Pillar 1: Pilot Project for 11 regions to harness talent

Technical Assistance to help regions facing a ‘talent development trap’ to train, attract, and retain skilled workers.

Pillar 1: Pilot Project for 11 regions banner

About the initiative

Pillar 1 of the Talent Booster Mechanism focuses on assisting 11 EU regions strongly affected by the decline of their working age population as well as the share of tertiary educated individuals, defined by the Communication on Harnessing talent in Europe's regions as being in a “talent development trap”. The Technical Assistance provided under this pilot project is delivered by the Harnessing Talent Platform (HTP) Secretariat, under the overall coordination of the European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO). An overall allocation of 80 expert-days is provided to support each region.

Harnessing Talent Playbook

The Technical Assistance identified a shared pattern of cross-cutting structural challenges across the 11 regions and offers common pathways for action that can be used by other territories striving to harness talent.

Common challenges

Skills misalignment and the need for a suitably skilled workforce
Innovation capacity that needs to be strengthened
Insufficient insight (data) into specific regional challenges and outdated regional images
Effective coordination & cooperation among relevant regional stakeholders
Balanced quality of life as access to essential services and overall living conditions need to be guaranteed across all regions

Avenues for action for regions in a talent development trap:

Regional attractiveness and quality of life are foundations for the ‘right to stay’
Aligning jobs and skills is vital to shape regions’ economic resilience
Talent governance and monitoring fuels coordinated and impactful policy actions
Gradually building an innovation and competitiveness culture

In this context, Cohesion Policy is key to address talent-related challenges and already offers many possibilities to boost regions’ image and attractiveness. The logic of place-based development – starting from a nuanced understanding of the local context, building integrated strategies around territorial needs and assets, and engaging diverse stakeholders in solution design – is precisely what is required to address the complex, cross-cutting nature of talent development.

Infographic of a Pathways for more effective talent management

Looking ahead, strengthening this place-based and participatory approach while ensuring a sharper thematic focus, better data use, enhanced cross-regional cooperation, and closer alignment of funding with reforms will be key to creating resilient, attractive regions where people choose to stay and thrive.

For more information, please download the report and factsheet below:

November 2025

Report – Pillar 1 of the Talent Booster Mechanism: A practical playbook for harnessing talent

November 2025

Factsheet – A practical playbook for harnessing talent

Regional solutions tested

Phase 1 – The diagnostic phase

In the first half of 2024, the first phase of the technical assistance aimed at developing a deeper understanding of the region’s existing capacity to harness talent. This phase resulted in a dedicated Diagnostic Report, based on a thorough needs and gap assessment. The report reviews (i) the region's main challenges, (ii) the current policy landscape addressing these issues, and (iii) the remaining gaps that must be addressed to more effectively attract and retain talent.

Phase 2 – The implementation phase

Based on the diagnostic phase, which involved input from more than 150 regional authorities, and 200 regional stakeholders across 11 EU regions, the implementation phase was carried out in the second half of 2024. Regions received tailored expert support on the ground to undertake actionable measures, designed to help them harness talent. Dedicated Implementation Reports were published in Q1 2025.

Phase 3 – Outlook and Strategic Roadmaps

In the first half of 2025, forward-looking Strategic Roadmaps for each participating region were designed, focussing on a more effective use of existing Cohesion Policy funds for addressing the consequences of demographic change and brain drain. The Strategic Roadmaps look beyond the support provided during the implementation phase and set out a series of priority areas to help regions harness talent more effectively and guide future efforts – including those supported by Cohesion Policy – in the years ahead.

More details on the tailor-made support for each region as well as the respective regional reports can be found below:

Łódzkie (PL)

Intelligence support service

The Technical Assistance helped investigate the key factors influencing relocation decisions and the sociodemographic profile of young people who leave the region. A survey of university students identified the main reasons for emigration and potential strategies to retain them. Based on this, a new collaboration with research institutions will track graduate movement more accurately in the future. The findings will help develop tailored solutions to retain talent and identify ERDF and ESF+ funding to implement these initiatives.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Peloponnese (EL)

Strategic support for innovation office & hubs

The Technical Assistance helped to strengthen the region's capacity to increase its competitiveness by enabling innovation. Specifically, it helped improve the implementation of ERDF funds on the ground by supporting the regional innovation office and hubs, including through capacity-building activities involving key actors in the local innovation ecosystem.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Dél-Dunántúl (HU)

Roadmap to develop peripheral areas

The diagnostic phase highlighted low attractiveness of peripheral areas in the region, where 53% of the population resides, thus needing strengthened support for further development in order to increase quality of life and make these areas more attractive places to live and work. The Technical Assistance helped develop a roadmap for peripheral areas, which will strengthen stakeholder coordination, inform future policies, and identify relevant ERDF / ESF+ funding opportunities. Its aim is to improve the provision of essential services and quality of life in the targeted peripheral areas.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Kontinentalna Hrvatska (HR)

Skills mapping for an industrial transition

To address skills mismatches in the region, more effective communication and cooperation among participants in the educational ecosystem is essential. The Technical Assistance helped relevant stakeholders to conduct a detailed mapping of local talent and skills and align these with the economic sectors and value chains outlined in the industrial transition plans for Sjeverna and Panonska Hrvatska.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Alentejo (PT)

Alentejo Talent Observatory

A newly established Talent Observatory will collect and visualise data on demographic shifts, current talent resources, and gaps in workforce needs. The aim is to foster coordination between various stakeholder initiatives, with a focus on attracting and managing talent. To support this, experts conducted a targeted analysis of labour supply and demand in the medical sector, in view of the new ERDF funded regional hospital.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Puglia (IT)

Talent intelligence and monitoring tool

The region has developed a comprehensive strategy – #mareAsinistra – to attract and retain talent. The Technical Assistance helped develop an intelligence and monitoring tool to collect data for effective tracking and evaluation of the strategy’s implementation. Additionally, targeted stakeholder engagement and collaboration initiatives were mainstreamed to foster greater ownership of the strategy.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Sachsen Anhalt (DE)

Support for social innovation ecosystem

The Technical Assistance helped the region to develop a sustainable social innovation ecosystem to boost the capacity of this type of economy to attract and retain talent. This included developing a conceptual framework on how a regional coordination centre for social innovation can be implemented within existing regional, national, and ERDF / ESF+ support.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Vest (RO)

Targeted support for R&I talent valorisation activities

The innovative capacity of the region is limited by low firm density especially in small cities and rural areas, weak research-industry collaboration, and inadequate support structures. The Technical Assistance focused on targeted support for R&I talent valorisation. This included capacity-building activities with R&I stakeholders and an emphasis on increased cross-sectoral collaboration within smart specialisation priorities.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Yugoiztochen (BG)

Futureproof economic profile

Through ERDF funding, the region is developing new healthcare facilities. The Technical Assistance focused on initiatives to help increase the supply of medical professionals and staff for the new medical structures by providing support for medical roadshow preparation. Additionally, due to the region's reliance on high-emitting industries, the Technical Assistance helped to develop a future-proof economic profile, linked to the smart specialisation strategy, which will be used to guide future ERDF and ESF+ investments.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Moravia - Silesia (CZ)

Talent Re-Attraction Initiative

The region faces challenges with migration, low birth rates, aging, and skills mismatches. To address these issues, the region seeks to attract young, skilled workers by promoting immigration and enhancing its image as a place to live and work. A talent attraction initiative was developed, strategically aiming at incentivising those who have left the region to return. An initial intelligence gathering exercise was performed, informing the proposal of concrete actions, possibly supported by ERDF and ESF+ investments, to attract back the emigrated workforce.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap

Champagne-Ardenne (FR)

Roadmap for systematic replication of good practices

While several successful local initiatives address the issue of harnessing talent, many remain unknown to key stakeholders across the region. As such, the support was utilised to create a roadmap for systematically replicating best practices, with a focus on talent development projects and on enhancing collaboration at regional level.

Diagnostic Report

Implementation Report

Strategic Roadmap