PPMI - Part of the Verian Group

PPMI | Part of the Verian Group has completed a major study for the ETF - European Training Foundation on how education, skills, and employment fit into the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), country-specific climate action plans revised every 5 years, of 25 partner countries across the EU Neighbourhood and Central Asia. 🤝

As countries prepare to update their NDCS under the Paris Agreement, integrating human capital dimensions like employment, education and skills into climate planning is no longer optional, it is essential for a fair and effective green transition.

Our team of experts delivered:
🌍 An assessment of the extent to which just transition principles, particularly human capital dimensions such as employment, education, and skills, are integrated into the NDCs of 25 countries across the EU Neighbourhood and Central Asia.
📊 A 10-criteria scoring framework across five levels, from below baseline to best, assessing the integration of employment, education and skills, and social dialogue dimensions into NDCs.
🇲🇩🇷🇸 Deep-dive country case studies in Moldova and Serbia
📉 The study showed that across the 25 partner countries, education, skills and employment tend to be integrated into most climate plans, but tend to be sometimes disconnected, and not yet integrated as a core part of how countries plan and finance their green transition.

Curious to see the findings?
Check out the study with country-specific findings and policy pointers here: https://www.etf.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2026-01/2025.12979_01_ENN.pdf. A second report with specific findings focused on Serbia & Moldova report is also planned for publication soon!

When climate ambition is matched with human capital investment, the green transition becomes truly fair. This is what our partnership with ETF continues to deliver. 🟢

We appreciate the excellent collaboration between our experts Frederick Elliott Gaved, Jan Van Den Akker, and our country experts Danijela Bozanic and Olga Morozan, as well as our internal team at the company, namely Giuseppe Riforgiato, Sonata Brokevičiūtė and Josefine Reimer Lynggaard.

📢 The CARE Survey 2024 is now available

Unpaid care keeps Europe running.
But who carries it - and at what cost?

European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has published the CARE Survey 2024 - Sharing care, closing gender gaps - an important new source of EU-wide evidence on care, gender equality and the impact of unpaid care responsibilities on employment and well-being.

Across the EU, gender inequalities in unpaid care remain among the most persistent - and least visible - forms of inequality. They shape careers, earnings, pensions and overall quality of life, yet comparable data in this area has long been scarce.

Drawing on insights from 65,000+ respondents across all 27 EU Member States, the survey provides robust, comparable data on:
▪️ how care and housework are shared
▪️ the use of formal and informal care services
▪️ leisure time and social activities
▪️ how unpaid care responsibilities affect daily life, employment and well-being

We are proud that PPMI | Part of the Verian Group was contracted by EIGE to develop the survey methodology and implement this large-scale data collection across the EU, contributing to a stronger evidence base for gender equality and care policy.

📥 Explore the findings: https://eige.europa.eu/newsroom/care-and-gender

If you are passionate about sustainability and digital transformation in higher education, this upcoming free webinar is for you! Discover how the Twin Transition creates synergies between green and digital innovation to build resilient, future-ready institutions.

🗓️ March 5th at 15:30 - 17:00 CET
✅ Register here: https://bit.ly/4kFnqc4

What you will learn:
🔘 Key requirements for successful twin transitions.
🔘 Strategic frameworks for higher education.

Expert speakers:
🔘 Stefan Muench, European Commission's Joint Research Centre.
🔘 Christina Kakderi, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH).

We have prepared this background note featuring key literature and policy insights to help you get the most out of this session: https://bit.ly/4bKoNnk

This webinar is organised by the Community or Educational Innovation (CEI), a European Commission initiative that fosters dialogue and collaboration among educators, researchers, and policymakers driving innovation in European education.

Join the CEI community here: https://bit.ly/4aspHCK

Attend live to receive your Certificate of Attendance.

PPMI (part of the Verian Group) has successfully completed the assessment of stakeholder contributions for the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy, in close cooperation with the European Commission’s DG RTD and DG ENV.

Our work brought together inputs from industry, academia, civil society, public authorities and citizens across the EU. This included analysing consultation feedback and designing and moderating four targeted stakeholder workshops on key themes such as circularity, sustainable biomass use, and market uptake of bio-based innovation.

The results were consolidated into a factual summary and a comprehensive synopsis report, contributing to a Staff Working Document supporting the development of the new EU Bioeconomy Strategy.

Want to strengthen innovation and entrepreneurship in your higher education institution? Join us on February 25, 3-4 PM CET, for an introductory webinar on , an initiative of the European Commission and the OECD that provides a practical framework for higher education institutions to become more entrepreneurial and innovative - from self-reflection through action to impact.

During the session, you will:
🔘 understand what HEInnovate is and how it works
🔘 learn how it can help your institution (diagnose strengths/gaps, align stakeholders, prioritise actions)
🔘 walk through the step-by-step change process: self-reflection ➡️ engagement ➡️ action planning ➡️ implementation
🔘 hear from Ana-Cristina Nicolescu (Vice-Dean for Quality Assurance, Institutional Accreditations, Certifications, and Rankings, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, West University of Timișoara) on practical use cases
🔘 get your questions answered by experts.

Sign up here: https://bit.ly/49O02nG

PPMI (part of the Verian Group) has successfully completed a two-year project for DG EAC of the European Commission, led by ICF, supporting more than 500 sport stakeholders from across the EU and beyond.

Within the SHARE 2.0 initiative, our colleagues coordinated the Community of Practice on innovation, fostering cooperation, knowledge exchange, and capacity building on key innovation challenges in the European sport sector. This was achieved through capacity-building activities, idea papers, and an AI masterclass for grassroots sports.

With a new phase of SHARE 2.0 launched in December 2025, we will continue to coordinate the Community of Practice on innovation, focusing on emerging priorities such as AI implementation, skills and competitiveness, and digital sport platforms over the next two years.

Egypt aims to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and become a global leader in green hydrogen. Achieving this ambition requires a workforce with the right skills, and a system that keeps pace with the sector's rapid evolution.

Our team (Sonata, Josefine, Rimas) together with its external experts Epke Vogel and Ghada Amin, supported the European Training Foundation (ETF) in delivering a capacity-building programme for Egypt's emerging Renewable Energy Sector Skills Council (SSC), working with industry representatives, TVET authorities, and government ministries.

The programme unfolded across three stages:
➡️ a launching workshop in Cairo introducing SSC concepts and the Egyptian TVET landscape
➡️ a peer learning visit to the Netherlands, exploring how public-private partnerships drive skills alignment
➡️ a final workshop in Cairo translating lessons into priorities for labour market intelligence, occupational standards, and training provision mapping

The result: a foundation for formalising the SSC, a cohort of motivated "skills ambassadors" from the private sector, and a comprehensive handover package to ensure continuity.

Resources and materials from the programme are available in the ETF repository: 📁 https://bit.ly/3YQgvm4

Skills governance for the green transition, one sector at a time.

PPMI (part of the Verian Group) and its external experts has recently supported Egypt's Ministry of Education and Technical Education in updating its Technical Education 2.0 strategy and building implementation plans that work.

As Egypt works to transform its technical education system and better align skills supply with labour market demand, translating strategic vision into measurable action is essential.

Our team developed:
📐 a methodology for implementation planning
📊 indicators, deliverables, and accountability structures across all pillars
✂️ a streamlined framework.

In Cairo, we delivered capacity-building workshops to build local ownership and engaged with international development partners, including GIZ, AICS, and KfW, to align support around a common implementation framework.

When strategy meets implementation, real reform becomes possible. This is what our work with ETF continues to deliver. We appreciate the collaboration between our experts Enzo Sciolla, Ahmed El-Ashmawi, and our internal team (Sonata & Omar).

How are countries around the Mediterranean tackling youth unemployment, gender gaps in the labour market, and the transition to formal employment? What progress is being made on lifelong learning and skills development?

PPMI (part of the Verian Group) has supported the European Training Foundation (ETF) in delivering the second cross-country monitoring report on the implementation of the 5th UfM Ministerial Declaration on Employment and Labour.

Working alongside ETF, the UfM Secretariat and the European Commission (DG EMPL), we helped analyse data from 13 member states from Portugal to Türkiye, Morocco to Montenegro, combining self-reported policy evidence with international statistics and the ETF Torino Process database.

Our team (Sonata, Neringa, Josefine, Rimas) contributed to the development of:
✅ Reporting frameworks and stakeholder coaching
✅ Interactive data visualisation dashboard (PowerBI)
✅ Cross-country analysis across three pillars.

📈 Encouraging trends: Social economy frameworks expanding, youth NEET rates declining, vocational education systems becoming more responsive to labour market needs.

⚠️ Persistent challenges: Informal employment, regional disparities, and skills mismatches continue to demand attention.

The findings were presented at the UfM High-Level Conference on Employment and Labour in Malta, shaping regional dialogue and the Roadmap for Action 2025–2028. Curious about these findings? Find out more: https://bit.ly/3YPt9lf

Evidence that travels from national focal points to ministerial meetings, this is how regional policy learning works in practice.

A small organic farm in Europe wants to switch from chemical pesticides to biological alternatives. The science is there. The products work. Now, the regulatory evidence base is catching up to support that transition. 🌱

We've just completed two connected projects for DG SANTE (contracted via HaDEA) and the OECD that build the foundation for smoother regulatory pathways.

✅ For DG SANTE, we reviewed the biology and ecology of 36 micro-organisms used in plant protection. Each review gives regulators and applicants the evidence base they need to approve low-risk alternatives to chemical pesticides.

✅ For the OECD, we prepared a consensus document on Bacillus amyloliquefaciens to harmonise regulatory decisions across countries.

The methodology combines AI-supported systematic review with EFSA guidance, creating a template that can scale across species and a method that can be applied in other public health areas.

Clearer regulatory pathways that reflect the distinct risk profiles of biological alternatives, making it easier for farmers to access sustainable options and for innovators to bring new solutions to market. Each review we complete adds another building block to a more responsive regulatory framework.

Our team included experts Eligio Malusa, Martynas Delkus, Algirdas Ivanauskas, Iglė Vepštaitė-Monstavičė, Juliana Lukša, Marija Žižytė-Eidetienė, and colleagues Sonata, Neringa, Kristupas and Rimas.

Regulatory science is what makes sustainable agriculture possible at scale. We're helping build that bridge between innovation and implementation.

This year, PPMI (part of the Verian Group), in collaboration with project lead Proman SA and a team of independent experts, has delivered the Evaluation of EU Support to Civil Society in the Eastern Partnership (2019–2024) for DG ENEST.

With democracy under sustained pressure across the region with shrinking civic space, political instability, the ongoing effects of war, the EU needed consolidated evidence to guide its response. This evaluation delivers exactly that.

Conversations were held with nearly 300 activists, journalists, and community organisers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine to develop the first comprehensive assessment of the Civil Society Facility across the region.

Working with Proman SA and our team of leading international evaluators, Stephen Webber, Evelien Weller, and Lyubov Palyvoda, alongside our inhouse specialists Sonata, Anastasia, Stella, and Ania, as well as local experts, we applied methodological approaches tailored for sensitive contexts. Sometimes the most important evidence comes from conversations that can't be recorded.

Delivering rigorous evidence in complex environments is what we do, but doing so at such a critical moment for the region made this assignment especially meaningful.