8 th International Scientifc Conference – ERAZ 2022 – Conference Proceedings DOI: https://doi.org/10.31410/ERAZ.2022.211 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4800-1021 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3471-850X Human Resources Development in the Solution of Regional Disparities in Slovakia Vojtech Kollár 1 Silvia Matúšová 2 Keywords: Human resources; Trends; Education and training; Regional disparities; Research and development Abstract: Diferent historical, geographical, socio-economic and so- cial conditions have led to the situation that the regions in Slovakia are equipped with diferent start-up capital, diferent quality of human poten- tial and various infrastructures and therefore they develop accordingly. Re- gional disparities are understood as diferences in the degree of socio-eco- nomic development of regions, which is uneven. The problem of regional disparities cannot be seen only as economic diferences between regions, as there are also signifcant intraregional diferences within a region. In the regional context, education and training of youth and adults are directly linked to employment, social security, economic and social development. Insufcient education and training of individuals reduce their employment opportunities, limit their responsible approach to work and life, worsens living conditions, increases social risks, and may deteriorate their health. The level of educational attainment is also related to the level of innova- tion performance and the competitiveness of regions. A special area is rep- resented by the preparation of capacities for the sector of research and de- velopment. The regional diferences could be seen in the location of uni- versities preparing graduates for research and development as well as the placement of research and development institutions. The main aim of the paper will be to point out how human resources could be deployed in the solution of regional disparities in Slovakia. Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non- Commercial 4.0 License (https://creative- commons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduc- tion and distribution of the work without further permission. 1. INTRODUCTION S ince 2001, less developed regions in Eastern Europe have been catching up with the EU. How- ever, many middle-income regions and less developed regions, especially in the south and south-west of the EU, are also sufering from economic stagnation or decline. Convergence be- tween the Member States has accelerated, but internal regional disparities within fast-growing Member States have widened. Employment is growing, but regional disparities remain larger. The number of people at risk of poverty and social exclusion fell by 17 million between 2012 and 2019. Regional disparities as regards the innovation indicators have increased due to insufcient invest - ment in research and development and weaknesses in the innovation ecosystems of the least de- veloped regions. The EU population is aging and the decline of the population is expected in the coming years. In 2020, as many as 34% of Europeans lived in a region with a declining population. It is assumed that in 2040 this share will reach up to 51%. Cohesion policy has a major impact on many regions and inhabitants in the EU. It helps to invest in more sustainable and balanced growth that has long- term benefts and impact. It supports physical and digital infrastructure, education and training, small and medium-sized enterprises and green deal transformation. More recently, cohesion poli- cy has helped EU regions cope with the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic and its aftermath. 1 Bratislava University of Economics and Management, Furdekova ul. 16, 851 04 Bratislava, Slovak Republic 2 Bratislava University of Economics and Management, Furdekova ul. 16, 851 04 Bratislava, Slovak Republic Received: July 12, 2022 Accepted: August 30, 2022 Published: December 30, 2022