European projects

The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the main instruments of the European Union’s cohesion policy. It was established in 1975 with the aim of helping to reduce disparities in the levels of development among European regions and to improve living conditions in the least-favored regions. Particular attention is given to regions suffering from severe and permanent natural or demographic disadvantages, such as the northernmost regions with very low population density and island, cross-border, and mountainous regions.

The Just Transition Fund is one of the financial tools of the European Green Deal designed to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The JTF aims to mitigate the socioeconomic consequences of the transition to a zero-carbon economy by financing the diversification and modernization of the local economy and by reducing the negative impact on employment. A budget of 228 million euros has been allocated to the Region and is being implementedimplemented through the 2021–2027 regional ERDF-ESF+ FTJ program to support the economy, along with a budget of 97 million euros managed by the national government for employment-related projects.

UnicornQuest aims to build entrepreneurial ecosystems by promoting, attracting, and retaining to-be-unicorns thriving under EU principles and values, such as respect of human rights, freedom, democracy, and equality. This project arises from the need to reduce the exodus of promising start-ups and unicorns from Europe, especially the regions outside the capitals, which results in losses in terms of job creation, intellectual property and more. As such, the project is focused on learning and experience sharing activities, regional assessments and peer analysis and review of real cases to delineate strategies to improve regional policies which influence SME competitiveness and the retention and attraction of entrepreneurial talent.

The European project "Open Badges for IT" aims to implement an innovative Franco-Walloon cross-border system to recognize and promote digital skills through Open Badges. These digital badges, already adopted by companies such as IBM, certify skills acquired formally or informally and are easily shareable. They provide clear and verifiable evidence of know-how, soft skills, and experience, whether gained through training, professional experience, or personal activities.