Framing certification as a key enabler of high-impact project delivery, PM² EU contributed insights on skills, standards, and sustainability during GR digiGOV-innoHUB’s Weekly Governance Forum on Wednesday, the 26th of November, 2025. The session brought together public sector leaders, EU project professionals, and digital transformation stakeholders from across Europe to explore innovation, standards, and capacity-building in public administration. 

Hosted by the European Digital Innovation Hub for Digital Governance – GR digiGOV-innoHUB, and coordinated by GRNET, the weekly event series focuses on modernising the public sector through open-source solutions, advanced digital technologies, and structured skills development frameworks. 

PM² EU contributed to the session by presenting the PM² Certification Scheme, a multi-level framework that supports the recognition, professionalisation, and continuous development of project managers using the PM² methodology. 

Elevating Project Management Standards: The PM² Certification Scheme 

Developed in collaboration with the European Center for Vocational Certification (ECVC), the PM² Certification Scheme provides a competence-based, internationally aligned framework for individuals and institutions adopting the PM² methodology, the official project management framework of the European Commission. 

The certification scheme is fully supported by a remote, secure digital examination platform, and is aligned with ISO 17024 standards to ensure international recognition. 

PM² EU also highlighted how this certification ecosystem is being implemented through two key EU-funded projects focused on sustainability, talent development, and skills mobility. 

Featured Projects Presented by PM² EU: 

SPM² – Sustainable Project Management through PM² 

The SPM² project adapts the PM² methodology to meet the challenges of the green and digital transitions. By embedding sustainability into every phase of the project lifecycle, it enables professionals and institutions to align project delivery with the European Green Deal, SDGs, and evolving market needs. 

Key components include: 

• The development of the SPM² Guide, outlining best practices for sustainable project design and execution. 

• A digital learning hub with resources, tools, and case-based content. 

• A curriculum for HEIs and VETs to teach sustainability-integrated project management. 

• A micro-credential framework linked to the PM² certification ecosystem, enabling learners to earn recognized digital badges that reflect real-world skills. 

SPM² contributes directly to capacity-building and skills standardisation, while extending the reach of PM² to sustainability-conscious sectors. 

SMART Researchers – Building Career Pathways for Early-Stage Researchers 

A Horizon Europe project, SMART Researchers supports the development of flexible, policy-aligned research career ecosystems. It introduces a strategic micro-credentialing framework for early-stage researchers (ESRs), anchored in the PM² project management lifecycle and the ResearchComp competence model. 

Key objectives include: 

• Establishing Career Support Centres (CSCs) to guide researchers in skill acquisition and mobility. 

• Launching a competency-based certification framework to validate transversal and research-specific skills. 

• Creating a Competence Lab as a scalable platform for training, mentoring, and innovation competitions. 

• Aligning institutional HR practices with European research policy standards. 

Through this project, PM² EU demonstrates how certification and structured competence validation can support researcher mobility, career attractiveness, and the development of a resilient, skilled research workforce across the European Research Area. 

Learn more about the PM² Certification Scheme and certification pathways here. 

Explore our EU-funded projects supporting sustainability and skills development here.