Project acronym: TalentMagnet

Project title: Improved Institutional Capacities and New Multilevel Governance for Talent Attraction and Retention in the Danube Region

Programme: Interreg Danube

Duration: 07/2020­ - 12/2022

Partner countries: Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Ukraine

TalentMagnet addresses major societal (demographic and labour market) challenges caused by the outmigration of highly-educated young people, primarily from small- and medium sized towns in the Danube Region (brain drain). Our project intends to address these challenges by improved multilevel governance, targeted policy instruments and practical tools to attract and retain talent – tailored to the specific needs of small municipalities. These challenges are DTP-specific: according to OECD-UNDESA "World migration in Figures", the biggest increase in emigration rates have been recorded in Danube area. This has grave demographic and labour market implications: these countries experience shortage of highly educated labour force.

Limited institutional capacities and lack of prior experience of public bodies, other relevant stakeholders (especially in smaller towns) in the region hinder effective combating against outmigration of young workforce.

The main objective of TalentMagnet is to strengthen multilevel governance and improve institutional capacities to reduce the outmigration of talented young workforce. The main result of TalentMagnet is an established new multilevel and transnational governance model/tools/plans for talent attraction and retention, by more effective, wider and deeper transnational cooperation across the DTP.

Our partnership is characterized by transnational, intersectoral and multilevel cooperation forming a Quadruple Helix model with partners from academia, business, politics/administration and civil society in a joint learning process. The ERDF/IPA/ENI partners as well as ASP come from 12 countries: TM will help institutional actors and other stakeholders in the DTP to identify obstacles, develop and implement a plan to address them. Our partnership will improve institutional capacities, design 13 strategies, develop a toolkit, deliver 13 pilot actions, develop policy proposals while establishing a new multilevel governance model.

TalentMagnet project is co-funded by the European Union Funds (ERDF, IPA, ENI) and the Bulgarian Government.

Проектът се финансира от ЕС (Европейски фонд за регионално развитие, Инструмент за предприсъединителна помощ, Европейски инструмент за съседство) и национално съфинансиране.

Project facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalentMagnetProject/

Project website link: https://www.interreg-danube.eu/talentmagnet