PACT News

The SYNCLUSIVE consortium, made up of PACT – Alentejo Science and Technology Park, kicked off with the first meeting of the project that took place in the city of Leiden (Netherlands), on March 13th and 14th.

This project arises in the context of the especially negative effect that the digital transition, the introduction of new technologies and Artificial Intelligence, the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis have had on the low-skilled workforce. This combination of factors has made the need to address and reduce existing inequalities even more urgent, namely by promoting the inclusion in the labour market of groups of individuals who are more vulnerable and likely to suffer from inequality.

In response to this challenge, 16 partner cities and organisations join forces in the SYNCLUSIVE project, funded through the European Union’s HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions programme, which consists of a systemic approach to close the employment gap and create a more inclusive labour market for vulnerable groups. The project relies on joint efforts in building regional coalitions of different stakeholders that will work together to develop employees and job seekers, improve inclusion, and mitigate discrimination. To this end, SYNCLUSIVE aims to make use of several innovative concepts (ENGINE approach, Peer learning, Coalition Community Action Theory, realistic evaluation approach) to sustainably improve the inclusion of vulnerable groups in four regions (Netherlands, Finland, Portugal and Bulgaria) and their created Living Labs, as well as to present indicators, standards and policies to increase the inclusion of vulnerable groups across the EU.

In the four Living Labs, the various partner entities will develop and consolidate a network of stakeholders to test the systems-based approach, identify drivers, barriers and pilot interventions for the career progression of workers and the entry of vulnerable groups into the labor market. Opportunities for wage increases will also be reflected by social partners, relevant stakeholders, and experts in three other EU countries – Italy, Estonia and Ireland. The project will also identify pathways for transition from the regional to the (inter)national level of the EU.

At the first meeting of the consortium, the various partners were welcomed by the coordinating entity, Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek TNO, and it was proven that the project can rely on a multidisciplinary set of excellence of cities and organisations to bring together knowledge and extensive experience in a surprising variety of areas (municipalities, universities and research centres, NGOs, networks, innovation facilitators) that will be essential to demonstrate the results of SYNCLUSIVE in society.