Within the Innovation and Skills 2021-2027 programme, priority area 1 (Innovative Finland, ERDF) aims at:
1.1 Enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies. The principal objective is to increase the RDI intensity and to promote business-oriented innovation activities, with due consideration given to the climate and sustainable development objectives.
1.2 Reaping the benefits of digitalisation for citizens, companies and public governance. The programme aims to make full use of the business opportunities related to digitalisation, the data economy and technological transitions. The uptake and scaling of RDI results promoting digitalisation are key enablers of business growth.
1.3 Enhancing growth and competitiveness of SMEs. The objective is the resource-smart growth of SMEs in domestic and foreign markets and the renewal of their operations by supporting their capabilities for growth and internationalisation, business competence, digitalisation, as well as investment and RDI activities promoting growth, renewal and productivity.
In the REWARD project we will concentrate on priority 1.1. where the objective is to promote R&I capabilities of regions and companies with a particular focus on business and working life, and the introduction of new technologies. Another relevant objective is to utilise digitalisation in skills attraction.

The strategic view for the region was a response to the main constraints of the territory: demographic decline; lack of education and entrepreneurship; need of organisation, resources and knowledge conditions supporting innovation; and lack of infrastructure and services supporting competitiveness and internationalisation. It aims to address the following challenges: competences and qualifications promotion; R&D, innovation, productivity and sustainable employment, or territorial cohesion; improving the regional value chains; attracting initiatives, young residents and investment; new strategies to answer social conditions and qualify general services; promoting circular economy and facing the climate emergency.
Against this background, the “Médio Tejo 2030: integrated territorial strategy 2021-2027” is the region master plan that defines priorities to apply to operational programmes beyond cohesion policy and all other available EU and national funds until 2030. It was produced with the contribution of the municipalities and civic society. Its major aim is to promote a quality renovation of the region, with six major improving objectives in the areas of: competitiveness, innovation and investment; quality of life; sustainable valorisation of the region resources; territorial resilience; connectivity, accessibility and mobility; and governance efficiency.

The Region is very affected by the brain drain phenomenon because the productive system in offering highly qualified workers sufficient employment opportunities. The objective is an innovative and intelligent economic transformation to support digital and ecological transition processes, to be carried out within the framework of the regional S3 and in line with the Transition 4.0 programme. This complex objective can be achieved through targeted initiatives for the attraction of talent, i.e., individuals with high professionalism and aptitude for transnational mobility. This is a systemic action in which the Region of Sardinia is engaged in: 1) devising the financial (and other) support measures necessary to attract and/or retain talent, “Talent Attraction Program”; 2) implementation of communication and promotion activities of the territory as a place of destination through the action of emigrant talent (in the past the Region has financed about 4,000 higher education scholarships through the “Master and Back Program”); 3) promotion of training programmes dedicated to companies in the technology sector to take advantage of opportunities related to Web3, Artificial Intelligence and Block Chain and to accredit the Region as a place of innovation and future job opportunities.

The ambition of the Region is to trigger a discussion towards the fulfilment of the vision of SME development and support in line with the Strategy and other strategical documents (such as Smart Strategy of the Region). Based on the Strategy, region aims to further tackle the challenges of SME development (ex. access to funding, administrative support in setting up and running small business, extending possibilities of dual vocational education fit to the SMEs needs, entrepreneurial skills development trainings, networking opportunities etc.) identified within the research.
Regional support for entrepreneurs should contribute to creation of new opportunities for business and employment in the region, tackling the migration of young talents abroad and motivating talented university graduates to move back to the region. Boosting the SME environment will also help develop quality services and products and attract new wave of tourism in the region, which could subsequently help the promotion of local produce, service providers and entrepreneurs.
In addition, stakeholder’s cooperation will support adapting to new digital and ecologic trends in line with the EU regulatory direction. Cooperation with universities will bring opens possibilities to link the skills and knowledge to actual labour market needs and help developing new training programs. SMEs may further be supported through a business accelerator and incubator boosting to innovation potential in the Region.

The Regional Innovation Strategy for Mazovia until 2030 is a long-term strategic document that provides a framework for thematic orientation of R&I activities in the region. Its overall objective is to foster the growth of knowledge-based jobs and entrepreneurship, improve the region’s research and development capacity, and develop and implement innovation support policies. The strategy is aligned with the concept of smart specialisation, which aims to build competitive advantage through the development of research and innovation potential and its integration with the private sector.
The strategy focuses on four main areas, incl. improving the region’s research and development capacity, developing a strong and innovative SME sector, fostering regional innovation and entrepreneurship, and developing and implementing innovation support policies. It aims to increase the region’s economic potential and competitiveness and create an environment that is attractive for knowledge workers.
It is designed to be a source of information for private sector entities interested in undertaking actions in the public sphere. It is a key tool for building relationships between the research and innovation sphere and economic activity, facilitating the pooling of resources and potential, and incorporating local advantages into global value chains. Its implementation requires the active involvement from all stakeholders to foster entrepreneurial discovery and experiment with new forms of support.

The RIS3 strategy is the main conceptual document of the Pardubice Region in the field of science, research, development, innovation and entrepreneurship. The strategy represents the strategic approach to the region’s economic development in the field of R&I. It represents a process of identifying the opportunities and strengths of a regional development that can benefit from specialisation in a particular area related to knowledge and skills,
For the Pardubice Region, the following so-called progressive sectors are defined within RIS3. This policy instrument relates to the project topics in these strategic goals (SG) and specific objectives (SC) which are related to the topics:

Project topic 1: University-industry collaboration
SG: A.1. Supporting graduates in accordance with the needs of the labour market
SG: A.2. Increasing the quality of school graduates

Project topic 2: Entrepreneurship/ business support
SG: C.1. Increasing the innovative activity of companies in the Pardubice region
SG: C.2. Increasing business activity in the Pardubice region

Project topic 3: Quality of life/ attractiveness
SG: C.3. Improving the environment for the development of companies
SC: C.3.1. Increasing the attractiveness of the region for new investors or new investments of existing companies, especially in fields with high added value

Project topic 4: Adaptation to new forms of work
SG: A.3. Increasing the number of quality adult professionals for the needs of practice

NWR Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) sets out ambitious plans to boost resilience in the NWR, including by growing the population to just over one million people (up from around 850 000, today) by 2040 (NWRA, 2019) recognising the uneven dispersal of the population which has historically had a lower level of urbanisation compared to other regions (80% of population living in rural towns, villages and countryside). Objective 3 focuses on People and Places. Specific goal is strengthening placemaking. Attracting and retaining that population requires investment and policy interventions that create a stimulative environment. Plans in the RSES set out a clear vision for the development of urban-rural linkages, taking advantage of the growth trajectories of the Galway Metropolitan Area, the 3 Regional Growth Centres and 8 Key Towns of the NWR as a key first step in attracting new workers, visitors and firms to regional growth centres and beyond (Government of Ireland, 2021). Their potential to be sustainably developed into the future are explored further, particularly under RSES Growth Ambition 1: Vibrant Region and 2: Natural Region. RSES recognises that ‘Access to skills is a chief site location criterion for businesses and ‘Quality of life’ is a key factor both in retaining current population and attracting more people. It sets out that strategies are needed to be able to attract and retain skilled and talented workers, especially younger workers.