#227 Talent Attraction to Rural Regions and EU Funding

Talent Attraction and EU Funding – A Regional Development Lens w/Maria Haglund and Nikolaj Lubanski Check out the episode website (https://www.thegrant.eu/227) In this episode I’m joined by Maria Haglund and Nikolaj Lubanski to talk about how talent attraction can be supported through EU funding. Maria brings the perspective of a smaller region on the west coast of Finland, where the challenge is not only retaining university students but also attracting the skilled and blue-collar workforce needed by the regional economy. Nikolaj brings more than a decade of experience from Greater Copenhagen, where EU funding has helped build national and cross-border collaboration around international talent attraction, digital campaigns and long-term regional positioning. Together, they open up a very practical conversation about why funding matters in this area — and why it is about much more than just “getting money.” We then move into the how. What kinds of EU instruments actually make sense for talent attraction? How do you build a partnership that is based on trust rather than opportunism? What should a smaller region consider before stepping into its first bigger EU project? And how do you measure impact in a field where results can be diffuse and long-term? We talk about social funds, regional funds, Interreg, project structure, partnership agreements, cross-border cooperation with Umeå, and the importance of having both a strong idea and a realistic path to implementation. It’s a very useful episode for anyone working in regional development, international talent, place branding or skills policy. Time codes: 01:55 Guest introduction and fly in 05:55 The Motivation – Why Look at EU Funding? 21:20 Before You Apply – What Organisations Need to Consider First 44:10 Building Partnerships and Entering the EU Ecosystem 58:00 The Application Process – What Actually Happens? 01:17:14 Reflections and Advice 01:22:07 The toughest challenge