DEVELOP · Project

AI-Powered Career Development and Talent Matching for Medium and Large Companies

digitalTestedTRL 5

Imagine if your company could map out who talks to whom, spot hidden leadership talent, and suggest realistic career paths — all automatically. That's what DEVELOP built: an AI system that looks at how employees interact (emails, internal social networks) and combines that with game-based skill tests to figure out people's real strengths. It then recommends personalized learning opportunities and shows employees where their career could realistically go. Think of it as a GPS for careers inside your organization.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries involved (DE, IE, LU, NL, UK)

67%

industry partner ratio in consortium

total project deliverables

demo deliverable versions (self-reporting tools)

end-user sectors tested (ICT and Financial Services)

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies lose their best people because employees don't see realistic career paths and HR can't identify hidden talent. Internal mobility suffers when skill-matching relies on outdated CVs and manager opinions rather than actual workplace behavior and competencies. The result is higher attrition, disengaged employees, and expensive external hiring for roles that could be filled internally.

The solution

What was built

The project built an adaptive learning environment with AI-driven career path planning, game-based competency assessment tools, and social network analysis for mapping workplace relationships. Concrete deliverables include 2 versions of self-reporting tools (with the second version improved based on user testing), plus interfaces for both employees and HR managers.

Audience

Who needs this

Large banks and insurance companies with high employee turnoverIT consulting firms struggling to retain and reskill technical talentHR software vendors looking to add AI-powered career analyticsCorporate learning and development departments in companies with 500+ employeesTalent management platform providers seeking differentiation through social network intelligence

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Financial Services

enterprise

Target: Mid-to-large banks and insurance companies with high employee turnover

If you are a financial services firm dealing with high attrition and difficulty matching employees to the right internal roles — this project developed an AI-powered career development platform that assesses transversal competencies like leadership and collaboration through game-based tools and social network analysis. It was specifically evaluated with end-users in Financial Services and can help reduce attrition by supporting internal mobility across your 9-partner tested environment.

IT and Technology

mid-size

Target: Software companies and IT consultancies struggling to retain skilled developers

If you are an ICT company losing talent because employees don't see clear growth paths — this project developed personalized career path visualizations combined with AI planning that recommends specific learning opportunities. The system was tested with ICT end-users and uses 2 versions of self-reporting tools plus social network evidence from enterprise platforms and email to map real workplace dynamics.

Human Resources Technology

any

Target: HR software vendors looking to add AI-driven talent analytics to their platforms

If you are an HR tech vendor wanting to offer smarter talent management features — this project built tools and methods specifically designed for learning technology vendors, using a 9-partner consortium with 67% industry participation. The deliverables include game-based competency assessment and social capital analysis that can be integrated into existing HR platforms to support both employee career awareness and organizational talent management.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would this cost to implement in our organization?

The project data does not include pricing or implementation cost details. The system was developed as a research output with 6 deliverables across a multi-partner consortium. Licensing or deployment costs would need to be discussed directly with the coordinator or the 6 industry partners involved.

Can this scale to a company with thousands of employees?

DEVELOP was specifically designed for medium and large companies, with interfaces built for both employees and HR departments. The system processes diverse data sources including enterprise social networks, email, and self-reporting tools, suggesting it was architected to handle organizational-scale data volumes.

Who owns the IP and can we license this technology?

The consortium includes 9 partners across 5 countries (DE, IE, LU, NL, UK), with 6 industry partners and 2 SMEs. IP ownership would be governed by the consortium agreement. Based on available project data, commercial licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinating institution (Trinity College Dublin) and relevant industry partners.

Has this been tested in real workplace environments?

The project was evaluated with end-users across ICT and Financial Services sectors. Demo deliverables include 2 versions of self-reporting tools, with version 2 incorporating updates based on testing and user evaluations. This indicates real-world testing occurred within the project's timeline (2016-2019).

How does this integrate with our existing HR systems?

DEVELOP was built to consider diverse data sources including enterprise social networks, email, and self-reporting tools. The project explicitly aimed to deliver tools and methods for learning technology vendors, suggesting integration-ready design. Specific API or platform compatibility details would need to be confirmed with the consortium.

What about employee data privacy?

The project explicitly addressed end-user trust by providing clear informed consent and transparent data privacy as a core design principle. Given it processes sensitive workplace communication data (email, social networks), privacy-by-design was built into the architecture from the start.

Consortium

Who built it

The DEVELOP consortium brings strong commercial credibility with 6 out of 9 partners (67%) coming from industry, including 2 SMEs. Coordinated by Trinity College Dublin, the project spans 5 countries (Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, UK) — a geographic spread that covers key European HR tech markets. The 2:1 industry-to-academic ratio suggests the research was heavily shaped by real business needs rather than purely academic interests, which is a good sign for technology readiness. For a business buyer, this means the tools were built with commercial input from day one, though the academic coordination means you are dealing with a university as the primary contact point.

THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD, OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLINCoordinator · IE
IBM IRELAND LIMITEDparticipant · IE
UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF ENGLAND, BRISTOLparticipant · UK
IMC INFORMATION MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATION AGparticipant · DE
TRILATERAL RESEARCH LTDparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOLparticipant · UK
NETCOMPANY S.A.participant · LU

How to reach the team

Trinity College Dublin (Ireland) — reach out to the Computer Science or learning technology department for licensing discussions

Order a report on this consortium See THE PROVOST, FELLOWS, FOUNDATION SCHOLARS & THE OTHER MEMBERS OF BOARD, OF THE COLLEGE OF THE HOLY & UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF QUEEN ELIZABETH NEAR DUBLIN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the DEVELOP team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner for your specific HR tech need.

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