In order to strengthen the sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and create jobs, we will use ERDF resources to upgrade and implement supportive enterprise and innovation environment services, including at regional level, for competitive enterprise. This will include providing more efficient support for international business through the use of integrated services to businesses (e.g. SPOT Global, SPOT points, innovative environment operators), and developing and providing services for specific target groups (e.g. young people, women, the elderly, the cultural and creative sector). We will promote internationalisation by strengthening brands, export plans, feasibility studies, participation at international fairs, etc.) and trans-regional cooperation, support young and start-up enterprises in their initial operations, and promote business growth and development (incentives to strengthen the competitiveness and competencies of SMEs and incentives for innovation, including social innovation). Actions will focus on the introduction of innovative approaches across various business segments, driven by trends in the global environment and incorporating, for example, the development of new and improved products and services, including in the field of the silver economy and the use of natural renewable materials, thereby enabling a faster green transition. We will bolster the transition of new enterprise units and start-ups to a faster growth phase by providing support for fast-growing enterprises (scale-up financing, particularly equity). We will promote development partnerships to strengthen cooperation in global value chains, and support pilot and demonstration projects. Using ERDF resources, we will address all key target groups when promoting knowledge and skills for smart specialisation, industrial transition and entrepreneurship, while other types of measure/target group will be addressed through PO4 or ESF+ actions (including measures of a horizontal-cross-sectional or systemic nature). The core sets of measures will aim to strengthen knowledge and skills for smart specialisation and the industrial transition and to support innovation for businesses and other stakeholders in the economy, chiefly by upgrading staff development measures in the S5 priority areas and horizontal topics towards greater openness and flexibility. We will support the design and implementation of flexible study programmes for the upskilling of graduates in S5 areas with a view to closing the gap between graduate skills and employers’ expectations more quickly, and secure longer-term effects by updating regular study programmes. We will also consolidate skills for all systemic smart specialisation providers, both at stakeholder (SRIPs, social partners, etc.) and institutional level (ministries, services, agencies, etc.). We will also develop skills and competencies for social innovation and systemic innovation by creating a hub to tackle social challenges, piloting the transition to a low-carbon circular economy, including the blue economy sectors. A new systemic tool, the Foresight Competence Platform, which, like other measures of a more systemic nature, is relevant to S5 (education system, career centres and lifelong career guidance, scholarship policy, etc.) is being developed within the context of PO4 and is crucial to the implementation of measures to promote the development of knowledge and skills. Taking the identified development gaps into account, we will take action to promote a supportive and business environment for the digital transformation of society, the public sector and businesses: the actions will support the comprehensive and secure digital transformation of SMEs, both by upgrading the support and business environment (strengthening the functioning of existing and new digital transformation mechanisms and institutions) and by deploying targeted instruments for SMEs (e.g. digital vouchers, incentives for digital transformation, e-business) as a response to the low integration of digital technologies into SMEs’ business processes. The actions will also address promotion of the development and use of artificial intelligence and other advanced digital technologies in the economy and society. We will also support investments in a common standardised architecture and digital infrastructure for the deployment of new technologies (Internet of Things, Big Data, artificial