Central Baltic ICT - Export Meta Cluster

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Date of latest update: 2023-11-11

Description

Description (EN):

Small and medium sized enterprises (SME) have always difficulties to start selling its products. SMEs have little or no recognised brand name, limited resources for promotion and difficulties attracting capital. Those are the major factors restricting sales start as well as further expansion, specifically applying to the ICT sector where the global market competition is fierce. SMEs within the Central Baltic countries are in an even more challenging situation due to a very small size of domestic markets making it necessary to go into new markets. The Central Baltic ICT Export MetaCluster (CBI EMC) addresses these export efforts in a focused, innovative and very cost efficient way. The project partners complement each others experiences, competences and contacts. Through joining resources on a country level it will be possible to: (1) elevate branding, (2) join and jointly use available resources for market studies and promotion, (3) establish constellations eligible for further expansion at new markets. The ICT Meta Cluster targets the Specific Objective 1.3 “More exports by the Central Baltic companies to new markets” in Programme Priority “Competitive Economy” by exploring new markets outside the EU with the overall objective of achieving at least nine new sales of ICT products or services in within the duration of the project. The ultimate goal of the project is to help the cluster SMEs to establish, expand and settle their ICT products at the new markets, which can give the cluster SME resources for further development over the globe. The Central Baltic ICT Meta Cluster unifies in total 400 innovative ICT-oriented companies in Estonia, Latvia and Sweden. The cluster exploit a new organisational approach when business and technological units are supported by a common toolbox for achieving sales on new markets. The project aims at reducing the urban-rural disparities through supporting the long-term evolution of the spatially-diverse partner SMEs.

Achievements (EN):

Central Baltic ICT - Export Meta Cluster: SMEs within the Central Baltic countries are in a challenging situation due to a very small size of fiercely competed domestic markets making it necessary to penetrate into new markets. The project has jointly developed a toolbox to support ICT sector SMEs in Sweden, Estonia and Latvia to succeed in exporting into new markets. Joint resources have made it possible to elevate branding, join and jointly use available resources for market studies and promotion as well as establish consortiums capable for further expansion in the new markets. The main results of the project were 16 sales achieved by participating companies. For that 31 countries as well as markets outside EU/EFTA were targeted, and 50 SMEs participated in project activities. The number of achieved sales and the number of actively participating companies were exceeded. Main benefits for SMEs who participated in project activities are increased knowledge of possibilities in exporting and increased potential on international markets. The real cross-border value added was achieved by continuing the use of jointly developed tools to support companies within new cooperation projects.

Website: http://centralbaltic.eu/

Expected Results (EN): R1.3. Number of cluster co-operations exporting to new markets

Expected Outputs (EN):

By the end of the project, the ICT Meta Cluster is a validated ecosystem for establishment and further expansion into new markets. The participating SMEs have: a access and are familiar with the target markets export analys, received the required match-making results for their product for the target markets, performed necessary adaptation of product and services, received required coaching and help with export/import regulations, received support for business development and at least nine sales at target markets in co-operations has been achieved.The overall ecosystem for SME business expansion into new markets brings: a toolbox for setting up and carrying out export accessible for European communities, partner clusters and SMEs, a strengthened cooperation in Central Baltic and with SME clusters (e.g. Enterprise Europe Network, TCI Network and others) as well as within cross-disciplinary subjects, contribution to social, economic and ecological sustainability through ICT, services and businesses.Long-term effects after the project end: SMEs using the ecosystem are leaders in expansion on new markets, More SMEs established at the target markets, Established SMEs expand further into neighbouring regions and prepared for global development.ICT is a prerequisite for improving the energy efficiency dramatically and contributing to ecological sustainability, an indispensable tool in the provisioning of “always connected” experience and consequently future health and education means, contributing to social sustainability as well as in assisting to shape the strategies for employing existing resources optimally so that a beneficial economic balance can be achieved on a longer term contributing to economic sustainability. Specifically, when selecting partners, the project will always ensure that their offer (product or/and service) will contribute to sustainable development in at least two of the three dimensions.

Thematic information

Clustering and economic cooperation New products and services SME and entrepreneurship

Specific Objective: More exports by the Central Baltic companies to new markets

Thematic Objective: (03) enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs by:

Investment Priority: (03d) supporting the capacity of SMEs to grow in regional, national and international markets, and to engage in innovation processes

Partners (4)

Lead Partner: Fiber Optic Valley AB

Department: Business Development

Address: Stationsgatan 7, 82443 Hudiksvall, Sweden

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.fiberopticvalley.com

Total budget: EUR 748 263.00

ERDF budget: EUR 561 197.25

Latvian IT Cluster

Name: Latvian IT Cluster

Department: N/A

Address: Skolas Street 11, LV-1010 Riga, Latvia

Legal status: private

Website: http://www.itbaltic.com

Total budget: EUR 352 860.92

ERDF budget: EUR 299 931.78

Acreo Swedish ICT AB

Name: Acreo Swedish ICT AB

Department: Netlab

Address: Håstaholmen 4, 82442 Hudiksvall, Sweden

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.acreo.se

Total budget: EUR 831 303.54

ERDF budget: EUR 623 477.66

Estonia ICT Cluster

Name: Estonia ICT Cluster

Department: N/A

Address: Lõõtsa 6, 11415 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: private

Website: https://e-estonia.com/meet-the-industry/ict-cluster/

Total budget: EUR 388 451.02

ERDF budget: EUR 330 183.37

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Central Baltic ICT - Export Meta Cluster

Project acronym: ICT Meta Cluster

Project start date: 2015-09-01

Project end date: 2019-02-28

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 2 320 878.48

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 814 790.06

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 1 814 790.06.

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-11-11

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

137 / 137 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

663 / 663 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://centralbaltic.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-08, 2023-01-12 and 2024-03-08.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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