A Week of Impact – Showcasing data-driven tools across three EU Week of the Regions events

2025 October 17

At this year’s EU Week of Regions and Cities, a small delegation from the PREMIUM_EU project took part in three events highlighting how data and digital tools can empower policymakers to respond to demographic decline and skills shortages. Regional development researcher and Dashboard developer Becky Arnold, Project manager Leo Van Wissen and Communications manager and Dashboard coordinator Anne Katrine Ebbesen had 2½ intense days both attending and participating in the programme in Brussels, along with our Resilient Regions Expert Group member and panelist, Pawel Chmielinski from European Rural Development Network.



On the first official programme day October 14th, we joined our sister projects MOBI-TWIN, RE-PLACE, and SkillsPULSE in the session “From Insight to Impact: Leveraging data-driven approaches for smarter regional policy.” The event explored how innovative methodologies, including the Regional Attractiveness Index, Local Human Development Index, Regional Policy Dashboard, and skills intelligence tools, can help policymakers respond to brain drain, mobility, and skills shortages.

Discussions underscored that Europe’s regional challenges vary widely but share a need for better coordination between data and decision-making. Participants emphasised that “measuring before acting” is crucial to tailor policy effectively, and that skills, mobility, and demographic change must be addressed together.

Data meets dialogue: PREMIUM_EU at the Knowledge Apéro

That same evening, PREMIUM_EU researcher Becky Arnold spoke at Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini’s “Knowledge Apéro”, an after-work networking event titled “Tackling Skills Shortages: Turning Data into Action.” Bringing together experts and guests over an informal discussion and wine, the event examined how data-driven research can inform Europe’s skills strategies in light of Mario Draghi’s report on competitiveness.



Becky presented insights from PREMIUM_EU’s Regional Policy Dashboard, highlighting how migration data can reveal untapped potential for both sending and receiving regions , helping policymakers understand mobility not as a loss, but as a resource for development.

Digital lifelines for left-behind regions

After 6 months of planning and coordinating with our new sister project SmartEra, our co-organised session “Digital Lifelines for Left-Behind Regions: Reviving rural potential through smart tools” kicked off on October 15^th, both in Brussels and online. The dual-format event examined how digitalisation can be harnessed to strengthen community resilience and regional innovation in the face of population decline.

The session invited policymakers, regional practitioners, and researchers to test and discuss digital dashboards designed to support data-driven rural policy, funding discovery, and cross-regional collaboration.

Two events, one shared goal

In Brussels, 70 participants gathered at the Square conference centre for a dynamic mix of discussions and workshops. Meanwhile, a parallel online event opened the same morning, offering a longer, hands-on version for those unable to attend in person.

Both formats addressed the same challenge: how to translate migration and mobility data into practical strategies for rural revitalisation. While the Brussels session featured a high-level panel, the online event placed a stronger emphasis on collaborative exercises using the digital tools developed by the two projects.

In Brussels: From decline diagnosis to digital action

Moderated by Clive Peckham (Nièvre Numérique), the Brussels session opened with a sharp diagnosis of the “slow and uneven crisis” of regional decline and a reminder that rural areas also offer models of innovation, cooperation, and quality of life.



The panel “From Decline Diagnosis to Digital Action” brought together Emilija Stojmenova Duh (University of Ljubljana, SmartEra), Becky Arnold (NIDI, PREMIUM_EU), and Pawel Chmielinski (European Rural Development Network). Together, they discussed the importance of digital equity, the value of harmonised mobility data, and the need for policies that turn demographic insight into local opportunity.

Following the panel, participants moved into small-group workshops to test two tools: the PREMIUM_EU Policy Dashboard, showing migration and development trends across Europe, and the SmartEra Funding Toolkit, matching local projects with relevant EU funding opportunities.


Using realistic “decline scenarios” such as “The Silent Majority” or “Fading Farming Sector,” each group explored how evidence-based tools can help build strategies for inclusion, innovation, and sustainable growth.

Online: A deep dive into digital dashboards

The online version, moderated by Peter Meister-Broekema (Hanze University of Applied Sciences), followed a slightly different structure. Replacing the panel with extended interactive sessions.
Kamila Dzhavatova (Nordregio) demonstrated the PREMIUM_EU Dashboard, guiding participants through its regional profiles, comparative indicators, and migration projections. Using Mentimeter polls and open discussion, participants shared impressions and ideas for how policymakers could use the dashboard locally.



Jure Trilar (University of Ljubljana) then introduced the SmartEra Funding Toolkit, which links rural digital projects to available EU programmes. Participants tested its funding-matching function and discussed how digital innovation can be made more accessible for small municipalities and remote regions.

Shared conclusions and next steps

Across both sessions and the partner event the day before one message resonated: data only creates impact when it drives action. Europe’s rural and remote regions are not passive victims of decline; they are adapting and innovating. But to do so effectively, they need reliable data, digital infrastructure, and stronger cooperation between research and policy.

The atmosphere both in Brussels and online, was full of optimism despite the very heavy decline theme. At Week of the Region we were able to connect and establish budding partnerships with many like-minded policymakers and researchers who we otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet. It brought the expanded sister-project network together in person and strengthened the bonds we've already spent 1½ years building online.



Both PREMIUM_EU and SmartEra are now inviting interested regions to stay involved through their networks the Resilient Regions Expert Group and the Digital Innovation Hub as they continue testing and refining the tools ahead of their 2026 launch.