Paneurama

Story

PANEURAMA responds to the growing awareness of mismatches between what graduates are trained for and what studios actually require, particularly in areas like technological development, work environments, soft skills, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Cradle joined PANEURAMA with the main aim of providing in-depth research into the needs of the industry as well as the educational offering, in order to create a solid baseline for understanding. Our focus is on identifying where gaps exist and how education can realistically evolve to support students’ futures, whether they plan to work in a studio or start their own ventures. As part of this effort, three research reports are being developed to map out the current landscape of industry needs and educational offerings across Europe.These reports focus on the key themes of social skills and workplace dynamics, entrepreneurship and innovation, and technology, providing valuable insights that are offered to policy makers, curriculum teams, and other key stakeholders.

The findings are also directly integrated into workshops organized by Paneurama, which are held twice a year and are free of charge for students across Europe. We organised one of the workshops in 2024: The Next Gen Lab (Innovation Lab 2024: Nxt Gen Lab – PANEURAMA), where young talents from across Europe, working in games, animation, and VFX, came together to collaborate on creative projects. By working together, they explored innovative, cross-disciplinary ways of working, with a strong focus on developing soft skills such as cross-disciplinary communication, adaptability, and teamwork.

The goal of Cradle is to gather and analyze experiences that support long-term improvements in training and education across Europe’s creative sectors. To achieve this, we collaborate with a strong and diverse network of partners.

Educational Institutions:

Breda University of Applied Sciences
The Animation Workshop / VIA University College
Animationsinstitut / Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
Université Paris 8 | Vincennes – Saint-Denis

Industry Leaders:

Creative Viborg
DIGIC Pictures
Khora
Fortiche
RISE | Visual Effects Studios
Qvisten Animation
Coflow Visuals
Beyond Horizon

Associated Partners:

EPIC Games
Unity
The Rookies
Ubisoft
Adobe
Netflix Animation
M2 Film
UTS Animal Logic Academy
Gobelins Paris
MoPA
MOME
Nord University
Framestore
Wonder Dynamics (part of Autodesk)
Kalicoo
SideFX

Together, this network represents a unique collaboration across education, industry, and technology, helping to shape the future of learning and innovation in games, animation, and visual effects across Europe and beyond.

Process

Between 2023 and 2026, Cradle is conducting an in-depth, Europe-wide research initiative to better understand the status quo, goals, and challenges within the fields of animation, games, and VFX from the perspectives of both education and industry. Over the course of these three years, the research team is engaging in a wide range of qualitative methods, including in-depth interviews, focus groups, and informal conversations with a diverse group of stakeholders: from industry professionals and educators to students and recent graduates. Each year, approximately 70 formal interviews are conducted, providing deep insight into current practices, emerging needs, and future aspirations.

In addition to the structured interviews, informal conversations are gathered during Paneurama conference presentations at key industry events such as FMX – Film and Media Exchange or Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market. These presentations not only share the latest research findings but also serve as platforms for discussion and feedback from audiences made up of industry experts, educators, and students. Further insights are collected during Paneurama’s biannual workshops, where participants engage in focus groups to reflect on their own experiences in the sector. These discussions add valuable, grounded perspectives to the yearly research reports.

To strengthen the findings and place them in a broader context, the researchers also conduct a thorough literature review, diving into both academic sources and industry publications. This ensures that the voices collected throughout the project are contextualized within wider trends and research developments.

Together, these efforts provide a robust foundation for the annual Cradle research reports, which aim to inform and inspire meaningful change in education and training across Europe’s creative sectors.

A key challenge has been the diversity across sectors and countries: education systems vary widely, and industry expectations are not always clearly communicated. Another challenge was the pressure on existing curricula, which left limited room to integrate new skillsets, especially ones considered “soft” or “non-technical.”

Results

The PANEURAMA project results in a set of concrete outcomes that provide valuable insights for educational institutions, the creative industries, and policy makers at both the national and EU levels. One of the key outputs is a framework of transversal competencies tailored to the animation, games, and VFX sectors. This framework highlights essential skills such as interdisciplinary collaboration, adaptability, critical thinking, and an entrepreneurial mindset. These competencies are carefully mapped against current and emerging industry needs to spark meaningful dialogue not only with educators about curriculum development, but also with policy makers and industry leaders to better align training pathways with the evolving demands of the creative economy.

This framework is based on an exploratory study, and while it draws from a wide range of voices and insights, it is not exhaustive and does not claim to represent all perspectives. Instead, it is intended as a starting point, a foundation to build upon collaboratively as the dialogue between education and industry continues to evolve.

The feedback from both industry and educational partners is overwhelmingly positive. They appreciate the research-driven, collaborative approach and emphasize how rarely such a structured exchange between sectors takes place. Many express interest in continuing the dialogue.

The hope is to extend the impact of PANEURAMA through long-term collaboration and institutional change across Europe’s creative education landscape.