An on-going European Commission research activity revealed that from more than 1000 programmes identified and analysed only around 20 bear the potential for an e-leadership programme in the future since they are programmes at post graduate level combining ICT and business, targeted at those with professional experience: not full-time on site -, aimed at senior management with very high technical standard and having as an entry requirement significant business experience and a mission to transform business.
Feedback from the conference audience was very positive in so far as they agreed to the urgent need for Europe to quickly tackle the emerging e-leadership issue and mobilise all relevant stakeholders in a joint Europe-wide initiative for developing suitable e-leadership Higher Education programmes which meet the needs of industry not only large corporations but very importantly also those of SMEs and entrepreneurs who account for the vast majority of jobs in Europe. These need to be accompanied by associated national policies and initiatives in which they are embedded. It is against this background that the European Commission will in January 2014 launch a pan-European communication and awareness raising campaign “e-Skills for Jobs” and a new e-Leadership initiative focusing on entrepreneurs, managers and advanced ICT users in SMEs, start-ups and gazelles which will be complementary to the already on-going one on European e-Leadership curricula guidelines.