Interreg MINI EUROPE/sharing practices » Internationalisation

I-CREO NETWORK

Valencia Region — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:40:32 +0000

The I-Creo network is a pioneer initiative set by the Regional Ministry of Industry of the Valencia Region in 2006 to assist the most representative sectors of the region hiring innovation experts in order to seek, propose andmature new business opportunities.

Its main objective is to give support for business associations (clusters) formed by SMEs, aiming to innovation and knowledge exchange. Furthermore, it aims to detect innovation opportunities in the main fields of economic activities of the region through a network of professionals working as a think tank.

The Regional Ministry has invested 5,6 million Euro in this initiative that hasgrown in presence since 2006 from the initial 15 to 23 sectors today.

The I-Creo network has been able to generate 650 innovation opportunities for SMEs of the region, which in their turn have articulated the participation of enterprises in 900 national and international projects after 2.500 direct contacts.

Mainstreaming Ideas to Assist Exchanges

North West England — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:54:14 +0000

Discussions in the 3rd Creative Workshop in Manchester, December 2010, identified a number of thoughts for consideration on how mainstreaming of the Good Practices might be achieved.

Download the ideas for mainstreaming here.

RURCED Romania – Ukraine Regional Center for Economic Development

Maramures — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:04:00 +0000

The level of the economic relations between Romania and Ukraine is low, in spite of a very high potential. And this situation is exists at the national level and also at the local level. These trade exchanges are not only very low, but are mainly controlled by trade transactions with very high value, between “giant” companies. Any oscillation of a transaction from this mechanism may break the balance of the entire system.

The ideal would be that these exchanges be based for of all on the trade relations between the SMEs.

The low level of visibility regarding the real economic situation in the Region, the business environment, the opportunities and the lack of information often made both the Romanian and the Ukrainian investor avoid mutual investments as well as business contacts. Moreover, other elements that act as an impediment in the development are represented by the language barrier, since business English is not so common in the Ukrainian business environment as it is in the Romanian one.

This practice aims to:

• Setting up a network of three pilot centers/bureaus “RURCED” in Baia Mare, Satu Mare and Uzhgorod.
• Preparing an strategy for economic development of the cross-border region Romania (Maramures, Satu Mare) and Ukraine (Zakarpatska and Ivano-Frankivsk) and preparing the economic profile of the region;
•- Organizing six economic missions and the taking part into three exhibition-fairs;
•- implementing communication instruments:

• on-line communication under the form of an interactive “RURCED” web site;
• creating and disseminating a “Romanian-Ukrainian Business Breviary”;
• setting up of a network of business translators, made up of Romanian and Ukrainian translators for commercial English