diff --git a/.github/workflows/tests_scripts.yml b/.github/workflows/tests_scripts.yml
index df1884dd8c..b1d2426774 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/tests_scripts.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/tests_scripts.yml
@@ -83,6 +83,8 @@ jobs:
           export SINGULARITY_BIND="${PWD}:/software-layer"
           # force using x86_64/generic, to avoid triggering an installation from scratch
           sed -i "s@./EESSI-install-software.sh@\"export EESSI_SOFTWARE_SUBDIR_OVERRIDE='x86_64/generic'; ./EESSI-install-software.sh\"@g" install_software_layer.sh
+          # skip installation of CUDA SDKs, since this is too heavy for CI
+          sed -i "s@./EESSI-install-software.sh@./EESSI-install-software.sh --skip-cuda-install@g" install_software_layer.sh
           ./eessi_container.sh --mode run --verbose /software-layer/install_software_layer.sh
 
     - name: test create_directory_tarballs.sh script
diff --git a/EESSI-install-software.sh b/EESSI-install-software.sh
index a905d966f6..567fed8e79 100755
--- a/EESSI-install-software.sh
+++ b/EESSI-install-software.sh
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ display_help() {
   echo "  -x | --http-proxy URL  -  provides URL for the environment variable http_proxy"
   echo "  -y | --https-proxy URL -  provides URL for the environment variable https_proxy"
   echo "  --shared-fs-path       -  path to directory on shared filesystem that can be used"
+  echo "  --skip-cuda-install    -  disable installing a full CUDA SDK in the host_injections prefix (e.g. in CI)"
 }
 
 function copy_build_log() {
@@ -76,6 +77,10 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
       export shared_fs_path="${2}"
       shift 2
       ;;
+    --skip-cuda-install)
+      export skip_cuda_install=True
+      shift 1
+      ;;
     -*|--*)
       echo "Error: Unknown option: $1" >&2
       exit 1
@@ -195,7 +200,12 @@ ${TOPDIR}/install_scripts.sh --prefix ${EESSI_PREFIX}
 # Install full CUDA SDK in host_injections
 # Hardcode this for now, see if it works
 # TODO: We should make a nice yaml and loop over all CUDA versions in that yaml to figure out what to install
-${EESSI_PREFIX}/scripts/gpu_support/nvidia/install_cuda_host_injections.sh -c 12.1.1 --accept-cuda-eula
+# Allow skipping CUDA SDK install in e.g. CI environments
+if [ -z "${skip_cuda_install}" ] || [ ! "${skip_cuda_install}" ]; then
+    ${EESSI_PREFIX}/scripts/gpu_support/nvidia/install_cuda_host_injections.sh -c 12.1.1 --accept-cuda-eula
+else
+    echo "Skipping installation of CUDA SDK in host_injections, since the --skip-cuda-install flag was passed"
+fi
 
 # Install drivers in host_injections
 # TODO: this is commented out for now, because the script assumes that nvidia-smi is available and works;
diff --git a/install_apptainer_ubuntu.sh b/install_apptainer_ubuntu.sh
index 5eb513db2c..5c4f37ac2d 100755
--- a/install_apptainer_ubuntu.sh
+++ b/install_apptainer_ubuntu.sh
@@ -5,11 +5,7 @@ set -e
 # see https://github.com/apptainer/singularity/issues/5390#issuecomment-899111181
 sudo apt-get install alien
 alien --version
-# stick to Apptainer < 1.3.0 by downloading from EPEL 8.8 archive,
-# since CI workflow for testing scripts hangs/fails when using Apptainer 1.3.0
-# cfr. https://github.com/EESSI/software-layer/pull/514
 epel_subdir="pub/epel/8"
-epel_subdir="pub/archive/epel/8.8"
 apptainer_rpm=$(curl --silent -L https://dl.fedoraproject.org/${epel_subdir}/Everything/x86_64/Packages/a/ | grep 'apptainer-[0-9]' | sed 's/.*\(apptainer[0-9._a-z-]*.rpm\).*/\1/g')
 curl -OL https://dl.fedoraproject.org/${epel_subdir}/Everything/x86_64/Packages/a/${apptainer_rpm}
 sudo alien -d ${apptainer_rpm}