The SYNCLUSIVE Final European Conference, will be held on 21 January 2027, taking place in Brussels and online, under the theme Enhancing Inclusive Labour Markets Through Regional Collaboration. From Living Labs to Wider Implementation.

While the event is fully hybrid, we encourage participants to join in person to fully benefit from the interactive programme, in-depth discussions, and networking opportunities across regions.

The event will share experiences and lessons learned from SYNCLUSIVE Living Labs in Bulgaria, Finland, the Netherlands, and Portugal, where local partners have tested new approaches to:

• Strengthen regional coalitions implementing initiatives for vulnerable groups
• Improve labour market inflow and mobility for jobseekers
• Develop skills and lifelong learning opportunities to support labour market participation
• Support work transitions and more sustainable careers

Stakeholders in Ireland, Estonia, and Italy have also explored how these Living Labs and regional coalitions co-create, implement, and evaluate interventions aimed at including vulnerable groups in regional labour markets.

Participants will hear practical examples, join discussions, exchange ideas, and learn how successful regional initiatives can be developed into sustainable policies and practices across Europe.

The conference is open to policymakers, employers, researchers, civil society organisations, and everyone interested in building more inclusive labour markets.

More details on the programme and contributions will be shared soon.

SYNCLUSIVE: System approach to close the employment gap and create a more inclusive labour market for vulnerable groups is a research and innovation project testing and studying an innovative, integral, and interdisciplinary systems’ approach to stimulate inclusion of vulnerable groups in the labour market. The project is carried out by sixteen research, academic and stakeholder organizations and SMEs across Europe. It will use Living Labs as a central research approach. The project is funded from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101094526.

The research team includes BRU-Iscte researchers Maria José Sousa (the project’s Local Coordinator), João Leão, Patrícia Costa, and Pedro Fontes Falcão.