"Study on the implementation of the EU2020 Flagship initiatives “Agenda for new skills and jobs” and “Integrated Industrial Policy for the Globalization Era”

The aim of the Europe 2020 strategy, launched by the EU in 2010, is to achieve "smart, sustainable and inclusive growth" in which national and European policies are better coordinated. Industrial and innovation policy is one of the main pillars of this programme. The Horizon 2020 framework programme for the period 2014 to 2010 is one of the instruments for implementing the Europe 2020 strategy. This project provides two case studies related to the flagship initiatives. The first case study investigates policies for declining industries and regions. The second case study analyses the EU R&D budget in the area of societal challenges. The "Agenda for New Skills and Jobs" initiative is one of the seven initiatives of the Europe 2020 strategy. It emphasises the modernisation of labour markets by enabling workers to develop and improve skills throughout their working lives. The main objective of this flagship initiative is to increase labour force participation and better match supply and demand. As male labour force participation is relatively high, this initiative is mainly aimed at women. Consequently, Case Study 3 analyses the drivers of female participation in Europe. Awareness of the importance of higher education for the development of a knowledge-based economy is also growing in EU countries. Case study 4 investigates the links between higher education and industry.