Certain innovation processes cannot be realized without people and their ideas. The project focuses on development of strategies that will safeguard human capital for these processes and establishes transnational cooperation for coping with this challenge, especially in the sector of engineering technology and science.Project partnership decided to look for a holistic European solutions by overcoming predominantly regionally focused methods when developing innovation strategies.The different regional approaches will be therefore improved, good practice examples defined and new opportunities for its further development determined. The project partnership consists of experienced and competent partners from the participating regions representing development agencies, business support and innovation agencies, as well as municipalities and universities from all 8 CE countries. It initiates the formation of co-operative structures between universities, educational institutions and regional decision makers, which constitute stable networks based on structural funding until the end of the project. Achievements: The target of IDEA project is the development of an adequate strategy which will enhance small and medium sized enterprises in the regions of Central Europe to face the increasing demand of innovative and highly qualified workers (High Potentials) with tested methods and instruments.Together the project partners elaborated new approaches how to attract, find, bind and develop High Potentials for their region. With measures and instruments tested in Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy, Austria and Germany the results will be transferable to all regions of CENTRAL EUROPE. Especially in future fields of innovation which will become important for the regions industrial and economic development an increasing demand of High Potentials is expected in the future: manufacturing, energy- and resource management as well as Information and Communication industries. On the other hand the requirements of companies to young applicants and researchers rose during the last years. As technologies become more and more innovative and highly developed adequate knowledge is needed to compete on the market. To sensitize educational institutions for the companies needs and to open up companies for supporting programmes for students can be reached by establishing cooperation between these institutions. The project partners tested different activities of intervention and measures to support networking of actors by supply-demand alignment. The main approach is to support the exchange between business, educators and young high potentials in order to discuss requirements for education and the needs of companies. This was realized by diverse regional activities: The project partners implemented rounds with experts to examine future jobs becoming important for the region. It was focused on areas where trainings or apprenticeships could support the local economy to develop new product or processes - important for training of employees and elderly experts in SMEs. Especially interdisciplinary skills within engineering and science will support the creation of new products and processes in the future. Essential are basic skills like analytic thinking and problem solving but also practical experience. To support the adjustment of industry needs and supply of the labour market work group meetings between edcuation(schools, universities) and industry have been impemented. Furthermore study orientation has to become strongly connected to occupational orientation. Therefore events with children and pupils for occupational orientation have been connected with university cooperation: events like "Early shift" informed kids about how science can explain their environment and lectures at an event for study orientation in Poland, Slovakia and Germany was used to show what it means to be an innovator and to work in an innovative company. All activities will be evaluated to derive first recommendations for the transnational IDEA strategy.