Bergamo, 11/11/2025 – European agriculture is undergoing one of the most profound transformations in its history. The drive to reduce environmental impact, regenerate soils, recover by-products, and modernise production processes is changing the way we understand work in farms and agri-industries. What’s shaping this transformation is not just technology, but also knowledge, the ability to see the green transition not as a burden but as an opportunity.
That’s the spirit behind ACE-EX – Agriculture Circular Economy Expert, a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union. Its goal is both ambitious and practical: to train a new generation of professionals capable of applying circular economy principles to agriculture, creating environmental and economic value simultaneously.
At the heart of the initiative is a free online course, hosted at www.skillscourses.eu/ace-ex, designed to give students, technicians, NEET’s and agricultural entrepreneurs tools they can use immediately in their work, or new activities. It’s far more than another generic MOOC-ACE-EX offers a structured training pathway aligned with European standards (EQF levels 4–5), leading to a digital certificate complete with a QR code and a detailed addendum listing all the competences acquired.
The curriculum brings together managerial, environmental, business, and technological knowledge in four interconnected learning areas. Leadership, Management & Soft Skills helps participants develop the ability to lead change and coordinate diverse stakeholders. Circular Economy & Environmental Sustainability explores the principles and regulatory frameworks of circularity, resource management, and life-cycle assessment. Innovation, Business & Entrepreneurship focuses on how sustainable innovation can strengthen resilience, diversify activities, and open new markets. Finally, Green Technologies & Applied Solutions offers hands-on insight into cutting-edge applications, from biogas and biofertilisers to nutraceuticals and 3D printing.
Each module blends interactive materials, video lectures, and self-assessment quizzes. Participants who complete at least 75% of the content and the final questionnaire receive an EU-recognised digital certificate, which can be verified online by employers or professional associations. For those keen to take learning a step further, the platform also includes a serious game, ACE-EX Farm Expert, which challenges users to make real-life circular management decisions, from the field to the lab.
Behind the platform stands a consortium of 20 partners from nine countries, coordinated by the ITS Nuove Tecnologie della Vita in Bergamo. The network brings together universities, training centres, chambers of commerce, and industrial associations, including OpenCom (Italy), the University of Thessaly (Greece), AINIA and the Valencia Chamber of Commerce (Spain), EUROMASC (Norway), and ECRN – the European Chemical Regions Network (Belgium). Together, they ensure the scientific and pedagogical quality of the learning offer, bridging the worlds of research, business, and education.
The project’s ultimate aim is clear: to make circularity a recognised and transferable professional competence, strengthening the sustainable competitiveness of Europe’s agricultural sector. By 2026, the ACE-EX platform expects to train at least 440 professionals, a tangible contribution to building a greener, more resilient, and resource-efficient agricultural economy.
ACE-EX is much more than an e-learning course; it’s a living example of how digital education can accelerate real-world change. It shows that the green transition begins with knowledge and grows wherever skilled minds and capable hands work together.
