TalentMagnet - INTERREG Danube

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).

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

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