More than 500 programmes of the 2021-2027 programming period are now being implemented by Member States and regions in the EU. The context of implementation of these EU-funded programmes has become increasingly complex and dynamic for all types of EU funding (e.g. the European Social Fund +, the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund). This is more broadly referred to as a VUCA context, which refers to:

• volatility: the speed and magnitude of change that is not in a predictable pattern
• uncertainty: the difficulty in using past issues and events as predictors of future outcomes
• complexity: numerous and difficult-to-understand causes and mitigating factors are involved in a problem
• ambiguity: lack of clarity about the meaning of an event

The course will provide a clear understanding of the new complex context of implementation of EU funds programmes, will offer a general tool kit for applying VUCA in EU-funded programmes and will present recommendations for needed organisational changes in Managing Authorities.

This face-to-face course in Rome, over two days, will cover the following:

• We discover what VUCA really means in practice and how is it linked to the need for social innovation
• We will review a range of options to ensure agility at programme level as well as at project level
• The course will also highlight potential issues when using financing for results in a VUCA context
• The role of monitoring and evaluation when striving for agility will be explained

dirie.sna@governo.it