learners, be it at universities, at HPC centres, or in the industry.

The proposal of this Community Stage Meetup targets training providers as the main audience but also reaches out to companies seeking to deliver training material or receive training. The EVITA project addresses the need for modules and appeals to potential module providers to contribute to the funded call for modules. Moreover, in this meetup, the EVITA project also aims to have open floor discussions to gather feedback on the proposed CQF and optimise the available list of current and future modules, as well as, the current module templates. A collaboration tool such as Google Docs or Hedgedoc will be used to collect feedback, and GitLab issues on code.europa.eu can be used to address requests for the available modules and templates. The key insight will be the feedback from the community for the project and the publication of the call for modules to the community.

The current catalogue of modules, available on a public GitLab (https://code.europa.eu/eurohpc-ju/evita), contains a few prototype modules that were created by members of the project, which act as guidance for future module providers. The EVITA project provides funding for any training provider in Europe that wants to either turn already existing material into modules or submit entirely new material covering new technologies or as-yet unexplored areas of the HPC CF Skill Tree. A presentation and open floor discussion about the running call for modules will be included in the session. The first call opened in spring 2026, and there will be two additional calls: one in 2027 and one in 2028. Moreover, the session will also highlight that the EVITA project is open to collaboration and contributions from other EuroHPC JU projects, including the AI Factories.

Attendees will not only to learn about the EVITA project, but also recognize their capacity to contribute meaningfully to its development through their insights and engagement. The meetup will begin with a short presentation about the CQF and pilot modules, followed by an exploration of the existing modules with the audience. Next, an open discussion on the existing modules and which modules and skills should be included in the follow-up calls will take place. Active discussion is the most important part since the EVITA project needs to get in touch with the community to gain insight into what is actually needed. This will allow the project to steer the follow-up proposals into relevant domains since the initial call is for general and core HPC technology.