diff --git a/lib/vsc/install/ci.py b/lib/vsc/install/ci.py
index 3b596c65..375714a0 100644
--- a/lib/vsc/install/ci.py
+++ b/lib/vsc/install/ci.py
@@ -146,8 +146,8 @@ def gen_tox_ini():
     envs = []
 
     # always run tests with Python 3
-    py3_env = 'py36'
-    envs.append(py3_env)
+    py3_envs = ['py36', 'py39']
+    envs.extend(py3_envs)
 
     pip_args, easy_install_args = '', ''
     if vsc_ci_cfg[INSTALL_SCRIPTS_PREFIX_OVERRIDE]:
diff --git a/lib/vsc/install/shared_setup.py b/lib/vsc/install/shared_setup.py
index f0c5605b..018652a8 100644
--- a/lib/vsc/install/shared_setup.py
+++ b/lib/vsc/install/shared_setup.py
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ def _log(self, level, msg, args):
 
 RELOAD_VSC_MODS = False
 
-VERSION = '0.18.11'
+VERSION = '0.19.0'
 
 log.info('This is (based on) vsc.install.shared_setup %s', VERSION)
 log.info('(using setuptools version %s located at %s)', setuptools.__version__, setuptools.__file__)
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ def get_egg_cache_dir_pyver(self):
 
         # the original get_egg_cache_dir creates the .eggs directory if it doesn't exist yet,
         # but we want to have it versioned, so we rename it
-        egg_cache_dir_pyver = f'{egg_cache_dir}.py{sys.version_info[0]}'
+        egg_cache_dir_pyver = f'{egg_cache_dir}.py{sys.version_info[0]}{sys.version_info[1]}'
         try:
             if not os.path.exists(egg_cache_dir_pyver):
                 os.rename(egg_cache_dir, egg_cache_dir_pyver)
diff --git a/test/ci.py b/test/ci.py
index 4a37b196..640cb693 100644
--- a/test/ci.py
+++ b/test/ci.py
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@
 # DO NOT EDIT MANUALLY
 
 [tox]
-envlist = py36
+envlist = py36,py39
 skipsdist = true
 
 [testenv]
@@ -107,6 +107,9 @@
 EXPECTED_TOX_INI_PY36_IGNORE = """
 [testenv:py36]
 ignore_outcome = true
+
+[testenv:py39]
+ignore_outcome = true
 """
 
 EXPECTED_GITHUB_ACTIONS = """# .github/workflows/unittest.yml: configuration file for github actions worflow
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 159ce91a..1fcd1e04 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # DO NOT EDIT MANUALLY
 
 [tox]
-envlist = py36
+envlist = py36,py39
 skipsdist = true
 
 [testenv]