Sigrid Rand was the first Administrative Director of ELEMENTS until she joined the Hessian Ministry of Social Affairs and Integration in July 2022. There, she acts as the Deputy Head of the Managing Authority of the European Social Fund (ESF). Through the ESF, the European Union (EU) provides funding that the national/federal governments of its Member States invest in people, improving their skills and creating new employment opportunities. By doing so, the EU aims at achieving a more social and inclusive Europe.

As the challenges in the field of education and skills development, employment as well as social inclusion differ greatly at national and sub-national level, each EU Member State defines its own priorities. In the Federal State of Hesse, the ESF+ measures for 2021-2027 focus on securing skilled labour and actively including disadvantaged groups in the labour market. To this end, it receives 169 million Euros from ESF+ funds, matched by 254 million Euros from national sources. In particular, Sigrid is responsible for the financial forecasting, monitoring and reporting in ESF+.

Furthermore, she ensures the compliance of the ESF+ programme with the laws, regulations and guidelines of the EU, the Federal Government of Germany and the Federal State of Hesse. In addition, Sigrid accompanies the implementation of the REACT-EU programme, which provides the Federal State of Hesse with additional 54 million Euros in 2022 for addressing the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sigrid wishes ELEMENTS all the success in achieving its scientific goals!