As part of the Competitiveness Programme / 2021-2027 NSRF, interventions to develop skills related to smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship will be financed in accordance with European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Specific Objective 1.4. Following on from the Online Event held on 22.7.2025, the General Secretariat for Research and Innovation (GSRI) invites participation in the Open Consultation being conducted to identify and highlight Innovation Skills through the Business Discovery Process in the eight sectors of the National Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021–2027.

NEW DATE: The Open Consultation is extended to 15 September 2025.

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The open consultation relates to:

– A more comprehensive mapping of skills-development needs in the fields of Smart Specialisation, Industrial Transition, and Entrepreneurship, with emphasis on business needs.

– Identifying target groups, selecting suitable forms of actions and technical specialisation of calls in the context of Specific Objective 1.4 (ERDF) and the Competitiveness Programme (NSRF 2021-2027).

In order to support the consultation, the GSRI has already prepared eight (8) Skills Baseline documents, aligned with the eight sectors of the National Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021–2027. These documents form the core reference framework for the consultation.

At the same time, a special questionnaire has also been developed to record the views of organisations and businesses. It can be found at the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/0affa878-376c-3723-eea1-eb812fdebfc4

See the Baseline documents and more information on the GSRI’s website