The “Discover the North-East” Tourism Gala 2025, held 9–11 December 2025 in Botoșani, Romania, marked a flagship regional celebration of 10 years of impact in tourism, culture, entrepreneurship, and innovation. Organised by the North-East Regional Development Agency (ADR Nord-Est), the event convened regional and national stakeholders, including policymakers, academia, SMEs, and EU project partners.
European Academy was invited to contribute to the Gala Educației session, delivering a presentation titled “Tourism Innovation Labs: How to Link Digital Tools and Entrepreneurship.” While the programme centred on tourism innovation, the format created space for broader dialogue on skills development, project governance, and sustainability—areas closely linked to the SPM² (Sustainable Project Management through PM²) project.
Throughout the three-day event, European Academy representatives actively promoted SPM² as a structured response to the growing demand for sustainable project management skills aligned with EU policy priorities. Dissemination discussions highlighted:
SPM²’s contribution to curriculum development, capacity building, and certification pathways supporting the green and digital transition,
the PM²-based framework for embedding sustainability into educational programmes and professional training systems,
the project’s value for stakeholders involved in public sector transformation and EU-funded project delivery.
The Gala attracted over 250 participants, including regional development agencies and local governments, universities and VET providers, research institutions, cultural and tourism bodies, SMEs and entrepreneurs, and coordinators of EU-funded initiatives—making it highly relevant for SPM² outreach.
Feedback and stakeholder conversations showed strong interest in practical ways to operationalise sustainability through project management frameworks. Participants expressed demand for:
actionable guidance for integrating sustainability into public and EU-funded projects,
recognised certification schemes linked to green and digital skills,
access to standardised resources such as the SPM² Guide and training tools.
Dissemination and visibility were reinforced through targeted networking discussions during the event, a dedicated news item on the European Academy website referencing SPM², and a post-event LinkedIn update tagging the project and sharing key takeaways with the professional community.
